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| There I am, pregnant with twins. 31 weeks + 5 days. |
I was listening to a show on Premier Christian Radio the other day and the presenter and her guest were chatting about being pregnant and the different challenges and joys we face in each trimester. I found myself nodding along and enjoying the walk back down memory lane. I don’t expect I’ll be walking that journey again but I have to feel privileged to have done it twice already. I think I have finally come to terms with my experiences not being the rose tinted dreams that I had hoped for.
Here, I'll walk you back through my pregnancies and what I recall -
First Trimester
My overwhelming memory is one of the elation I felt at being pregnant. I had early bleeding with both pregnancies so there was a bit of apprehension too but early scans put those fears to bed and of course in my second pregnancy revealed the joy that I would have twins.
I have to laugh when I look back at my pregnancies and just how tired I felt. I recall the first time I felt pregnant, the day of my first positive test, I actually fell asleep at my desk briefly and that was the kick up the bum I needed to go and buy a test kit! From that big fat positive result I was unstoppable and a woman on a mission, to provide the best in life for her baby.
Shopping was a big part of both of my pregnancies, but especially for my first. I can recall starting to buy small toys, neutral clothes and baby supplies even during this first trimester. I had so many books and magazines, guiding me week by week as to what to expect and advising me how my baby was progressing.
I suffered the ‘ill-named’ morning sickness and felt pretty queasy at most times of the day, thankfully by about 14 weeks this was leaving me and I started to feel a lot better.
Second Trimester
The blooming stage; this was my favourite part of being pregnant, I started to look pregnant rather than just fat and of course you start to feel all the flutters and movements too. Not to mention getting to hear your babies heartbeat (s) on a regular basis too. And as for bigger boobs, yay! Something I have always wanted and sadly no longer have.
I think this is when pregnancy became real for my husband as well. It can be so hard for men to engage with the pregnancy, as obviously they are not actually feeling all of the hormones or changes, just seeing them from the outside.
In general I just felt on a high during this part of pregnancy and really enjoyed it. I found BabyCentre and started to chat to other mums expecting their babies at the same time as me, this was the start of some friendships I still have now, 9 years later. Becoming a Mum is a very unifying process. You start to share so much more than you ever did before, your dignity and privacy disappears out of the window!
Third Trimester
This is when pregnancy started to take a toll on my body, especially during my twin pregnancy. I had put on a lot of weight and was suffering with bad oedema in my legs and feet, making movement hard. Thankfully my hubbie became a dab hand at foot massage.
Heartburn was another thing I suffered with and I would walk around with a large bottle of Gaviscon in my bag and swig from the bottle, I just needed a brown paper bag to complete the look! Lactulose became my friend as well, as my body seemed to bung up and not want to do what nature intended!
With the twins I was in hospital from 34 weeks pregnant with pre-eclampsia so it was very lucky I had got organised and sorted out the practicalities. I do adore shopping and checked out so many shops but in the end I went with the advice from my friend D to visit Argos for nursery furniture. JJ had a gorgeous set of Winnie the Pooh nursery accompaniments from there and the girls had girlie pink.
Another big buy for us during this trimester for both pregnancies was the buggy/pram and I went through just two with JJ but six with the girls. Six, how crazy is that? A mix of double and singles as sometimes it was far easier with one baby in a pushchair and the other in a sling. We hit lucky at one point though as another friend, S had bought her Quinny at Argos and passed it on to us, so appreciated when you have loads to buy for twins.
I enjoyed the birthing and breastfeeding classes that were a regular occurrence in my first pregnancy and I loved writing that first birth plan. The one where I would have a perfect vaginal birth in the water with soft music playing and dh by my side. Not quite what happened but still… I have my 3 perfect children and what more can I ask for than that?
Over to you, what is your favourite memory from your pregnancy?