Babies are the size of coconuts. They weigh about 3 1/3 pounds and are just over 16 inches long. They are heading into a growth spurt (hopefully Baby A will pick up on her weight gain in the next few weeks). They can turn their heads from side to side and they are start to accumulate more fat on their bodies, which will help them regulate their body temperatures.
How far along? 31 weeks
Weight Gain? 28 pounds. I have hit a plateau on gaining weight for now.
Workouts? I have been doing different things to help Baby B get back to head down. She was last week, then on Monday this week she decided to flip. I really need her to turn around again. So, I have been doing lots of cat and cow and elevating my bum. I have also been doing different yoga moves which are safe for pregnancy, but can help turn Baby B. I don’t know if any of these things work, but I am praying they do. I really want to avoid a C-section if I can. No real exercise.
Yesterday, Baby B turned and is laying sideways right under my ribs. It is very uncomfortable. I really need her to turn again and put her feet up by my ribs.
Symptoms? I have been having all the same symptoms. My back has been hurting me even more lately and I have been nauseas.
Stretch Marks? Not yet! I don’t know if it is the lotion and oil, the water, or simply genetics. But whatever it is it is working so far.
Sleep? I have been very tired, but the last few nights I have had a difficult time falling asleep. I have had so much on my mind, ever since Monday’s appointment with my doctor. I can’t believe we are going to meet our twins in 3-4 weeks. It is truly surreal. I don’t feel ready. I hope and pray these little girls are ready.
Movement? I have been feeling kicks and jabs from all sides.
Milestone: 31 weeks! We are in the home stretch. My perinatologist wants to deliver these girls at 34 weeks, maybe 35. But no later. That means they will be here in no time. I am not ready. So, sometime between July 4th and July 11th we will be meeting our little ones. Oh my!
Genders? Identical twin girls.
Labor signs? Contractions and pressure. But nothing major yet.
Belly button in or out? Out.
What I am looking forward to this week? Sophia’s recital!! She will be in her first recital this Saturday. I am so excited for her, but I am also nervous for her as well. I know she is going to get nervous when she goes out on to the stage, but she will have fun. She has been talking about dancing on the stage for months. Last night was her dress rehearsal, so I get to do her makeup and hair. It was so much fun. She had so much fun dancing on stage. I was so worried, but she told me she loved it and waits to dance again next year. I can’t believe my little girl is old enough for this. Seriously, I still feel like I am 18 and in high school. Haha!
Tomorrow Isabella turns 2! I can’t believe she is already 2 years old. I still feel like she is my little baby.
Happenings/Thoughts from this past week:
- We have been seeing two doctors through this pregnancy, since I am high risk with the twins. On Monday we had an appointment with my perinatologist to talk about the end. She suggests that we deliver between 34 and 35 weeks because of the little one’s size. Our girls have a 50% size discrepancy and ideally doctors don’t like identical twins to have a size discrepancy of 20%. She also told us that this means our twins will be in the NICU. The little one is going to need more time than the bigger one, but she predicts they are both going to need some help.
- Preparing for my twins to be in the NICU is probably the scariest thing I have even done. I can’t stop thinking about it. I never thought I wouldn’t bring my child home from the hospital with me. I can’t imagine leaving our precious girls.
- I am also hoping the twins and I will still be able to nurse. I really want to have that connection with them. I loved nursing my first two girls and I would love to do that again. This is all unknown territory to me. I never thought on my third pregnancy I would be learning so many new things about pregnancy, delivery, and babies.
- I knew we were getting close to having our twins, but now that the perinatologist has given us dates I am starting to freak out a little. There is so much to do and no time to do it in. With both girls birthdays being this month our weekends are packed and then the twins will arrive.
- Baby B really needs to turn around. I am very afraid of having a c-section. I know I need to be prepared for anything, but at least if she is head down she gives us a better chance. I have been praying she gets head down before delivery. Baby A is all ready to go.
- This week has been so busy so next week I need to start ordering all the things we need for the arrival of the twins.
In the comments below:
- Any incite or advice to help me if/when our twins are in the NICU?
- Breastfeeding and the NICU?
- Any suggestions to encourage Baby B to flip?
- If you had a C-section what was the recovery like? I am clueless about C-sections so any information you can give me would be great.
