36 weeks pregnant with twins – the calm before the storm

I’m now in my last week of pregnancy. To be honest, I’m a little surprised they’re still cooking given 3 in 5 twins are born before 37 weeks. But that means I am huge, and day by day as the babies get bigger I feel I’m slowing down more and more and my feet are getting so swollen I’m down to living in some ‘slider’ sandals. As I get nearer to 37 weeks I know that actually, these boys could come anytime- which is really unnerving and makes me feel anxious. I’m just praying that they sit tight until my planned c-section! (Guidance is that twins are delivered at 37-38 weeks).

Up until this week, the last few weeks feel like they have gone quite slowly with the end in sight but still weeks away. I had a scan at 32 weeks where both babies were growing well and were 4lb 9 and 4lb 3. They had grown to 6lb 6 and 5lb 9 come my 36 week scan! Whilst it’s lovely to see them on the screen, it’s not a pleasant experience as I feel quite faint lying on my back for so long given all the weight. The sonographers have been great though and allowed me to move to my side during the scans. Twin 1 has always been head down with his head now so low down that it’s uncomfortable when I walk and move. Whilst twin 2 has moved from transverse to breech with his head high in my ribs. The consultant has been pleased with how everything has been progressing which has been such a relief and blessing as I know not all twin pregnancy journeys are smooth.

I’ve felt really anxious having to wait and not knowing when my c-section date would be. Particularly as I’m the type of person who likes to have everything planned. Come 35 weeks I still hadn’t received a date so I called up and was told the date. However, eventually finding out made it all suddenly become so real. The twin pregnancy was a massive shock when we found out back in November and although I’ve had these last 5 months or so to process it and think about how life will be with 4 kids and how we’d manage with twins etc, it’s still felt a little surreal and I guess I’ve not had to face the challenge head on yet. But now we have a date when everything will change feels quite overwhelming.

I finished work at 32.5 weeks which was timely as my brain was becoming so foggy. As with my previous pregnancies that gave me around 3 weeks before the twins are due to arrive to enjoy some time to get jobs done, have some me-time etc. Oh how wrong I was! The start of my maternity leave coincided with the school Easter holidays and although my parents had arrived to stay nearby as the holidays began (the start of their 3 month stay to help us out), they both came down with covid within a few days of their arrival. As such there were many a home day trying to entertain the boys as I couldn’t take them out due to my limited walking capability. Even with help available now, I find it so hard to sit down and rest, there are always things that need doing, the boys always want something, I really struggle to ask for help because I don’t want to put other people out or burden them and often it’s just easier if I do things myself. I’m trying though to rest and ask for help more even though it doesn’t come easy. I know I’m going to have to get over the reluctance to ask for help once the twins have arrived because I won’t be able to do everything after the c-section.

The other difference between my singleton and twin maternity leave so far is that this time round although I finished work much earlier because I am so much bigger my ability to do things is hugely inhibited. I’m pretty sure I was down on my hands and knees cleaning and sorting previously. Now it’s a struggle just going up and down the stairs!

Even though life is already crazy with a 7 year old and a 4 year old, I have been trying to enjoy the relative calm of these last few weeks before the storm comes when we bring the twins home and life is even crazier. Amid everything else, we’ve been getting things prepared at home for the twins including rearranging our bedroom to make space for the crib and then cot that they’ll share, re-painting what will be the twin’s room and getting their carpet and the carpet on the landing and stairs replaced (which desperately needed doing) to make home feel a little more cosy given how much more time I’ll be spending at home. Obviously there’s also been lots of washing (more washing!!) to wash all the baby clothes and bedding.

The end of this pregnancy is nigh and this last week has been filled with appointments- midwife, scan, PCR test and pre-op and anxiety is huge right now. A c-section will be completely different to the births I had for my singleton boys and knowing how hard the first few days/ weeks have been previously with feeding etc I’m not exactly looking forward to it. I am super excited about meeting the twins though, I feel they already have their different characteristics from their movements in the womb and I’m really curious to see what they’ll look like and if they’re identical or not. I certainly never expected to have a blonde haired blue eyed son with our second, especially as I have such dark features, so I really don’t know what to expect this time.

I look forward to sharing the birth story and next chapter of our twin journey with you in the next blog.

check out Kate’s previous blogs here.