Congratulations on your twins! Its exciting to hear, and also a little fightening at first, not knowing what to expect!! I have four kids, Dallas is 5, Gabe is 4, and our boy girl twins, Kaleb and Kendyl are almost 17 months. I was VERY excited to find out about twins, but I was also nervous, because I'd had cerclages with the pervious two pregnancies, and worried if it would be enough with twins.
The HUGEST difference for me was int he pregnancies. After having singelton pregnancies, I found the twin one to be EXCRUCIATING on the sheer SIZE alone! I reached the size I was FULL TERM with my singletons at 17 WEEKS with the twins! I started contracting at 17 weeks as well, because to my body, I was already big enough to be done! I was on and off bedrest through out! The other big difference is that while 24 weeks is viable for all babies, it is HIGHLY HIGHLY encouraged that twin pregnancies go till 28 weeks at a minimum so that both babies have a better chance. But that being said, I know my doctor wasn't comfortable with multiples going past 38 weeks gestation. I deliverd my twins at 37 weeks exactly, by repeat c secion. Oddly enough, they were my longest pregnancy!!
The morning sickness is also different with twins. I don't know how far along you are, but if you're early enough on, you'll know what I'm talking about. Just about every twin mom that I've EVER talked to went through starving, and being able to eat two crackers and feeling full. Then ten minutes later being sick as a dog! I hope you can avoid this, but it does pass!!
Twins are SO much fun, and DO NOT listen to everyone when they say "oh, its gets easier after the first year." I didn't think that first year was hard at all. If one woke to eat, I fed them both, to keep them on the same schedule, things like that. Now that they're 17 months old, life is getting interesting! They can run opposite ways and can climb everything, and can work together to get into trouble! Also, I heard alot of "get all the help you can!" When what I found was that if people wanted to bring meals, or come play with the older two, that was the biggest help, because too much outside activity with the twins got their schedules messed up, and I payed for it more at night! So I did it alone, with just my husband and I, and I prefered it that way! I know everyone is different, but thats what worked for me!
I always said that I'm glad I had my singletons first, so that I had that experience under my belt before having two at once, but I wish I'd had my twin pregnancy first, so that I didn't know how much HARDER it was on my body than just one!!!!
I wish you all the best of luck with your pregnancy!!!! Feel free to send me a message if you want to chat more, or if you wind up on bedrest, and just want someone to talk to!!!
Oh yes, and be ready to hear alot of "are they identical?" (weather they are or not, its usually the first thing asked!) and alot of "gee, you have your hands full!" Thats my BIGGEST pet peeve of going out with all four kids. People stop me to tell me just HOW full my hands are, when they are making things more difficult by not letting us get our things done!!! I've adapted the saying "my hands aren't full, my heart is." And it is truely how I feel!
You can reach me at:
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J.