First trimester tales

Well I suppose this is overdue since my first trimester has already come to a welcome end. So far this pregnancy has gone fast and slow at the same time... When we first found out, nine mons (and all the little milestones in between) seemed like forever, partly since, as we foolishly said to ourselves, "we mostly know what to expect this time around and are pretty close to being all ready for the arrival...."

Well of course that all changed the moment we saw this ultrasound. instantly we could barely hold it in. Waiting a day or two to tell our parents seemed impossible--I was tempted to tell random strangers even as we waited in line at Panda Express looking dazed (I didn't).  For a while those days of morning sickness and exhaustion seemed like they would last forever, and each new checkup or ultrasound had me waiting a little anxiously to be sure our tiny twins were both still alive and well... It's a tricky balance to try to learn more about twins and having a healthy pregnancy while trying to avoid "Google-based anxiety" (like what is vanishing twin syndrome? Thanks for that Mrs. G. Lol)  

.......And of course I am still dying to find out the genders, so I can finish preparing (including mentally, ha). Our most recent ultrasound told us they are "di/di" which means two sacs, two placentas, and a 70% chance they are NOT identical. So that is fun (and takes away fears of some significant complications that might happen if they shared one placenta).

 

But now that it is passed, the first trimester doesn't seem so long after all. Especially since I am quite a bit closer to delivery than I would be with just one baby! 

One thing that has definitely snuck up on me is how quickly my bab[ies] bump has grown! With baby Nate, I was hardly even showing til four months in or so... But now, at not even 4 months, I feel like my belly looks the same as it did halfway through my first pregnancy! The gradual growth was definitely easier to get used to. I keep thinking aloud, "if I am this much bigger already, what will it be like towards the end? Or even middle??" But even so I am very thankful for those little ones, who are already the size of lemons :)

Ten weeks (2.5 months)

Almost 16 weeks (4 months)

Oh and eating... My appetite is pretty impressive of course, but still I sometimes feel I can't keep up with the suggested nutritional requirements for twins! At *least* 80-100 G protein, tons of dairy and greens and fruit and fiber and whole grains... I nearly made myself sick trying to keep up at first. I have slacked off some lately (though I have already gained 10-15 lb, about half what I did the first time!). But I will have to get back to my food recording app pretty soon to help try to avoid any complications like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, or early labor, all of which are more common with twins. 

Well folks, I think that is plenty for now.  Thanks for reading.