coping in third trimester with twins.

[Kezzabird]

Are there any ladies out there preg with twins?

I am 25 weeks now and am a fairly petite (usually!!) My back is really feeling the weight and am finding day to day chores really challenging. Is there anyone else out there in the same boat that can share experiences with me? The twin section is a bit quiet these days.

[BeautifulMadness]

Big congrats on having twins. i just wanted to wish u the best of luck an hope they both stay in the oven for awhile longer

[Kezzabird]

Thanks Beautiful!! I am not holding out for any replies the twins section is running way to cold these days!!! It's a shame I could really use another person in the same boat as me right now to compare experiences.

[Kaydee78]

Hi Kezzabird,

I'm in the same boat as you.. pregnant with twins and due a few weeks after you.

I hear you with the housework. My mum has been awesome though. She comes out every week and does all of the big stuff like washing, bathroom and vacuuming. I think I would be an exhausted wreck without her. I just plod along with the ironing and little stuff during the week when I have the energy and time to get to it.

Have you got family close by that could give you a hand?

[ktgirl]

I feel for you both. It is tough in the third tri with twins. I carried my two up to 38 weeks and they were both over 6lb so I was pretty massive.

I kind of did what kaydee suggested and got family to help as much as they could. I did what I could and then either my DH did some stuff or my Mum helped me out. I got them to do stuff like the vacuming and ironing (since I couldn't stand close enough to the ironing board lol)

If anyone asks you what they could get you perhaps you could suggest a cleaner for a couple of weeks or something? And don't stress to much if the place gets a bit untidy (you have a fantastic excuse!!)

Try and rest as much as you can so you don't put too much strain on your back. When you lie down on the couch or in bed do you put a pillow between your legs? I always found this helped to ease the back pain and I also ended up with a pillow under my belly while lying on my side to kind of help to hold up the weight (does that make sence) that helped with my back as well.

I bet you are counting down the weeks now. By the end I was so ready for those babies to be out so I could move again lol. It is such a wonderful experience being a Mum of twins. If either of you have any questions at all or want to chat about anything just send me a PM. Sometimes it is nice to hear someone else is going/gone through the same things as you. Would love to chat anytime.

[Kezzabird]

Thanks so much for that Kt, I might have questions for you later on though.

I'm afraid I'm pretty new to Australia, I'm one of those pommy likes that decided to sell everything for a better life on the other side of the world!! So I have no family near me, luckily it's just the 3 of us here, my son is 5 so he's not too bad and helps out now and then. But I am worried how it's going to affect him when they do arrive, we've been preparing him for the arrival of two bubs, but the last thing I want is for him to feel left out and alone. My other half does have an Aunt and Unc that live in Melbourne and they said they will come and help when the bubs arrive so that will be a great help, plus his mum and dad will be out some time after to help out also. But for the last trimester it's just a case of sucking it up and getting on with things. I've just been taking things slowly and to hell with the god damn housework if it doesn't get done, it's just tough!! Although the inlaws have kindly bought me a dishwasher, that is absolutely wonderful!

As for sleeping I've been using the pillow between the knees trick and it does work, but I find I have to keep changing positions every so often as the weight of the twins really hurt after a while in one position.

Kaydee- it's great to finally meet someone else in the same boat as me! I was starting to get a bit lonely in my belly thread as I'm the only one expecting twins. Everyone else has lovely little bumps and I have this huuuge bump on the front of me twice the size of theirs!! Are your twins identical or fraternal? I've been really worried about this twin to twin syndrome or what ever it is they call it where one twin gets more nutrients than the other. So far so good though, so fingers crossed they carry on sharing like good little girls!! Have you put any belly pics on here yet? I've done one at 20 weeks, but not since then.

[Kaydee78]

ktgirl, thanks for the tips about pillows. I used one between my knees when sleeping when I had DD a few years back but backpain wasn't as big an issue as it is proving to be this time around. I think I will definitely have questions for you as time passes. Not counting down yet but excited as each week passes and these littles ones stay inside growing! Have felt really good the last 6 weeks, fairly energetic. Starting to slow down a little again, back to needing some rest during the day.

Kezzabird, our twins are fraternal. 2 embryos were replaced through ivf and both worked. We didn't find out gender so we're just going to wait it out!

Our ob wasn't too concerned about the twins growth. Apparently up to 28 weeks the twins will grow at the same rate as a singleton baby but it's after 28 weeks that they stat to do more frequent measurement ultrasounds to ensure the nutrients are being shared and one doesn't grow more than the other. I feel calm about it all now but I might start to worry more as we get closer to 28 weeks...

No belly pics but I'm feeling huge though I'm sure there's plenty of growing left to do! I'm about the same size I was with DD at 7-8 months pregnant. Saw some belly photos today of a friend's sister who's recently had twins. She was scary big. I don't know if things return to normal once you stretch that big! It freaked me out a bit.

As for housework, I think as long as there's clean clothes to wear and food to eat, the rest will get done eventually and if not, doesn't matter! We bought a dishwasher a few years back and you don't realise how much time you spend standing at the sink washing dishes until you suddenly don't need to anymore. Your DH's aunt and uncle will be welcome extra help, I'm sure.

Better go. Can't sit still for too long these days! Take care.

[Leemar]

Hey Girls,

To all our pg twin mummy's in your third Tri....
Oh I still remember and feel your pain.
Lots of Pillows helped me.

