Twins Club

[Amberc]

Here's the new thread!

Aww poor Snowfalls!

My DD (5) has now decided she does not want these new additions to the family! She said they will cry too much. I think it's because we've tried to prepare her by telling her how little time I will have with her when the babies come. She's used to getting ALL the attention!
But I've decided not to tell her she has to share all her toys with them, she seems happier knowing most her toys her not for babies anyway!

Victoria - Yes I feel better each week that passes but don't mind if they come in at 37 weeks, it might actually suit me rather than wait any longer! (Cant imagine getting to 40 weeks with twins!)

Both my twins are head down too so going for natural delivery, which was what I hoped for anyhow. :)

my hosptal wont let you go over 36/ 37 weeks with twins. I am planning on being delivered at 36 weeks... A girl I met at my local twins club has been told that she is being delivered at 34 weeks, by cesearan..she has no choice...well thats how they put it too her...

Is it different with identicals? we are both expecting identicals....?

I am starting to get REALLY uncomfortable now... Cant imagine going to 40 weeks with two..am so out of breathe all the time!!!

Have a friend coming round this afternoon to do reflexology on me...cant wait....!

Also hospital bag packing this weekend.... how is tabbycat shes due around now isnt she ???

Evenin'

just a quick post from me and I apologise for not name checking you all but I am shattered. Coming up for 36 weeks and spending most of the time in bed as I can't get comfortable anywhere else, have lost the ability to sleep for more than about 2 hours at night and I just doze in the day. Come on babies I am ready for you!!!!!!!

Will try and catch up proper like tomorrow. Big wave to everyone!

Feeling like such a moany wimp - only 14+ weeks and I feel and look enormous, keep huffing when I have to get up or do much and complaining about my back / tummy / nose / etc, etc - someone tell me it'll change and is normal or to cop on and get on with it please!

Morning all :o)

Last week at work for me! yay!!

Holidays- I don't blame you for being ready for them now, I want mine to stay in until they are a healthy weight but it does seem to be getting harder again now after a couple of months of not feeling too bad!

Hi Magic- feel your pain about hte 2 hours sleep a night already! If it's not getting up to go to the loo, it's funny pains or dodgy dreams keeping me awake. Even when I am asleep it seems very light and the slightest thing will have me wide awake!

Mornings- If it's any consolation I probably felt almost at my worst at around 14 weeks... still had morning sickness/tiredness/blocked up & bleeding nose/headaches etc, plus started getting backache, breathing probs, rib pain etc... It does get better, at least for a couple of months! I felt my best from about 16 weeks until 25 weeks - the last few weeks as the babies are getting bigger i've lost my early symptoms but they've been replaced by more acid/probs sleeping/and rib pain mostly...!

Hope you feel a bit better soon, and make sure you take advantage of those couple of months of feeling a bit more 'glowing' lol.

xx

Hello again,

Had a quick scroll back through some of the messages and noticed some of the questions around weight gain... I've been keeping a bit of a track of mine and though a bit thought i'd share in case it helps anyone...Apparently recommended weight gain with twins is 35-50 pounds but i've been trying not to get too het up about it!

For info - I'm about 5 ft 8 and at 28 weeks now. I've also been using these 2 websites to help...

Average Fetal Weight & Length

Pregnancy Weight Gain Tracker

This is quite interesting too:

Where does the extra weight come from

Anyway... Here's my weight so far...

Weight Gain:
Pre-pregnancy ? 60kg ? 9.45 stone, 132.3 Pounds
Week 8 ? 62kg
Week 18 ? 67.5 kg / 149 pounds
Week 20 ? 67.4 kg / 149 pounds ? 10.6 stone
Week 21 ? 67.5
Week 22 ? 69.5/153 pounds ? 10.94 stone
Week 23 ? 68.5/151 pounds -10.79 stone
Week 24 ? 69.9/154.1 pounds ? 11 stone
Week 25 ? 71.2 kg
Week 26 ? 71.9kg/158.5 pounds ? 11.3 stone
Week 27 ? 71.5kg/157.6 pounds ? 11.3 stone
Week 28 ? 74.1kg/163.4 pounds ? 11.67 stone

Total 14.1kg so far = 31.1 pounds/2.22 stone

By the end of the pregnancy, based on pre-pregnancy weight I should aim to weigh about 171 pounds = 77.6 kg which is 12.2 stone and an increase of 2.8 stone

Looks like i'm going to go over it! Can't believe I've put on 3KG in a WEEK!!

xx

Victoria loving the stats My weight gain is similar (if not slightly more...). I was reassured at the weekend by a friend telling me she put on 4st with a singleton - I think your body just does what it needs to do.

