This is insane!

[mama_nym]

So people have been commenting on how huge my belly is this time around - and my mw's have had a bit of concern that I may be having twins (I haven't had an u/s and am going to see the third mw in the practice on Wed. to see what she thinks). I mildly entertained the possibility of twins but am really thinking it's just one - and then I posted belly pics on another board and am thinking that either this is one huge baby or there may be something to the twin thing (or there's something else going on like polyhydramnios).

To put things in perspective, C was 10lbs 14oz at birth and I had a lot of fluid. Here's my 29 week belly with him:
Coren 29w

I then took a 27w1d pic of this pregnancy:
27w1d

and another 10 DAYS later, after exclaimations from my kids, family and friends about how huge my belly is...
28w4d

(And I wear a G-H cup at the moment if that helps put things into perspective!)

Is it me, or am I just huge? Anyone else with a big "out there" belly?

[flapjack]

I still don't think you're that huge. If you look at your back, in order to take the photograph then you've tilted your pelvis quite a lot and the curve of your back is very, very very defined. What happens when you force your pelvis the other way, so that your spine is drawn up as long and tall and straight as possible? How does that look?
Yes, I think you're carrying all in front, but most of the twin bumps I've seen have a far greater fundal height, iykwim? There's a pretty big gap between the majority of the bump and your boobs, which you don't normally see in multiple pregnancies. Also, if you look at that last 28 week photo, you can very clearly see that there's a bottom stuck WAY out there as far from your spine as he can possibly go- it's almost as if he's doing a downward facing dog pose in your uterus with his head and hands down low. bottom reaching for the sky and feet pushing against your back for leverage.
I think at this point, for the sake of your mental health you've only got two options. Ultrasound, or throw away the mirrors

[SamuraiMom]

Wow, your belly is big! And your 28 week pic looks bigger than your 29 week. I feel for you, I do. I haven't had a u/s and am not planning to, but I am feeling rather large and movement is all over at the same time. But for now my MW says there's only one. Do you think you'll get a u/s maybe, or let it be a surprise?

[mama_nym]

Yeah - I know what you mean! Most of the time I'm not even thinking about it but when I post my belly shots on another board and get comments and people really close to me are amazed, it starts to get to me!

Actually, in the pic of my preggo belly with Coren his head is on my right side, his bum is on my left side, his back is along the top of my belly and his legs are hanging down ( here's a pic of how the mw drew his position on my belly for my kids ). As far as the curve of my back - I'm not sure - I was holding the camera straight up and in front of me and my baggy lowish cut shirt was bunched up behind me.

This is my fifth child ... and I know my body ... and this is REALLY big for me, especially at not-quite-29 weeks. C was all out front and this one is out front and to the sides....even my mom (who has been through every pregnancy with me) asked me if I was sure about my dates because I look just about as pregnant as I did with C at 40 weeks and my belly has been expanding in leaps and bounds over the past couple weeks. Even with my long torso, I'm quickly running out of room and I've never had that problem before!

As I've said - I've thought the whole time that this is just one baby - it's everyone else who is making me paranoid now...and my belly, compared to all my other pregnancies, is just plain huge this time (and I didn't think it could get any bigger than last time! ).

[mama_nym]

Originally Posted by SamuraiMom

Wow, your belly is big! And your 28 week pic looks bigger than your 29 week. I feel for you, I do. I haven't had a u/s and am not planning to, but I am feeling rather large and movement is all over at the same time. But for now my MW says there's only one. Do you think you'll get a u/s maybe, or let it be a surprise?

Considering this is child #5 (or 5 and 6 ), if the mw I see on Wed (she caught Coren and is the most experienced) says that she thinks there's reason to suspect a twin pregnancy, then I'll most likely go for an u/s (a friend who uses the same practice gave me the name of a u/s place that will do VERY quick u/s just to determine what the mw wants to determine and nothing else, and the mw would just want to know how many babies we're dealing with!). If she thinks there's probably only one, then I'll assume there's one.
I'd like to know ahead of time if it's twins this time around because it would mean getting a bigger vehicle and that's something we'd need to deal with sooner rather than later!

[True Blue]

Wow, you definitely have quite a belly there! I can't wait to hear what happens! Your chances of twins are higher, you know, after your 4th pregnancy, and it looks like this is your 7th pregnancy? You might need to do some car shopping (and might I recommend our Toyota Sienna 8 seater, the highway mileage on it is awesome for it's size -- I got 26.5mpg on a road trip this week LOL).

[MamaBBrown2003]

I'm in the same boat as you. I normally get huge when I'm pregnant, and I've been asked every pregnancy if it's twins. This time around, I was pulling out the maternity stuff at 6 weeks, and even dh was telling me that I was bigger than other pregnancies. I saw my midwife last week for a 27 week appt, and she measured me to be 30. YIKES. So I did go and have an ultrasound because twins would mean buying another vehicle before the birth. Well, according to the US, there is just one VERY big baby (measuring almost 29 weeks when I knew I could be no more than 27 weeks). I can't see where there'd be room for another one to hide in there. LOL! I guess a big baby is to be expected since dd1 was 6.5 lbs at 36 weeks, dd2 was 9.5 lbs at almost 42 weeks and ds was 9lb2oz at a few days past my "due date". I imagine this one will be right around that same range, but I'm beginning to hope for a 37-39 week delivery rather than a post dates one.

[lovetobemama]

Either way, you look beautiful!
I haven't seen bellies pregnant with twins, so I don't really know, but I don't think you look substantially bigger at 28 weeks this time than you did at 29 last time, just a little bigger. Especially with this being a subsequent pregnancy...it might still just be the toll that pregnancy starts taking on your muscles and ligaments after so many gorgeous children!!
But like I said, either way you look great!!

