Pregnant with Twins

I’m inching towards the due date of my twin boys, and I have no idea what to expect. I’m 36 weeks now, and the doctor said these little boys could come pretty much any day now. I do know that I won’t make it to full term; my doctor has scheduled me to come in at 38 weeks to be induced if they haven’t arrived before then. With twins, things can get much more complicated after 38 weeks.

It’s already shaping up to be very different from my first birth; Timothy was born a little over three years ago, exactly one day after his due date. Labor was about seven hours and I delivered him naturally.

For this twin delivery, my doctor insists on using an epidural so that if I have to go in for an emergency c-section, my body is prepped. But my baby A (the one closest to the cervix) is head down and he’s a bit heavier than baby B, so I fully plan to have a vaginal delivery. I have faith I can do it; though the most important thing for us is of course to get them out safe and healthy.

My twin pregnancy has been great, albeit more complicated and uncomfortable than my first with just one. And as a fitness expert, I just wasn’t prepared for the way this pregnancy was going to challenge my body.

In the beginning, the nausea was crazy! My hormones were double, and I felt really sick the entire first trimester and threw up quite a bit. I got my appetite back during the second trimester, though! In fact, I think I ate more than I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. My attitude has been, “Bring it on!,” and I have no problem ordering pasta or baking brownies. Thankfully, I am active, listen to my body and, for the most part, gravitate towards healthy foods.

I’ve been energetic throughout the pregnancy and mostly felt great doing yoga and Pilates and teaching. I know that physically, every woman carrying twins can feel completely different. But I personally have enjoyed walking, doing light stretching, some Pilates arm and leg work, kegels and breathing exercises. I haven’t been doing any real cardio this pregnancy, and I do get winded much easier. Now, in the final stages of my third trimester, I really have scaled back, which is really hard for me! I’m very Type A and love to be moving and doing things. My husband kept asking me when I was going to finally stop teaching. I finished with my private clients and classes just this past week. Now it’s time to try and relax and put my feet up. I have yet to pack my hospital bag — maybe I am in denial or just know my body well enough and feel they still have a few more weeks to bake. Or since it’s my second birth, I’m less stressed out about it. After all, I already went through it, and I know all I need is some lip balm, comfy grippy socks, and a few toiletries (ok, and two onesies and going-home outfits!), and I’ll be fine. Or maybe, my mind is not there just yet.

I really want to use these last few weeks to spend time with my son. I worry quite a bit about how he will feel when his twin brothers arrive. We have such a special bond, so I spend as much time as I can with him, like walking him to and from school. I know things will likely change for us when the babies arrive. But I know he’ll be a wonderful big brother too. So now, we wait.