Magic I hope you managed to get some rest yesterday. Nearly there....!

Mornings it definitely got easier for me from 13/14 weeks. However, (sorry) I have had some "difficult days" throughout; as a result I've just had to cut down on activity and take more rest. People have generally been very understanding!

Went out at the weekend on a mission to order an icandy peach....the Baby jogger city select is now on order

Sorry to be me-me-me but I'm so uncomfortable and need some insight about whether it's normal. I woke up about 4am today and went for a wee, whereupon both twins started moving like crazy and from there it has progressed to me having awful niggly back ache, feeling nauseous, the babies feel wedged in some awful position and I can't get comfy at all. My internal organs feel as though they're all out of position.

Is it possible that this is just one/both flipping? Twin 1 has always been breech and Twin 2 transverse. I didn't think they were going to be able to turn given their positions, but should it hurt like this?

...and if so, how long will it take them to complete the turn?!

holidays I'm soooooo with you on the peeing thing. Until a few days ago it was just once in the night. This didn't seem too unreasonable But the last 4 nights I've been up 4, count them, 4 times!!

Loving the weight gain stats Victoria. I'm 18 weeks and I've put on 10lbs. I'm usually dieting in "normal" life. So I'm eating more, but keeping an eye on things to check I don't let myself get out of hand.

Looking at pushchairs still fecks with my head! I've been looking at the icandy peach and the Mountain Buggys.

And car seats too I've a colleague who had twins a year ago who is selling loads of stuff. But I'm struggling to find out if the Britax Cosy Tot Premium Isofix Base will fit in my knackered year 2000 car.

I take my hat off to all of you house/flat movers. You are brave and courageous women!

Hi,

Aw- Cerubina- sounds like you are feeling a bit rubbish! Orignially ours were transverse and I def felt it when they moved to head down. My stomach went really tight like BH and quite uncomfortable, and I remember us being quite worried at the time because It was so uncomfortable. Also had some weird pain that shot down my groin and into my leg but think this was a head pressing on a nerve. When I felt mine it took about an hour or so to settle down - to be honest you might be better going to get it checked out if you are worried just to make sure? Can you still feel them moving around etc?

We're off for our next scan and consultant appintment in about half an hour so will see if they've moved again!

xx

Just had a midwife appt today and I am curious about your experiences. I have asked twice now about seeing a Dr/consultant: today my MW reluctantly booked an appt with "my" consultant at 36.5 weeks. I haven't seen a Dr at all up to now (only MW/sonographer).

Is it normal to go through a twin pregnancy without seeing a Dr/consultant at all? My MW keeps emphasising how low risk I am (other than the non-ID twin factor) and that, if I were having a singleton, I definitely would not see a consultant for the duration of my pregnancy.

I know that I am not eligible to give birth in the home from home birth centre (I have to be in the consultant-led unit).

Any advice/benefit of experience very much appreciated! Thanks, Kitty

Ahhhh Cerub I feel your pain. I think it's normal They can still turn I think until about 34 weeks (I am sure that is what Joeann said) T1 turned breech for me around 32 weeks and I had a day or 2 of utter horribleness.........the same thing happened again a week or so later and the twin had turned back, I only know as I happened to have scans around these times. It is truly so bloody uncomfortable. But Whooop Whoop maternity leave now hope you can get some rest today, what about some easy yoga moves/stretches to help or a nice shower? Perhaps some paracetamol?

restingkitty well done on your buggy purchase. We decided on that one and test drives around the house have been good ;)

Victoria I have no idea about weight gain and I am staying clear of the scales although I might just weigh myself pre/post birth to see the loss! They have estimated mine quite big but I am doubtful of how accurate this is.

All sounds normal Morning I had a couple of weeks from about 14 weeks when I felt ok but this was soon replaced with heartburn and other niggles. Try to take it as easy as possible whenever you can and drink lots of water.

hippy they want me to go to 38 weeks with my IDs and have agreed I can have try for a natural delivery on the basis that twins are growing well and I have had a baby before. The 38 weeks mark is just because they would prefer me to go int labour spontaneously..........36 weeks tomorrow, having lots of prelabour signs............trying not to get my hopes up though that it will be anytime soon......!

