Post-Baby Slim Down: Getting Your Body Back

 
This was my second pregnancy and it seems to be a little harder to lose the weight than it was the first time. Having twins might have something to do with it. Or the problems I had the first time where I couldn't eat for a couple of weeks and had to eat a no-fat diet for awhile. This time I had zero problems and can eat normally. Here are some tips for getting back into shape after you have a baby.

Reclaim Your Pre-Pregnancy Stomach

Crunches don't always work. During pregnancy the outermost stomach muscles have to separate to make room for your expanding uterus. Even after the uterus shrinks back down, they may still be separated (diastasis recti). If this is the case, crunches could do more harm than good. To find out more about diastasis recti check out BeFit-Mom.

One thing that you can do right away after birth to strengthen your abdominal muscles is to sit up straight, shoulders down. Draw your belly button in towards your spine. This is an easy exercise you can do anywhere, sitting down or standing up. It will help prevent back pain and make your abs firmer and flatter. 

Wait until your doctor gives the okay to do other, more strenuous, exercises. This will usually be about 6 weeks postpartum. If you are just starting an exercise regime, remember to start slowly and build from there.

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Ways to Get Rid of Bloat and Excess Fluids

Drink lots and lots of water. Eat high fiber foods as well as foods that are high in potassium, such as bananas, apricots and spinach. The potassium will help to counteract the sodium that is helping to retain water. Also avoid foods with lots of sodium. 

Cardio exercises are very important in getting rid of belly weight. This can be as simple as a power walk with your baby in a stroller. Keep your abs pulled in and your spine straight.

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Healthy Eating Tips

Don't cut too many calories after you give birth. You still need the energy, especially if you are breastfeeding and cutting too many can make you keep or even gain weight. 

A good idea is to get rid of all the junk food and soda in your house. Make a list of healthy snacks you can eat if you feel hungry. 

If you are breastfeeding you do need extra calories, but make sure they are healthy calories. You should aim for 1,800-2,000 calories a day and an extra 500 if you are breastfeeding.

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Breastfeeding can help you with losing weight as well. I know it helped me the first time, and I'm sure it's helping this time as well. It doesn't always work so easily for everyone, you might have to add in some exercise and make sure you eat healthy to see a big difference. It's hard to be patient when you want your body to be back to the way it was before. I know it is for me. I know everyone says this all the time, but it took 9 months to gain the weight and it might not come off immedietaly

Remember that nothing is the same after you have a baby. Go easy on yourself and feel proud. You just made a human being (or two)!

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My Two Peanuts are Here!

My little boys are here! They are the reason I have been missing the last few days. Hunter and Connor were born Wednesday, June 26th. They are perfect little boys. Connor came out first and weighed 4 pounds 14 ounces and was 17 1/4 inches long. Hunter was born two minutes later and was 5 pounds 7 ounces and 17 3/4 inches long. 

Hunter and Connor

The surgery went great, and recovery is going much better than my first time. I am already at home but my little peanuts are in the NICU for a few days. They are doing wonderful but just need a little help with learning how to eat and keep their body temperatures up. Hunter also needs a little respiratory help as well. They also are on some antibiotics. They are such little cuties! I was able to try breastfeeding Connor last night and he did pretty good. It is too tiring for him to try for more than 5 minutes but we will keep working at it each day. 

Connor

Hunter

 

My other little cutie

So that's what I've been doing these last couple of days! Little man has not met his brothers yet and I'm sure he doesn't really know what's going on, but he will meet them soon. It's nice to be home with him, I have missed him while I was in the hospital. Now to catch up on some of what I missed this past week...Hope you all are having a great weekend! 

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36 Weeks Pregnant with Twins! (Final Update)

I can't believe it! I made it to 36 weeks and only 3 more days to go! Wednesday is the big day for us, sadly it is not scheduled until noon, so I will have the whole morning to be nervous. Hopefully it doesn't get pushed back any further. 

The babies are still finding room to flip around. Baby A keeps going from head down to breech and back again. I had my last BPP on Friday and was told that both of them have quite a bit of hair! I  am so excited and curious to see what they look like and how big they will be! 

Twins at 36 Weeks

 (Source)

There is a supermoon today, the biggest "supermoon" of 2013, and they say that the full moon makes full-term pregnant women go into labor. What is a supermoon? Find out here! Are there really more babies born during a full moon? I have no idea, but I'm hoping these babies wait until Wednesday. The good news is, I'm pretty sure they will be waiting patiently. 

