How mobile will I be around 20 weeks with twins?

[feesh]

Hi Ladies,

It's my first time in this forum - I recently found out that I am expecting fraternal twins :D

We are expats living in the Middle East, and we're going for a week's holiday in Stockholm when I am 17 weeks, which I'm really looking forward to.

I am also really keen to go back to England for 10 days or so at some point over the summer (on my own, without my husband) to raid John Lewis' and I can't decide whether to tag it on the end of our Stockholm trip, at around 18 weeks, or to come back to the Middle East for a couple of weeks and then go to England at around 20 weeks.

The second option is preferable, as it gets me out of the Middle East during the scorching heat of August (when it is also Ramadan), BUT I'm worried about how mobile I am going to be at 20 weeks.

Can anyone give me any ideas? The flight home is direct and takes around 6.5 hours, so I'm not too worried about that, and my Mum will pamper me like mad when I am home.

But I do have a hip replacement and a history of hip problems in both hips, so I am super paranoid about ending up with SPD or something.

How big/uncomfortable are twin pregnancies at around 20 weeks?

20 weeks for me was ok, don't know whether your suffering with sickNess or spd both of these could effect whether you would want to sit on a plane at 20 and 22 weeks, i finished work around 26 weeks and started to feel rougher around 28 weeks but we all deal with things differently :)
Congratulations on your pg

I remember feeling full term from somewhere around 25 weeks. So I felt ok, but big, and ready for them to come out really! I remained fairly active up until about 28 weeks (with one commitment lasting til 32 weeks) but it was tough going. I had SPD which was what made things painful though. I wouldn't have felt half as bad without that. So from what I remember 20 weeks was like being about 8 months preg (I know, fairly useless comparison unless you've been preg before, sorry...) where I felt large but mostly reasonable in fitness and though tired still felt able to walk places, etc.

It will depend on how big your babies are though - mine were nice and big and healthy all through the pregnancy (7lb 2 and 7lb 12 when born - at 37 weeks!).

I really don't remember being that big at 20 weeks. I was def showing pretty well, and it grew pretty big from then onwards. I've just been looking through my old antenatal threads on here, and it seems like my energy was up and down through the middle bits! I was okish until 7months plus, and very bad by 8 months.

I don't think you are likely to be huge, but I do think the flight may be rather uncomfortable.

congratualtions btw!

Oh and my worse thing around then was actually heartburn, which I never got with the singles.

I think I was fine around 20 weeks too. Sickness had gone and I wasn't too big or tired until about 26 weeks. My bump's dropped now but I did find that after I 'popped' at about 16 weeks, it was fairly soon after that that I got some discomfort from the bump being quite high up near my ribs. But, to be honest, weeks 20-26 were generally the best of the pregnancy for me. Only other thing really would be if I'd had a really busy, full-on day I'd probably fall asleep on the sofa by 8.30pm/9.00pm or there were definitely a few afternoon naps at the weekends

Didn't really start to slow down until 28 weeks and then my body pretty much gave up at 32 weeks... 33+3 now and need a good five minutes and heavy lifting equipment to get myself off the sofa

Congratulations!

Teds that's just how i feel, my body has definitely given up since 32 weeks and these babies can't come soon enough for me

I was fine - swimming, walking, housework as normal. A bit more tired but the sickness had passed. I started to struggle around 34 weeks (I think) with a really bad cold and rib flare but my babies were quite small.

Thanks all, that's really helpful. I think the second option sounds best then.

I am slightly worried because I'm huge already at 12 weeks! I don't know how much is bloat or fat (have been stuffing my face with junk food which I am completely disgusted about, and doing nothing but lying on sofa all day trying not to throw up for entire first trimester!) so I really hope I don't end up being extra-massive!

But 20 weeks sounds ok as long as I get an extra legroom seat on the flight and do lots of relaxing at my Mum's house. Can't wait!

