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18 week twin pregnancy belly bump

Each week I look back at the last week, this week was week 18, then I think to myself how fortunate and blessed we are to be having such a great pregnancy thus far.  It is hard to believe how fast the whole process goes, in less than a year I will be posting baby photos.  Take a look back with me at the last week of our pregnancy with twins, vegan twins.

NOTE:  MY PHOTOS ARE TAKEN AT THE VERY END OF EACH WEEK, HENCE THESE TWO PHOTOS ARE TAKEN AT THE START OF WEEK 19.  NORMALLY I TAKE THESE PHOTOS AS I JUST WAKE UP ON SATURDAY MORNING, VERY EARLY, SANS MAKEUP AND HAIR CORRECTIONS. I DO NOT HIDE FROM SHARING MY EXPERIENCES, NOR MY GROWTH PHOTOS. PREGNANCY IS NOT SOMETHING EVERYONE CAN DO, ESPECIALLY A NATURAL TWIN PREGNANCY SO I WANT TO SHARE EVERY LITTLE PIECE OF TRUTH THE ENTIRE PROCESS.

Month Due: July 2017

Twins Gender:  Today is the day, hopefully, as we are waiting to see the gender on our 3D/4D ultrasound.  Although we have known for over 10 weeks the gender of one baby, we will get confirmation of both genders (if the twins are cooperative and move so the doctor can see).  Cross your fingers!

Food: Food is not really an issue at all, as it has not been most of our twin pregnancy, we are so blessed.  I give it to the mothers out there that have extreme morning sickness, such strong-willed woman, I am not sure how I would have done if I was sick all the time.  Daily I eat 3 full meals a day, along with a few snacks throughout the day.  I’ve found the general rule of advice is to eat every two hours for twins, every three hours for a singleton.  It gives me energy throughout the day and I always feel great by bedtime.  In general I love lentils, rice, leafy greens, fruit and at least 1 sweet something a day.  Oh, I have tried to up my protein count seeing as I am in the second trimester and the twins are growing faster now, need to feed the growth.

Cravings: Nothing still, just my normal fruit and vegetables.  (But I had that pre-pregnancy)

Aversions: Nothing still…

Prenatal Vitamins:  Still Rainbow Light Vegan Prenatal Vitamins and Vegan DEVA DHA.  Additionally, I love to add nutritional yeast on just about everything for the protein and B12 content.

Symptoms:  My cute little hamsters are still moving around like crazy, it is the strangest feeling.  It’s a strange feeling, hard to explain but the closest I can come to describing the feeling is a gas bubble that is constantly moving in the stomach.  Sounds so poetic, I know…  My doctor explained this as if you feel gas near the belly button, it’s the babies moving, lower is just gas.  Websites and other pregnancy books state it is like fluttery, I’m still trying to figure the meaning of this description.  Other than the gymnastics going on in my stomach, I have noticed a few more growth pains near my lower sides and “lowest woman regions”.  Nothing too painful just catches me off-guard at times.  Finally I have noticed when I get up from the floor or sitting position, I have a slight discomfort in the location of the babies, I believe this is thanks to their readjustments for comfort.  Nothing serious, all just normal symptoms, as I’m told.

Milestones: My weight fluctuates greatly throughout the week, on average I am around 9 lbs heavier (maybe a few more ounces).  So this means I am still on the target with my doctors’ guidelines of gaining 1-2 lbs a week.  Each day I notice my twin belly bump growing, so this is a great sign, something I look forward to seeing every time I pass a mirror.  It’s better to embrace the bump than fear the size, the larger the bump the more potential of a healthier baby (babies).  Now that we are over our halfway point for a twin pregnancy, we are seeing some growth spurts, something I love charting every day.

I’m Excited About:  The specialist ultrasound appointment is something I have been worrying/looking forward to for the last month.  There are few specialists in the area, so our appointment was made over a month ago.  We thrilled to get confirmation of gender of the twins, it will make planning much easier.  Plus, it will be nice to know what to call them in general.

I’m Nervous About: The ultrasound specialist is something I look forward to and fear all at the same time.  Since we are having twins, we will have a 1-2 hour appointment, scanning the twins every little mm of their tiny bodies.  Although I shouldn’t be worried, since they have been growing along with my weight gain, I still fear they are not gaining enough or are on the small size.  Seeing as I am only 4’11”, along with my entire family around 5’, it will be a shock if they are larger than average, especially being twins.  So I am not expecting the twins to be above average on the height scale, I do hope their organs and body parts are of good proportion.  My OB stated the first appointment, upon us asking if one is larger than the other, if the twins are not close in size, he would demand bed rest.  Bed rest for me would be extremely difficult and mentally challenging as I am very active, so I am praying everything is fine and I will not have to go through bed rest at all.  (Your prayers are always accepted too.)

Exercise:  Still loving my normal pregnancy activity levels, I do greatly miss running outside in the sunshine though.  Spring is my favorite time to run (I encourage all of you not pregnant to pick it up during this season), as it is fun to watch the changing of the seasons.  Genki Husband and I planned on the birthday of our twins, so we knew I would miss out on the season however it was the best time as the twins and I will be inside for the hottest part of the summer months. Then when they are old enough and I am given clearance to exercise again, the temperatures should be cooler.  So, for now I am happy walking and doing household as exercise.  Movement is the key, I believe, not just so called labeled exercise.

Other thoughts and feelings:  Our nursery is still on standstill as we are waiting for the gender confirmations.  It is just something we look forward to in the next week or so.

Note:  If you have any suggestions for a twin pregnancy, I would love to hear your comments.  Or just anything in general, advice is always accepted and appreciated.  Books and medical professionals can only give so much information, personal experience is sometimes much better than anything else.