It still seems a little crazy to me that there are two babies in there. Since it's been two weeks since I took pictures, I took some more for this week. The last pictures before having them! These last few days are going to slow...but my mom and sisters will be coming up tomorrow so that should help. They will be watching little man while I'm in the hospital. This will be a rough week for him.

 

 I hope you all are having a great weekend!

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One Year Ago Today...(Part One)

My little boy is officially one years old today! It's hard to believe how fast the year has gone.  So since I have never written down what happened when he was born, I figured today was the perfect time to do it. Maybe I should try to write it a little sooner for my next babies! 

Last year Father's Day was on the 17th, little man turned out to be a great Father's Day gift for my husband. His actual due date was June 11th, so he was almost a whole week late. I was scheduled to be induced on the 18th since it didn't look like he wanted to come out at all. So I didn't really expect anything to happen before the induction.

Sunday morning I was up early while my husband slept in. I have always been a morning person and he doesn't like to wake up if he doesn't have to. I should have been sleeping in back then when I had the chance! So I was downstairs on my computer playing World of Warcraft. Yes I am a huge geek and I (used to) love that game. It's hard to play anymore and I haven't in a long time. 

So there I was doing a dungeon group and we just finished killing the final boss. And my water breaks! Perfect timing, right!? I thought so. I called the hospital and told them what happened. They of course told me to come in. I woke up my husband to tell him and he jumped up out of bed. Probably the fastest I've ever seen him wake up. I took a shower before leaving since I had been too lazy to take one earlier, and we drove to the hospital. We got there about 11am.

Nothing was happening. They checked to make sure it was really my water breaking and it was. They said there was meconium in it, which could be a sign of fetal distress since he might have breathed some of it into his lungs. We got all checked into the hospital and they decided to give me pitocin to try to get things moving. We walked around the hallways and still nothing was happening. They upped the dose and finally I started having contractions. 

They got pretty bad really fast and I told them I wanted an epidural. They got that all set up and still nothing was really progressing. I was only at 4cm and little man was in distress, his heart rate was very low. The doctor on call had been monitoring everything from home, but she came in and told me it was best if we do a c-section. This was extremely scary for me, I did not want to be cut open. But I agreed with her and said we should do that. As soon as I agreed they gave my husband scrubs to put on and wheeled me back to the operating room.

I was shaking so badly from the epidural, I thought my muscles in my shoulders were going to be really sore afterwards because they hurt so bad. Turns out they didn't hurt at all later on. They got little man out and he was fine but they didn't even let me see him. He was born at 6:45pm. I'm not sure what time they brought him to my room but I don't think it was very long. Finally I got to hold my precious little boy! 

Everything seemed to be going fine with recovery that evening and the next day. I was breastfeeding my little guy and that was going great. They let me eat something the next day (Monday) for lunch. That evening things started to get worse. I had developed an awful ileus, which is a bowel obstruction caused from the surgery. My abdomen was filled up with gas and extremely distended. It was bigger than I had been with my little boy inside. (This is where all my stretch marks came from) I couldn't move without help those first couple of days after it got bad. I was about to be released on Tuesday morning but I ended up staying nine days in the hospital. 

I had to have a NG tube to get rid of all the bile in my stomach and couldn't eat the entire week at all. They didn't even want me drinking water, I could only chew on ice chips. This was awful because I was really thirsty from the pain medication. I got x-rays every day to see what was going on and they almost had to do another surgery but thankfully it finally started to get better. Oh and let me say, getting that NG tube was the most extremely awful thing that has ever happened to me. They couldn't get it in, there is something weird in my nose and it hurt so bad. I threw up green bile everywhere when they first stuck it down my throat and they pulled it back out. They had to call someone else to come in and she just shoved it down my nose.

Thankfully I was still able to breastfeed my little boy this whole time, although it was hard. He stayed with me in the hospital even though they discharged him right away. He was a perfect little baby weighing 8 pounds 7 ounces and 21 inches long. By the time we left the hospital he was already out of newborn size diapers and into size 1's. Oh I forgot to say that during this time my incision also got infected and started leaking everywhere and they had to open it up again to drain it. That was pretty minor though.

