Pregnant! That’s me. We found out we
were pregnant back in June (which seems sooo long ago now).
I started out feeling great like I did
in my last pregnancy. However, the first trimester exhaustion quickly set in
and so did a lot of feeling very… blah. My appetite disappeared and I had
plenty of food aversions. I wasn’t getting sick, but feeling pretty nauseous,
especially in the evenings. My nose was super sensitive and our new town, which
normally smells wonderfully piney to me, was suddenly making my stomach turn,
especially when it rained. Which it did. Practically every day for over a month. All in all, my symptoms weren’t that
bad, but definitely different than the first time.
I attribute the difference to the
altitude. When we’re home now, we’re at 7,000 elevation. Every time I left our
town, I felt fine, but coming home all my symptoms returned.
The second trimester has me feeling
much better and more productive with a little more energy than I had in the
first. My appetite is still not what I remember from last time (except for when
I went back to 700 ft. elevation in St. Louis, where I was super hungry the
whole time). I’m pretty bummed about it, because eating was the best part of
pregnancy last time. I don’t think I’ve
ever enjoyed food so much as I did then.
We decided to get prenatal care at a
local birth center staffed by midwives in a cute historic and homey house. The
appointments included long chats over tea. The labor room had big soaker tubs
and a double bed, and felt comfortable not medical. At each appointment, they
listened for baby’s heart and we always asked if there was only one, to which
they either giggled or said that they thought I would be feeling bigger by now
if there were two.
Last week on Friday, we went into the
hospital for our 20 week ultrasound. Debbie, our tech took us back to the room
with the normal chit chat. We got situated, she put the warm gel on my belly,
and placed the wand. She immediately took it off and said, “This is your first
ultrasound this pregnancy?”
I couldn’t see the screen like Tyler
could, but we still had the same response, “Yes, are there two?!?!?”
She placed the wand on my belly again
and turned the screen so we could both see the outlines of two heads. TWINS! “There’s
Baby A and Baby B. You didn’t know? Get comfy, cause we’re going to be here a
while.”
She proceeded to do all their
measurements and make sure all their parts and organs were accounted for. They
were 2 healthy babies predicted to be around .75 lbs and within a gram of each
other. The whole time we were there I think we were both a little in shock. Not
wanting to talk too much and disturb her while she was working (the babies were
very active and making it a little tough for her), but unable to contain our
excitement, shock, and random thoughts.
“Do we need to get a van???” I asked
at one point.
It was rather surreal to see them both
in there. 4 feet, kicking each other. One of the things I love about the
ultrasound, is getting to see the movement that corresponds with what I’m
feeling. Now, when I feel them moving around, I imagine them sticking their
feet into each other’s ribs and not just mine. 😊
I think on some level I knew there
were two. When I was asked at work what I thought I was having, my immediate
response was not boy or girl, it was, “twins.” One evening I remember Tyler
asking how our baby was, and I corrected him by saying, “you mean, babies…” Then,
just that morning on the way to the ultrasound Tyler asked me what I thought
the sex would be and my reply was, “both.”
I wasn’t entirely correct. We found
out pretty early in the appointment that Baby A is a girl, and about an hour
later we found out that Baby B is also a girl. They each have their own sac and placenta,
known as di/di twins, which our research tells us most likely means they are
fraternal, but there is still a 25-30% possibility of them being identical.
Lying there with thoughts of two
babies racing through my head, I suddenly felt very behind. To be honest, the
second pregnancy was not as exciting as the first. Sure, we were over the moon
to be having another kid, but the pregnancy itself was a little bit been-there
done-that. We did so much research and reading last time. We already have all
the gear and supplies. There wasn’t that much to DO for this pregnancy. But BAM,
suddenly we had so many questions we needed answered. Twins are a different
ballgame (and I try not to think about how expensive the tickets are). 20 weeks
is supposed to be halfway, but with a twin pregnancy we’re more than likely
more than halfway.
We went home to tell Hazel. I whispered
it in her ear so she could announce it to Erin who was staying with us. Tyler
was taking a video hoping to get a cute announcement to send to the family too.
Although, she got a big grin when I told her there were two babies, she refused
to say it out loud. Then she refused to say the word “twins” for the next few
days. She might have been in denial. Ha! But she has come around, and sometimes
asks to look at my belly, puts her hands on it and asks if they’re moving. She
knows there are two sisters in there for her, and I think she’s getting excited.
It’s been fun spilling the beans to
people. Everyone is so shocked! What’s not fun, is now having to start back at
square one with all our planning. Bye bye birth center, they don’t do twins.
Hello, OB shopping, hospital tours, and school waiting lists. Ugh!
So it’s about time I start up this ole’
blog again and keep track of the babies’ pregnancy like I did with Hazel’s. A quick
google image search of “twin pregnancy belly” will give you a glimpse of the
terrifying magnitude of the situation to come. 😉
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| { The day we found out } |
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| { Two Heads!!! } |
How far along? 20 Weeks
How much weight have you gained?
10 pounds
Any cravings? Not lately, but I
have been eating a lot of donuts since I found out there were two babies. Not
really a craving, more like a coping mechanism?
What are you wearing? No more normal
pants. It’s leggings and maternity pants from here on out. I am pretty big
already, measuring 26 weeks for a singleton pregnancy, so not a lot is fitting.
How are you feeling? Symptoms? Good! My main symptoms are getting tired more
quickly, and moving slow. A little low back pain. I am starting to get
uncomfortable when I sit for too long, or move too quickly.
Stretch marks? Not yet, but I feel
like they will be inevitable with this pregnancy.
Belly button in or out? Outish already. And
has been for a few weeks.
Sleep? Sleep has been okay so far, but I’m starting to get
uncomfortable and frequently waking up on my back and having to change
positions. I’ve been debating a giant pregnancy pillow this time around, but
can’t decide if I should go for it or not.
Best moment this week: Tyler
and I got to get away over the weekend for our anniversary while Erin hung out
with Hazel. It gave us time to relax and digest the fact that we are soon to be
a family of five.
Worst moment this week: It’s been rather stressful! I suddenly feel behind
in my pregnancy and a little overwhelmed by it.
Miss anything? Down
time. We’ve had tons of fun stuff going on this summer and it’s been
really exciting, but it has also been exhausting. I am ready to do some
hibernating to just relax and get organized.
Movement? Quite
a bit of movement! I imagine them in there kicking each other just like they
were when we got our ultrasound.
Excited for anything? Very
excited. This is a new adventure again, and I always hear how cool it is to
witness the relationship of twins.
How’s dad-to-be? Also
very excited! He’s bought some books and doing twin research. Planning how to
get three car seats to fit nicely in our car.
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| { Celebrating 4 years of marriage with a Sedona sunset } |
Eeeeeeeeeeeeek!!
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