I was terrified of the possibility of a C-section too, and while I didn’t have to have one, all of my friends that have babies with the exception of one had C-sections and LOVED it. The ones that have two babies were more than happy to schedule their 2nd C-section for baby number two so I know it can’t be too terribly bad 🙂
You are going to be such a great Mama to all these girls!!
Thank you. Yes, I am terrified of thinking about it. I think it is more the unknown. I will do whatever is best. 🙂
What an exciting week! Happy early birthday to your little cutie! 🙂 31 weeks!! You are almost there girl!! I’m sure it’s completely overwhelming preparing for their arrival but know that you are so much stronger that you think and the NICU, though it isn’t ideal, will enable them to get stronger by the day.
I had a C-section and it was tough but I had no complications afterwards. Obviously I can’t compare it to a vaginal delivery but I personally feel that though it is a very serious procedure, I felt there is a greater negative stigma to it, when really (in my opinion) it isn’t as bad as one thinks. 🙂
I agree! C-sections are not as bad as people think or make them out to be!!!!!!
Thank you, you make me feel better. I keep analyzing everything which makes it harder. 🙂
Aren’t c-sections what they recommend for twins? You will do great! I’ve had a few friends that had to get a c-section, and even though it wasn’t their first choice, they still recovered from it great. And in my experience in the NICU, the nurses and lactation nurses do all they can to help you nurse your babies. They are very supportive and encouraging when it comes to breastfeeding. I know it’s hard not to stress, but you got this! You have some great doctors looking after you and your babies, and even though the NICU is not what you were envisioning, it’s comforting to know how advanced and incredible our medical care is. xoxo
With twins the type of delivery all depends on each and every situation. Sometimes it is recommended, but as long as both babies are not stressed a vaginal is great, as well. My doctors have said as long as both babies are head down and their heart rates look good, we can go forward with a vaginal delivery. So it is crazy not to know what is going to happen. I think in my head I have made out C-sections to be awful. 🙂 I need to stop thinking about it. Ha, not going to happen.
That is wonderful to hear how supportive they are with breastfeeding. All this unknown is frightening. Thank you for all your support, I really appreciate it. 🙂
My advice for you if your twins are in the NICU is to try and stay as positive as you can. My husband has been HUGE with helping me with this. Although it’s hard to leave them and not hold them when we want to (and many other things) we know it’s the best place for them. The care they are getting is AMAZING, the nurses are incredible and we know they are where they should be. We can go visit them whenever…even middle of the night if we want, and we are also encouraged to call the NICU (again even in the middle of the night) if we need some reassurance of how they are doing. Again, staying positive really helps. No one wants their baby(s) in the NICU, but if it has to be, you know they are in good hands and getting the best care they could possibly have. That’s what we want for our children, right? I haven’t started BF’ing yet, but should be any day. I have been pumping and the babies have been bottle feeding and getting my milk (thank goodness! I don’t want them to take formula!). We are going to start working on BF soon but I may have to supplement with a bottle as well…mainly to make sure they are getting enough so they continue to gain weight. If they are not on a feeding tube, they use the bottles in the NICU more so to see how much the babies are taking in—they also have been adding a calorie/fat boost to my breast milk to help plump up the little ones as well. Main goal is for them to gain more weight right now, so BF doesn’t happen until they are at a certain weight (this is how it works at our NICU). I had a c-section, and it wasn’t all that horrible. I’m not going to lie, the first three days were rough and painful, but after that each day got tremendously better. A week after my c-section I felt completely back to myself and off pain meds. The only pain I feel now is getting in and out of bed…that still hurts but other than that the recovery wasn’t too bad. People told me that although walking HURTS so bad the day after the c-section to suck it up and DO IT and that will make you heal and feel better faster. It’s so true! The first couple days I was walking hunched over like a 90 year old woman, but after those couple days I stood more and more upright and the pain really got better. Ok I’ve written a book, please feel free to email me with any more questions 🙂 You have great doctors who will take terrific care of you and your babies no matter what happens! xoxo
Thank you for all your information. I love it! It really makes me feel good knowing your experience with the NICU.
I am all ready to pump right away after they are born. For my own sake I am not planning on either one of them being able to breastfeed right away, so I am planning on pumping a ton right away. I know what you mean about wanting to give them as much breast milk as possible. That is my goal. I hope it works. 🙂
Thank you so much. It is so nice hearing your experience with the NICU and your twins. I hope ours goes as well as yours!!