We finally got to go home! Can you believe I hadn't even changed a diaper on my little boy that whole time?! My dear husband had changed them all up to that point because it was really hard for me to move around. It was so great to finally be home, I hate staying in the hospital! That was not the end of the story, however. Sadly more complications came up....but I better save that for later, this post is getting rather long already! I love my little man so much and it was all worth it. I just really hope everything goes much more smoothly this next time. (Keep an eye out for part two if you want to know what happened next).

Happy Birthday Little Man! I love you very much! 

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35 Weeks Pregnant with Twins (An Update)

Here we are only one week away from the big day! Well, technically its one week and 3 days but it sounds better to just call it one week. Let me just say, things are not very fun at all. These babies are the size of honeydew melons this week. Babycenter.com says they should be about 5 1/4 pounds and 18 inches long. It is a mystery how big they actually are until they come out of course, but still, that's probably about 10 pounds of baby in there! Here's a picture of a honeydew melon to see the size. (That's not me in the picture, however). 

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I had a dream last week that the babies were going to be born on the 16th (today) but that's probably just because my little boy was born on Father's Day last year. Wouldn't that be weird if these boys came on Father's Day this year?! I've been having lots of contractions and cramps so I guess you never know. They might still try to come out this week. After all, 35 weeks is the average for twin pregnancies. 

Speaking of my little man, tomorrow is his first birthday! I will be posting his birth story so stay tuned for that! I know you don't want to miss it. Here are some pictures from his first trip to the playground. Isn't he a cutie!?

Doesn't all this talk of melons make you hungry? Look how delicious they look! Hope you all have a great weekend and all the fathers and grandfathers have a wonderful Father's Day today! 

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What to Pack in Your Hospital Bag for a C-Section

 

When I went to the hospital to have my first little guy, I wasn't expecting to have a c-section. I also didn't expect to stay for nine days. Since we live very close to the hospital it's not a very big deal if I forget to bring something because my husband can always bring it to me from home. I would like to be better prepared this time, however. So here are my thoughts on what to pack in your hospital bag for a c-section. Let me know if I am missing something important!

Packing for a c-section really isn't that much different than for a vaginal birth, the main difference is you will be staying a little longer. Instead of the 24-48 hours you can expect to stay 2-4 days. I'm hoping for the minimum because I absolutely hate staying in the hospital, especially this time when I have to be away from little man. I've had my bag packed for a few weeks now and this is what I have in it:

(Electronics) Can you tell what must be most important to me since its the first item on the list! I don't know about you, but I would be lost if I didn't have my cell phone at least. I also need to have my camera with me, after all that's one of the reasons we bought it. I'm bringing my iPad as well because I'm sure there will be down time. Don't forget to bring chargers for everything, you wouldn't want the camera to die on you! I tried to bring a book last time, but there's no way I can concentrate that much on reading.

(Comfy Clothing) Last time I just wore the hospital gown the entire time, but I want to wear normal clothes as soon as possible this time! So I'm bringing 3-4 yoga/comfy pants, 3-4 nursing tank tops, a robe, nursing bras and sandals. I'm bringing my own underwear as well but I'm not sure if I will use it or not. I'll probably just wear the hospital gowns for pajamas but you could bring those too. They will have socks there for you to use and probably a robe as well if you don't want to bring your own.

(Toiletries) Shampoo/Toothbrush/Toothpaste/Hairbrush/Makeup/Deodorant/Perfume/Face Wash/Razor/Chapstick/Hair Ties...oh and lotion, last time those compression boots they make you wear made my legs really itchy. I'm bringing my own towel this time too. You don't have to because they have towels there, but they are really small. Make sure you have shower shoes to wear. 

(Stuff For the Babies) I am bringing an outfit for them to wear home. I think I packed two for each since I couldn't make up my mind. Some hats I bought so they didn't have to wear the same ones and we can tell them apart easier. A couple receiving blankets to put over them in the car seats. Of course you will need to bring the car seats as well, you won't need them until the babies are going home. Bring some socks for them to wear home or something to cover their feet.

(Other Random Stuff You Might Want) Your own pillow with a case that isn't white on it so it doesn't get mixed up with theirs. I'm not bringing this though, I thought the hospital ones were fine. Nursing pillow. This one I am bringing with me. Last time I didn't have it and it probably would have helped, using regular pillows doesn't work that great. So I have a giant twin nursing pillow to use, I hope it works. Abdominal binder unless your hospital will be providing you with one. It will help with the pain and with holding everything together. An extra bag to bring stuff home in because you will probably go home with more things than you came with. The nurses gave us all the extra diapers and things like that because you are already paying for them once they are opened anyways.

