by Bex
So, we've had our next scan, having missed our 28 week growth check due to the move south. Our 32 week scan has utterly reassured me. The babies are fine, growing well (quite massive already with baby boy's head measuring over 33 weeks already and he's apparently 4lbs in total and baby girl overall even bigger at 4lb 9oz!! Crikey! No wonder they're making me so uncomfortable already. I must just have plenty of space inside me as people are still shocked when I say we're expecting twins with 6 weeks to go and I hear the word 'neat' every time I see someone other than Mum or Nik, lol, I blame my wide hips ;)
Anyway, they're both good (and there's no concern about her being so much bigger as they each have their own sac and placenta) and have plenty of fluid, etc. so that's all great. They're lying transversely with both having their heads on my right hand side (may explain my one sided stretch marks!) like they're in bunk beds! So cute but I'm not sure they're going to move from there which probably means a c-section. We didn't get any pictures this time but we didn't even see much during the scan, it was all about measuring the tops of their heads, their femurs and abdomens so we didn't even get to see their faces.
As for me, yes I have stretch marks but they're not too bad yet and as I said, only on my right hand side next to my belly button and in the midline underneath. I also have a faint Linea Nigra but only above my belly button (I got Nik to check as I clearly can't see lower down these days!) which is apparently unusual (if it's not the whole length of the abdomen, it's usually just the lower half).
I wake up regularly now due to hip pain and having to pee in the night (usually only have to get up once though) and I usually just give up when the pain gets bad and get out of bed early. I tend to get a few jobs done and then get tired and have become quite addicted to Lorraine and Cowboy Builders on ITV at my mid-morning rest! I can't stand or walk for long without feeling knackered and sore so shopping trips are becoming more difficult (online is my saviour for essentials we still need for the house) and I can only sit in certain seats without getting up and hobbling like an old lady!
I am loving feeling the babies though - they move SO much now, especially baby girl sitting at the top - she's become quite the squirmer and I love watching the ripples and random protrusions! With baby boy being down at the bottom, when he gets fidgety I tend to have to pee even more, lol.
Update: This morning (Monday, our scan was on Friday), we had our next twin appointment, this time with the doctor as well as our twin midwife. As we expected, our transverse twins are unlikely to move round now. Twin 1 is the only one who needs to be head down for a natural delivery but with his sister lying over the top of him and them having much less space now, it's not impossible but for him to turn and get head down is looking very unlikely. We have another scan in 4 weeks to see what's happening but they've booked us in for an elective caesarian already as they're getting quite busy! So unless these babies have other plans and try to make an appearance early or suddenly decide to do some fancy gymnastics and face down then they will be born in 5 weeks!
It's very weird knowing the babies' likely birthday! I can't say I'm happy about having a c-section, I was really hoping to avoid it but have always known from the start that it was a big possibility. There's no way these babies can be delivered horizontally the usual way so the decision has been made and that's that. Having read the reassuring comments on Rebecca's post when her baby was breech and she too had to be scheduled for a section have helped me too. I just hope I cope OK with any wound pain and it doesn't interfere with trying to breastfeed both babies.
How far along: 32 weeks
Size comparison: Kale (length), they were as heavy as coconuts last week apparently.
Weight gain: I have found the scales! Weight is now 197.6 lbs so I've put on 7 lbs since the 20th Aug when I last checked and 12.6 lbs overall since the start. Since the babies weigh almost 9lbs now and there's all the fluid and stuff I think that's pretty good, plus I still don't feel like I've put much on anywhere other than the bump! I don't actually know how much I'm supposed to put on, I haven't been weighed since my very first booking appointment at 12 weeks and the bump's never been measured. Weight hasn't even been mentioned.
Cravings: Still nothing major but I still have much more of a sweet tooth than before. I also had a sudden urge for cherries in syrup on Sunday evening but luckily we had a jar so I munched a few down with some cream cheese, yum!
Signs & Symptoms: As I said above, the hip pain is still bad and causing more lack of sleep. I have stretch marks now (although I don't care, they are a sign of my body finally managing to grow us a family!) and my belly button is still massive!
Although I don't mind my stretch marks, they could be worse and I don't really want to end up with hundreds of angry red ones so I'm still using Bio Oil and Strivectin.
I've been very lucky with heartburn up to now as I've only had a touch of it a couple of times. I'm still able to eat well but am constantly burping! If I get too full of gas I can feel a bit nauseous but otherwise it's not an issue (except for Mum and Nik as I have totally lost the ability to burp silently!).
I did wake up really hungry at 4am for some reason a few days ago and it got so bad I couldn't get back to sleep again so got up and reheated some leftover pasta before heading back to bed at 5am!