Kitty I saw the twin consultant at 16 weeks as I have other medical issues, she booked to see me again at 34 weeks but I never saw her in the end as from a twin point of view the pregnancy and twins have progressed well so no need to involve her. I do have another consultant as I had a late loss in 2009 and I have seen him a few times but these appointments have not been twin related, he also booked my induction/agreed plan for delivery hence why I didn't end up seeing the twin cons at 34 weeks.......basically if everything is going well I don't think you need to see the consultant but different hospital have different policies. If you are not happy though I would insist on having an appointment.

Thanks Magic - that's really helpful. I'm not talking about seeing a twin consultant BTW, just an obs consultant at the hospital re birth, hosp policy, pain relief etc. I'm only curious as my notes say I'm having consultant-led care (it seems that means - assuming no complications - you just see a cons at the birth itself, not before). This is my first pregnancy so I'm a bit clueless!

and glad you like your baby jogger! It was not what I had in mind, but I think it was the right choice

Hello everyone,

Kitty - think everywhere is different in terms of their policies, I've only seen the midwife once, but have had at least monthly scans and meetings with the consultant since 12 weeks... ours are DCDA twins so sounds like similar circumstances.

Just got back from the hosp and feeling a bit :( but think hormones are making me over play it a bit. Got to go back tomorrow as they want to double check my blood pressure... it's gone from 100/50 at the start to 141/79 and the dreaded potential for pre-eclampsia was mentioned today. Also, got a bit of glucose in urine that they want to keep an eye on for gestational diabetes, Twin A has moved from head down to breech just as I was getting used to the idea of VB and the sonographer says that the babies femur lengths are a bit shorter than expected compared to the rest of their growth.

Trying not to be bothered as things seem to literally change on a daily basis but feel a bit miffed as was quite looking forward to today :(

Thanks all for the comments - good days and bad days I guess!

cerubina I am having the same thing.... I thought you were meant to feel less movement the bigger they got..but it seems that my two never sleep !!!! Is this possible. When I wake up at night they seem to be awake poking me. then today in work( its my last week too this week ) they seem to be turning under my ribs or something? its actually a bit painful... I am seeing my midwife this eve she is coming out too see us just to discuss birth options and stuff really. and I guess to reassure us... Got my hospital bag mostly packed yesterday....all seems very real now.am getting a bit anxious...just hoping they stay in before we move house...!
kitty I have seen a consultant every two weeks. but it is my first pregnancy they are ID twins and there were growth issues at the beginning. I am also scanned every two weeks the consultant sees me after the scan....
Roll on Friday in hindsihgt I wish I had given up work at 25 weeks.... ah well.... hope everyone is ok. x

Hey all, managed to get my phone to load our thread!
Anyway had a more detailed chat with the dr at hospital today-twins are around 6lbs (1 is abit larger than the other) and low in the pelvis, have been booked in for check up next monday (no scan) and ~queue drumroll!~ induction is set for March 4th (8am!)
I feel much better now i have a date set. i'll be 38weeks by then.

Hope everyone else is well?

Morning all

Happy to report that I am considerably more comfortable today. It took until about 8pm last night before I could do anything other than lie on my side deep breathing and with a couple of hot water bottles to manage the pain...I do hope that's a one off and they have now found where they want to be. It feels as though they might have dropped down a bit as the bump looks a bit lower than it did before (and bigger still!)

Magic thanks a lot for your input and I'm sorry to hear you are now more or less confined to bed. It must be getting pretty wretched now and you are doing so well. Do you find you're OK just putting up with it or are you tearful much? I'm normally pretty stoic but last night had a weep about the succession of aches and pains with this pregnancy - it just seems as though you get rid of one thing and there's another even worse to take its place!

(I don't want to scare the ladies with further to go by the way, but be aware that it's hard work carrying twins and be sure to let people around you know that you'll need lots of support).

To chuck my weight gain stats in, I'm currently 33lbs heavier than I was at the start of this (31 weeks tomorrow). Hopefully that's within normal range.

Kitty well done for getting the pushchair sorted! We have our first consultant appointment at 34 weeks - none offered before then but whether everyone gets to see her or not, I'm not sure. I have geriatric status (38 yo) so that could be why if so!

Victoria good luck for your re-check again today but try not to worry - it's definitely best if you try to be relaxed around them. Your BP reading doesn't sound too bad to my totally untrained eye (79 is still very low, no doubt they are just raising an eyebrow because it is quite different from the early reading - 50 is super-low!) Are they doing a GTT today or just re-testing your urine?

Good luck for your last week at work anyway, and you too hippy. I seem to be spending my first week of leave with a to-do list as long as your arm, and loads of deliveries due! Good news is that we have found a car and should get it at the end of this week - then we still need to sell ours ASAP which also requires an MoT and a dent to be fixed...more on the to-do list!

holidays great that you have a date - and only 10 days away! How exciting.

