are twin pregnancies really that awful?

livvielo · March 2012

This is kind of a vent. I feel like every nurse and doctor I talk to make it sound like this pregnancy is going to be so miserable?that at 20 weeks, I'm going to feel like crap and be as big as a house. I feel like I'm getting the message that I should only walk, and even then not much, and basically don't do anything at all during the pregnancy because I'm going to feel like such crap.

I'm still not 100% used to the idea of twins, so hearing all of this just makes me depressed, like I should throw in the towel now, at 12 weeks!

pea-kay · March 2012

Mine wasn't that bad. Of course, it helped somewhat that my pregnancy was compressed - it was uncomfy at the end, but the end for me was only 33 weeks.

Anyway, it's hard, and it might be awful, but it's soooo worth it. And it's temporary awful.

MrsOjoButtons · March 2012

I don't have any singleton pregnancies to compare it to, but yes.

chickaboo1974 · March 2012

Honestly I felt great- until I was put on bedrest for my blood pressure- then the lack of getting up and moving caused me to feel every ache and pain when I did get up. While I delivered at 34 w 3 d- I had just really started feeling like I was beginning to hit the wall- I was having issues with walking- pain in my public area, and really bad shortness of breath. But I look back at my pregnancy and think it wasn't that bad. I painted and decorated the nursery at 26 weeks- I helped with the updating to our bathroom at 20 weeks. So I think staying appropriately active is a good thing.

google123 · March 2012

For me it was great until 24w. At that point I was measuring 9months. So imagine being 9months pregnant (and even bigger)....and experiencing that for 3-4 more months, and not just (1 month like most singleton pregnancies).

krismott25 · March 2012

i'm not sure what you mean by throwing in the towel. I also don't have a singleton pg to compare it too but yes it is hard. But at the end of the day who really cares. As long as your babies are healthy that is all that matters. so you do what you can do make that happen. if that means only walking, big friggin deal. i'm sorry I'm not trying to be mean and you have every right to vent. God knows I have and still do! My doctor said to me early on why would I prepare you for the best, I'm sure you can figure that out on your own, it's my job to prepare you for the worst. and believe me at 13 weeks i felt amazing, i actually thought hey i can make it till 28-30 weeks working 12 hour shifts. and then my cervix started shortening and I'm out on diability at 17 weeks. Again doesn't mean it will happen to you but it's worth being prepared for.

erniebufflo · March 2012

Mine hasn't really been awful until the third trimester. No morning sickness, just tiredness. But in the third tri, I've had awful back pain that kept me bound to a recliner for two weeks, an "irritable uterus" that contracts basically all the time, difficulty breathing because Baby B is all up in my rib cage, swelling in my feet and hands, a belly so stretched and itchy I think I'll go insane, and terrible sleep...And I count myself *lucky* that I haven't really had any complications. But yeah, being very very pregnant for 3 months instead of just 1month or so? Kinda awful.

MrsLnt · March 2012

I have no standard for comparison but I didn't feel terrible the entire time. I didn't feel great but as long as I let myself rest as needed and limited my activities, it wasn't unmanageable.

jennie13 · March 2012

yes, my twin pregnancy was really that awful.

it was not only being pregnant, it was trying to take care of a toddler at the same time that made so bad. I had about a month between all day morning sickness and hitting the wall where I felt "good."

I went to 38 weeks, and besides luck, I think it's because I rested and put my feet up as much as I possibly could.

So worth it though!

jcath · March 2012

I think your dr and nurses are preparing you for the worst and twin pregnancies do have a significantly higher rate of complications. You do need to be more careful and you do need to be monitored more.

Lots of women have complications, get put on bedrest, have pre-term labor and deliver early. Lots of women also make it to full term with very few problems. Everyone is uncomfortable at the end - you are hopefully carrying around alot of baby.

So I think they are just trying to prepare you - hopefully it will all be for nothing.

Chrissymarie98 · March 2012

Mine has been very challenging thus far.

My first pregnancy with my singleton was a breeze compared to this.