Strong mama!

[ksera05]

Originally Posted by mama_nym

I'd like to know ahead of time if it's twins this time around because it would mean getting a bigger vehicle and that's something we'd need to deal with sooner rather than later!

when do you think you'll go in for the peek?

[mama_nym]

Originally Posted by MamaBBrown2003

I saw my midwife last week for a 27 week appt, and she measured me to be 30. YIKES.

At my 27 week appointment I was measuring a conservative 31 weeks and with my tilted (backwards) uterus, I usually measure smaller than normal! I"m thinking it's one big baby in there - C was 10lbs 14 oz at birth so if this one is bigger I'm looking at over 11lbs. Frankly that doesn't scare me, as C's birth was pain-free and pushing (my body did it all on its own) was a whopping 7 minutes!

And yes, I'd rather not go post-dates - C was born the day after his edd and i can't imagine how big he'd have been if he was a week late!!! :

By this time tomorrow I should have my mw's opinion on things.

[Free Thinker]

Here is mine from 26 weeks. At my 31 week appt. I measured 41cm, can't remember what I measured when I took this pic, but normally about 6-8 weeks ahead, now 10 weeks ahead! http://s69.photobucket.com/albums/i5...insPics012.jpg

I have another 30 week pic I need to get uploaded! I"m bigger than I have ever been, larger than when I delivered my girls. I suspected at 8 weeks, and by 12 weeks I was sure. At 13 weeks I asked for an US to and it was confirmed. My uterus was at my belly button at 13 weeks. I can also tell how the babies lay that there are 2 in there. Much different than my other pregnancies.

[mama_nym]

Originally Posted by ksera05

when do you think you'll go in for the peek?

If the mw I see tomorrow thinks there may be more than one, then I'll call and schedule an u/s. If not, I won't.

Thanks for sharing the picture and your experience, Free Thinker!

[mama_nym]

Well, I'm back from the mw and am now measuring 6 weeks ahead. She couldn't tell baby's exact position either. So... the midwives and I agree that since this is completley out of the ordinary for me that I should have a quick u/s to rule out twin pregnancy and polyhydramnios and anything else that may be awry. I'll make phone calls to find someplace to get it done on Friday and should have an appointment sometime next week. My orders specifically request to r/o twins and polyhydramnios only, so it shoud be a short u/s.

[Carlito's_wife]

You know honestly in my own opinion I think you are bigger than average. But then there are things to take into consideration. Like previous pregnancies, and I guess just what shape your body was in before you got preggers.

Here is me @28 weeks.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...Picture262.jpg

I think I look pretty darn big but my entire family tells me I was much bigger the last 2 times around.

Oh and just to shock you a little here is a pic of my best friend with me and she is 28 weeks also.*WE ARE 3 DAYS APART* This will let you know how much things vary person to person and her baby is already 3 pounds.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...Picture137.jpg

I am really interested in what you find out though. I would have loved to have twins.

[mama_nym]

Yeah...I still think it's just one baby, but it's incredibly odd for me to have this kind of growth. A friend of mine mentioned she experienced something similar and it was because her placenta, which was in front, was also 5.5 lbs and as it "moved up" as her uterus grew, it made her measure ahead! I'm finding out that there are so many possibilities and I'll just have to wait and see.

You have a beautiful belly, btw!!!

When I was 7 months pg with my first I was wearing a size smaller jeans than pre-preg (I'd lost 16lbs!) and then popped at around 7.5 months- it was crazy. How different all my pregnancies have been!!!

[flapjack]

One of the mamas from my last DDC is due in January, and she's been having major major hassles with measuring further than normal ahead this time: like you, she grows em big, and her last DD was 10lb and change with shoulder dystocia at birth. After spending months worrying about twins, she got to the ultrasound and they told her baby was actually small for dates : (it's mama fern, if you want to check the posts.)
Sometimes, pregnancy is not an exact science. I think the head count is a good idea, especially as your FH measurement seems to be shooting up, but I don't know anything about polyhydramnios. Is that one of those things that's more significant as a marker for other things than an issue on its own?

[mama_nym]

They're just looking at polyhydramnios as a cause for my jump in growth, not as a problem or a symptom...especially as I usually have a lot of fluid (but don't quite get to the poly measurement). As my mw said...if there's one baby and your fluid is measuring as polyhydramnios, we'll assume that's the cause for the growth and not worry about the poly as a problem...fluid levels change all the time during pregnancy and it could be poly this week and not when you go into labor.

I think the u/s (which is Monday morning - what a conversation that was with the radiology place trying to explain that CNMs can indeed order u/s, not just MDs, etc.) will basically put my dh's mind at ease (he insists it's twins and is slightly freaking out! ) as well as my own (I've felt something is different about this pregnancy from the beginning and ruling out twins and anything major that they could see via u/s will be nice).

I guess I'll have some answers on Monday!

Oh...and I'm so glad I don't have to worry much about my big babies having shoulder dystocia - C was 10lbs14oz with a huge (15in?) head and my body pushed him out in 7 min without any help from me. I figure if I can do that with so much ease and no pain, even if this babe is slightly over 11 lbs it shouldn't be a problem. After birthing my 9.5 lbs Z, the OB who attended Z's birth said that I could totally push out an 11lb baby with no problem - I guess he was right! (He was going by Z's huge head and the fact that his shoulders were larger and he came out both shoulders at the same time!!!).