Disclaimer: This post may be a little too much information for some folks so if you don't want to hear about issues I'm having from the waist down then maybe stop reading and catch the next post.
You've been warned.
I just read a blog titled "Five tricks for handling an irritable uterus with your twin pregnancy". Well not just my uterus is irritable. People say that twin pregnancies are a different beast than singleton pregnancies. I wouldn't know. What I do know is no one prepares you for the changes your body will go through. I've had a relatively uneventful pregnancy. Everything is working as it should, I'm carrying well, I don't have loads of back pain or swelling appendages. All things considered I've been incredibly blessed.
But the things I didn't know about and couldn't have possibly planned for? There are a few:
1. If you are pregnant, head my warning. Buy maternity underwear now. I didn't know it existed. I didn't know I would need it. One day I woke up and my hips had shifted. My body doesn't know I plan to have these babies via c-section so it's starting to move things around for a natural delivery. All of a sudden none of my underwear fit. Do yourself a favor. Prepare now before you actually need the new underwear. Your bikini line will thank you.
2. Swelling of my nether regions - TMI I'm sure, but we're all friends here. I don't think I need to go into any more detail than that. I thought something was wrong with me, that I had an infection or something. I called my doctor's office last Monday afternoon to get an appointment for the following day. My OB isn't in the office on Tuesdays so I scheduled an appointment with a lady doctor. After she checked me out she me told that unfortunately swelling is common in twin pregnancies and that it may get worse as the pressure in my pelvic area gets stronger as the babies grow bigger. Great. The solution? Sit on an ice pack. Excellent. Because that isn't awkward to explain at work...
3. Pelvic floor pressure/pain. Show of hands - has anyone ever used the words 'pelvic floor' in a sentence? No? Me neither. I was trying to describe this feeling of pressure and almost pain that I was feeling when I would sit or go to the bathroom. It felt like the bottom half of my body was just going to tear open and these babes would just drop out. Doc said that feeling is pelvic floor pressure and that it's 100% normal and just so happens to start earlier in twin pregnancies than singleton pregnancies. She suggested I lay down and try to coax the babies out of my pelvic area when the pressure gets really strong or wear a belly band for support that would lift them out of my pelvic area. I got a belly band and it does actually help but I can't wear it for more than a couple hours at a time because it makes my already irritable skin extra irritable because it has to be tight in order to work so all the seams of my pants/underwear get pressed into my skin which causes pain or an itchy sensation from the indentations.
4. Hemorrhoids. I legitimately didn't even know what hemorrhoids were until the doctor told me I had them. I suppose normal humans know what they are but I'm not exactly well versed in a lot of medical things and I've never experienced them before. I thought I was diseased! She assured me that they are normal during pregnancy, especially twin pregnancies, and advised I get some preparation H cream. That seemed to be working but this morning I woke up and whatever effect the cream was having had worn off. When I saw my (actual) doctor this week for an ultrasound he told me to get a cream with steroids in it if the pain and swelling didn't ease up. I talked to a friend today who recommended witch hazel pads too. I stopped at Walgreens after work today and got both. Ran me $20 so I'm hoping they provide some relief. It hurts to sit, to stand, to walk, basically just to exist right now.
5. And last but certainly not least - itchy skin. There isn't enough body butter in the world to keep my skin from itching. I put a mixture of body butter and coconut oil on my belly, hips, and thighs at least twice a day. Most nights I get up around 3 or 4 am to put more body butter and coconut oil on or I'll itch all night long. No rash or bumps or anything is present. It's simply that I have two 3 pounders inside my womb right now and they are trying to grow to twice that size in less than two months. My skin just can't keep up. On the [super] plus side I don't have any crazy veins popping up all over my belly yet. Maybe if I drink enough water and keep my skin moisturized enough I won't develop scary veins or stretch marks (that's probably not going to happen but a girl can dream).
So pleasant? Not always. Miraculous? Absolutely. The human body is a crazy thing. I never knew I would be experiencing all of these things all at once. I'll take the good with the bad. My babies are growing. They are healthy. Their hearts are pumping. And for that I am eternally grateful.
