May 2020 Moms

Moms of Multiples - October

We seem to have quite a few twin pregnancies, so I thought we could try out a multiples thread. Questions about twin pregnancies? Comments? Concerns? Post away!
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Re: Moms of Multiples - October

  • I think this is a great idea! The only question I've had so far is about NIPT/Harmony testing - how reliable is it for twins? Anybody have experience with this in the past? 
  • @louessbee I'm not really sure. I've done NIPT in the past and planned to do it again, but now I'm not sure if it's worth it. I definitely plan to talk to my OB, but that won't be for a few weeks.
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  • @louessbee I had the same question!

    really glad you started this thread, I'm feeling like I have a lot to process. 
  • @allie456 I think we'll have a lot to talk about when we get out of first tri. I mean, I really have very little info at this point, other than what I can google. I assume mine are di/di because there are two sacs, but apparently that might not be true. So I guess we wait for a bit. Patience is not one of my best qualities. 😬
  • Hi guys!yea- thank you for starting this thread. Just found out today that I’m expecting identical twins- Mono/di according to the sonographer. I’m definitely feeling the waves of wtf right now (I have an 11mo old boy and live across the country from my family), but when I first saw them in the ultrasound, it was just confirmation of what I had a feeling was the case since I started feeling preggo (which was super early). 

    Anyone else have a “feeling”? 

    I’m 8weeks 3 days today. Exciting and scary!! 
  • @see-k MH thought there would be two because my tests got really dark really fast. We knew it was possible because we did IVF and transferred three, but with my egg quality issues, I really only thought one would stick, if I was lucky. Surprise! We are excited but kind doing a major reassessment of everything we're going to need.
  • so just by way of introduction: my EDD is 5/21/20 (6w6d today). I also did IVF due to my husband's vasectomy and we transferred 2, so I'm assuming, given the 2 sacs, they both stuck, and it wasn't that one stuck and split. 

    My doctor thought it was twins due to my high beta numbers, although we all know those aren't reliable. I thought it was twins because I felt horrible pretty much as soon as I turned the test :smile: I have older children and I have never in my life felt as tired as I have the last few weeks. Just not even on the same scale as my earlier pregnancies.

    I'm excited because I'm older and this was going to be our last shot at getting pregnant regardless of the outcome, and if it had been a singleton I think it might have been lonely for that kid, growing up with old parents and their siblings out of the house. At least now they will have a partner in crime.

    I'm worried about a lot of things -- "vanishing twin", cost of child care, how does one breastfeed two babies on demand? But I have time to process.

    I can't imagine what our older kids are going to think when we tell them! 
  • @allie456 I'm 38 and have a history of repeat pregnancy loss, so I'm worried about a vanishing twin, too. Mine measured within a day of each other and were right on track with HB's, so fingers crossed. I'm also glad we're having two because DD and DS are 18 months apart and totally joined at the hip. I was worried that the four and five year gap would leave the baby feeling pretty left out as they all got older.

    And I am right there with you on the worries. We're going to have to buy a new car, we'll have three in daycare for a year (not sure how we'll eat!), and how does one feed two hangry babies at once?! 
  • Heeeeey got super excited when I saw this thread! 

    I dont really know where to begin. I know my twins are mono/di. Same placenta & 2 sacks. I agree I’m sure we will all have a lot more questions after the 1st trimester. 

    Thanks @ruby696 for making this thread! 
  • @mbiegler0622 I'm pretty sure mine are di/di, but I'll ask at my next appt. if there are two placentas. I can't believe you already know!
  • @see-k I told my husband a week or so ago that I thought there were two in there. He took about 36 hours to process that 😂 

    I have similar fears about "vanishing twin", but my u/s yesterday helped those a little. I'm also worried about them running out of room early - I have a bicornate uterus, so positioning could be problematic. Fingers crossed for a smooth ride.
  • While I don't think this one is a multiple pregnancy, my initial ultrasound is Monday, I'd like to offer some help and advice if I can. I have fraternal twins from our first FET, in March 2017.
  • Oh @stella_700! Did you do NIPT with your twins? Do you know if it's accurate?
  • @stella_700 I have all the questions! starting with, did you ever sleep with two newborns? how did you manage that?
  • We did do nipt testing. It will tell you if there are abnormality markers that need further investigation BUT it doesn’t tell you which baby. It also told us that at least one of the babies was a boy. We had it done.
  • @allie456 scheduling becomes your life. Screw with the schedule at your peril! Also accept all the help, especially the nurses before you leave the hospital. I could only get my girl to breastfeed, my son suffers from hangriness. Working for it at the breast didn’t work for him, with that I moved to a pumping Mom. I’d pump, change them, and then feed. Blessedly the twins were content to sleep and eat and grow for a bit. They were really easy babies.

