Week 18 already! Since these twins will likely arrive around 36-38 weeks (if we are lucky), I am officially over half way done with this pregnancy. Hard to believe. Mitch and I are in Utah this week exploring the old stomping grounds where he used to live/work. It’s the last time he will come here for work since he is being transferred to a new territory, so he wanted me to see where he used to live and meet some of his coworkers. It’s actually been really fun and I have loved the mountain weather! We went to a farm last night and met so many animals, including a baby cow named Plum that’s basically become their pet. The cutest thing ever! Today we leave Roosevelt where Mitch works and head to Park City for the rest of the weekend. I love ski towns in the summer and cannot wait to actually get to hike and walk around outside after being stuck inside avoiding mosquitos in TX! We’ve planned a lot of getaways lately and it feels like a lot of travel, but I know we will look back when the babies are born and be happy we took advantage of our time left with just us two:)
As far as week 18 goes, it’s been relatively uneventful! I am definitely getting bigger, and it’s fun to see, but also weird! My jean shorts that used to fit really comfortably are now really snug and I just feel all around bigger. Getting really tired (and having zero appetite) around dinner time is still happening. I really wish I understood why I wake up so hungry and then my hunger slowly dissipates throughout the day. I could basically go without dinner and it’s really hard to eat! We’ve also been going to some dinners this week that require us to stay out later and it’s been tiring. I hate complaining about it, but it honestly feels like 2am to me when it’s 8pm. I always thought I would have this boost in energy that everyone talks about during the second trimester, but maybe that doesn’t apply to twin pregnancies, because I haven’t really had it. Although, I am energized in the morning, so at least I have that! I’ll be excited to get some energy back once the babies are born (or months and months after they’re born 😉
18 weeks
The twins: the size of sweet potatoes, about 5.6in long and weighing 6.7oz/each. Growing like weeds!
Craving: Dairy is still my best friend. And pastured eggs – I eat at least two each day. I went to the grocery store in Utah this week and went straight to the dairy aisle and bought whole milk greek yogurt, whole milk and cheese knowing this would be my best bet in getting in some protein. Animal protein is becoming easier to eat, but dairy is by far my favorite way to get protein, fat and calcium right now. The babies grow a lot of bone in the second trimester, so I am guessing my body is craving the calcium for a reason. Our bodies are so smart if we just listen to them! I’m still loving strawberries and have started to crave salads more this week which is nice. I am loving cold, refreshing foods, like cold salads, all the dairy, iced coffees etc. I follow someone on Instagram who is loving frozen grapes right now and I think I might need to jump on this bandwagon..
Aversions: Pizza 🙁 Not a true aversion, but it just doesn’t sound good! I was in Austin last weekend and we went out to pizza and it took a lot of effort to eat two pieces. Just not my cup of tea right now. This is beyond weird because before I got pregnant I would have told you pizza is my favorite food, hands down. I’m thankful I have aversions to some of the more carb-heavy things since that’s pretty much all I ate weeks 7-14, but it’s odd.
Wearing: My regular clothes still, but also sneaking in some new, bigger items. I wore my first maternity t-shirt yesterday and even though it doesn’t fit perfectly, it was pretty comfy. Maybe not super flattering…but comfy. That’s the problem with some maternity clothes, I think. The rouching just seems unflattering. Dresses are by far the most comfortable things I wear and I need to buy some more that I can just easily throw on. Also, I went on a hunt for maternity workout pants and spandex shorts since I wear them all the time and mine just feel really uncomfortable where they hit my belly. Target was a no-go, so I am still on the hunt! I think I need to look around the internet. Will keep you posted.
Sleeping: No complaints here! I wake up about once a night and that’s it. Sleeping on my left side is my goal, but sometimes I find that I’ve flipped on my back too. Studies show that sleeping on your back later on in the pregnancy can make it harder for blood to flow to the placenta, so it’s not recommended, but sometimes I have no idea I do it. Still don’t have any special pillows to help me sleep but that’s because I am pretty comfortable right now.
Names: Not much headway here. We don’t really talk about it too much, mainly because I still feel like we have so much time. After we find out for sure what the genders are on Tuesday, maybe that will motivate us to think about it some more. I think we for sure have one name, but the other (and middle names) not so much.
Bump: Growing larger!! I definitely feel a lot bigger these days, but sometimes it still looks like I just ate too much (not in this particular pic though!) My rib cage is getting wider, and definitely isn’t as narrow as it once was.
Week 16 vs 18
Exercise: Pretty non-existent this week so far but I know this weekend we will be really active in Park City. I can’t wait for hiking and walking around! I also want to incorporate pushups into my morning routine so help keep these arms somewhat strong. My goal is 30/day.
Baby Purchases: None this week! I am “perfecting” my amazon baby registry, and it’s really fun. It’s hard to know what I will actually need when they are here, but it’s fun guessing. All the baby stuff is so cute! I also found a Mamaroo swing on Craigslist that I think we are going to go look at on Sunday. It still has a tag on it and is much cheaper than the $2o0 it costs brand new. I’ve heard these swings are a must for twins because you can put one twin in the Mamaroo while dealing with the other.
Nursery: No real headway here, but I started looking at some dressers this week. We are going to use a dresser as our changing table, and I am looking for something white with three drawers. The IKEA dressers are tempting, but I don’t want to have to worry about the fact that they’ve been falling on kids and have killed 6, so I probably won’t go that route.
Supplements: Same as before! Still taking 2 grams fish oil (instead of my normal 1 gram) to help support brain health (mine and theirs).
What’s next: We have our high-risk Dr. apt on Tuesday where they do the in-depth anatomy scan on the twins. I’m excited to see them again and to confirm the genders! Two boys, or one of each!? I love the idea of either combo, so will be really happy either way.
Weight gain: I don’t know! We don’t have a scale in our hotel in Utah, so this will have to wait till next week. I’m sure I’ve gained another couple of pounds though. Like I keep mentioning, I want to gain around 20 lbs by 20 weeks, so we will see how close I get.
Stretch marks: None so far. I am still drinking collagen protein each day and I really think that will help. I might even up my dose once we get home to 4 scoops/day. This will help increase my protein intake and help with hair, skin and nails so it can’t hurt!
Any worries? Not really! I am obviously hopeful that the ultrasound goes well on Tuesday, and that both babies are healthy and thriving. Other than that, I am so thankful to be able to be in Utah this weekend exploring the outdoors and not stuck inside! It’s nice to not worry about Zika.
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