It’s been awhile since I’ve done another summary of my Twin pregnancy. I can’t believe I’m already at 33.5 weeks! Every week they stay in is a victory especially since these last few weeks really develops their lungs and latching capabilities amongst other things. As I have mentioned in another post, 33 weeks with twins is so different than my last pregnancy. It will be neat to look at the differences below…
How far along?
2nd pregnancy: 33 weeks & 5 days
1st pregnancy: 33 weeks & 1 day
Size of Baby:
2nd pregnancy: At our last appointment at 32 weeks babies were measuring at 3.7 lbs & 3.4 lbs!
1st pregnancy: Size of a Pineapple ~17 inches from head to heel, 4 lbs!!!
Total Weight Gain/Loss:
2nd pregnancy: About 17 lbs, huge is an understatement for how ginormous I feel. It’s crazy to believe my current weight (~124 lbs) is close to how much I was at 41+ weeks in my first pregnancy
1st pregnancy: About 20 lbs, tummy is HUGE.Maternity Clothes: 2nd pregnancy: Nothing is comfortable! A lot of pants surprisingly fit me if I wear the belly band but it’s not very comfortable. Around the house I’m mostly in sweats and yoga pants. This week I’ve moved onto wearing hubby’s shirts because all of mine hang a bit short over my belly. Reminds me of the episode when Rachel, from Friends, is preggo and her belly is hanging out of her shirt. Yes, it IS possible! 1st pregnancy: I’ve invested in a few pairs of maternity pants for work and I have some comfie lounge pants for the weekends. A few friends have also passed along maternity clothes which have come in VERY handy!Gender: 2nd pregnancy: It’s a SURPRISE still! We have detailed ultrasound appointments every 4 weeks and Ob/Gyn appts every 2 weeks and both technicians and doctor has been awesome (so far) about keeping it a secret. But I’m so so excited about finding out. My current gut feeling is a boy and a girl but that’s just a feeling. I had a similar feeling around this time in my 1st pregnancy and I was right! Of course, we are eager and excited despite what the genders are which is why it never mattered for us to find out! Healthy, happy babies is our prayer :).
1st pregnancy: Still a surprise! But so excited to find out now!
Belly Button In/Out:
2nd pregnancy: Let’s just say it’s a bigger outtie than it was last time and it’s been that way for a LONGER time this time. I hope it returns to it’s normal form!
1st pregnancy: Beyond an outtie! Feels like someone took my belly and flipped it inside out. It’s a very obvious button that sticks up on my belly. And it’s SUPER soft.
Stretch Marks:
2nd pregnancy: Um…yes lots of tiger stripes. And it’s so so so itchy! I put lavender lotion on to keep me calm and stop the itching…don’t really have any hope of not getting stretch marks this time around!
1st pregnancy: Can’t see any major ones. But I’ve seem some streaks here. Still applying Neutrogena’s Body Oil daily to help with the itching and overall moisturizing.
Wedding Ring:
2nd pregnancy: Wedding ring still fits but I don’t wear it all that often. Still can’t find my engagement ring 🙁 (shh..).
1st pregnancy: My wedding ring is not also getting really tight and hard to wear and remove. I may have to stop wearing it really soon! My hands feel SO bare without any of my rings!
Labor Signs:
2nd pregnancy: I’ve had a few episodes of tightening and lots of pressure although it’s nothing major it was enough to have my Ob check at my 32 week appointment and low and behold I am 1cm dilated already. Progression can still be very slow but it validated that I was feeling something.
1st pregnancy: Nothing yet…thank goodness!
Movement:
2nd pregnancy: Lots and lots of amazing movement. It’s neat because I can definitely distinguish between babies on the most part, unless it’s right in the middle of my belly. Lots of rolls and jabs. Still a magical, out of the body type experience. 4 little hands, 4 little feet, 2 heartbeats…all inside of me….still unbelievable at times.
1st pregnancy: Baby moves like crazy! I’ve been keeping my kick counts. And majority of the time I get my 10 kicks within 7 minutes or so. The best is when the baby moves or feels like it’s doing a summersault, I think I feel the motion sickness! But I will surely miss these amazing movements once Baby is here. It’s such a special feeling.Sleep:2nd pregnancy: sleep? what sleep? It’s nearly impossible to be on either side because one of them is always moving. And this time my heartburn makes it so hard to lie down but the pressure from all the weight is rough on my back so I can’t sit up and sleep either. So, basically I don’t get any sleep. It’s Gods way of preparing me for what’s to come!!!1st pregnancy:Sleeping has been a tough! Luckily, my brother surprised me and got me one of those pregnancy pillows. It’s been a lifesaver. We were able to retire the 5+ pillows I had been sleeping with. Turning is hard…staying on my side is hard and getting comfortable is nearly impossible.Cravings/Aversions: 2nd pregnancy: I’m happy when I can eat and keep my food down. No other real cravings but like last time if someone mentions something I often want that. The problem being almost everything causes heartburn so I can’t enjoy it because almost immediately I feel it and soon after it is out! I finally had to get some medication to address the heartburn.
1st pregnancy: Still nothing major. I will have a desire for random foods once someone mentions them. There have been a few times where someone mentions food and then I either end up making it or we go out for it. So most of my “cravings” are fed off of what others are eating, suggesting or talking about.
Looks like I didn’t finish the rest of the summary during my last pregnancy but I’m going to take full advantage of an empty house right now (boys have gone to run some errands) and finish this.
Symptoms:
2nd pregnancy: Let’s see, basically every part of my body is falling apart on me. Heartburn is one I’ve already mentioned and has been around since my 2nd trimester and progressively got worse. Throbbing legs is frequent and hubby has to press them a few times a week at night. My back in the last 2-3 weeks has started to give out on me. It hurts to be upright and lying down. Pressing it is one of the few reliefs aside from ust trying to sleep it off. I also borrowed a support belt from a friend which also helps when I need to be on my feet or sitting for an elongated period of time. This week I caught flu like symptoms making it impossible for me to swallow and breath. Turns out I developed pregnancy related asthma so now I’m on an inhaler 2xs a day along with heartburn medication. I’m telling you this twin pregnancy is no joke. I don’t remember feeling half of this the last time around.
Feeling:
Oh gosh, this is a loaded question. I feel like I ask myself this every few days and it changes from day to day. I think my strongest feelings right revolve around how I’m going to miss my 1:1 time with Toddler S. It is so special and I treasure every part of it. It’s going to be very hard for me to not feel like I’m missing out on parts of what’s going on with him because the first few months I will be very busy with the babies. But he’s so good about being involved in things I do around the house, so I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to have him very involved with his siblings too!
I’m feeling anxious about the delivery. I don’t think that changes from pregnancy to pregnancy except for maybe knowing kind of what to expect. But with twins there is a new set of unknowns. The first being how early will they really come?