  • thanks, @stella_700 -- my first was not a particularly easy baby so I'm nervous about having two. Is there any piece of baby gear that you found really helpful? I've been looking at the twin carriers (one on your chest, one on your back) which seems pretty cool.

    How is everyone feeling? I'm so glad it's Friday and I can sleep in tomorrow. 
  • stella_700stella_700 member
    edited October 2019
    @allie456 Our graco carseat/double stroller system was functional for us, the stroller isn't particularly small even folder up though, so fitting things into the car after a grocery store visit was a tetris exercise. I didn't use any of the tandem carriers. I bought a ring sling carrier and a wrap style one and I used both of those. I wore my son more than Victoria, he liked to snuggle his Momma, she didn't like be confined that way and would get mad and holler. : ) Hoping that with two you are spared fussy babies this time. Ask and accept all the help! One thing I would of done if we'd had the extra funds it to hire someone to come in and clean for that first 2-3 months.

    We loved these muslin swaddle blankets from aden and anias. We became expert swaddlers and used them ALL THE TIME. I'm still using them now but as a light summer blanket for the twins, I imagine that they will continue to use them through the toddler bed stage. I'm eyeing that harry potter set right now. Even though this new one won't need any more swaddle blankets! They are pricey but man have we used the snot out of them. I picked up a four pack of discontinued patterns at Buy, Buy, Baby really cheap.



    edited-thought of more...
  • see-ksee-k member
    edited October 2019
    I came in here and left a comment forgetting that I already had less than a week ago!! The shock is messing with my memory. 

    Is anyone else dealing with insomnia and constant hunger?
  • @see-k Me. I have been able to sleep past 4:30 am for weeks. Plus, at least one wake up for the bathroom. And the amount of food I'm eating bums me out. But oh well, I guess.  🤷‍♀️
  • allie456allie456 member
    edited October 2019
    @see-k insomnia, yes. I'm too nauseous to be constantly hungry though -- I eat a couple of bites of something and then am done. I've actually lost almost 5 pounds since I got pregnant -- I could stand to lose it but there you go.

    I had my 7w5d ultrasound this morning and everything looks great! Embryo A is measuring 7w4d with a heartbeat of 169 and Embryo B is 8w1d with a heartbeat of 171. Amusingly they are sort of perpendicular to each other so getting a full body picture of B shows the top of A's head. The SCH seems to have resolved as well, which is great. All in all making the all day seasick feeling and exhaustion seem worth it.
  • Well after my really positive post on Tuesday, the last couple of days haven't been so great. 

    TW ** bleeding

    I got home from work last night feeling just awful, with an upset stomach that felt like morning sickness x 10. I went to the bathroom and immediately noticed bright red blood in my underwear and on the toilet paper. Of course I panicked and called the night nurse line. They said if it wasn't filling a pad an hour I should just rest and drink water.


    I stayed home today and spotted dark brown all day, with more red blood just now. I'm putting myself on bed rest for the weekend. I know there's nothing anyone can do if I lost one or both of the babies but I wish my doctor had squeezed me in for an ultrasound anyway. 


    Waiting and hoping to feel better.

  •  

    Tw-spotting
    @allie456 I spotted bright red blood twice early on with my twins. No real explanation for it. You are doing all the right things. I’m sending all the good thoughts your way.


  • @allie456 Crossing everything that your twins are okay. I know bright red blood can also be caused by SCH's. Hopefully you can get in soon. ❤
  • I hope you feel better Allie!  


    Hi all,  I’m 10 weeks with di/di twins.  EDD 5/4 and 5/5.  They’re measuring one day apart.  I have another appointment in a few days and I believe this will be the NIPT or other screenings.  I don’t want to know the genders until Christmas but I will express that to my doc.  Of course I would love to know more about birthing and raising multiples as I’m a FTM - so far no questions but when you ladies find out the birth plans I will be all ears.  