So that's everything I'm bringing with me this time. I hope I remembered everything important. It's strange but I'm bringing more this second time than I did the first. Usually its the other way around. I have this thing where I hate over packing and try to bring the minimum amount of stuff when I go somewhere, which usually means I forget something important and run out of clothes. I'm getting better about that though! 

If you missed my post on what I wish I knew before my c-section, you should check it out here. Also keep an eye out this week for little man's birth story. He will be turning one on Monday and I have yet to actually type it out. My c-section is only 10 days away, can't wait to meet my little boys!

 

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34 Weeks Pregnant with Twins! (An Update)

I can't believe it's been 34 weeks! I remember just finding out way back in November and July seemed sooo far away. Of course I don't have to wait until July, but back then I didn't know it was twins. I didn't find out until the middle of January when I (finally) went to my first appointment at 12 weeks. If my doctor hadn't done a quick ultrasound that day we wouldn't have even know until March, with my anatomy scan.

I had been joking all that time that there were two in there, but I wasn't serious. I never really thought that I would be right! Nothing seemed any different than with Little Man's pregnancy and I didn't even gain as much weight the first trimester like I did with him. When I found out they were twins I, of course, read everything I could find online about it.

Then the next week I found out they were sharing a placenta and were going to be identical! I had read of course about all the extra risks with having twins, the three different types of twins and TTTS (twin to twin transfusion syndrome) and so started worrying all the time. I had to keep telling myself that I can't control anything by worrying and that I need to just trust God that everything would be alright. Now here we are with just about two weeks left to go (or less) and no complications at all so far! Of course we aren't done yet, but I'm worrying a lot less now that we are so close and I'm being monitored every week.

(source)

Friday when I was doing the NST, I was having very regular contractions. The doctor said he doesn't think I will make it to 36 weeks with the amount of contractions I've been having, but we will see. Both the babies looked great though on both the NST and the BPP, which is awesome! Otherwise nothing really exciting is going on, just waiting for the end of the month and hanging out with Little Man.

I hope everyone had a great weekend! 

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33 Weeks Pregnant with Twins (An Update)

Another week checked off on the countdown! Only 24 more days left. I am getting very anxious to meet my little peanuts. I am now going to the doctor every week for an NST (non-stress test) and BPP (biophysical profile). Last week I had a growth ultrasound and found out the boys are weighing approximately 3 pounds 11 ounces and 3 pounds 13 ounces. This week they are supposed to be about the size of a pineapple! They were both head down, which I suppose doesn't matter too much since I'm having a c-section anyways.

I ended up having to go back for a second BPP last week because one of them wouldn't practice his breathing. During the second one they were both doing just fine though, so that's awesome. I'm pretty sure my doctor said I was still measuring at 36 weeks, so I guess I didn't get any bigger in two weeks, or the babies have switched positions since then.

I feel like I have gotten a lot bigger though, and my shirts are starting to be almost too small to cover my stomach. I haven't had anyone make any comments about how big I am or ask if there is more than one baby in there. Maybe if I said I was due at the end of July instead of the end of June I might seem bigger than I should be. Most people say I don't look like I'm big enough for two, which makes me feel good that I'm not ginormous, but also worry about how small my babies must be. I really hope they are at least 5 pounds when they are born. I've gained plenty of weight though, right now I'm just about exactly where I was when little man was born, and hopefully don't gain too much more over the next three weeks.

So what is it like having two pineapples in my stomach? Very uncomfortable and hard to breathe! It's almost impossible to sleep and I have to take multiple breaks if I'm standing up to work on anything. I heard about a couple of women in the news this week with quintuplets and wow, I really can not imagine how they do it! All you mommas with triplets or more are amazing; two is hard enough! I hope the next three weeks goes really fast. There's nothing really going on except doctor appointments until its time for them to arrive. We just had little man's first birthday party yesterday and he had a lot of fun. I'll be posting more about that later this week!