I put on about 3.5 stone while pregnant...and am now down to pre-pregnancy weight 3 months later.I am even wearing jeans that were too tight before I was pregnant!) I can't stop eating but pounds are falling off...exclusive bf ftw!

Some encouragement for you ladies...you can breastfeed twins..I was really hard at first but now its a lot easier...no bottles to wash or make! My DH can use expressed milk when i want a break so all good.

I am now using Bum genius and i could not rate them highly enough! Working out great and having to do an extra wash every 2 days is fine as the laundry never stops anyway so i don't feel the impact. Don't feel put off thinking they are really time consuming..they are really not...no big boxes of nappies to buy and no bins to constantly empty! I would highly recommend getting a few and trying it.

got mine from www.twinkleontheweb.co.uk/ as it seemed the cheapest for v3s

had a terrible 2 nights as the girls have colds..had to go back to swaddling and had to raise one end of the cot up slightly...worked a treat last night!

jenzopos bloody hell cant believe your down to your pre preg weight so quickly !! am hoping to be be able to give breast feeding a good go. And was wondering what reusable nappies to try...was wondering if there was a web site that I could sign up to where we could try a few brands...?
Mid wife appt yesterday eve...I LOVE my midwife. Told her about the 36 weeks thing and she questioned why? as they are doing really well... I said I though it was hospital policy, and she sad there is no such thing and that I should question it when I see my consultant in a week..which I am going to do. Also said I was going to be induced at 36 weeks (think this is the plan if they stay in me that long!)but she said that the midwife could come out to the house and give me a sweep as its less full on than having chemicals pumped into me....

Am REALLY confused as to what to do birth wise...???? mine are both head down at the mo, i know they can turn again at any point. And the way they have been moving they have probably turned already !! decisions decisions......!! roll on Friday... CANT WAIT to be a lazy cow before these two arrive.

I had a cs as one was breech and one was transverse...I'd say aim for vaginal if first is head first as cs takes a bit of getting over (i got unlucky and my scar has only just fully healed...although that is rare).

Do reading on BF in advance as some midwives have no idea what they are talking about...I was offered top up formula on the first night but refused it as I had done my research! Be wary as feeding twins is much more demanding on their time so they might be a bit pushy about formula! (that was my experience in a hospital that has supposedly won awards for being BF friendly...)

I use bum genius which i found most reliable (I tried a few pocket style ones)

try twinkle on the web and also search to see if you get any kind of voucher from the council...some councils do a scheme so worth doing some google searches.

Holidays that is so exciting to have a date!

Thanks for the consultant experiences! I guess I'm quite nervous as I only see the same MW, and she has very little experience with twins. She said this week that the birth is the same as with a singleton (nope haven't done that either!), except for the fact that you have to do it twice. I asked about the hospital twin policy and she looked I have now booked onto the hospital twin antenatal course, so I'm feeling a bit more confident!

Cerubina lol at geriatric status - that's so kind of the doctors. (My MIL has asked me twice if I have geriatric status, because she did when she had her boys at age 28. I'm currently 29...)

Jenzopos wow at weight loss and am impressed about BF. I'm inspired!

Hi ladies how we all doing? Holls how you feeling? Had a show yesterday and lots of pesky cramping but nothing regular yet. Hoping they make an appearance soon I am cooked! Have had to ship DD off this week to MIL as I am too shattered to do much but lay in bed cue mega feelings of guilt although she went to work with DH yesterday and had a ball!

I am liking the positive bf stories twim mummies. Can you recommend some reading? Glad to hear you are doing so well Jenztheskinnymalinky!

How is the to do list going Cerub? Glad you are feeling more comfortable now :) All I can say about seeing our twins consultant is you are not missing much!

Kitty think positive in that unless there is a prob you don't need to see a cons. Re VB your body only has to do the horrible bit once (ie getting to pushing stage) and then I kinda think birthing the 2nd baby will be fairly easy given one has just paved the way

Victoria How did you get on with your repeat BP check? Don't worry about the position of the twins they can still turn for a long while. Also you can just have glucose in your wee sometimes if you have eaten something sugary not long before?

Hippy I think if there is any chance you can go for VB you should try (but thats my opinion!), there are so many pros and cons but in terms of recovery it will be so much quicker especially having to deal with 2 bubs. I am so hopeful I will get to try VB as twins both head down but it now boils down to IF my consultant is on that day.........so they either need to hurry up for today or stay put until next week now!