Please help - 30w pg with ID twins and struggling

[PrincessScrumpy]

I'm exhausted. I will feel fab and then I hit a wall at about 3.30pm and can barely keep my eyes open. I feel so guilty for dd1 (3.5) who is being very patient with me but I should be playing with her.

My bump is rock hard with the babies and the thought of this for 7 more weeks makes me cry.

I know I shouldn't complain as my bp is low and babies are healthy and doing well, I don't have gd or pre-eclampsia so it could be lots worse but I still, after 2 weeks of finally feeling well, feel terrible again. Iron levels were fine last week to so it's just me being rubbish. Can anyone cheer me up?

Sorry you are feeling bad. My 3.5 year old was in afternoon nursery when I was pg with twins, and towards the end of the pregnancy I would drop her off, come home and set the alarm, and sleep for 2 hours. At this stage you really need as much rest as you can get, even a 20 minute sofa nap while your dd watches a programme will help.

Also Elizabeth Noble's "Having Twins" is well worth a read.

Good luck

yy, I know exactly how you feel, my ID twins are 5 months now, and I am much less exhausted. I pretty much took to my bed for the last few weeks and left dd to nursery and dh. Does your dd go to nursery, and could you afford to send her for more than the 15 hours? I know I needed this when I was heavily preg and still do now. DD loves nursery, and we spend quality time together afterwards. She doesn't mind. Also telly/DVDs were a godsend - it is not forever, only a few weeks and then you can be a fun mummy again (and sit on the floor with her again).
The physical effects of being so pregnant make you really unwell - DH says he thinks I was in more pain from heartburn than labour. So do bear with it and don't feel guilty. I picked up a 30 year old twins book from a charity shop, and it seemed that, back then, women were routinely admitted to hospital for bed rest at this sort of stage - I wish they still did that (but harder for dd)!
So no magic, stay in bed as much as possible and good luck.

i second what rubyrubyruby says re: DVDs - I really dont believe you have to be playing with your kids all the time - i don't with my 3.5 yr old, he's just as happy to read a book with me, or watch tv, which is much more restful. You need to get the rest in now, because it's much harder when you actually have the twins here! So, make some snacks, get your DD to pick a DVD, sit back and relax...

It's likely that you could only have 3-5 weeks left, most id twins are early, mine came at 34 weeks and were fine Get as much help as you can and sleep as much as possible, good luck, not long for you at all!

Thingamijig I have read a few recent American books and they are the same, bed rest from 30 weeks and advise taking maternity leave at 24 weeks I wish, I took maternity leave at 32 weeks, I had a very active job, but I was bloody exhausted!

Thank you for support - really thought I was being a wimp. dd finishes nursery for the summer holidays on Thursday and we've bought a big slide for the garden so I don't have to walk to the park.

I used to read to dd lots but now I find myself falling asleep while reading!

You're not being a wimp. Late twin pregnancy is hard. You're probably carrying the same weight of baby you were when you were full-term with your daughter!

But you will get through it, and labour will be a blessed relief. I remember springing up the stairs when I finally got home from hospital. The ease of movement was fantastic!

Oh gosh you are not a wimp! I had absolutely no energy for my dd1 at 30 weeks and she pretty much watched Peppa Pig for the remainder of my pregnancy (I went to 38 and was begging my midwife to induce me by 36 weeks). I used to feel like an awful mother as would fall asleep on the sofa (while looking after her) and wake up to her prising my eyes open.

As TheBigJessie said - you'll feel amazing once they are out. The heat isn't going to help you either - keep hydrated (ice pops were my friend).

Good luck and don't feel guilty. Rest lots!

I'm happy you posted PrincessScrumpy, the replies have made me feel pretty justified in feeling pants too! I'm 36 weeks and have DD, who will be 4 in Oct.

Today involved me getting up, doing our breakfast, then retiring to the sofa and falling asleep, while she watched various kids' programmes and Mamma Mia the musical (she's an Abba fan)! I then showered, put some sort of lunch out for us, then retired to the sofa again! We got into the car after that and met a friend for coffee (somewhere I can park right outside). After about an hour, I felt rough and dragged myself round to a shop to buy crafty things for her to do, so that I could come home and put the feet up again and hopefully she'd be entertained! It semi-worked!

I'm gad to hear how good people said they feel after the birth. We do have to rest just now and our little ones know we love them and they won't suffer from this experience!

Hello there, its nice to hear all your experiences. Knowing that others are suffering somehow makes it easier to bear. I am 31 weeks and its hard going. My tummy sticks out like a missile which is no comfortable I can assure you. I find it difficult to not fantasize about being induced and am counting the days till 38 weeks. I am very lucky to have the two grandmas taking turns looking after dd who is 3. Otherwise she would be in nursery because it would all be too much for me. I am still working till 33 weeks, but working feels like holiday compared to running after a little one. Only 6 weeks 5 days to go ....

Oh god. Late twin pregnancy is awful. It's funny as I can't really remember how this feels but there was chronic heartburn that meant I could only eat white food (bread/pasta) on crutches for SPD, random puking episodes, swelling, back pain and exhaustion....I felt so awful and was begging for them to c section me at 36 weeks. I don't really know what to suggest esp as I didn't have any kids at the time. Just lie down as much as you can. I used to drink sweet cappucinos that would really give me a boost.

It'll be over before you know it. One good thing about twin pregnancies is that you will feel better the minute you give birth. Despite having a c section I was up and about 12 hours later as it felt better than SPD. I recovered from the birth really quickly because my body was just so relieved to have got them out!