      I’m still very excited and blessed to carry two, I CAN wait for them to grow.  I’m showing already and can feel flutters at night.  It felt like overnight my body grew and I love the experience.  Thank God no morning sickness - just extreme fatigue and some back pain.  I try to get as many naps as possible if I can’t sleep through the night and I’m really working on incorporating some kind of exercise into my daily routine.  All in all- thanks for starting this thread.  I hope to grow with you all over the next few months.  
  • @knottiec251ab6314529942 welcome! amazing that you can feel them moving already! so cool. and i'm jealous of the no morning sickness!

    @stella_700 thanks -- it's really helpful to know that you experienced that too and everything was fine. 

    @ruby696 thank you :heart:

    I'm starting to feel a little less awful; I think the bed rest is helping. I have a 4-hour-a-day commute and it might just be too much with the pregnancy.
  • Is anyone else feeling their uterus above their pelvic bone already?? I assume it's because I'm short, already have two kids, and have two babies in there, but jeez. I'm not even 10 weeks yet.
  • I can't really tell if the reason nothing fits is that or just bloating -- how can you tell?
  • @allie456, I can feel it when I lay on my stomach. When it first rises above your pubic bone, it feels like a baseball sized hard lump. We read stories to the kids on the floor, so it's been really noticeable. 
  • For me it's the morning fit, if it goes on fine in the morning but killing me by day's end, its bloat. By the end of the day the bloat was so bad I was driving home with my pants unbuttoned and sometimes if my top was long enough unzipped also! If all the sudden nothing fits at all in the morning, then its probably not bloat but your shape starting to change.

  • @stella_700 I've got both going on. It's superrrrr attractive. 😂
  • I guess I'm just bloating then 🙃 it's not a hard lump yet for me.

    I did have a first last night when I woke up at 3:30am, and read Twitter for an hour before I realized the reason I couldn't sleep was I was starving! Ate half a bag of trail mix and went back to sleep. That has definitely never happened to me before!
  • Hi! I'm pregnant with twins as well! I found out via an ultrasound on week 6. We knew it was a possibility since we did IVF and transferred 2 embryos. My HCG levels were very high on the first lab work...that's when we suspected. Haven't had any morning sickness other than being extremely tired and hungry. 
  • Hi @knottie9563b7c2ded173fe, welcome. You should head over to the knot.com and change your user name so we can get to know you. Make sure you log out and log back in, otherwise your user name won't update.
  • I was wondering why it didn't update. YOu should  be able to see my username now :)
  • @stella_700 Didn't you say you weren't very tall? I'm only 5ft and my OB thinks I'll be lucky to make it to 36 weeks. This totally bums me out - I was hoping to get to 37 at least. How far along were you when you delivered your twins?
  • @ruby696 I'm not a great example to go by as far as that goes. I'm 5'3 on a good day. With the twin pregnancy my BP went haywire at the end of the pregnancy, my liver and kidneys levels stayed good so I didn't end up with HELPP or eclampsia just PIH (pregnancy induce hypertension). I went into the hospital at almost 32 weeks and held on to the twins for another 2 weeks and some days before my OB delivered the twins via c-section. I made it to 34 wks and 2 days. DH weighed in at a solid 5 lbs 4 ozs but DS was diagnose IUGR after being born. He only weighed 3 lbs 15 ounces. They both did well in the NICU, no breathing issues, no sugar issues, some jaundice though. All told they spent twenty days in the NICU learning to suck and growing and came home together the Sunday after Thanksgiving (very appropriate for gratefulness).

    I'd say to just be flexible in your expectations of the end of pregnancy. That way you won't be super disappointed with outcomes. My OB was probably erring on the side of extra caution, especially given my history with infertility and I trusted her judgement.
  • @stella_700 Thanks. *takes deep breath* I went to 39+2 to DS and 40+5 with DD, so I never thought I'd be in the position of pre-term labor. One day at a time, I guess.
  • @ruby696 Try not to borrow trouble yet. Several of the moms in my original BMB were carrying twins also and delivered well into their 37th week, they varied wildly in stature. I'm not sure that Mom's stature during a twin pregnancy is all that important for early labor but I haven't done any research on that particular issue. Are you using the same OB as your previous pregnancies?
  • @stella_700 Yes, she knows me well. I don't know if that will change as I get further along. My RE said the twins were di-di, however my OB is not convinced. They are SO CLOSE to each other. Like right up against each other. There is a membrane separating them, but I guess that's possible if the egg splits on a certain day? I'm assuming they're di-di and hoping it stays that way so I have less to worry about. I read somewhere that you can't actually determine that until later scans when they can see the placenta better? IDK. 
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