It's time for the second installment of Twin Tips. If you
missed my first post, you can read it here. Today I'm writing about twin
pregnancy must-haves.
Pregnancy is a wild ride. Your body goes through a lot of
changes and discomforts like nausea, back pain, and strech marks just to name a
few. Most of the time, these discomforts are even more intense with twin moms
because twin pregnancies have higher hormone levels than regular pregnancies.
When I was pregnant with my twins, I was dizzy all the time,
my morning sickness was more like all-day sickness and I gained a lot of weight
really fast which contributed to back pain. Luckily, there are a lot of products
out there which can help make a twin pregnancy a little easier. So I'm sharing
with you the top 6 items I think no twin mom should be without.
I'm sure this list isn't exhaustive but it's a good place to
start and as always, please consult your doctor before trying anything.
Mints
Although my nausea made me miserable my whole pregnancy, I
was able to rely on mints to get me through the 15-minute car rides to the
hospital for my checkups. I would suggest keeping a stash of mints in your bag,
car and office desk at all times to get temporary relief from seemingly endless
nausea.
Pregnancy support belt
A twin pregnancy means carrying A LOT of extra weight. I
experienced back pain as early as my second
trimester but wearing a support belt helped distribute the weight of the babies
evenly over my abdomen and back and lessened my discomfort.
Stretch mark prevention cream
I already had stretch marks before getting pregnant because of my puberty growth spurt. Because of this, I was resigned to the fact that I
would have tons of stretch marks when I found out I was pregnant with twins. A
twin pregnancy means rapid growth which can really stretch your skin. I tried
Mustela Stretch Mark Prevention Cream because it came highly recommended by
some friends. It really helped in hydrating my skin and improving its
elasticity because I only developed a few stretch marks. As a bonus, it also
soothed my itchy skin. I'm sure results may vary from person to person so it
would be best to consult your doctor to see what cream would be best for you.
Oh and pray that you're one of the lucky ones who don't develop stretch marks
(hehe).
A great pair of adjustable maternity leggings
I shopped for maternity leggings a bit early because my
tummy grew big really fast. I loved wearing maternity leggings because they sat
up high above my belly and provided extra support. I think pregnant women are
really lucky nowadays because there are a lot of clothing options out there so
they don't have to settle for looking frumpy. I was even able to wear some
non-maternity tunics with my maternity leggings for quite some time. And
because they're adjustable, I was still able to wear them a few weeks after
giving birth.
Comfortable slip on shoes or sandals
Swollen feet are common during pregnancy which is why I
lived in my slip on sandals when I was pregnant. They provided extra wiggle
room for my swollen toes and were easy to put on and take off. No bending over
required which was great especially when my tummy got so huge.
Clear book / folder for records
When you're pregnant with twins, you have more screenings
and tests. During the course of my pregnancy (34 weeks), I had several
ultrasounds to monitor fetal growth, amniotic fluid and the twins' position in
my uterus. That's a whole lot of information and a whole lot of printouts.
Having a clear book helped me keep everything in one place and made it easy for
Joey, me and my doctor to find the information we needed during checkups. It
also helped a lot when I was suddenly admitted to the hospital at 34 weeks
because we needed quick access to my medical records.
I hope you liked part 2 of my Twin Tips series and learned something that can help you with your twin pregnancy.
I hope you liked part 2 of my Twin Tips series and learned something that can help you with your twin pregnancy.
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