I had virtually no symptoms with him - but not the case this go around.

I've gone into ketosis because of poor intake - because of being nauseated.

Which has been awful because for me that has meant major, major headaches.

Headaches that last all day long. Headaches that even Tyelonol don't kick.

I'm on anti-nausea meds now so I'm able to stomach food better, but still there are days that I have the headaches if I don't get enough h2o or food.

It's tough for me because I generally feel pretty full - but if I don't eat enough my body tells me so.

So I'm constantly trying to maintain a balance.

Missa_g · March 2012

Awful? Nope. Really really difficult? Definitely! But oh so worth it. I think doctors tell you to slow down and take it easy because it's better for you and the babies in the long run. We're supposed to gain weight, and gravity is not your cervix's friend.

ddub09 · March 2012

Mine wasn't bad. I know at 32 weeks I got tired much easier, but I still could do a lot of stuff just slower.

I always tried to stay positive and not have the mindset that something bad would happen. I always knew it was a possibility with a high risk pregnancy, but I always tried to focus on the positive.

For me I found that I slowed down so gradually that I didn't realize how slow I was until I had the babies and could do things like bend again.

Breezy8407 · March 2012

I don't have anything to compare this too, but mine has been pretty easy up until about a week ago. I was running until 21 weeks and only had a few days of nausea first tri.

As of this week things have started hurting a lot more and I am pretty swollen. I got put on Bedrest yesterday, but was working full time and pretty much living life normally.

ninjabridemom · March 2012

My complaints are so petty and minor, honestly. My twin pregnancy has NOT been that bad. And I love getting monitored as frequently as I have been. But I consider myself one of the lucky ones.

I think it's better to go into it knowing you are more at risk for complications, etc., than to go into it thinking you're home free. I did, and I was able to prepare when I had to start working from home (the commute was a bit much -- cervix was shortening, but barely). Plus, I was able to research things so I knew what questions to ask at each appointment.

You'll be fine -- just be prepared. I think that's really all.

shivNY · March 2012

I'm 19 weeks and have been feeling pretty good. I actually just got back from a trip to Disney World with my 2 yo and although it was exhausting, I made it through 2 full days in the parks.

The only complaint I have is that I'm growing very fast this time- I am the size I was at 6 months with my son so its just made me very tired. But other than that I feel good. And I commute 3 hours a day and work full time, so I'm certainly not resting much!

CRYSTAL24K · March 2012

Every pregnancy is different. I did not enjoy being pregnant for the most part. I was blessed to go through the experience. I did look forward to my babies arrival and just threw myself into preparing for them - this helped me to take my mind off of how I felt and just focus on the joy to come.

Hope this helps!

ougrad1 · March 2012

They like to give worse case scenario. You won't feel awful until about 30-33 weeks and when they get here is when it gets really interesting. ; )

Aren't you glad you asked?

GypsyEsq · March 2012

Compared to my singleton pregnancy. Yes. I'm also three years older, have a more demanding job, and a toddler. My OB is suggesting writing me out at 28 weeks. I'm 20 weeks now and measuring 28 weeks already, can't imagine how big and uncomfortable I'll be then. And I've had no "complications" but it's still hard. No doubt it's worth it but right now I'm with your docs- its hard.

jxd215 · March 2012

jcath:
I think your dr and nurses are preparing you for the worst and twin pregnancies do have a significantly higher rate of complications. You do need to be more careful and you do need to be monitored more.
Lots of women have complications, get put on bedrest, have pre-term labor and deliver early. Lots of women also make it to full term with very few problems. Everyone is uncomfortable at the end - you are hopefully carrying around alot of baby.
So I think they are just trying to prepare you - hopefully it will all be for nothing.