Things for babies: The nursery is looking fab! Unfortunately one of the cots was damaged when it arrived (only slightly but we'd at least want a partial refund if not an exchange for a new one) but Mum built the other one and I've made it up - it's so cute with the brightly coloured crochet teddy one of Mum's friends made for the twins (there's another waiting for his cot too). I just need to put the frames for the gallery walls up along with some other wall art. We have a nice lampshade now and a cool sunshine clock and I'm loving the rainbow colours already! I need to order prints of my favourite maternity photos for a couple more frames I have ready and it's pretty much done! I can't wait to show you the whole room! Oh and I need to finish making the mobiles and painting door knobs too! These babies better not come early! ;)
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As for other baby things, thanks for the breast pump and baby carrier recommendations. I'm definitely looking at the ergobaby and will hopefully have them ordered this week and I have a couple of other brands of pump to check out too. The co-sleeper is now built and we're just waiting for our bed to arrive on Wednesday to adjust the height and attach it on so it's ready to receive our little bundles! Eeek! Oh and I've now received the other fabric set for the Bugaboo so I now properly love it! Here it is, all built with the gorgeous new colours:
I've also been washing my old baby clothes from the attic, proper vintage - last worn by me 32 years ago, and they're now hanging in the little wardrobe which is finally finished after my lovely cousin managed to get the drawer parts we needed and sent them down! We've started buying all the bits we need for babies too like nappies, creams, etc so I can stock the Hemnes drawers and pack the changing bag as well as the bits for my hospital bag (any tips on essentials are very welcome - I've been using Pinterest lists to keep me right). I'm currently on a hunt for a lightweight nightie as it's still quite warm down here, especially in the hospital!
As it's getting so close to when the babies might come, I am feeling major urges to be prepared - I'm so worried they might come early when there's still so much to be done in the house (the builder's not coming 'til Saturday now to knock down the wall!) so the more organised I can feel with everything else, the better. I know we'd cope if they did make an early appearance but I'd feel so much better knowing the major stuff was out of the way and we could finish the unpacking and empty the playroom (where most of the rest of our stuff is currently stored)! Not ideal for a nesting Mummy-to-be!
Speaking of which, huge thanks to Sarah for sending me a special surprise pamper parcel as a wee Mummy-to-be treat! The beautifully packaged box contained spa day enrichment hand cream, reviving foot cream (for tired & weary feet - perfect!), Joe & Seph's salted caramel popcorn, bath oil and a little bar of chocolate for me to pass on to someone else as a gift. Such a lovely thought and very gratefully received!
.JPG)
Right, I'm off for a bath! :)
So, we've had our next scan, having missed our 28 week growth check due to the move south. Our 32 week scan has utterly reassured me. The babies are fine, growing well (quite massive already with baby boy's head measuring over 33 weeks already and he's apparently 4lbs in total and baby girl overall even bigger at 4lb 9oz!! Crikey! No wonder they're making me so uncomfortable already. I must just have plenty of space inside me as people are still shocked when I say we're expecting twins with 6 weeks to go and I hear the word 'neat' every time I see someone other than Mum or Nik, lol, I blame my wide hips ;)
Anyway, they're both good (and there's no concern about her being so much bigger as they each have their own sac and placenta) and have plenty of fluid, etc. so that's all great. They're lying transversely with both having their heads on my right hand side (may explain my one sided stretch marks!) like they're in bunk beds! So cute but I'm not sure they're going to move from there which probably means a c-section. We didn't get any pictures this time but we didn't even see much during the scan, it was all about measuring the tops of their heads, their femurs and abdomens so we didn't even get to see their faces.
As for me, yes I have stretch marks but they're not too bad yet and as I said, only on my right hand side next to my belly button and in the midline underneath. I also have a faint Linea Nigra but only above my belly button (I got Nik to check as I clearly can't see lower down these days!) which is apparently unusual (if it's not the whole length of the abdomen, it's usually just the lower half).
I am loving feeling the babies though - they move SO much now, especially baby girl sitting at the top - she's become quite the squirmer and I love watching the ripples and random protrusions! With baby boy being down at the bottom, when he gets fidgety I tend to have to pee even more, lol.
Update: This morning (Monday, our scan was on Friday), we had our next twin appointment, this time with the doctor as well as our twin midwife. As we expected, our transverse twins are unlikely to move round now. Twin 1 is the only one who needs to be head down for a natural delivery but with his sister lying over the top of him and them having much less space now, it's not impossible but for him to turn and get head down is looking very unlikely. We have another scan in 4 weeks to see what's happening but they've booked us in for an elective caesarian already as they're getting quite busy! So unless these babies have other plans and try to make an appearance early or suddenly decide to do some fancy gymnastics and face down then they will be born in 5 weeks!
It's very weird knowing the babies' likely birthday! I can't say I'm happy about having a c-section, I was really hoping to avoid it but have always known from the start that it was a big possibility. There's no way these babies can be delivered horizontally the usual way so the decision has been made and that's that. Having read the reassuring comments on Rebecca's post when her baby was breech and she too had to be scheduled for a section have helped me too. I just hope I cope OK with any wound pain and it doesn't interfere with trying to breastfeed both babies.
How far along: 32 weeks
Size comparison: Kale (length), they were as heavy as coconuts last week apparently.
Weight gain: I have found the scales! Weight is now 197.6 lbs so I've put on 7 lbs since the 20th Aug when I last checked and 12.6 lbs overall since the start. Since the babies weigh almost 9lbs now and there's all the fluid and stuff I think that's pretty good, plus I still don't feel like I've put much on anywhere other than the bump! I don't actually know how much I'm supposed to put on, I haven't been weighed since my very first booking appointment at 12 weeks and the bump's never been measured. Weight hasn't even been mentioned.
