21 Weeks pregnant with twins

21 weeks pregnant.  That means we’ll be having these babies in about 16 weeks.

Um, wait a minute…what?!?! Cue panic attack.

per whattoexpect.com

Baby’s Moving and Sleeping
How big is your baby? About the size of a large banana (seven inches in length and almost 11 ounces in weight). Your developing baby still has a great deal of room in your womb — though like anyone who lives in one space for a long time, this tenant will soon begin to feel cramped. Until those uterine walls start closing in, however, there’s plenty of space for twisting, turning and even an occasional somersault (so that’s what you were feeling last night!). With all that belly dancing going on, it’s hard to believe your baby gets any sleep at all. But believe it or not, your fetus sleeps as much as a newborn, perhaps 12 to 14 hours per day! (Now if only you could get some sleep!)

Baby’s Taste Buds Develop
Speaking of bananas, if you eat one this week, there’s a good chance your baby will get a taste, too. That’s because at 21 weeks pregnant, your baby swallows a bit of amniotic fluid each day — not only for nutrition and hydration, but also to practice swallowing and digesting, skills your baby will need as soon as he or she arrives in your arms. And keep this in mind: The taste of the amniotic fluid differs from day to day depending on what you’ve eaten (spicy enchilada one day, sweet carrots another). And that smorgasbord of tastes won’t be lost on your baby. That’s because your little one has very developed taste buds already. In fact, researchers have noted that babies who were exposed to certain tastes in utero via the amniotic fluid were more eager to eat foods with that same taste after birth. Want your baby to eat his or her broccoli later? Eat yours now!

The Bump – 21w5d

I don’t really look too pregnant from the front or from behind…yet.  But a subtle turn to the side and woof!  Big ole belly!  I squeezed into my Steelers jersey for the game but unfortunately, it was all for not.  Booooooo!

  

How I’m feeling

I started off the week a little tired from all of the holiday fun.  But I decided to take off the 2nd so I had another nice long weekend to rest and chill out.

I’m still basking in the bliss that is the 2nd trimester.  I have a decent amount of energy and overall I feel great!  I did a lot of resting over the last two weeks and my body is very grateful.  The aches and pains are pretty non-existent at this point.  I think the universe is sending me a huge message…now is the time to slow down and be a lazy slug!  Take the next 16 weeks and rest as much as possible.  I’m 100% ok with doing just that.

Heartburn is really my only complaint.  And really, how bad can it be if I always forget my Tums and never take anything but water for it?

Movement

OK, now I love it!  We’ve graduated from annoying little twitches to light thumps and jabs.  Thankfully they’re not hitting me anywhere important so I love the little reminders that they’re movin’ and shakin’.

I was watching a Jersey Shore rerun (yes I was…stop judging) and these two went nuts over club music.  We had a little Snooki and Pauly D fist pumping in my belly!   Jerry was less than thrilled at this visual.

I had my hands resting on my belly and actually felt a thump from the outside.  Hopefully there will be more of that so Jerry can feel them.

Sleep

Ugh, not good.  It’s a pretty even split between a solid nights sleep and getting up for a couple of hours around 12:30/1:00.  I’m not fighting the bad nights…I’m giving myself 15 minutes to fall back to sleep and if not, I just get up and watch some TV.  And have a snack :).

Food

Good grief, I’m HUNGRY!  Don’t care what it is, I just want to eat.  Insomnia hit one night and I had a bowl of cereal at 4:00 am.  I know the Bean’s main job right now is to pack on the pounds so I suppose I should do my part and feed my face.

Most days at work I eat lunch at my desk.  My biggest pet peeve pre-pregnancy was when someone would stop at my cube while I was eating and start shooting the breeze.  It’s so rude.  Give me 15 minutes to eat in peace!  The pregnant-me will stab you with a pencil if you dare to interrupt my noshing.  And, if you comment on what I’m eating…you will lose a limb.  I should make this PSA into a poster.

Likes:  Cereal, Mexican food, toast, yogurt, fruit slushies, any and all fruit, red meat

Dislikes:  still indifferent about most meat.

Mood

Mostly good.  It was so nice to spend some QT with Jerry over the last few days.  We had several date nights and lots of down time just doing nothing.

I had a minor meltdown on NYE when I couldn’t find anything nice to wear.  I had a non-maternity dress that looked pretty cute on me when I tried it on over the weekend.  How I ballooned so much in 4 days is beyond me.  But I looked like a huge, bloated hot mess.  I have bought zero maternity wear that isn’t business/casual and we had dinner reservations at a more upscale restaurant.  And it was New Years Eve!  Jerry kept telling me that I looked great and of course I looked a little big in the belly…I’m 5 1/2 months pregnant with twins!

But there were tears and a few temper tantrums and me screaming “I’m not going anywhere! I’m disgusting!”  After a long hug, I threw on something comfortable and just went with it.

Random Thoughts/Observations

*  I know a lot of women complain of Braxton Hicks contractions at this point.  I’m either not having them, or I have no idea what they are.  Dr. Google says that they feel like “regular contractions but without any pain”.  Well, as a first time mom…that is not helpful!!  I don’t know what contractions feel like.

*  I expected a lot of obnoxious comments/questions regarding the twin part of my pregnancy but it hasn’t been too bad.  The most common question is “Do twins run in your family?”.  Depending on how well I know the person, the answer has been “They do now!” or “We had a little help”.  No one has pressed for more info.  By far the strangest question I’ve received was “So just HOW big are you going to get?”.  Huh?  I don’t know…massive?

*  I’ve received lots of advice from Moms and Dads and most of it has been pretty helpful.  The one thing that I’m getting a little frustrated with, however, is breastfeeding advice from singleton Moms.  I honestly appreciate the insight but I just want to throw up my hands and say “That’s great but I’ll be feeding TWO babies…it’s going to be way different than your experience”.  Usually I just smile and try to change the subject.

*  I was 100% pro C Section and didn’t want to even consider the possibility of a vaginal birth.  I’m starting to come around to the possibility of a natural delivery provided I’m an exceptional candidate for it.  Ultimately it comes down to what is best for the babies so I’m relaxing my stance a bit.

Looking forward to an amazing 2015!