I'm 31 weeks and just now getting to the uncomfortable phase - heartburn is happening far more often and my crotch bones (sorry lol) are constantly aching. So as I continue to move well past the size of a full term singleton mama I want to know what I'm in for. How was the end of your pregnancy? What were your primary symptoms? Any tips for making it 7 more weeks?
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Awwwww, Hang in there honey, you're almost done. I guess you could have them any day now, but of course we all know the longer they cook, the better.
My twins were born at exactly 36 weeks. I actually wanted them to stay in a little more in spite of the discomfort, but my body was kinda done. Stupid high blood pressure. -
@Apex: I want them to stay in as long as possible too. I just wonder how long my body will handle everything. I had high bp with my first but thus far I've been ok.
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I went on home bedrest on 32 weeks, so in a way I didn't experience what it was really like to be pregnant with twins at the end of pregnancy. I just laid on the couch the whole day and even that made my body ache. You're doing a great job! Just remember that every day in is more chance they will be big and healthy. I made it to 38 weeks before I was induced and I'm so grateful that we had no NICU time. Also, try to take it as easy as possible. I know you have DS to take care of, so this may be impossible, but try to stay off your feet when you can and let DH baby you. I'll be thinking of you and sending end of pregnancy good vibes your way. I know it's not easy!
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@twodoghouse: While I would love to work from home on bed rest I have a new staff member starting at my 32 week mark that I need to train so I'd love to get to at least 34 weeks before that. I'm glad to know your bed rest got you to 38 weeks. I'd love to avoid a need for NICU since my hospital doesn't have one and the babies would get transferred to a hospital an hour away. Thanks for the good wishes!
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@marionberry: I should probably mention that at 36 weeks, Babies were 5lbs and 5oz, and 5lbs and 7oz. We didn't get any nicu time at all.
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Hang in there!! It does gets harder the closer you get to the end, not gonna lie. I made it to 37 weeks before I went into labor, my boys were born 7 lbs 1 oz and 6 lbs 9 oz, no NICU time.
What I believe made the difference for me was absolutely not pushing myself. I never officially went on bed rest but around 30 weeks, I started spend half days in the office and then leaving at lunchtime and working the rest of the day from home on my couch. At around 34 weeks, I went fulltime working from home. I also stopped driving, didn't trust myself to react quickly in heavy traffic and it just plain hurt to sit behind the wheel. DH took on all the chores and errands to keep the house going and my main responsibility was working from home and resting every single chance I got, keeping my feet up and drinking A TON of water.
GL!! You can do it!!
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So hard, these last few weeks!
I stopped working at 31.5 weeks and delivered at 36.4 I was able to take that time off paid (I work part-time) because of the timing of the school year (paid time went into summer so could take off earlier). Those last 5 weeks, I could barely move. Just laid on the couch in between doctor appointments. I remember the last week, my big 'outing' for the day was taking about a 15 minute walk out for a milkshake, haha. That was literally the only thing I did all day! I'm sure with a toddler, it's so much harder. You have to make sure you don't overdo it and rest a lot. It's not an easy thing to force yourself to do but the longer those babies stay in there, the better (for everyone involved)!!
I had lots of back pain the last few months, I wish I'd invested in a pregnancy pillow and not only slept on my left side because it has had permanent effects on my back
Drink tons of water and anything with electrolytes, like coconut water, pellegrino, etc, I think staying hydrated helped me feel a little better. And just be alert for anything, I ended up developing pre-e and that meant it was time for the babies to come out. Clearly, as evidenced by this photo, my body had reached it's limit
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@sunshineandsushi: I totally hear you on the pain of driving. I have to really recline my seat just to get to and from work or taking ds to daycare. I also have the availability to work from home whenever my schedule isn't packed with meetings so I may try to do that this week before my new staff member starts.
