I am really starting to feel BIG! I can feel my uterus starting to push up towards the bottom of my rib cage if I don't sit up straight. My BFF asked me what felt different between this pregnancy and my singleton pregnancy with Elijah. The main thing so far is my....well....bigness! I also think I am a bit more tired this time around. I am still feeling light, irregular flutters with the occasional, very light, jab and I can tell which baby is moving depending on which side it comes from. That is very distinct even though the movement is light.
I realized this week that I am only nine weeks away from my third trimester and I would really like to get my house in order and most of my prep work done before then. I'm not sure what to expect in the third trimester except I KNOW I will be pretty big and not able to move around as well as I can now so the more I get done now the better. I look back at the last few weeks. I have been sort of tired. We have traveled a lot. I have really sort of plateaued on progress. So my goal this week (before we leave for San Antonio) is to put some finishing touches on organizing the downstairs! Chip is really great about getting the house clean when I go out of town so that will be awesome too. (hint, hint. heehee).
Another part of our preparation for Patrick and Rory is making sure Elijah stays included. I love having him in my semi weekly belly pics! It is a fun way to watch him grow along with me! I also talk to him about the babies all the time. I tell him there are TWO BABIES in Mama's tummy! Then I ask him where the babies are and he points to my tummy and gives them a kiss. I will ask him if he wants to snuggle our babies and he will lay his head on my belly. I also let him hear their heartbeat on my fetal doppler. I'm not sure how much of it he understands but I know that the more we talk about it, the more he will understand. I want him to feel and know he is an important part of this process and that they are HIS babies too! I am starting to look into books for him and maybe even a baby doll. He does have a cabbage patch but maybe something that looks a little more like a newborn. I want to get him his own baby carrier so he can wear his baby just like Mama and Daddy!
One area of concerning is that two weeks ago, while singing with choir at church, I blacked out. I literally felt the blood drain from my head, my ears started ringing, I got nauseous and everything started to get dark. It was the first song so I quietly walked back to the choir room and took it easy the rest of the day. I attributed that to the fact that I hadn't eaten breakfast this morning so today (Sunday) I actually made sure I ate and I ate a snack before going out on the risers. I made it through about 30 minutes of singing then on the last song (before we all sit down in the congregation) it happened again. This time I just sat in my seat where I was. It happened again in the second service during the last song again. I know I have low blood pressure...it tends to be low normally but also in pregnancy. I am also at risk for anemia. So there are many things that could be causing this....besides normal pregnancy blacking out. I have another doctor's appointment in two weeks and will see what he says then. I don't feel like it is an urgent issue but definitely one I want to address when I go and see if there is anything I can do to minimize this problem.
I also started going to this group that my Doula/Midwife started for moms that she has worked or is working with. She also includes people on her "team" such as her placenta encapsulation gal, some of her assistants and doulas that she works with. This session, we shared birth stories. I loved getting to hear others stories and it was very healing to share mine with sympathetic ears. When things don't go as planned, especially in birth, it takes time to process and heal. So great to have a group that focuses on this kind of support and I can't wait until our next gathering!
I'm trying really hard to watch what I eat. Mainly I try to limit carbs because they make me feel tired and yucky. And I am continuing to watch my weight gain. It is still pretty good I think. It seems for twins, a pound to a pound and a half a week is good and I have been averaging a pound or less so that isn't too bad. I also try to eat lots of red meat and use my iron skillet. I can feel when my iron is low....I just feel wiped out. I am pretty good some days about getting a good intake of natural iron sources (red meat, eggs, food cooked in my skillet) but it is hard to get it in every day. I just do my best. There is a roast cooking in my crockpot right now!
All in all, I feel pretty good. I am excited about the changes that will come about in the upcoming weeks and about getting things organized at home and getting some things sold to fund baby stuff! I am loving my time with Elijah one on one and as a family of three. I am excited about the changes but it will be bittersweet as my attention is divided three ways. Of course, I know we have enough love in our family for a dozen children so it will be amazing to have my sweet three! I day dream about piling in bed and napping with my boys....and the dogs. Wow. Someone will have to take a picture of that!
One last fun thing. This morning, around 5:30am, I felt my first big kick and I felt it on the outside. It was Rory, which is funny because most flutters that I feel come from Patrick. But this was several big jabs and then a couple more a few minutes later. Elijah was very active, even with an anterior placenta I felt him pretty early and pretty regularly, but I did not feel a kick of the caliber from him until about 21 weeks or so. And one of my placentas is anterior this time too. It was a really fun way to start the day and an exciting bonding moment between me and what I presume will be my youngest son (if Baby B is born second at anticipated). I love feelings my babies move and I am excited that we are crossing over into that part of pregnancy where fetal movement is a regular occurrence. It is reassuring but also, it just makes connect with them a little more. I am still excited for Elijah to feel them for the first time and of course their Daddy!
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| Loving my belly at 18 weeks! |
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| Already love my sweet boys! |
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| Getting a little sassy for our photo session :) |
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| All dressed up for church! |
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| I don't have a picture from 18 weeks with my last pregnancy but here is my 19 week picture to compare! |
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| The babies are about as big as sweet potatoes and their total weight is close to a whole pound combined! |
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