Cravings: Still nothing major but I still have much more of a sweet tooth than before. I also had a sudden urge for cherries in syrup on Sunday evening but luckily we had a jar so I munched a few down with some cream cheese, yum!
 |
| Looking massive in my comfy chair with my jar of cherries and surrounded by anything I might need - phone/remote/laptop/hand and foot creams! |
Signs & Symptoms: As I said above, the hip pain is still bad and causing more lack of sleep. I have stretch marks now (although I don't care, they are a sign of my body finally managing to grow us a family!) and my belly button is still massive!
Although I don't mind my stretch marks, they could be worse and I don't really want to end up with hundreds of angry red ones so I'm still using Bio Oil and Strivectin.
I've been very lucky with heartburn up to now as I've only had a touch of it a couple of times. I'm still able to eat well but am constantly burping! If I get too full of gas I can feel a bit nauseous but otherwise it's not an issue (except for Mum and Nik as I have totally lost the ability to burp silently!).
I did wake up really hungry at 4am for some reason a few days ago and it got so bad I couldn't get back to sleep again so got up and reheated some leftover pasta before heading back to bed at 5am!
.JPG) |
| Pasta round 1 (the leftovers weren't so glam) |
Things for babies: The nursery is looking fab! Unfortunately one of the cots was damaged when it arrived (only slightly but we'd at least want a partial refund if not an exchange for a new one) but Mum built the other one and I've made it up - it's so cute with the brightly coloured crochet teddy one of Mum's friends made for the twins (there's another waiting for his cot too). I just need to put the frames for the gallery walls up along with some other wall art. We have a nice lampshade now and a cool sunshine clock and I'm loving the rainbow colours already! I need to order prints of my favourite maternity photos for a couple more frames I have ready and it's pretty much done! I can't wait to show you the whole room! Oh and I need to finish making the mobiles and painting door knobs too! These babies better not come early! ;)
 |
| Gorgeous Ingrid Petrie print from Claire and Grimm rainbow toy from Mum! |
As for other baby things, thanks for the breast pump and baby carrier recommendations. I'm definitely looking at the ergobaby and will hopefully have them ordered this week and I have a couple of other brands of pump to check out too. The co-sleeper is now built and we're just waiting for our bed to arrive on Wednesday to adjust the height and attach it on so it's ready to receive our little bundles! Eeek! Oh and I've now received the other fabric set for the Bugaboo so I now properly love it! Here it is, all built with the gorgeous new colours:
I think you'll agree it's so much nicer and much more me!
The previous, very disappointing colours, can be seen here. We had no problems returning them to the shop for credit and we bought the isofix base we needed instead! (We're getting the other one from a friend.) The sand is much nicer and more practical than the off white and the jade green (limited edition colour from 2012) is so much brighter and greener than the dull petrol blue! I love it! The brightly coloured changing bag looks fab with the new colours too although the buggy clips do make it hang actually touching the handle so I can't hold the handle properly or get in the bag easily which seems a bit silly. We're now looking for longer buggy clips or another set to extend these ones. It's just hooked over on the strap for now.
I've also been washing my old baby clothes from the attic, proper vintage - last worn by me 32 years ago, and they're now hanging in the little wardrobe which is finally finished after my lovely cousin managed to get the drawer parts we needed and sent them down! We've started buying all the bits we need for babies too like nappies, creams, etc so I can stock the Hemnes drawers and pack the changing bag as well as the bits for my hospital bag (any tips on essentials are very welcome - I've been using Pinterest lists to keep me right). I'm currently on a hunt for a lightweight nightie as it's still quite warm down here, especially in the hospital!
As it's getting so close to when the babies might come, I am feeling major urges to be prepared - I'm so worried they might come early when there's still so much to be done in the house (the builder's not coming 'til Saturday now to knock down the wall!) so the more organised I can feel with everything else, the better. I know we'd cope if they did make an early appearance but I'd feel so much better knowing the major stuff was out of the way and we could finish the unpacking and empty the playroom (where most of the rest of our stuff is currently stored)! Not ideal for a nesting Mummy-to-be!
Speaking of which, huge thanks to Sarah for sending me a special surprise pamper parcel as a wee Mummy-to-be treat! The beautifully packaged box contained spa day enrichment hand cream, reviving foot cream (for tired & weary feet - perfect!), Joe & Seph's salted caramel popcorn, bath oil and a little bar of chocolate for me to pass on to someone else as a gift. Such a lovely thought and very gratefully received!
Right, I'm off for a bath! :)
2 comments:
Don't worry about the section, I had a natural delivery with number 1 and struggled to feed, an elective section second time and she is still feeding pretty much exclusively at 13 weeks x
As Kirsty said, don't worry too much about the section. I had one with H (under a general so didn't even see him for a while) and I fed him till he was 16 months. Don't do too much afterwards and take it easy, that will be great having your mum around for a bit.
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