Twin Pregnancy Update – Weeks 23-25

How Many Weeks: This update covers 23 weeks pregnant with twins until 25 weeks pregnant with fraternal female twins.

Babies Update: The babies are weighing approximately 1 1/2-2 pounds right now and are the size of a baseball glove (the Ovia app has some cool size comparisons). I have another scan next Thursday so I’ll get more accurate measurements. The most exciting news it that we’ve reached viability, which is the point at which the babies would have a decent chance of surviving if they were to arrive now. Of course we want them to stay in there as long as possible but it’s a good milestone to reach.

Weight Gain: I’m keeping up the steady 2 pounds per week streak that I’ve been on for a while and I’ve gained a total of 26 pounds. If I keep going at this rate Ill be just under 50 pounds, which is still within the desirable weight gain range for twins, though at the top end. I’ve also heard that weight gain with twins can stall in the third trimester, so we’ll see!

Frequency of Doctor Appointments: I added this in here because things are about to get crazy with my doctor appointments. Right now I’m going to my regular OB every 4 weeks and the specialist for an ultrasound every 4 weeks. I also have my glucose test next week and still need to get my flu shot (oops). Soon I’ll be seeing my doctors even more.

Movement: All the time! Even though Baby B’s placenta is in front, I am feeling her more now and I feel Baby A a lot. They seem to be most active in the evenings after my daily post dinner chocolate fix.

Symptoms: Sleepiness. I’m so tired, though some days it’s much worse than others. I’ve been napping nearly every day. Siena has been out of school for two weeks which means there’s been more running around but Mike is also off work so that took a lot of the workload off of me. But, Siena has also been napping less (she usually naps 3 hours and lately it’s been more like 2). I thought I’d come out of last week (I took the week off of one of my jobs) more rested but that wasn’t the case. Also around the holidays I had a terrible bout of indigestion that started with nausea (lasted about 2 days) that was pretty disappointing – some of my favorite foods didn’t sound good and I just felt totally stuffed and uncomfortable. Luckily all of it went away – for now. Indigestion is much more common with twins as they push on your stomach and make the acid flow upward. Yay.

Contractions: Not yet thankfully. During the indigestion bout I thought I had some but turns out they were gas. Ha.

Cravings/Food Aversions: I’ve been eating a ton of chocolate end cookies, but I think that’s not really related to pregnancy and more just the holidays. No strong aversions besides the thought of eating shrimp (haven’t actually had any).

Purchasing/Borrowing: I finally moved Siena’s old clothes boxes to the twins room and we moved Siena’s crib in there as well (she’s now in a twin bed – the transition went surprisingly well). Now that it’s the new year and I have just about 3 months till they come, I’m finally getting my butt in gear. I also am nearly finished with my small registry (my friend Allison is throwing me a “baby sprinkle” and some family has been asking what we need).

Maternity Clothes: Besides some stretch workout clothes and sweats, I’m 100% in maternity clothes. Luckily I’ve been gifted/borrowed a ton so I have quite the wardrobe! I did end up buying myself a long sleep maternity workout top for my runs and hikes though. I really don’t want to buy anything else!

Exercise: I’m still running! Yahoo! I didn’t think I’d last this long but here I am, very slowly running along (with walk breaks every time there’s a tiny incline). I didn’t run for a week between Christmas and New Years but I ran twice this week, 4 miles each time. I’m also doing the 80 Day Obsession preview program, A Little Obsessed. I have to modify some things but I’m able to do most of it! Sadly I won’t be doing 80 Day Obsession when it releases on January 15th because it’s not pregnancy friendly and I want to be able to commit 100% to it once I’m able.

I also completed my 1 mile walk/run a day challenge in December, only missing 3 days. This month some of the women in my Pregnancy and Postpartum Support Group (join us if you haven’t already – the squat challenge is optional) are doing a 30 day squat challenge and I’m on day 5 of that. It starts at 50 squats a day and moves up to 250 – it’s the same squat challenge I did a few times when I was pregnant with Siena.

Interesting Moments:  We’ve been prepping Siena for when the twins arrive and one thing I’ve explained to her is that the babies will not only have bottles but also breast feed. The other day she said “The babies are gonna pop out and drink mommy’s boobies!” Yep. That’s right.

Best Moments: 

Well, we celebrated Christmas and my birthday over the last few weeks which was so fun! Mike and I did a night downtown to celebrate my birthday and I went for a hike and breakfast with friends as well. Siena sang me “Happy Birthday” which made me happy (she also claimed it was her birthday).

I also had this kind of “I’m a badass” moment last week during a tough leg workout (I was sore for 3 days after…) and it made me really happy! When I first found out I was pregnant with twins I assumed it meant I couldn’t run and that I’d get huge super fast and have to stop working out. But, I’m optimistically excited that I’m still feeling good at 25 weeks and able to run and do some tough workouts (with breaks when my heart rate gets high). Working out keeps me sane and I’m so thankful to be able to do it!

Missing: Not feeling tired all the time and having energy to do everything I want to do.

Looking Forward To: My next ultrasound!

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! 

And for those not pregnant and are looking for a challenge that can seriously change your body in just 3 months, my 80 Day Obsession group starts on January 15th! Get more info about this program here and join my challenge group here.