You've been warned.
I just read a blog titled "Five tricks for handling an irritable uterus with your twin pregnancy". Well not just my uterus is irritable. People say that twin pregnancies are a different beast than singleton pregnancies. I wouldn't know. What I do know is no one prepares you for the changes your body will go through. I've had a relatively uneventful pregnancy. Everything is working as it should, I'm carrying well, I don't have loads of back pain or swelling appendages. All things considered I've been incredibly blessed.
But the things I didn't know about and couldn't have possibly planned for? There are a few:
1. If you are pregnant, head my warning. Buy maternity underwear now. I didn't know it existed. I didn't know I would need it. One day I woke up and my hips had shifted. My body doesn't know I plan to have these babies via c-section so it's starting to move things around for a natural delivery. All of a sudden none of my underwear fit. Do yourself a favor. Prepare now before you actually need the new underwear. Your bikini line will thank you.
2. Swelling of my nether regions - TMI I'm sure, but we're all friends here. I don't think I need to go into any more detail than that. I thought something was wrong with me, that I had an infection or something. I called my doctor's office last Monday afternoon to get an appointment for the following day. My OB isn't in the office on Tuesdays so I scheduled an appointment with a lady doctor. After she checked me out she me told that unfortunately swelling is common in twin pregnancies and that it may get worse as the pressure in my pelvic area gets stronger as the babies grow bigger. Great. The solution? Sit on an ice pack. Excellent. Because that isn't awkward to explain at work...
3. Pelvic floor pressure/pain. Show of hands - has anyone ever used the words 'pelvic floor' in a sentence? No? Me neither. I was trying to describe this feeling of pressure and almost pain that I was feeling when I would sit or go to the bathroom. It felt like the bottom half of my body was just going to tear open and these babes would just drop out. Doc said that feeling is pelvic floor pressure and that it's 100% normal and just so happens to start earlier in twin pregnancies than singleton pregnancies. She suggested I lay down and try to coax the babies out of my pelvic area when the pressure gets really strong or wear a belly band for support that would lift them out of my pelvic area. I got a belly band and it does actually help but I can't wear it for more than a couple hours at a time because it makes my already irritable skin extra irritable because it has to be tight in order to work so all the seams of my pants/underwear get pressed into my skin which causes pain or an itchy sensation from the indentations.
4. Hemorrhoids. I legitimately didn't even know what hemorrhoids were until the doctor told me I had them. I suppose normal humans know what they are but I'm not exactly well versed in a lot of medical things and I've never experienced them before. I thought I was diseased! She assured me that they are normal during pregnancy, especially twin pregnancies, and advised I get some preparation H cream. That seemed to be working but this morning I woke up and whatever effect the cream was having had worn off. When I saw my (actual) doctor this week for an ultrasound he told me to get a cream with steroids in it if the pain and swelling didn't ease up. I talked to a friend today who recommended witch hazel pads too. I stopped at Walgreens after work today and got both. Ran me $20 so I'm hoping they provide some relief. It hurts to sit, to stand, to walk, basically just to exist right now.
5. And last but certainly not least - itchy skin. There isn't enough body butter in the world to keep my skin from itching. I put a mixture of body butter and coconut oil on my belly, hips, and thighs at least twice a day. Most nights I get up around 3 or 4 am to put more body butter and coconut oil on or I'll itch all night long. No rash or bumps or anything is present. It's simply that I have two 3 pounders inside my womb right now and they are trying to grow to twice that size in less than two months. My skin just can't keep up. On the [super] plus side I don't have any crazy veins popping up all over my belly yet. Maybe if I drink enough water and keep my skin moisturized enough I won't develop scary veins or stretch marks (that's probably not going to happen but a girl can dream).
So pleasant? Not always. Miraculous? Absolutely. The human body is a crazy thing. I never knew I would be experiencing all of these things all at once. I'll take the good with the bad. My babies are growing. They are healthy. Their hearts are pumping. And for that I am eternally grateful.
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