Your tips for surviving twin pregnancy (especially 3rd trimester)

[calm]

SnowyFairest:

I think its more about in my case in focusing on the positives that I have found a way of surviving as the title says, more than having an "easy twin pregnancy". I haven't gone on about other aspects I struggle with maybe because I haven't got a tip to share about them, or a solution, hopefully at some point I will. Each week of pregnancy brings different struggles, and then of course each person's circumstances are different. That is why I invite everyone to share how they managed to survive their particular stage of pregnancy in order to help others that can relate

 

[calm]

Another tip I would give is: find if only 5 minutes a day for some meditation. I think this is something we can all benefit from, but I do feel we twin pregnant ladies need that "extra" to get through our pregnancies. It makes a lot of difference to me when I do it!

I do mindfulness meditation. I'm going to leave some free links for exercises where you turn into sounds, or scan your body as a way to help identify where we hold tension and release it

https://www.portlandpsychotherapyclinic.com/mindfulness_and_acceptance_exercises

https://mindfulwaythroughanxietybook.com/exercises/

https://www.umsystem.edu/curators/mindfulness/guided

 

[lanet]

Calm I love what you said, and I'm still very early but I'm going to try to remember it throughout, to just take it day by day and not get overwhelmed by what you still have left to go through. If I did that now it looks like a huge mountain to get over! I've overcome a lot with getting through ivf, then getting through the 10 weeks of injections, now focusing on getting through the morning sickness (night sickness) but when I think ahead I get scared and think "what if I can't breathe? What if I can't walk? What will I do when I have to take so much time off work? And then I still have to make it to term AND GIVE BIRTH!" It's a lot, so I like your advice of just taking it day by day, and for now, other than nausea, I think I'm just getting to the fun part!

 

[calm]

lanet, I remember thinking the very same things about breathing and walking. I don't actually think of it now that much. Walking is harder that it was as the twins are growing so much now, the are not only 2 but measuring very big on top! I try to do a little walk and I focus on my feet and the sensations I have in them rather than thinking of the weight of my bump, a sort of shift of focus (without ignoring other sensations, just not overfocusing on them). As for breathing, I am doing exercises to improve my breathing, should I have problems with breathing at the end, which may or may not happen, at least my general breathing capacity will be improved and will cope a bit better. Round the time you are pregnant, when I had my 12 week scan, I got sciatica. It was a mix of the way my doctor did the scan (stuffing a cushion under me because she was doing it vaginal) and my own back/hip problems. It was such an annoying relentless pain, and I too thought: I am only 12 weeks! It could have lasted throughout pregnancy, or not. It didn't, so all anticipation was of no help anyway.

One tip I have by the way (courtesy of my husband ) Someone mentioned picking things off the floor. I can do it, but its so so hard I would rather avoid it. I have a serious hip condition which means my mobility wasn't fantastic before pregnancy, so now bending down to pick something up feels like climbing a mountain, or even more impossible than that! Well, I use a brush and a dustpan (with a long handle). I just brush the item into the dustpan and lift it up towards me. Obviously depending on what fell on the floor you might need to wash it after!

 

[BabyHopes1974]

The broom and dustpan idea is great!

 

[xxshellsxx]

Hey Ladies, i'm loving stalking this thread, such positive ways to look at things and makes you realise we can get through it

I've started noticing how out of breath i am already, i take a walk at work at lunch time to get a sandwich from the shop on my working days and coming back up 2 fights of stairs to my office cripples me already after that little walk (30-45 mins at the most). I enjoy the walk out of the office as i'm now office bound due to over protective bosses! I also am not mentioning it to them as they will move me to the ground floor with the lovely admin ladies, who are really quiet, and i enjoy the banter with my colleagues.

Headaches plague me - most of it through lack of sleep i think - i try really hard not to take anything until i absolutely can't stand it any more I try and stay hydrated and drinks lots of water everyday. Just woke from a nap, couldn't take the pain any more and it seems to have subsided

positive note... DH is bringing Chinese food home with him

 

[calm]

xxshellsxx, your walks sound good to me! I've never done much more than 10 to 20 minutes at any stage of pregnancy, which is usually a walk to the supermarket and back. I'm really making an effort to make small walks at the moment, I am getting stiff but find that once I warm up it feels better

As for headaches wish I had a tip. I only had 2 so far, but they were awful, felt so sick and ending up in vomiting. I used a cold flannel and a dark room, but if you are at work that is not really possible. If you are drinking a lot you are already doing a lot to help it. A nap would help me too, but not always XXXX

 

[Seoul]

shells- I suffered horribly from the headaches and still get them though not as often. I know that we want to avoid taking anything if possible during pregnancy but I really recommend taking one Tylenol as soon as you feel the bad headache coming on. It really is safe to take and I like you tried to avoid it at all cost but sometimes holding it actually makes it worse and causes us to have to take more doses of medication. Also taking a shower with warm/hot water and letting the shower head just massage your head is really helpful. If you feel like puking because of the headache don't fight it just puke its a horrible puking moment and most likely it will relieve the headache a bit. Also hot and cold compresses on forehead and neck. I take a sock and put rice in it tie it up real good and warm it up in the microwave and just let it sit on my shoulders most of the headaches in pregnancy seem to be tension headaches so the neck and shoulders relieve a lot of the pain.

