And here we are! I’m SO thankful to have made it to this point – having known a few friends who had their babies around 35 weeks, I know they can and will likely be very healthy babies with minimal NICU time if born now. That being said, I feel like I’m going to make it close to my induction date (which is around 39 weeks, not set yet) or all the way there. Why do I feel this way? Some combination of the fact that I went past 41 weeks with Siena, the fact that I feel pretty damn good, knowing that my great aunt carried 7.5 pound twins past 40 weeks (she didn’t even know she was pregnant with twins!) and just a gut feeling. That being said, we could all be laughing when next week I’m publishing a birth announcement instead of a bump date (as I’ve mentioned before, the average twins are born sometime between 35-36 weeks).
Due to this somewhat unjustified confidence that I’m not going to pop these babies out until sometime in April (which is what I tell strangers now when I have no desire to go down the “I’m having twins” path with them – I have my smaller than expected twin belly to thank for my ability to dodge that convo when I want), I’m behind on my to-do list. I have been chipping away at it with a lot more focus over the last week. The thank you cards sent (I have two gifts that I’m not sure who sent – if you did and are reading this and didn’t get a thank you let me know!), I’ve stocked up on all my make-up/toiletries that I’ll need for a couple months, there are 21 breakfast burritos waiting in the freezer, the birth plan has been printed and discussed with my doctor, my hospital pre-enrollment form as been mailed, and our taxes are with our accountant. Mike painted the nursery this week as well and we even moved one of the bassinets into our room (that made it feel real!). We still have to assemble the crib, the stroller, go through the giant pile of baby stuff in the garage, get the car seat from our friend (supposed to get it on the 19th!) and install them in our car. My hospital bag is as packed as it will get for now – I just need to make a list of things to add to it while I’m in labor (plus a list of things to pack for Siena).
Our labor childcare plan for Siena is for her to stay with Mike’s parents as soon as I’m in labor and stay there for a few days. They live about 45 minutes away so we’ll need to give them some notice. Our emergency back up plan is my friend Allison who I can call in the night to come sleep over and stay with Siena until Mike’s parents arrive if for some reason we needed to leave immediately.
Just writing all that out made me feel better! Now on with the update!
How Many Weeks: This update covers 35 weeks pregnant with fraternal twins.
Babies Update: My app tells me they’re the size of honeydews and based on last week’s ultrasound I’d say they’re somewhere between 5 – 5.5 pounds each. My pregnancy app says they’re just about fully developed and just adding fat at this point!
Frequency of Doctor Appointments: After today’s doctor appointment I’m now going to my OB weekly and still only seeing the specialist every 4 weeks for ultrasounds (so my final ultrasound will be at 38 weeks if I make it that far).
Labor Signs: None this week. Just normal Braxton Hicks. A woman at the grocery store (who I didn’t mention the twin thing to, just told her I was close) said I haven’t dropped which I’m pretty aware of!
Weight Gain: Another 2 pounds this week up to 43 pounds. I had heard the weight gain slows at the end but apparently not. To be noted, I have no swelling so this isn’t water weight.
Movement: Lots and lots! Both girls have now had the hiccups which is exciting (and confirms they’re both still head down).
Symptoms: My main symptom at this point is just restricted movement due to being gigantic and having restricted lung capacity- it’s tough to do normal tasks and getting up and down off the floor is rough (and something you do quite a bit with a toddler). Sometimes in my head I think “HEAVE-HO!” when I get out of bed or up out of a chair and laugh a little to myself.
Overall though, I actually felt pretty good this week. I didn’t have as much nausea as past weeks. I haven’t been sleeping as great as I was before but still pretty well considering (and thankfully Siena has been sleeping later with the time change). I had more energy, worked out more, and didn’t nap as much. I don’t by any means feel like the babies are going to “fall out of me” as many women say at this point and I have little to almost no pelvic pressure/pain (more reason I think they’re staying put for a while). My lower back does tend to nag at me if I try to do too much in one day or in a short period of time and I don’t like standing too much. I’m not saying I don’t notice the giant belly on me or that it doesn’t give me discomfort at times, I’m just saying it’s not super uncomfortable!
Heres my tiny bump with Siena for comparison! Read her bump date from 35 weeks pregnant. And apparently we already had the car seat installed at this point last time. Hah!Cravings/Food Aversions: No specific cravings but I haven’t been eating the healthiest lately – definitely living up my final weeks of my last ever pregnancy by eating whatever I want. Not to mention, food is one of my only remaining pleasures at this point!
Purchasing/Borrowing: Food for when the babies are here. Like I said, I made 21 breakfast burritos out of eggs, spinach, onion, mushroom, chicken sausage and cheese in whole wheat tortillas the other night and froze them. I also bought a few healthy frozen burritos for the fridge and some easy Trader Joe’s side dishes that we can have with a microwaved a black bean burger. I also bought a couple snacks for my hospital bag (yogurt pretzels and pita chips!). I’m hoping to do a blog post about the freezer meal prepping I’ve been doing.
Maternity Clothes: As you can see from this weekly photo, I’m starting to grow out of some of my maternity clothes. Still praying for that heat wave to come so I can wear the some of the 20 maternity dresses I have in my closet (mostly borrowed and some from prior pregnancy).
Exercise: This past week was a great week. I got in three strength training workouts (1 prenatal, 1 lower body, 1 upper body), two long walks with friends (3+ miles each), and 1 prenatal yoga class (which as I mentioned last week is actually a workout not just a stretch now that we have a new teacher). I only took one day off of exercise completely.
Interesting Moments: I’ve been getting more glimpses into Siena as a big sister. We had two different friends over with infants this week and she was absolutely enamored with them and loved helping them out – by either putting the paci back in their mouth or helping feed them their bottle.
Best Moments: We had a fun night at the beach on Sunday night followed by In n Out for dinner afterward thanks to Daylight Savings Time! I’m loving that it gets dark so much later now!
Missing: My energy, moving around with ease, sleeping on my back, IPAs….
Looking Forward To: Mike’s birthday this weekend! His birthday is on St. Patrick’s Day and we’re going to take Siena to his parents and have a night to ourselves (and we can sleep in!).
See my Twin Pregnancy page for previous updates!
Are you pregnant or recently had a baby? I’d love to connect with you in my Healthy and Happy Pregnancy and Postpartum Support group. Join us!
You sound like you are doing awesome! Good luck with the big show!! I can’t believe you and Mike have birthdays on holidays!! Maybe you will have the twins on April Fools Day!! 😉