This exactly. That being said, I was glad that my OB practice did not raise the specter of all the complications that could arise. I always felt like they would be prepared to treat whatever happened, but that we'd deal with it when it actually happened. After I totally freaked out about vanishing twin syndrome after my first ultrasound, I decided that I wouldn't go out of my way to read about potential complications and just let my body do its thing and play along. I was lucky I had no complications, so I felt that I on the whole I was able to enjoy my pregnancy.

jxd215 · March 2012

jcath:
I think your dr and nurses are preparing you for the worst and twin pregnancies do have a significantly higher rate of complications. You do need to be more careful and you do need to be monitored more.
Lots of women have complications, get put on bedrest, have pre-term labor and deliver early. Lots of women also make it to full term with very few problems. Everyone is uncomfortable at the end - you are hopefully carrying around alot of baby.
So I think they are just trying to prepare you - hopefully it will all be for nothing.

This exactly. That being said, I was glad that my OB practice did not raise the specter of all the complications that could arise. I always felt like they would be prepared to treat whatever happened, but that we'd deal with it when it actually happened. After I totally freaked out about vanishing twin syndrome after my first ultrasound, I decided that I wouldn't go out of my way to read about potential complications and just let my body do its thing and play along. I was lucky I had no complications, so I felt that on the whole I was able to enjoy my pregnancy.

august8080 · March 2012

I'm at 29 weeks and other than some pain in my legs and feet at the end of the long day (to which I attribute being 22 pounds heavier than I've EVER been!), I feel really good! I think so much has to do with your attitude and mental outlook. Keep your chin up!

ETA: I've had no complications and can still exercise, clean house, take care of my 2 year old, have sex....all that good stuff. Yes, you're at higher risk for complications, but don't let that hang over you like a dark cloud all the time.

starburst210 · March 2012

i can compare my pregnancies btw singleton and twins and while this one thus far has been a bit more exhausting it's not HORRIBLE. i was actually sicker with my one than i am with two in the first tri....i am considering myself very lucky. i had a few more bleeding episodes to start and I am definitely larger but thus far it's all manageable.

i think being prepared is important but i also think trying to remain optimistic and positive is also going to keep you mentally sane.

just remember that each person and pregnancy is SO different so the experiences range from horrible to fine to okay to mediocre etc.

embrace the experience and see what happens. take one day at a time and if you are feeling well don't WAIT for impending doom bc who knows ...it may never come your way!!

GL!

ninjabridemom · March 2012

ougrad1:
They like to give worse case scenario. You won't feel awful until about 30-33 weeks and when they get here is when it gets really interesting. ; )
Aren't you glad you asked?

Lol, I keep thinking "I've had such an easy pregnancy....there's no way the boys are going to be this easy, too, right?!" I'm totally going to get colicky clingers, lol.

LadyGolfer523 · March 2012

There is actually an overview of my pregnancy on my blog. I had a relatively easy pregnancy and enjoyed it very much. Every single doctor I saw would tell me how hard it was going to be and how awful I would feel.

I actually miss being pregnant.

ougrad1 · March 2012

ninjabridemom:
ougrad1:
They like to give worse case scenario. You won't feel awful until about 30-33 weeks and when they get here is when it gets really interesting. ; )
Aren't you glad you asked?

Lol, I keep thinking "I've had such an easy pregnancy....there's no way the boys are going to be this easy, too, right?!" I'm totally going to get colicky clingers, lol.

LMAO...lets hope not Ninja. Nightmare.

KDR1979 · March 2012

I don't have a singleton pregnancy to compare....and it took us so long to get pregnant that I Would not really complain about pregnancy. I had mild n& v in the 1st trimester. Fatigue was at it's worst around 20 weeks but that was also @Christmas time. I no longer fit into most of my maternity clothes @ 26-28 weeks. My Ob warned me that she used to prescribe bed rest for all twins @ 24 wks, so to justExpect that. @ 24 wks, my cervix was 4cm & all was normal, so she let me keep working.@ 30 weeks, we found a 20% growth discordance (baby boy in 70th percentile, girl 40th),So I was put on bed rest & unable to go back to work. Financially, it stinks, but I Can rest now & my ankles are not swollen now. My ribs hurt & hips hurt while sleeping. I pee all the time. I don't know if these symptoms are worse than a singleton. Good luck!