I just found your blog from Laura@Special Treats!!! I am 3 weeks behind you (28 weeks yesterday) with di/di boy twins 🙂 I look forward to reading the rest of your journey and wish you tons of luck!!!! As for NICU, I obviously don’t have any experience yet, but my sister-in-law is a pediatrician and did many NICU rotations in her residency and her mom was a NICU nurse – she said if you can get past 32 weeks what they do in NICU is easy because the lungs are well developed and mostly what they worry about is temperature regulation and feeding/growing, maybe a c-pap for breathing. Hope this makes you feel better!!!
Congratulations! I am so excited for you. It will go quickly. 🙂
YAY, we are almost to 32 weeks. I have a good feeling we can make it to at least 34. 🙂 It does make me feel better. Thank you so much.
Hi There! Just wanted to say hello, I’ve been reading your blog for a few weeks. I just found out this week that I’m pregnant with twins as well (7 weeks). I am over-the-moon excited but am already worrying! Thanks for all the information you have written about and provided in your blog – I have read through most of your pregnancy with these two girls! Best of luck to you and your family. You will do great.
Congratulations! You are just beginning a wonderful journey.
I am so glad I could help, I really hope to help anyone pregnant with twins or singletons. I know when I first got pregnant with twins it was difficult to find people to connect with. I am so happy you found my blog. 🙂
Keep me updated with throughout your pregnancy. I can’t wait to read about your adventure. 🙂
We are planning on breastfeeding our triplets too! They will be in the nicu for at least a little bit. We have our c section scheduled for July 1st at 35 weeks. I talked to a few multiples moms about breastfeeding in the nicu and the best advice ive gotten is to make sure the babies have ng tubes. That way they can get the milk you pump and you dont have to worry about nipple confusion. That way you can try breastfeeding and they can get whatever is left through the tube. I have lots of information so feel free to contact me for anything! At 34 weeks there shouldn’t be too much besides working on breathing and gaining. So hopefully their stay wont be too long!
Thank you so much. I didn’t know any of that information. I am writing that down right now. I truly appreciate knowing all I can about breastfeeding and the NICU. I might be emailing you with more questions. 🙂
I am not sure if there’s any way to prepare for the NICU. My daughter spent 6 weeks in the NICU following an emergency c-section. C-section recovery was not as bad as I thought it would be. You are very preoccupied with your baby so I think that helps with recovery. I would recommend getting a belly wrap for after your c-section. I got one from the hospital and it helped support my abdomen. It is very hard to split your time between your children at home and the NICU. My husband and I took turns going to the NICU so that one of us could be home and it would be “business as usual” at home with the other kids. Best of luck to you and your family!
Thank you for all your information on C-sections. I am still praying not to have one, but if I do your advice will truly help me. 🙂
It is so hard to imagine your little babies in there without you, but I know they will be well taken care of!!
I am 31 weeks pregnant with twins! Love your blog! I’ve kind of skipped around on here so you may have mentioned this already but why did they want to deliver at 35 weeks? I would actually love for mine to come then. As long as they’re healthy but most doctors wont do it until 39 weeks.
Congratulations!! I am so excited for you to embark on this amazing journey. We had to deliever early for a couple reasons our girls were diagnosed with TTTS and SIUGR and towards the end of the pregnancy Twin A’s growth began to slow down. So they were actually going to induce me at 34 weeks, but my water broke before that and our girls arrived at 33+6. I will say 39 weeks sounds crazy, but I am not a doctor. Are your twins mono/di?
They are fraternal. Although I have read lately even though they are in separate sacs it’s still possible for them to be identical? They can do some test to determine that. 33 1/2 weeks now! 1 cm dilated and 60% effaced. Really pushing for week 35-36 fingers crossed!
Yes, I think I read that 25% of di/di twins are identical. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Hoping you make it to at least 35 weeks!!
Hi Renee am 30 weeks pregnant and cant wait to get there. Its always interesting reading ur write-ups weekly.Am really hopeful and cant wait. Am having identical twin boys and am excited.
Awe, I am so excited for you. I can’t wait for you to meet your boys. Children truly are a blessing and twins are just so special.
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