It occurred to me recently (as in lying in bed not sleeping last night or the night before) that there have actually been some interesting differences with this pregnancy compared to the twins. And as I have not been as good about recording the minor twitches of this pregnancy as I was with the twins (gee, I wonder why…), I decided that, at 32 weeks, it was high time to write down some things so I don’t forget them.
So, here we go…
Differences between my twin pregnancy and my singleton pregnancy:
1. I do not remember feeling hiccups with the twins. So when, one day this last week, NLS started this weird, rhythmic twitching, it was really strange and (I’ll admit) sort of annoying. I sat there trying to figure out “what in heaven’s name” she was doing in there…and then it occurred to me. She had the hiccups. And I chuckled to myself. My baby girl had the hiccups…and I could feel them. It was a brand-new sensation for me…and it was kind of fun!
2. This one is kicking the crap out of my insides. I’m sure it’s just that the twins just didn’t have to room to move all that much. But their movements were definitely more in the stretching, pushing category. You know, slow and intense. Not this one. She’s rocking all.the.time. Partying down. And is it better at night? Oh no…the last two nights, she’s been doing the samba at 3:30 in the morning. Thanks, sweetie, for sharing your talents, but, well, Mommy would like to sleep. So let’s save the dance rehearsals until your 6 and taking ballet, okay?
3. I am only now, at 32 weeks, starting to have serious heartburn. And really, serious isn’t the right word. Maybe noticeable is the right word. Or even, slightly uncomfortable. But anyway, it’s just now starting to get my attention. By this time, with the twins, I had been downing Tums for weeks. I’m not sorry for the delay.
4. And speaking of physical discomfort…despite the return of the diabetes, I am still NOWHERE near as uncomfortable as I was with the twins. My hips and lower back are starting to be pretty cranky most of the time. But that is to be expected with 20-month old twins to chase while hauling around their sister stuck to my abdomen, I guess. Mostly, I’m just really grateful not to be itching ALL THE TIME. Without the PUPPPs to make me want to scratch the top layer of my skin off, the occasional itch from dry skin is really not so blog-worthy.
5. On the other hand, there are some similarities. I am reaching the point where the downward sloping floor of our church is starting to make it difficult to both stand AND sing on Sunday morning, especially for 20 minutes at a time (especially as I can’t really prop up the belly on the pew in front of my like I did with the twins). And since I carry my babies entirely out in front of me (the reality of being short and petite, I guess), the belly is starting to sag a bit now. And that makes this baby feel heavy. Not as heavy as two babies felt, but definitely hard to balance well.
6. I love that I have not out-grown my clothes at this point. While some of my shirts shrank the first time around and, thus, may not be totally effective for the entire span of this pregnancy, I am still wearing my normal size, and I still have a good bit of room to grow in most of my shirts. It’s SO nice not to have rotate between the 4-5 shirts that still fit at this point, as I did with the twins. SO nice.
7. And it’s also strange to not have a c-section scheduled by now, as we did with the twins. Our intention is a VBAC, assuming all things allow for the attempt. But not being able to just plan the day and time, or who will watch the twins, or how long the ‘birth’ itself will take…well, that’s all new and kind of disconcerting for a planner like me. I mean, how did women do this for all those centuries? Just waiting until one day they realized the baby was coming that day. Yikes! I guess I’ll just have to keep practicing being flexible and not stressing (good luck to me on that one!). Should be interesting anyway…
And that’s about all I have right now. If other interesting (to me) comparisons pop up, I may write them down. Or I may not. Either way, at least I have these ones recorded.
Happy Weekend!
August 15, 2010
I have not felt hiccups, but this baby is definitely moving all over the place at all times of day. One thing I’ve noticed, too, s/he ALWAYS moves within minutes of getting in the car. I hope that doesn’t mean she’s going to hate car rides; maybe it’s just the excitement of going somewhere!
August 17, 2010
Very interesting. Hooray for no itching! Boo for heartburn!