Wishing all the very best

[ktgirl]

Our ob wasn't too concerned about the twins growth. Apparently up to 28 weeks the twins will grow at the same rate as a singleton baby but it's after 28 weeks that they stat to do more frequent measurement ultrasounds to ensure the nutrients are being shared and one doesn't grow more than the other. I feel calm about it all now but I might start to worry more as we get closer to 28 weeks...

No belly pics but I'm feeling huge though I'm sure there's plenty of growing left to do! I'm about the same size I was with DD at 7-8 months pregnant. Saw some belly photos today of a friend's sister who's recently had twins. She was scary big. I don't know if things return to normal once you stretch that big! It freaked me out a bit.

We had two embryos put back and both took also. Towards the end I had a number of those growth scans as our little boy looked a lot smaller than his sister. He kept a steady pace of growth and by the end he was almost the same size as her. He is still the smaller baby now though

About the belly size... well you probably will get 'scary' huge but you are carrying two babies I was pretty massive too. There is one photo of me about a week before the birth and a lot of friends have commented on facebook about how fake it looks because it was soooo big lol. As far as things going back to normal well it takes some time. My skin was so stretched at the start that I could grab it and pull it out (gross) but now it has really tightened up. Sure it is not what it used to be but when I think I carried over 12pounds of baby I think it has come back pretty good.

Hope you are both traveling well.

[Kezzabird]

That's good to know about your skin going back to normalish! I was wondering did you get any varicose veins? I seem to be getting them popping up in places I didn't know I had veins!! Please don't ask me to elaborate on that one it's way too embarrassing if you get my drift!

I think there can be way more complications with identical twins, so I've been getting scanned left right and center. My belly is well moisturized with all that gel they keep putting on my tum, hopefully it will help prevent stretch marks, he he.

I didn't go down the Ivf route, I wasn't brave enough, hats off to you gals though. Even though we've been trying for 3 years, I just couldn't bring myself to do all the invasive procedures that is IVF treatment. And then all the worry and waiting and what if it didn't work etc etc. We'd just about given up trying when I fell for the little ladies in my tum, it was such a lovely surprise. We feel so blessed and just can't believe that some one some where actually thinks we can pull this off!!

[ktgirl]

Kezzabird that is so wonderful about how you fell pregnant. Twins are an absolute miracle!! And yes you can definitely pull this off.

I bet you have been having loads of scans with your identical little ladies. It is nice to see them so often I bet!!

As far as the varicose veins go I understand and I will send you a PM

[Mon]

Hi Gals I am so glad I found this thread. I am 32 weeks and expecting boy/girl twins.
I am also feeling the discomfort of 3rd tri and my belly is massive! i recently had a premature labour scare - but thankfully all OK - you can read all about it in my blog.
My recommendation is to really rest when you can. i was meant to work up until this Friday, but instead had the TPL scare 3wks ago at 29 wks so work was abruptly cut short. In hindsight should have slowed down and organised to finish earlier.
Have had the discomfort of sore back, swollen feet (feet one size bigger) and swollen fingers (rings no longer fit). My sis is 2 months behind me in her pg. She is 24 weeks and I was her size at 16 wks!!! Suffer from belly envy. More so because singleton pg belly's look like they are more comfortable - but in same breath am feeeling so blessed to have 2. I am finding it really hard to sleep at night. i now snore and even though have heaps of pillows still find it uncomfortable. My biggest discomfort is around the rib area which feels like i have pulled my muscles from the strain and weight of my belly. always seem to strain it when changing positions in bed, which have to fully get up and change posi's. And have been getting heaps of braxton hicks. I also have spider veins - a few on my belly, but luckilly no stretch marks (yet) the bio oil has really helped.
Am just glad am at home and can take it easy. My DH is doing everything. all the houseweork and cleaning (bless him!) thank god my mother in law arrives in 3 weeks and will stay with us for 3-4 months and will be a huge help.
i just hope to make it to at least 34 weeks where can breathe a sigh of relief. i am booked in for a c/section at 38 weeks though and that would be a real blessing to make it that far!
Mon

[Kezzabird]

Hey Mon!!

Yay good to have another one on board, it does get kinda lonely watching all these single pregnancies going on and yes I'm getting belly envy too!!! Although I found this brill T shirt that says "Pregnant with twins, what's your excuse?" ha ha, I just couldn't resist it. So Mon is this your first pregnancy? I have a 5 year old boy, so have to make myself get up and do the chores, get him to kinder etc. I do get time to rest though, I just send him next door as he has a couple of little friends over there and luckily their mum doesn't mind him going over. I have been lucky with the stretch marks too, so far, I've been using cocoa butter, I used it with my son too. I only got a few on my bum, so I don't mind that as I don't tend to show that area off very often! lol
You are lucky to have a hubby that does all the housework for you, mine is bloody hopeless!! He'd quite happily live in a pig sty I reckon!!

[Mon]

Hi Kezza,

Yes this is my 1st PG. Must be harder having another child. i remember being so sick in my first tri that dont know how would have coped looking after a child. And now that am couch bound even harder. I guess at 5 they are a little more understanding and luckilly you can send yours next door for a bit of entertainment.
LOL re the t-shirts that sounds awesome. Glad to know am not only one that has belly envy. thought was being silly as really I am so lucky to be pg with not just one but 2 bubbas. A year ago would never have thought for this to happen. But its hard when all you have to compare yourself is those around you that are expecting singletons. It'd be nice to have someone IRL also expecting twins to share experience. But so great to chat with you gals on BB.

Have you started feeling braxton hicks? I dont enjoy them and get so paranoid, but its to be expected. Are you going to deliver naturally or c/s?

Mon