Things You Might Not Know About Twin Pregnancies

Becoming pregnant brings with it a myriad of new experiences and changes, but becoming pregnant with twins brings on an entirely new set of things you never expected. The information surrounding twins and twin pregnancies is surprisingly lacking online. There are no (well, none that I’ve found, yet) pregnancy tracker apps designed for the growth rate of twins or multiples – just singles. And there is surprisingly little advice on what to expect when twins enter the picture. Here are three things my husband and I have learned in the 28 days since being informed I am pregnant with twins.

You Get Bigger Faster

I assumed that I was growing so quickly because this is my third pregnancy and it’s just my body popping back into its pregnancy position. I heard a lot of, “Well, you’re so thin and petite anyway, it has nowhere to go but out!” for the longest time. People definitely questioned how big I was getting and how quickly I was growing despite my lack of weight gain due to exceptionally bad morning (all day) sickness. We found out at 18 weeks and 2 days our baby is actually our babies. Since then, my already large bump has more than doubled in size – and I’m only 22 weeks 2 days now. It’s shocking how big you become and how quickly it happens. It makes you feel more like 35 weeks pregnant months ahead and the pain and discomfort that comes during the last few weeks of a typical pregnancy arrives a lot sooner than you expect.

People Are Fascinated by Twins

When people ask what we’re having and we tell them we’re having a boy and a girl, they overreact about the fact that we’re having twins. They ask a lot of questions. Some are a little personal, but I think that it goes with the territory. People don’t realize that the questions they’re asking are a little personal at times, but they’re curious. You might not want to have a conversation with a complete stranger about your personal and very private life, but they’re going to ask anyway. They will also ask a lot of questions about how you feel, what it’s like, if you can feel them both, if you know which one is which…the questions never end.

Hurtful Comments Happen

Sometimes people simply don’t think before they speak. It’s unfortunate when you’re pregnant because you’re already a little sensitive and emotional, but try not to let other peoples thoughtless remarks get to you. They’re not intentionally trying to hurt you. They’re going to tell you things like, “Better you than me,” or “Are you so upset about it being two?”

My least favorite stems from the fact that my husband and I are now going to have four children. We have two little girls already and decided to try once more for a third baby in hopes that it would be a boy but with the thought that we’d end up with another sweet girl. Now we’re having both. People find that out and say, “Oh, you must be so disappointed that you’re having another girl,” or “At least you got your boy, even if you have to deal with another girl, too.” It’s hurtful to hear people assume we are disappointed that we’re having a third girl along with our boy. We are shocked, yes, but we are also thrilled to be adding another little girl to our family. We already love her unconditionally and can’t imaging any other situation than being pregnant with a little girl and a little boy, even if other people assume we are disappointed about our little girl.

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