Twin Pregnancy Update: Weeks 21-22

In my 20 week update, which you can read by clicking the link, the babies were about the size of large tomatoes. Now, they jumped from bananas to being about the size of spaghetti squash.

I start my 23rd week of pregnancy tomorrow, which is so crazy! I cannot believe that in just 4 short weeks I will be entering my third and final trimester of this pregnancy.

Twin Pregnancy Update: 21-22 Weeks

Genders and Names: One of each! Oliver and Annabelle:) You can read more about the reasons behind their names and pictures of the big surprise in our Gender Reveal post.

Weight Gain: I am headed into my 23rd week now and I am still sitting at about a 12 lb weight gain. When I went to my last appointment, I could not believe it when I stepped on the scale. I haven’t been eating more or differently, and get about 6 days of really good exercise in. I don’t feel at all like I have gained in any other areas,  So I’m not sure if these kiddos are just going through some crazy growth spurt right now or what. I guess they do weigh a little over a pound each now, which accounts for some of it:)

Sleep: Still not great. I dealt with an awful cold for about a week and a half as well, which did not help with my sleep or issues with breathing. Thankfully, that has slowly gone away with the help of some Echinacea and a lot of water.

Food Cravings: Pretty much the same love for fruit that I have been dealing with. My sweet tooth has also come on full force in the same way that I remember it from previous pregnancies. I am trying to stay strong though and avoid keeping too many sweets in the house.

Food Aversions: My appetite is just not very big. I read and heard from my doctor that my appetite would probably increase, since I am supposed to be taking in an extra 300-600 calories a day. There is no way I could do that. I eat plenty and the meals that I do it are mainly healthy, clean meals. I also have six small meals compared to three large ones, which I think helps as well.

Symptoms: My stomach is getting tighter and tighter days go on. Thankfully, I haven’t had any new stretch marks appear. Fingers crossed that it stays like that (Read my method on helping to prevent stretch marks here)! My moodiness is also off the charts these days. One day I’m crying, the next I have the shortest amount of patience, and the next I have tons of energy and am perfectly happy! It’s like I am my own personal soap opera. I also have this pain/sore spot right underneath my rib cage that I have gotten with all three of my pregnancies, although it happened later in my previous two. It just feels like there is a huge bruise that someone is continually putting pressure on. My midwife has always said it is just due to the uterus and expanding rib cage so it isn’t something I am worried about. But I can’t sit for too long because it gets really sore. More annoying than anything.

Clothing: I literally cannot wear my non-maternity tops anymore if they are hi-low, A-line cut, or a material that doesn’t stretch. It feels like nothing fits from my belly to my boobs… I wonder why! Also, going shopping for a swimsuit that you can wear while pregnant is much worse than swimsuit shopping while not pregnant. It’s depressing when nothing looks cute, or nothing lays smoothly anymore. I feel like I look lumpy all over. You can read my Spring Maternity Outfit Ideas here.

Exciting Moments: We also have two more appointments next week, one with the OB Doctor and the other is an ultrasound appointment to check the growth of our two little ones. The ultrasound is also going to check at Annabelle’s heart and the “bright spot” that they found in our 18 week ultrasound. I will be sure to post an update on all of that in next weeks’ post. Both of them are moving around like crazy, and it’s fun now to be able to tell them apart by where they are.

Belly update: I seriously feel like I suddenly expanded by a lot. It may not look like much, but I am feeling very round these days!

Thoughts from the past week:

• Trying to potty train a toddler while pregnant is not a good idea… for her or for me.
• Will this upcoming ultrasound turn out to be alright?
• Watching my girl’s play together now is such a joy and I know that they will love their siblings. Poor Oliver will be the only boy though… I wonder how that will play out!
• I love the experience of pregnancy and carrying a baby, or in this case two of them, and I am not afraid at all for birth. But, I can say that I am looking forward to not doing this again after these babies are born. 4 under 4…

*Here’s to being so close to the third trimester*