mfgale09 · March 2012

i worked 12 hour shifts as a nurse on a pretty busy floor up until 32 weeks. i know some people have lots more complications but it was still possible for me to do some normal things..not often comfortable

but ok. i ended up in the hospital atbthe end though and delivered at 34 weeks.

bellewife1028 · March 2012

For me, it has been way more difficult than my singleton pregnancy. I had moderate ohss in the beginning and a 10cm cyst on my ovary that sent me to the hospital twice in 1st tri and once in 2nd. I have di/di twins and they have been growing great with no complications, thankfully. I also have anemia with a very low hemoglobin which makes me out of breath and light headed. The pelvic pain started a lot earlier than with my singleton pregnancy. I know I am lucky and could be a lot worse, so I do count my blessings. But compared to my singleton pregnancy I'd say this one is way more "eventful". And like everyone else said, you feel 9 months pregnant - but for several months. When people ask I say I feel 12 months pregnant.

amanda31H · March 2012

I don't know what you mean by throwing in the towel...

But my twin pregnancy was very physically challenging - so yes, it's pretty damn hard. It was a lot of extra monitoring, and I got really big so things were uncomfortable really early on. Also because of the concerns of pre-term labor, I had to be a lot more cautious.

A friend said to me that my next pregnancy (with a singleton) would be pedestrian compared to what I went through! So far it's holding true!

Cornbreadsmom · March 2012

Compared to my singleton pregnancy, yes it sucked. I got huge really early (i'm short), went into PTL at 27 weeks, hospitalized from 31-24weeks including being on a mag drip, and was in pretty much constant pain started around 33weeks.

If I didn't have a toddler to chase around, and hadn't gone into PTL it wouldn't have been as bad.

mars724 · March 2012

Everyone has different experiences. I've had no complications (knock on wood) so far and worked full time as a teacher until 31 weeks.

Just don't plan on keeping up the same lifestyle as before, you're at the whim of what kind of rest your body tells you that you need. This is my first pregnancy, so I have nothing to compare it to, but, I'm big and uncomfortable right now, I swell, I have trouble sleeping, I have carpal tunnel, but as far as I know, those are all things that many women experience in pregnancy, and it might be worse for me, but I get double the prize at the end.

don't be depressed, and you should really try to find a doctor that doesn't treat you like a freak. my doctors make me feel like I'm having a "normal" pregnancy, just with lots of extra attention.

amanda31H · March 2012

Oh and other than some first tri bleeding I had no "complications" with my twin pregnancy.

jalaiaa · March 2012

Mine was pretty easy. More uncomfortable towards the end than my singleton pregnancy but not bad.

AJFmom · March 2012

I totally disagree that twin pregnancies are awful! Perhaps I've been lucky, however it's been exactly the same as my singleton pregnancy (so far). Both pregnancies I had terrible morning sickness until about 18 weeks. The only difference with this (my twin) pregnancy has been that my MS started much earlier (5 wks) as opposed to a little later(8 wks) and that it was worse....added hormones will do that to ya!

Both pregnancies I've been anemic so I need to take Iron supplements.

Like previous people have said there is a lot more monitoring, however I really like that and honestly this pregnancy has flown by, I think bc I am going in so often and seeing the babies (every 4 wks on U/S), every 2 weeks Dr. visit.

I do feel like I've slowed down sooner than I did with my singleton pregnancy. Within the past week my body has days where it just drags, but then others I feel pretty normal. Perhaps I've been lucky but for me my twin pregnancy has been very comparable to my singleton...and I absolutely loved being pregnant with my DD and I'm loving it this time around too!

The hardest part for me, hands down has been the fact that I already have a child (just turned 3) whom always needs something, and I'm constantly running around with. When you're pregnant with your first all the time is yours...you're tired; take a nap, etc. Not so when you already have a child/ren. However, that obviously has nothing to do with being pregnant with twins.