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32 Weeks Pregnant with Twins {An Update}

Another week has gone by! I feel like the boys had a growth spurt this last week, my stomach feels twice as big now! I haven't had a growth ultrasound since a month ago, so I don't know how they are doing yet. I will have one this Tuesday though, and then I will be going once a week from now on, which is really only 4 more times. How is time going so fast?! 31 more days left on the countdown.

I am so uncomfortable lately that I wonder how I can last 4 more weeks. With little man's first birthday party next weekend and getting ready for that, at least this week should go fast. Actually it's not really that terrible yet, maybe it will get worse still. I think I have it pretty good compared to some mamas. I'm just really excited to see them and be able to breathe again!

Still no swelling, which is awesome. The sad thing is even if I go into the surgery with no swelling, afterwards I will have plenty for a week or two. I think last time it took about 3 weeks for it to all go down finally. 

Little man has learned how to clap this week. It's so adorable! He has a huge smile on his face every time he does it. He also thinks its hilarious to pull my shirt up and look at my stomach. I've tried to put shorts on him instead of pants but he hates crawling on the hard wood floors with them on. So I guess he will be wearing pants until he learns how to walk. He got his 8th tooth in this week as well.

Everything is pretty much ready for the babies to get here. All their clothes are washed and put away. Almost everything is set up, we just have to put the double stroller together.  I even got my bag for the hospital all packed up and ready. Even as uncomfortable as I am and ready for them to get here, I really hope they stay put until the scheduled day. They are already very small for their age and 36 weeks will be soon enough for them to come out.

I hope you all have a great holiday weekend! Have lots of fun and please take time to remember those who served our country and sacrificed their lives so that we could enjoy ours!

What I Wish I Knew Before My C-Section

When I had my son I never expected to end up with a c-section. I also never expected to have complications afterwards that had me in the hospital for nine days, but that's a different story for another day. Don't let that scare you about your c-section though! What happened to me was rare and will probably not happen to you.

With that being said, I'm scheduled to have my second c-section at the end of June and I am scared. I'm worried that the same thing will happen again or worse. I'm sure everything will go fine, but it's hard not to think about it. I know more about what to expect this time and can be better prepared. So to remind myself of all the things I learned last time, I made this list. Maybe it will be helpful for someone else who is facing a c-section as well.

The surgery itself was fine. I didn't feel any pain, just a lot of tugging and pulling on my insides. 

You will have an IV in your arm, a catheter and I had oxygen, I'm not sure if everyone does or not.

The epidural caused me to have uncontrollable shaking, which was the worst part about the actual surgery. My muscles in my shoulders hurt so bad, I thought they would be sore for days, but they weren't. 

Your arms will most likely be strapped down. I actually don't even remember that part and had to ask my husband if mine were or not. 

C-section recovery is going to be much harder and longer than for a vaginal birth. Remember, a c-section is major abdominal surgery. Your intestines were pulled out and after everything is put back inside and you are stitched up, your insides will be full of gas. Getting rid of that gas can be painful.

Get up and move as soon as they let you. They will probably make you get up anyways even if you don't feel like it. Moving around and walking will help get your insides back to normal.

Getting up out of bed is the hardest part. You won't be able to use your stomach muscles, just your arms and legs. It's harder than you think it will be. 

Don't eat for at least 24 hours afterwards. Make sure your intestines are working again before attempting to eat real food. They will probably make you wait until you have passed gas to make sure they are working. I'm not sure if they will make you wait 24 hours at the hospital, this is just what I plan on doing this time. 

Start taking stool softeners a few days before your surgery and keep taking them in the hospital and a few days afterwards. It will help. Also, take Gas X pills to help get rid of that awful gas. 

If you have to cough or sneeze afterwards, hold a pillow to your stomach to help with the pain. Try not to laugh at first, it will be painful.

Make sure you use a belly binder. It helps a lot with the pain and with getting everything back into place. The hospital I was at provided one for me, if yours doesn't you probably want to bring one with you.

Bring pants or underwear that are high-waisted, you don't want it to be resting right on top of your incision. Last time I just wore hospital gowns the entire time, but this time I plan on wearing regular clothes as soon as possible.

Stay on top of your pain meds. Don't try to be a hero. It's better to keep taking them regularly than to fall behind and have to catch up while being in pain. 

Even if you feel like you are back to your normal self in the first couple of weeks, don't overdo it. Your incision will hurt later on that evening.

Even now, one year after my surgery, I still have some numbness around my scar sometimes.