I was huge at 8 weeks i remember, and very obviously pregnant at 12 weeks I remember mrs nosey lady at our local co-op telling me i was pregnant around 8/9 weeks...

I've booked my flights, yay!

But now my mum has put a downer on it (as usual) by pointing out that it's too early to be buying stuff.

Thanks mum for the vote of confidence.

I already said to her to keep any negative comments to herself when we announced the pregnancy last week, but here they are gradually dripping in like I knew they would.

Aaargh.

John Lewis do a nursery advisory service so you can go round the shop and pick out what you'd like, then they create a list for you like a wedding list. You can actually buy the items at a later date. I did this but mainly because I didn't want the house to be full until the nursery had been decorated, not for superstitious reasons!

John Lewis also give a refund or exchange service on baby stuff, i assume for those who maybe get the sex wrong or something awful happens :) mums eh, who'd have um????

Thanks, but neither buying at a later date or returning items are going to be an option for me. Seeing as I'm flying 3,500 miles to go shopping in John Lewis ;)

Oh, we'll you could still use their service to make the most of your time there. For example if you want to talk about different types of prams you will wait ages for an assistant, but if you are booked in you get someone taking you round the shop for an hour or so.
Are you planning to take everything back in the plane then?

Just wanted to say I also went to Stockholm when pregnant with twins last july, only I was 11 weeks!

Seconding everything the others said, 16-24 weeks was the best period in the pregnancy.

Enjoy stockholm and john lewis!

Hi, and congratulations!

I am 20 weeks with twins, and also an expat so I understand the lure of John lewis. A couple of things I'd note:

• size-wise I wouldn't have a problem flying at the moment (although I do have mild SPD). Make sure you wear the support stockings designed to prevent blood clots, and get a letter from your doctor authorising you to fly in case it's needed.
• how are you planning to get all this loot back? I keep trying to arty surly small bags and regretting it because of twinges by the end of the day. It sounds as if you will be lugging enormous cases. Even on wheels these can be too much and you still need to haul them on and off luggage carousels, into cars, etc. If you have to do this I'd try to get your visit in as early as possible: however avoiding the August heat sounds important (my doctor is warning me that heat can cause contractions) and if you tag the UK onto your other holiday inevitably you'll have more stuff with you. I can't tell you the answer but maybe consider travelling with someone or leaving the bulk of your stuff at home for your mum to bring out later? Or get JL to ship - you could probably book a personal shopper there to help you (I am no longer on for schlepping round shops unless I have to - you can minimise that by doing your research online so you are only really going to see things in the flesh, iyswim).

Hope that helps!

Good grief, sorry about phone's autocorrect. I keep trying to carry pretty small bags, that should have said.

Hi all, sorry about getting back to this thread so late.

Ceeveebee - I didn't know you could make an appointment at JL, what a great idea - I will definitely do that!

I'm not totally JL obsessed by the way, other baby shops will do. It's just that there's a really big JL by my Mum's house so that will be my first port of call.

With regards to luggage, I have booked concierge services at both airports so I won't have to lift anything. I am bringing an extra empty suitcase with me (we are frequent fliers on our usual airline and have a v generous bagged alliance which I don't even use half of normally).

The big stuff will be shipped back using the Excess Baggage Company, who I have used very successfully before - they are loads cheaper than airline luggage fees and really helpful (pick it up from your house in England). It won't be cheap, BUT I won't be paying VAT on anything we buy and the prices are still considerably lower than they are in the Middle East anyway.

I've also booked an appointment with a sling library local to my Mum's house, so that will be great as well, as nobody over here seems to know much about baby wearing and it will give me a chance to try out different types and learn how to carry two!

I forgot to say, I am also going to be comparing prices with US Amazon, as have just found out that they will deliver pushchairs anywhere in the world (including navigating the most ridiculous postal system in the world where I live!) for just $18, which is brilliant! However I do really want to try lots of different pushchairs out in the flesh first, which it's not really possible to do where I live.