Good luck!

tinkerbelle · March 2012

I had some complications I didn't have with my singleton pregnancy, but honestly, it wasn't nearly as bad as my OB or other people said it might be. I had some migraines at the beginning of the 2nd trimester, and I had to take it a bit easier near the end, but I was till able to work until 2 days before I had the twins and I felt pretty well throughout. I took the picture in my siggy about a week (I think) before giving birth. I was smaller with twins than with my singleton.

macchiatto · March 2012

Mine wasn't that bad, but I finished grad school/work at 18w and didn't have older kids to take care of, so I was able to take it easy. I had a lot of limitations but no complications. Since I didn't have a lot of responsibilities the second half of the pregnancy my limitations weren't really a big deal but they might've been if I'd had older kids, trying to work, etc.

Rangergal9 · March 2012

I had a singleton pregnancy first and compared to that yes, it was awful! I also had extreme nausea my entire pregnancy and threw up every day. I had awful awful heartburn and the last 6 weeks were just the worst. I was so big and uncomfortable, my right side of my body was numb, I couldn't sleep, and I was so swollen. I got uncomfortable a lot sooner. Luckily I didn't have any complications. But, yeah, it was a miserable experience towards the end!

snoangel79 · March 2012

Mine was pretty bad but I have problems to begin with... I had horrid m/s sometimes puking 5 times a day from weeks 4-14. I had my lung collapse at 14 weeks and had to have a balloon dilation to my left main bronchus (I have scar tissue that builds up in my bronchus from radiation tx 8 years ago for non-hodgkin's lymphoma). 2nd tri was good... 3rd tri I was dx with gestational diabetes (mild controlled with diet), babies were Small for gestational age at 25 w, so I was followed like a hawk, at 25 w my heart function was just below normal (they were watching me for heart failure (this was damage that didn't realize itself till the pregnancy put the burden on my heart). At 30w I was dx with mild cholestasis (tx with ursodiol, and would be delivering no later than 37w because of it). At 31w I was in the hospital with noro-virus (puking and sh*tting my guts out for 4 days, real contractions and needed 3 bags of fluid to stop them), at 32w I all of a sudden had high blood pressure. At 34w2d the day I delivered, I was being dx with mild pre-clampsia, that night my son started having dcels of his heart (due to the cord being pinched around his belly tighter- he must have twisted in it) and within the hour I was rushed to an emergency c-section (luckily I was in the hospital doing a 24 hour urine catch and getting a steriod shot for their lungs (I had GD so you have to be admitted for that)). So yeah my pregnancy was pretty bad... I couldn't tell you what a singleton would have been like for me though maybe the same... The one thing is I got two beautiful babies and I don't really care that carrying them beat me pretty bad... I'm very lucky to have them <: plus is I don't have stretch marks or twin skin (I did gain enough in my pregnancy btw). I think God decided to give me a break with something <: plus I've already lost 25lbs of the 40 I gained since giving birth to them last month...

DenaRenee78 · March 2012

How has your first 12 weeks been? I think that would be a good indicator of how your pregnancy is going to be.

I had severe morning sickness for my first 4 months .. to the point they were going to put a picline in me. I was losing too much weight and they were worried. Then at 13 weeks I had to have a cervical cerclage. I have an incompetent cervix. Between the severe morning sickness and the cerclage I was on bedrest from the time I found out I was pregnant until about 3 weeks ago.

The morning sickness has lightened up to the point its bearable now! Now I am starting to feel a little more 'normal' but I am having all the joys of the back, hip, and pelvic pain. Honestly you could combine all my other pregnancies and even together they have not been as hard as this one!

My brother has twins and so does my niece and they keep reassuring me its all going to be worth it in the end .. LOL

I figure they are in me now and there is no turning back so I just need to suck it up and deal with it! Some days are better then others though!

Good luck

E&RMommy · March 2012

Singleton pregnancies can be just as awful. I'd say for as bad as pregnancy was...the first few months were much worse and much harder. The pregnancy was miserable but at least I was only taking care of me.

Don't pay attention to them. Enjoy the gift you have times two.

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