Hey y’all! Wow! I cannot believe that my 2nd trimester is over. I’m so grateful to be able to bring these beautiful baby girls into the world (and yes, I’m having twin girls if you didn’t know that already), but this pregnancy has been rough on me. I hope you understand when I say that, I know I’m so blessed to have been able to conceive. I do not take that for granted, but not everyone LOVES pregnancy.

Here’s a look back on my 2nd trimester!

First, my symptoms:

• Exhaustion/Fatigue: Honestly, I was not too exhausted/fatigued during my 2nd trimester. I had a little more energy and was able to get a lot done in the nursery & beyond.
• Dyspnea (Shortness of Breath): This is still an ongoing issue! I don’t see it letting up any!
• Stretching/Growth: Wowza. Carrying twins is an interesting experience. I have definitely had an uptick in pain. Pain from growing, back pain, sciatic pain, and hip pain. You name it, I probably had it in the 2nd trimester!
• Diastasis Recti (separation of abdominal muscles): If you read my last post, you know what this is. It also causes pain around my belly button. I’m going to start Physical Therapy in a few weeks to help with this!
• Heartburn: Welcome to the bane of my existence. The heartburn has been intense. I have had nights that it has been so bad that I wasn’t even able to sleep when I was propped up on a ton of pillows.
• Insomnia: Pregnancy insomnia definitely intensified for me this trimester. There were days I slept only 2-3 hours, but luckily, it didn’t happen very often.

Overall, the 2nd trimester was better for energy, but the pain intensified as the babies grew and my body struggled to catch up!

My Health Updates:

The first part of the 2nd trimester was pretty uneventful healthwise, but after potential appendicitis at 22 weeks, things declined a little. (Obviously, I’m okay and didn’t end up having appendicitis).

I was taken out of work at approximately 24 weeks due to significant pain when standing for my shifts (10 hours per day) and put on modified bed rest. I was instructed not to be on my feet for more than 5-6 hours per day, but to still try and get some movement in each day.

Since then, I have been in significantly less pain, but it is starting to come back as I get closer to the end.

Although technically not in the 2nd trimester, I was recently diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Be on the lookout for any new posts about my journey with that!

Baby Health Updates:

Babies are growing well so far and are right on par with where they should be at the end of the 2nd trimester. I have an ultrasound tomorrow, so I will find out where they are at the start of the 3rd!

We are having monthly growth scans (ultrasounds to check the growth of the babies) as is typical with twin pregnancies, but it may increase to every 2 weeks with the gestational diabetes diagnosis.

Babies are moving A LOT, but I still can’t really tell which one is which.

Baby Prep Classes:

We went to every class that was offered by our hospital this month, from Breastfeeding to Childbirth to Infant CPR. We learned a lot about how to care for newborns and infants, and how I can best heal from the birthing experience. Here’s a brief rundown of what we experienced:

4-Week Childbirthing Class: In this class, we learned the ins and outs of childbirth (primarily for a vaginal delivery). Although I am opting for an elective C-section for my twinnies, it was still good to learn breathing techniques and things just in case I go into labor before my scheduled C-section date.

Breastfeeding: As it sounds, this class introduced us to breastfeeding basics. We learned the importance of starting early, collecting colostrum within the first hour after birth or feeding the baby directly from the breast within that first hour to help build up the supply. I didn’t learn much about feeding 2 babies at once because I was the only twin mom in the class, but the hospital offers lactation consults during your hospital stay, so I can ask some more specific questions.

Baby Steps: This is the class where we learned how to do all the things once babies arrive (when to feed, safe sleep, diaper changing, bathing, caring for the cord stump, etc.) I would highly recommend a similar class for anyone who is a first-time parent.

Infant CPR: As the name implies, we learned how to manage an unresponsive infant. We also learned techniques for infant choking. We are both CPR certified, but it is always good to get a refresher. Nobody believes that it will be them or their child, but I believe it is better to be safe than sorry.

We learned a lot during our classes and are excited to start this parenting journey in a few short weeks.

I look forward to updating y’all with 3rd trimester updates and a birth story soon!

T-8 weeks until babies are here!!

Stay Golden,

Emily