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Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Having Twins {Again!}

The day of my ultrasound- surprised by my second set of twins!

Some days I still don't believe it's happening again- but we are expecting our second set of twins- twin boys to boot! I found out around the same time 11 years ago, at my 18+ week ultrasound. The ultrasound technician began the ultrasound and immediately we saw the top of 2 heads! And honestly, I don't remember much after that as my crazy brain tried to process that this was really happening! I think I only know 2 other families that have 2 sets of twins, but both of them have fraternal twins. There is a likelihood that our babies are identical again- and the likelihood of that happening twice is 1 in 70,000. Isn't God amazing??

Did I know? Yes, and no. I was suspicious, but I always quickly dismissed my feelings and my midwife didn't seem to think so either. Here are some of the reasons I had a hunch...

  1. Horrible morning (all day) sickness- way more than usual
  2. Gaining a lot of weight in my first trimester (like 20 pounds!) even though I was eating healthy
  3. Varicose veins- I usually have just one that bothers me a little, this time my legs were throbbing (all that extra blood!)
  4. Incredible nesting- I felt like I had to clean the whole house before I was 20 weeks, and I pretty much did. I re-arranged rooms and painted and redecorated a bathroom. I instinctively knew that I would have to rest the second half of my pregnancy...
  5. Dreams. With my first set I had 2 vivid twin dreams and so I asked the Lord if He would give me another twin dream if I was having twins again. The next morning one of my younger girls woke up and said she dreamed I had twins. I found that interesting, but it wasn't my dream. Then over the next few weeks I had various friends (some I didn't even know very well) tell me they had dreams that I had twins! That didn't seem coincidental...
  6. Feeling way too pregnant for how many weeks I was. The night before my ultrasound I was in tears complaining to my husband that I felt 38 weeks pregnant, instead of 18. Yes, when you're pregnant with multiples, all of your pregnancy symptoms are multiplied...
Although I was planning my 5th home-birth (I love my home-births), I didn't feel comfortable pursuing this route with twins, although I did seriously consider it. I am thankful to have found a doctor who is willing to let me try for a natural birth and doesn't automatically insist on a C-section. It will be my first time using a doctor- all of my other babies have been born with a midwife.

However, our second ultrasound did reveal that one of our little guys may not be growing properly. I will have more follow-up testing and ultrasounds to monitor this more closely. I've had a few people scare me and try to put me in panic mode, but I know that God already knows the outcome and we are choosing to trust Him. But prayers are so appreciated, and are very much felt during this time of watching and waiting. 

I am 27 weeks pregnant, and although I feel ready to give birth (ha ha), I am praying that these little guys will make it for another 8 weeks until I am 35 weeks along, or later. I am following the Brewer's Diet (roughly) of 150 grams of protein a day for twins. This is a LOT of food. And with my shrinking stomach it takes a lot of effort to get that much in. I also find that exercising daily with prenatal DVD's really helps me feel better- especially in my hips and back.

Life has definitely slowed down- a lot. Instead of all of the summer projects and activities I had planned, I am spending most of my summer on the sofa with little ones tearing through the house. Although I wasn't placed on bed rest, I still feel best taking lots of rest periods throughout the day. Somehow laying in a horizontal position makes me feel the "least pregnant" and the most comfortable. I decided to tackle our next school year, or at least a few subjects, so we can get ahead and take some time off when the babies are born. Unlike 11 years ago, I am so blessed to have some older girls (15 and 12) to help with housework and cooking- they are amazing! And even my husband came home for good from his work away- God is so good and His timing is perfect. 

And so our incredible journey continues...

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