I Must Be Getting Pretty Big

I know I am getting bigger every minute, but I must be officially big.

Last night at Kohl's this girl that was checking me out asked, "Are you due soon?" By her tone I could tell she thought I was going to pop right there. It didn't bother me as I am 6 months with twins which probably looks like 8-9 months with a singleton for some (shoot some don't get as big as I am with one). I said, "I am having twins and am due in 3 months, but I could see why you would think I am full-term with one. I am big." We all laughed and I waddled out. ;)

A couple of nights ago Luke told me I was becoming a big fat woman. We discussed the proper way to word things when you are talking to a pregnant woman, but it did make me laugh as in his mind I am getting pretty fat. Again, it didn't bother me as I know kids say whatever thoughts pop in their mind.

Today at church a sweet older lady said, "I believe you are getting pretty fat." It was hillarious to me. She meant it all out of love and I know what she meant. Again, it didn't bother me as I knew what she meant.

I am enjoying eating and growing two healthy, above average weight babies and if I have to have a gigantic belly then so be it. I have already been thinking about how much weight I am going to have to lose and how I am going to do it, so I am not really worried. I am just "enjoying" the comments. ;)

Hungry and Eating All the Time

WOW! I can't believe how hungry I am. I am hungry all day especially every couple of hours. I eat breakfast, lunch, 2nd lunch, sometimes dinner, 2nd dinner, and a snack. If I don't eat every couple of hours, I get really crazy and sick feeling. I have to eat real food like mini-meals. Leftovers don't last long. ;) I am trying to eat lots of fruits, dairy, and real food and not too much junky stuff.

I think I am going to gain the bulk of my weight in the next couple of months if this appetite sticks. It's worth it to grow two healthy babies. I do think it is nice to eat without guilt. I don't want to gain too much, but I will eat as much as my body screams for.

17 Week Check-Up & Ultrasound Scheduled

Before we left for the beach for Memorial Day weekend, we had a 17 week check-up. It was great. I gained about 4 pounds since my 12 week check-up (4 pounds total for my pregnancy so far) and my blood pressure was great. They took my fundal measurement (which is based on a single pregnancy) and I was measuring 25 weeks (8 weeks ahead of where I am). Yes I am going to be huge. We didn't get an ultrasound, but we did get to hear their heartbeats. Baby A's heartbeat was 150 and Baby B's heartbeat was 140. The reason we didn't get an ultrasound is because the doctor wants us to see the specialist again. We are going this Friday (18 weeks) at 4:00. I can't wait to find out how big they are, that everything is normal, and what their genders are. I have no clue but I guess I am going with my original prediction of 2 girls, even though I have thought all combos and even dreamt all combos.

Nutrition and Weight Gain while Carrying Multiples

I am learning so much everyday about twins, carrying multiples, and how to take care of them once you get them safely delivered into the world. One of my major concerns was with gaining weight during pregnancy with the twins. I am overweight going into this pregnancy and if it was a singleton pregnancy, I wasn't planning to gain much because it is okay not to with one baby if you are overweight.

I found a great book called "When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy." It's all about nutrition and weight gain while carrying multiples. It goes through how much weight you need to gain in total with twins, triplets, or quads if you are underweight, regular weight, or overweight when you start your pregnancy. It then gives you the high and low necessary weight gain for each category. It also breaks it down into how much you should gain by each couple of weeks.

I learned so many interesting things. First, it doesn't matter what your starting weight is, you MUST gain a good amount of weight when carrying twins. For my weight level, I HAVE TO gain between 30 and 35 pounds. I also learned that when carrying twins you MUST gain the weight fast (before 28 weeks) as they don't have as long of a gestational age. Most twins are born by 37 weeks if not even earlier. If you don't gain weight, your babies will suffer much more than a single baby.

Well, this was partly exciting and partly overwhelming because so far I have lost 2 pounds (even though my stomach already looks about 2-3 months pregnant). I should have gained about 5-7 pounds by now. So, I am on a mission to gain some weight. I never thought I would have a hard time with needing to gain weight, but I started thinking it was one and that I wouldn't need to gain more than 15 to 20 pounds.

I have to eat around 3,500 calories, aim to get a lot of really good stuff into my diet each day:
4 servings of dairy
Lots of protein
Lots of fiber/whole grains
Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables
Lots of water
Limit soda (it breaks down the babies' ability to absorb calcium and iron)

This is going to be a challenge as I already feel full after just eating a little bit. I am going to be working on eating every couple of hours so that I can still get in the amount of calories I need.

My number one priority right now is these babies. I want to gain whatever necessary to help them achieve an optimal birth weight. I want to be able to carry them as long as possible to help them be as healthy as possible. I also want to stay very peaceful, calm, and rested so that I don't get my blood pressure up so that we don't have any problems. These babies are soooooo important to me already. I want both healthfully and happily brought into the world.

Please pray for me as I carry these babies, healthfully gain weight, and nourish the twins.