Delivery guilt. I know I shouldn't feel guilty, but sometimes I do. I feel like I missed out on part of having a baby. I have to remind myself that it was the best thing for my son and that all that matters is that he arrived safely with no complications.

No matter how scary it sounds, in the end it will all be worth it. That's what I will be telling myself for the next month or so!

 
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31 Weeks Pregnant with Twins

31 weeks already! I got a call from my doctor this week telling me that we could move my c-section date up a week. Since I know that research shows it is best to deliver mo/di twins at 36 weeks, I was thankful she changed her mind. So now my new date is June 26th! Only 38 more days. That sounds like it will be here way too fast! I'm getting nervous about the surgery already.








Want to know what those two little peanuts are up to this week? Check it out:

• Weight is more than 3 pounds and Height is about 18 inches long. 
• They can track light and hear distinct sounds.
• They can perceive signals from all five senses as well.
• Fat continues to build under their skin and they will quickly gain weight in the next few weeks.
• Digestive tract and lungs are almost mature and the lungs are able to inflate properly.
• Toenails and fingernails are fully formed and they could accidentally scratch themselves already.

I've been having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions lately, but I probably just need to drink more water. Otherwise everything is still pretty much the same as last week. I was measuring 36 weeks at my last doctor's appointment, so that's only about 6 weeks ahead which is pretty small compared to some twin mommas. I also only gained about 1 pound in two weeks so its probably just the babies growing. I'm hoping my weight gain stays about the same until the end. I didn't get an ultrasound this time, so I don't know how big the boys are measuring but next week we will find out. After that I will go every week.

In other news, little man turned 11 months old this past week! He is getting to be such a big boy already. He is getting into everything that he can and loves pulling things out of the cupboards. He loves cars and trucks, both toys and in real life and has started to say "car" when he sees one. It's so cute! His other favorite thing to do is look at books (and try to eat them). He gets so excited when we read them together.

(Linking to some of these lovely parties)

30 Weeks Pregnant & Happy Mother's Day!

 Happy Mother's Day to all the mommas and grandmas out there! Its a beautiful day outside today! Today also marks 30 weeks in my pregnancy. I even took some pictures of my bump to show you all. This is a very rare thing for me as I feel like I'm huge and don't like to see what I look like. 30 weeks is a big milestone (only 49 more days...but who's counting) so I felt I should take some pictures to remember what it was like.

 Here are some facts about my babies at 30 weeks: 

• They are about 15 to 16 inches long and weight around 3 pounds each, maybe a little more. 
• They will hopefully gain about 1/2 pound each every week from now on. 
• Their brains are growing and getting smarter by the minute. 
• The little guys can now regulate their own temperature. 
• Their skin is getting smoother. 
• Their little hands are now strong enough to grasp a finger. 
• They are practicing breathing on their own. 
• Their digestive tract is fully functional. 

As for me, I have bad acid reflux off and on. My ribs are constantly hurting and it is very hard to breath sometimes. I can't eat much food at one time, so I stick with smaller meals and snacks. Basically I am very uncomfortable all of the time lately. Sounds like fun, doesn't it! One good thing though: I don't have any swelling yet. I can still wear my rings and my ankles and feet are normal. This might change when it gets hotter out, I'm hoping that drinking tons of water will help.

It might sound like its awful being pregnant with twins, and it kind of is. But in the end its all worth it and I can't wait to meet my two little boys!

(Linking up here, here, here, here, here, here and here)

twenty-nine weeks already!

Time has been going fast but it also feels like I've been pregnant forever. Only 8 more weeks until the little ones will be forced to make an appearance if they haven't decided to before that.

Last week at 28 weeks I was measuring 33 weeks, which isn't too huge yet considering a lot of twin mamas measure 10 or more weeks ahead the whole time. I am very much ready to be done with this and meet my boys though. And get my own body back. It might sound selfish, but its the truth. I am not one of those that loves to be pregnant, I tolerate it because I absolutely love the end result. The 9 or 10 months getting to that point though, is not so fun.

Twins at 28 weeks from babycenter.com

The babies are about the size of an acorn squash this week. 15 to 16 inches long and about 2 1/2 pounds each. They are getting so crowded in there already, I can't imagine how it will be as they keep getting bigger. My two little peanuts are both measuring exactly the same size but are pretty small for their age. I'm trying to eat even more protein so that maybe they can catch up a little.