My midwife thinks I'm crazy...

Maybe, maybe not...

I had all those 'signs' with my (singleton) daughter. None of them with my boys. However, my uterus is kind of funky in that everyone seems to like to be transverse in it, which is why my measurements were always funky.

If you feel strongly it's twins, then I'd advise you to get it checked out. Always a good thing to know, especially in the preparation department.

It could be twins. With this pregnancy(edd sometime early Feb), I didn't feel sick at all, but my tummy seemed to be poking out the second the pregnacy test showed a positive. I was feeling movement around the same time, although I didn't think anything of it as I felt my dd at around 13 weeks and I knew this time what it would feel like. When I had my first prenatal visit we saw 2 heartbeats and I just about fell off the exam table! It is possible!

F.

Thank you all for that down-to-earth MAYBE. I'm trying not to get too excited or nervous either way.

Still, yesterday I saw my midwife again at 13 1/2 weeks. My uterus was now almost to my navel. I had gained two more pounds. I continue to feel movement.

We found one heartbeat and one placenta on my left side, but she didn't continue to do more searching on the right side. She did re-verified my dates and now says she feels very confident with them! My previous cycle, I ovulated while visiting friends in New York while my husband was in Texas---a little toooo long distance for possible conception.

She said we would see next visit 16ish weeks and if I am still measuring big, gaining more weight, etc, she will send me for an ultrasound.....

What I keep wondering is, how am I supposed to eat 125 g of protein a day???!!!!

Kathryne

eat it around the clock. when you get up to pee, drink a glad of water and eat 30-40 grams of protein. cottage cheese has a lot of protein. hard boil eggs and eat a few every time you open the fridge. i would eat ground beef with kelp flakes and salt for breakfast. or beef tips. pate was a real treat for me.

i did not eat dairy or meat before the twin pregnancy. i actually do not like either. i found out i was having twins at 22 weeks and then began to eat 150grams of protein a day and over a gallon of water daily. it takes planning and commitment. i had to eat dairy and red meat and it paid off in the end.

read anne frye's section on twins in HOLISTIC MIDWIFERY or elzabeth noble's HAVING TWINS.

i also drank protein shakes, with NO sugar in it, with each protein meal. i walked, talked, slept...protein and water. also, green leafies and iron rich foods too. not much else though. we made sacrifices so that i could eat that much protein per day.

it is sooo worth it, though.
Peace and Blessings,

i don't think you're crazy, either - I'm pregnant with twins due in april, and I found out at 10 weeks. I had been measuring large and despite it being my 2nd pregnancy, I thought that I 'popped' out MUCH earlier than I should have.

Fast forward to now, & we just found out that the twins have twin to twin transfusion, which can cause polyhydramnios in one of the sacs - which is why my measurements are SO large. I'm getting to experience the other end of the spectrum with this pregnancy - both a good and a bad thing - but have learned even MORE this time around how important it is to trust your body and your gut feelings. If you really think there's 2 in there and you want to find out, insist on finding out - it shouldn't be a guessing game for you and your family because your midwife isn't openminded about the possibility...

As it turns out, the midwife I was seeing had very little experience with twins - unfortunately, there were 3 or 4 red flags that a more experienced mw might have seen as a multiple pregnancy, or later on, that something was seriously wrong. So....I don't know...it never hurts to get another opinion or disagree w/ the mw on your plan of action...

Good luck to you!

I agree that Noble's Having Twins book is a SPECTACULAR resource. She also talks in there about the Brewer-Krebs pregnancy hotline, and Dr.s Brewer will counsel you on nutrition if you're so inclined. I can look up the phone number for you later, if yo'ure interested.

Additionally, one of the doctors who has studied the problem that we have (TTTS) extensively, noted that in almost all of his patients he noticed extremely low levels of protein and iron. His suggestion is to drink 2-3 cans of Boost or Ensure, some sort of nasty, nasty drink, daily. I've been doing it for about a week now, and I do have to say that I've noticed a considerable difference in how I feel - and today, we'll find out if it had any effect on levlling out our amniotic fluid levels. The suggestion is to just sip it periodically throughout the day, so you're taking it in almost constantly....I found that mixing a 1:1 ratio of boost + soymilk really helps it be a little more palatable, plus you get the extra goodness of the soymilk nutrients... I think that doctor (Dr. De Lia) has a website: fetalmd.com

I'm curious to see if you upping your protein amount will make a difference or not with the TTTS. I've not heard any correlation between protein and iron with TTTS before.

I was induced at 37 wks due to their size difference increasing. Long story short, it was a very wise decision for us. My smaller of the twins (they were two lbs apart at birth, now are 15 mo and 3 pounds apart) is showing signs of spinal cord deformity. I'm wondering now if she really was deprived of essential nutrients in the womb much earlier than we though -- that would be nearly from the beginning. :

To the OP -- I'm wondering why, if your MW knows how you are feeling that you are carrying twins, she didn't/wouldn't take the time to listen for a 2nd heartbeat on the other side? If she is that dismissive of you, you may want to find someone else who will take you seriously.

The really short version is: I'm moving to a different state in about 6 weeks (we got an offer on our house yesterday!), so finding another midwife here is sort of a waste of time.

The semi short version is: I think she doesn't want me to be disappointed if it's not twins. And she wants to make sure it's not something terrible, though no signs point to anything terrible. She called me to say that she was worried that maybe I had a hyditaform mole! I told her the only way it was a mole was if I had a rodent swimming around inside me, and probably a pair of them at that!

She did listen on both sides, but when she found one heartbeat she didn't keep trying for another one because she had already searched both sides.

The long version is: she used to live in the state I am moving to. She's only been a midwife for maybe 5 years. She's lovely, but like most CPMs she's inexperienced when it comes to multiple birth. Perhaps she's a little unnerved by my researching and being so certain of myself. She was trained by the midwife that I have in the new state. The midwife there has been a midwife for 25 years or more, has 8 children, and is extremely laid back. She (midwife in new state) has caught 9 sets of twins at home, and has one in her practice now, expected in about 18 weeks. So that will be 10 before mine will arrive. She has excellent back up, including a very midwifey (if that's a word) perinatologist (sp?) who will be only a couple of blocks away from our new place.

I actually called the midwife in the new state today, and she told me just to tell Carol, my midwife here, that she worked for me, and that if I needed piece of mind, she needed to order the ultrasound! I called Carol, and she said, "I was just thinking about you. You know, if you want an ultrasound, let's go get you one!" I said, "I was just calling to tell you that!"

So, I have to wait until after pay day unless I can figure out how to get my insurance to pay for the ultrasound. So I still won't know until November 7th, but at least no more arguing with my midwife here!

Kathryne