How Does It Feel To Be Pregnant With Twins?
by Melissa Overbey
Article courtesy of TheBabyCorner.com

"I just wondered when you found out you were having twins, and how did you feel the first couple of months?" 

Q This is my second pregnancy, with my first I gained 40lbs but did not show until 4 months. This time I'm only 7 weeks and I' ve gained 5 lbs and 5" just in my belly. It very round and firm. ( I'm a very thin person) I was hoping for twins. We have alot of twins in my family. My mother had 2 sets. One fraternal set ( my brother and me) and 1 identical set. I just wondered when you found out and how you felt the first couple of months? 

A First off, Congratulations on your pregnancy! I felt very different and suspected twins early on, around 5-6 weeks. With my first pregnancy (my son) I had only a few episodes of nausea, and by 5 weeks with the girls, I was in a constant state of nausea. I knew and felt something was different. I didn't show with my son until I was at least 3 months pregnant, and by 8 weeks, I couldn't zip my jeans with the girls. That and the exhaustion and morning sickness I was getting, I had a feeling it was twins. I found out when I was 9 weeks pregnant. The doctor did his initial pelvic exam when I was 7 weeks, and wrote on my chart I was 10 weeks. He told me I must have my dates wrong. I knew I had them right, and this was another thing that made me go "hmmm". When he had me come back a week later to use the Doppler to hear baby's heartbeat and he still couldn't find it, he used the ultrasound to see what was going on, and that is when we discovered two babies! 

The fact that you have a lot of twins in your family, greatly increases your chances of twins! Especially fraternal twins, as they are the ones that "run" in families. Identicals don't run, they are a chance of nature, as the one fertilized egg just splits for unknown reasons. When you see a lot of twins in families, the majority are usually fraternal. 

Women in their second pregnancies sometimes show earlier, or seem to. The round ligament muscles have stretched once already, and give out easier to the growing uterus the second time around. I am thin also, and thought this might be the case in my second pregnancy, but twins always lurked in the back of my mind, until it was proven to me! 

I would be sure to let your doctor know how different this pregnancy is than your first, and give him your history of twins in your family, if he doesn't already have it. My doctor disregarded my feelings, as I don't have a strong history of twins in my family. There is one set of fraternal twins that are nearly 70 years old, but that doesn't really matter, as my twins are identical. 

Good luck! I hope you get the twins that you want!

~Melissa

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