Guest blog - 32 weeks twin pregnancy

We’ve reached another milestone  at 32 weeks! At times, the pregnancy has felt like it’s taken forever to get past the 32 week mark. I have been quite anxious to get to this date after our consultant said that if our twins decide to arrive early, the survival rate is much higher after 32 weeks! I can’t believe we only have 5 weeks until our twins will be here!

We recently had a visit from our assigned health visitor who came to our house,  I was initially apprehensive as I wasn’t sure what to expect.  She actually made my doubts and worries feel completely normal at this stage and  explained what support she will offer once the twins are here.

I declined a baby shower as I just didn’t feel comfortable with the idea of celebrating before they were here safe and well. Instead, my best friend surprised me with a low key afternoon tea with a beautiful setting at the Norfolk Mead 🙂 and the twins were spoilt with loving gifts too. I couldn’t have got through the last few years without my best friends, I’m forever thankful for them.

We sat in the waiting room and my nerves kicked in! This was now our final scan before our planned delivery date!

We had our scan to check that the placentas and cords were still doing their jobs and to check the position of both babies.

The Sonographer was surprised at how the twins were laying. Somehow, they both had their heads touching and were kind of curled up laying on top of one another, there was very limited space for movement now (This explained the discomfort I was getting). The twins both measured a whopping weight at 4lb each. Our appointment with the consultant went well. We discussed the birth plan and that a C-Section was the safest delivery method as the twins’ heads were interlocked and Twin 1 was still in a breech position, with very little room for this to change. I was relieved that the decision between a vaginal birth or a C-Section was decided for me as both options came with heightened risks being a twin pregnancy.

Everyone keeps asking whether I’ve packed my hospital bag! Well.. I’ve made a start on my own bag and the twins’ bag. It still hasn’t sunken in that our twins could arrive earlier than our planned date ( in my mind, I believe I still have plenty of time). It’s been tricky to know how much to pack for two babies and whether to pack tiny baby clothes or newborn. I now know I’ll be in hospital for a minimum of 2 nights, so I have packed with this in mind. I just used the NHS guidance on what to pack for myself, along with friends’ recommendations too. Ear plugs and an extra-long phone charger lead are at the top of the list!

The husband spent his much-needed week off work painting the nursery and putting together the cots and our flat-packed IKEA drawers that we personalised with little wooden cloud drawer handles. The nursery is finally coming together and it’s just perfect.

We have also come to the realisation that our hatchback car is too small for our soon-to-be family of six (including our two beloved dogs) so we have begun the search for a larger vehicle. We took our cumbersome pram and our car seats with us to check out the size of different SUV car boots. I didn’t realise this would become a mammoth task! We finally settled on a Toyota RAV4 as we felt the boot was a good size for both our pram and some room left for the shopping!

Our two dogs are totally oblivious to the huge life changes that are about to happen. We have begun to move our whole living room around to make some room for our changing table and travel cot. We have also added stair gates to ensure the dogs are not left unattended around the twins. So far, they’ve taken to the new living room layout well.

As I’m writing this, my twins are having a disco inside of me and it’s so clear that there is very little space left for them both. My bump has dropped somewhat and the weight is now affecting my aching lower limbs. I’ve been told the lack of sleep is preparing me for motherhood so I’m embracing it. I am so ready for our twins to arrive! I can’t wait to meet you both <3