34 Weeks Pregnant

As evidenced by my photo this week (complete with giant belly, Josh's sweatshirt, slippers, and excessive swelling) being 34 weeks pregnant with twins is not easy. Every day that goes by, I tell myself that I am one day closer to meeting and holding my babies. It's so wonderful knowing they will be here soon. As uncomfortable as I am feeling, I don't want them to come until they are good and ready.

Babies at 34 Weeks 

According to my apps, the babies are officially the size of pineapples. Each is between 19-22 inches long and approximately 5 pounds. At 34 weeks, I am so relieved to have made it to my first goal for this pregnancy. The babies' lungs are nearing maturity, which is excellent news! My next goal is to make it to 36 weeks, as I was informed on my hospital tour that babies born before this point are required to spend time in the NICU no matter what. Here's to hoping for at least two more weeks...

Weight Gain

I've mentioned a few times that I knew I had been retaining a lot of water lately but it wasn't until this week that it really showed on the scale at the doctor. Last week I started swelling pretty severely. My feet, legs, hands, and face are all swollen and the more active that I am the worse it seems to be. On Friday, I was starting to get concerned (my feet were starting to look like purple bricks) so I went down to Rite Aid to check my blood pressure. My BP continues to be excellent, so despite the discomfort of all the swelling (not to mention the difficulty of seeing the scale change pretty dramatically in just a week), my doctor isn't overly concerned. She did mention that this could be my body's way of preparing me for labor.


Eating

I haven't had any new cravings, and everything gives me heartburn to the point where I just don't want to eat anything (don't worry, I still eat; I have to help these babies grow!) Plus I'm so exhausted by late afternoon that cooking is really starting to feel like a chore when it's typically something I enjoy.


Feeling

I'm really not sure if I've ever been this tired in my life, including how exhausted I was in those first few weeks after Asher was born. Being pregnant with twins is truly a unique type of exhaustion that affects your entire body head to toe.

Honestly my swelling is my biggest complaint this week because it's making it hard to do anything. Even just something as simple as a trip to the grocery store results in my feet and legs swelling up to the point where I can barely walk. My hands have carpal tunnel from all the excess water. I experienced some swelling when I was pregnant with Asher but never to this extent. I had no idea how awful it could be!


Sleeping

Sleep has been a challenge lately but it is to be expected at the end of pregnancy. It's difficult to get comfortable, especially with two babies in my body. I constantly have to roll from side to side because I start to cramp and I'm getting up about every hour to go to the bathroom.


Something to Be Happy About

Josh and I met our doula last week and we are really excited to have an extra support person and advocate, especially with all of the unknowns associated with a twin birth. We'd been going back and forth about using a doula this time and were apprehensive because of the cost, as well as the increased risk of cesarean this time around.

Through the multiples group that I joined, I heard of a doula who is one birth away from finishing her certification and looking to attend a vaginal twin birth. I immediately jumped on this opportunity and luckily, we ended up being a good fit. She seems very knowledgeable and I'm certain she will be a calming presence while I'm in labor.

The catch is that she had a few scheduled vacations during the last few weeks of my pregnancy, so I'm crossing my fingers that she will be available when I go into labor. She was up front about this and Josh and I decided to move forward with her, even though we are taking the risk that she may be out of town when the babies are born.

Something to Look Forward to

Lately everything has been so challenging for me because of my constant swelling that I am really just looking forward to feeling like myself again, even though I realize this will take a while. I miss running after Asher, scooping him up into my arms when he asks me to hold him, going on long walks or hikes with my family, and so much more. I know being a mom of three is going to be demanding, but I look forward to not having the physical limitations that come along with being pregnant with twins.