@trailmix: You guys are making me feel so much better about being exhausted. I thought maybe I was just a weenie. I'm not good at resting (esp with a 16 month old) but am trying to whenever I can. I hear you on the back pain. It gets really painful for me if I sit in one position too long. I'm going to take all of your guys' advice about drinking more water. I'm a poor water drinker but on days that I really don't get enough I do get cramps...so this will be my goal going forward. And your picture could be nearly identical to mine right now!.
Thank you everyone for your input. It has been really great for me to hear. I kept thinking most twin moms worked until delivery but I'm realizing from all of you that it's ok if I need to go on bedrest (modified, official, or not) to make it to my delivery.
If you didn't mention what led you to delivery above, will you mention why you delivered when you did? Did you just go into labor or was it a condition like pre-e that led you to deliver early?
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I was just plain huge! No other real symptom. I had a relatively easy twin pregnancy. I did have to sleep on a recliner with a pillow under my legs. Good luck! Just a few more weeks!
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Utter exhaustion, discomfort, wasn't able to do much past 31 weeks. I went off work at that time and although I was not on bed rest, I was lying down almost all the time! I did go swimming a few times a week, really sloooooow and only for like 15-20 minutes but it felt great to be weightless. I stopped going to the grocery store because I would start contracting and would need to lie down like 90 minutes to recover from a 15 minute outing. Hubby slept on an air mattress in the spare room the last couple of weeks because I was shifting around so much at night it was just not comfortable for him, either! Delivered at 37w4d--my water broke so I went into labor on my own. The only suggestion I can give you is rest, rest, and rest some more. And take Tylenol PM to help you sleep!
Also, I ate ice cream or protein pudding every night--instant pudding mix w/ a couple scoops of chocolate protein powder thrown in. I believe the extra calcium & protein helped the babies' weights--6lb9oz & 6lb11oz, no NICU time. -
I don't have a lot of lovely things to say about the end except that every week helps the kiddos and it eventually ends!
Being in the water (Swimming or taking baths) were the only way I was really comfortable. I worked until 36 weeks when the boys were born, and the last few weeks, I would cry on my way home from work because my ribs hurt so much from sitting at my desk, not walking, and having a lot of baby crammed in there. I think it's really different for everyone. I was in quite a bit of physical pain the last few weeks, but I had no "real" problems so I was able to keep working and living a "normal" life right up until the end. Others may disagree with me, but if it's any comfort, I thought having newborn twins was better than the last few weeks of twin pregnancy. Sure, you don't get a lot of sleep, but I didn't get a lot of sleep during the last few weeks of pregnancy either, and at least postpartum your body starts feeling better and you have super cute babies to snuggle! 
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I was still feeling good at 29 weeks but my doc did a cervical check and i was 1cm dilated and she could feel twin a's head.so she put me on bedrest. I ended up in the hospital later that day with contractions. They were able to stop contractions and i continued on bed rest. I had another scare at 31 weeks and then they put me on procardia for contractions. I had lots of pressure as twin a remained in the same position right up until delivery at 36 weeks 4 days. My water broke then and I went into labor. I delivered vaginally and the boys did not need any nicu time.
The last few weeks were rough. I had contractions often if I didn't drink enough water and lots of discomfort and pressure. I slept in a recliner.
Good luck and try to take it easy.
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Honestly, the last weeks were complete misery. I know that's not exactly reassuring or positive, but it was true for me. Absolutely everything hurt. My feet were very swollen, and just walking to the bathroom felt like a marathon. No matter what position I tried, I couldn't get remotely comfortable and I had a hard time breathing, especially lying down. The back pain was horrible and I was so big I could hardly sit up on my own. The worst for me was the cholestasis I ended up with the last couple weeks which caused horrible itching. I also was unable to sleep at night the last couple weeks. My blood pressure got really high towards the end so at approx. 34wks I was put on modified bed rest, they were born at 36wks & had 11 days in the NICU. I can't even imagine doing it with a toddler! If it ends up getting bad, just try and remember that I will all be worth it! And rest, rest as much as you can and try not to overdo it.
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