Ramblings-n-Writings

As I’m sitting here at 34 weeks with a very large belly, I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve learned while doing double duty and carrying twins …

Heartburn … Ah, my favorite friend. It really doesn’t matter what goes in – spicy or bland – heartburn will come and go. So I eat what I want. The advice to avoid spicy foods and carbonated beverages may be helpful in singleton pregnancies, but honestly, with twins your stomach is practically shoved out your mouth anyway so the acid is inevitable. Instead of suffering with a diet of bread and water, I learned to control my heartburn. A glass of milk before bed neutralizes the acid and works as the best preventative for me. Yogurt, ice cream, and cheese also help (yes, ice cream was recommended by my doctor.) I also use two or three pillows at night to prop up my head and upper chest – harder for stomach acid to travel up than straight. A little bit of fresh lemon added to water is another preventative.

Eating … I consume tons of food. Like constantly. For the first two months or so, I had a lot of nausea (never did get morning sickness or vomiting), but I eventually figured out that the nausea was because I was hungry. Within a matter of a day or two all of the nausea went away when I increased my food intake. Eating snacks (fruit, cheese, peanut butter, granola, veggies or anything that is considered food when you are desperate) between meals helps tremendously. Weight gain – don’t be concerned. Feed your little ones. I’ve gained 40 lbs. so far and our girls consistently measure well above the 50th percentile for their gestational age and weight.

Water … Drink a lot – more than the recommended 6-8 glasses. I started drinking about 100 oz. of water a day around 12 weeks. I do not have dry skin, stretch marks, or swelling, and my girls have excellent levels of amniotic fluid. One word of caution – don’t drink a full glass of water within 20 minutes of eating a meal (either before or after) unless you want heartburn. Once I adjusted when I drank my water, I noticed a significant decrease in the amount of heartburn.

Maneuverability … Yeah, forget about being flexible, getting up off the couch gracefully, shaving your legs, or climbing out of bed without feeling like you just ran a marathon. This will strike near the end of the 2nd trimester. If you drop something on the floor, leave it there – someone else will eventually pick it up.

Breathing … Starting around 20 weeks or so, I noticed increased difficulty in breathing at times, which is apparently normal. This might sound strange, but the worst was when I would lay down at night or roll over. I think it has to do with the shifting of the uterus and its occupants, not to mention the occasional limb that got stuck where it didn’t belong. Nothing much can prevent this other than breathing as deep as possible until everyone gets settled and then resuming normal breathing. I know my girls started dropping around 32 weeks because I don’t feel as starved for oxygen now.

Sitting … Sitting on hard surfaces like a dining room chair also becomes more difficult with each passing week unless you want to sit with your legs sticking out to the sides. My girls hate when my belly rests on my lap and they give me all sorts of little punches to remind me to move. Cushioned chairs and recliners are wonderful inventions! Reclining keeps the pressure off of the pelvic area, however reclining does put pressure on the back and veins so sit with weight shifted slightly to a side. Using a pillow to prop up the ever-growing belly helps add support.

Sleeping … Enjoy sleeping comfortably early on. In my case, I wasn’t able to lay on my back from about 18 weeks and on for any longer than about 5 minutes without getting an extremely ill feeling. When you have only two choices – left or right side – you find yourself waking up to turn over quite a bit as the little ones squish this nerve or that bodily organ. And, about midway through the 2nd trimester it becomes physically impossible to roll over without waking up. Sometimes I feel like I deserve a gold medal for reaching the other side!

And, finally, Advice … People love to offer advice about pregnancy (you know, so-and-so heard from her fifth cousin’s neighbor who had twins …). Take it all with a grain of salt unless they are twin moms or a medical professional. Every pregnancy is different. Do a lot of research online to learn what to expect during pregnancy and read about twins, twin products, twin necessities, and anything else twin related. Everything I’ve written here is based on my personal experience, not scientific or medical research, so proceed with caution.

What have you experienced during your twin pregnancy that other moms would love to know?

Related posts:

1. Twin Pregnancy – Milk for heartburn
2. Entering the Home Stretch
3. Guess Who is Here?
4. How We Found Out About Twins
5. Twins and Solid Food

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