Another thing I have realized be careful with those bouts of energy even though you feel great and want to do a lot its better to pace yourself or you spend the next 3 days paying for it. I realized I prefer mild energy levels than one really good day and 3 days in bed exhausted.

 

[SnowyFairest]

For headaches, we do lemon water. That probably sounds weird but it changes your body's ph. This really works great postpartum too, when I am nursing, it seems to work for dh too. I think we get more headaches because of night waking.

I was finding with the pain I was having, Tylenol wasn't helping much. Hope you can get some relief.

 

[SnowyFairest]

SnowyFairest:

I think its more about in my case in focusing on the positives that I have found a way of surviving as the title says, more than having an "easy twin pregnancy". I haven't gone on about other aspects I struggle with maybe because I haven't got a tip to share about them, or a solution, hopefully at some point I will. Each week of pregnancy brings different struggles, and then of course each person's circumstances are different. That is why I invite everyone to share how they managed to survive their particular stage of pregnancy in order to help others that can relate

Sorry I misunderstood the reason for the thread. You asked about getting through the symptoms, that was my understanding of the thread and OP. Then not realising you were the same person, you wrote about positive thinking. I very much agree with this, similar to facing natural birth, and handling it. I've maintained a very positive attitude throughout, at least have tried. But I thought this was about tips for finding relief. So I was trying to just say, all twin pregnancies are not the same. Some will endure far more than others, but I'm glad to "allow" that others may be experiencing some things much tougher than I am. And for them telling them to be positive might be hard.

I made a decision at the start of this pregnancy to try to not complain so I very much understand where you are coming from. We lost our last baby so for us the day we found two babies in one sac, was pretty amazing, and yet had a real scary element too. Focusing on the positive wasn't always easy for me.

I have several small ones and will soon have four under four and five under five. My 2yo successfully learned the potty in my second trimester, so that's awesome, but was a "big deal" every day on top of everything. So with the symptoms plenty of row-to-hoe each day besides being pregnant with twins. So I'm sure we all have different circumstances.

I still get the terrible panic about birth. I've just been there enough times without meds to know. But you do resolve it somehow, and find a place of peace. Maybe it's "time", perhaps things are so uncomfortable that you are then ready to face the labour.

I do appreciate what you shared but only responded because I did feel some ladies might be beyond positive thinking. I agree I'm very grateful to be immense at 35wks because it means that babies can be born any time now and they will be fine. It's such a gift.

 

[xxshellsxx]

Thanks for the headache tips ladies! I shall give them a try

 

[lanet]

Did you guys have mild cramping sometimes? It always worries me

 

[xxshellsxx]

I had cramping a lot in the first tri, subsided about 11 weeks i think x

 

[lanet]

Well I'm past 12 weeks so I wonder if that's ok

 

[calm]

I didn't actually have any until 12 weeks +, they were mild and came together with the typical round ligament type pains, I also have them now in third trimester (remember how quickly the uterus is expanding in our case). On the pregnancy boards ladies were getting lots of cramps that sounded much more frequent and painful so it does seem to be normal. Always make sure to drink though as dehydration can make it worse

 

[lanet]

Thanks, they are very very mild. But anything that doesn't feel normal worries me.

 

[calm]

I wouldn't worry at all then if they are mild, but I too worry when anything out of the ordinary happens to me so I do understand.

 

[lanet]

Bumping this because I'm having another panic at 21 weeks. My belly is so tight and heavy after I eat, I try to take it day by day, or think of this time next year, because the thought of at least 15 more weeks of this just scares me. But it sounds like the panic passed for you girls and you all survived. Good read.

 

[Seoul]

Lanet mine felt like that a lot especially after I ate around that time of gestation. I think because that is when more rapid growth is happening. I think the panic quickly morphs into ok let's get these kids out of here so I can have my body back. But for me reaching that viability mark really helped put me at ease.

I have a question for you ladies did you get the horrible itching around your belly towards the end and how did you deal with it? It is driving me crazy and nothing seems to help my stomach has so many stretch marks its ridiculous I really don't think my belly can stretch anymore its to the point where it is shiny from how stretched the skin is.

 

[lanet]

Seoul I had that with dd, I would pile lotion on it and scratch and scratch, that's when all my stretch marks appeared too.