If you could describe the third trimester of a twin pregnancy to somebody who doesn't get it - what would you say?

painful, boring, exhausting, scary

i had ds2 kicking me in a nerve which had me spending time in hospital (painful), i also got stuck on bed rest AGAIN so that was very boring, i also had trouble breathing from the pressure on my lungs so spent time in hospital for that aswell (scary). and i had obstetric cholestasis and had to be monitored every 2 days in hospital to make sure the twins were coping (scary, exhausting).

i think the fact that the birth was getting closer scared the crap out of me, i was going to be a mother of twins, how the hell will i cope when i bring them home, can i get them to 37wks, what will happen if i dont, will they be ok.

obviously it all turned out ok, but at the time, going through it it was the scariest thing ive ever been through.

Remind me not to read this thread again for oh, 5 months?

I am in the third trimester for my second set of twins and I would have to say it is the people staring at my stomach that is the most off putting! As well as people telling me I look lovely or glowing or that my stomach is beautiful!!! It isn't - it is bordering on the obscene - the little babies inside are whats gorgeous!!!

Oh and not having anything to wear!!!

Still - it is nice that the end is in sight.

Sorry Muggins - I didn't think of you guys who aren't here yet! I didn't ask for just negative things though so hopefully people will post good things too.


Two-one-two - congratulations on your second set of twins. I know what you mean about staring people! I am heading for a couple of 8 pounders here (currently 35+ 3) so there's nothing petite about my baby gutz and I get lots of stares.

Hideously uncomfortable! I was so swollen and therefore couldn't wear shoes (Birkenstocks in Melbourne in late autumn isn't ideal) and it became painful to walk. I was exhausted after walking for just 10 minutes and struggled to get anything productive done.

The best part? Knowing it isn't long until you meet your little ones. Each day was a new milestone and one day closer to meeting our new family members.

My OB describes the third trimester as a test of endurance - there really isn't anything pleasant about it but you know that by enduring the discomfort you are doing the absolute best thing for your babies. Every day they stay inside is better and better for them. I had to remind myself of this daily!

oh well if you want some happy things aswell, i was also excited, to finally see what they looked like, would they have hair lol, and god i loved my bump, yes it was huge but i find a big belly the most beautiful thing about pregnancy.

Well I would tell people not to let their mouths drop when I say I am not due for another 3 mths after your friendly query about when I was due.

No word of a lie I was 26/27 weeks along with my twins and already the size of a term single pregnancy. I went to a trivia night with a friend as I knew it would prob be my last outing for a while and some lady came up to me and was saying oh you are game, going out at this late stage. To which I say why I am not due until November (this was in August) well her mouth dropped and she didn't know where to look so i played a bit more and said I didn't really thing I was that big...... Paused for effect...then said considering it is twins..

I didn't really get a third trimester I got to 28 weeks then was on bed rest until 31 weeks when i delivered. I guess for me what stood out was the amount of space I took up and how off balance I got so easliy. I lost count of how many things I bumped into forgetting just how big my bump was, (especially my Dr's carpark. In the end I had to be let out of the car (a patrol) before parking as the 2 of us wouldn't fit together lol)

I was incredibly aware of bums and limbs under my ribs and feeling like a circus act trying to find a comfy postion that didn't end up with a limb under my ribs lol.

But for all that I wish I got the extra 6 weeks to 37 weeks which was our goal.

I know for me everyday past my first hosp stay was a bonus and as I got into the 30+ weeks every day was one more better and I knew survival stats etc were increasing should I have to deliver early (heaps better than my scare at 28 weeks)

To a singleton mum I would say remember how you felt at about 36-40 weeks and then imagine that feling for another 10-12 weeks........ Then you may have half the idea lol.

LOL mez, that was one of my favourite parts of the third trimester too - freaking people out . Lots of shop assistants declaring me brave to be out so late and politely requesting I don't have a baby in their shop and me saying "Oh it's OK, 12 weeks to go", watching their eyes pop and then walking out of the shop.

Exhausting, definitely. Although I impressed myself and everyone else by getting through a long pub lunch with all my friends at 34 + 6, so with the right motivation I could obviously manage!

The bottom of my belly was always cold because I had no tops that would cover it . DH had to roll me over in bed because I couldn't, and I even got wedged in a doorway once! Worst thing for me though was the reflux . Maybe "beached whale" is the best description? LOL

And I only got to 35 + 1, I can't imagine how you girls who got to 38+ weeks did it.

oh i remember doing that aswell lol and i HAD to sit in the front seat so i could lean the chair back further.

another one who would giggle when ppl would have to pick their jaws up off the ground
scary - that 34w mark was my goal and even though we moved house during my last tri it was still scary and i felt as though i was holding my breath til i got there - then i passed it and had to be induced

one thing i am glad i did was take pics every week - i look at them and can't believe how big i actually was - at the time i didn't feel big iykwim - sure me and my feet had lost contact, i had trouble doing the dishes/leaning into the washing machine and getting into the shower was fun (though i did have a bath in my 36th week - i took the phone in there and called DH from the bath and said if i ring back i'm stuck and to send the search party ).

it can be exhausting (i have long pre-labour which sees contractions every night for 6+weeks at the end of pregnancy) but you learn to maximise the downtime you do have.

having the seat back as far as i could and still rubbing the steering wheel on the belly

but the best part - you know that the last tri means the finish line and you get to met these two (or more) little ppl that have been having dance parties and boxing matches in utero for the past upteen weeks

For me, there was an overwhelming sense of relief that I'd made it so far and that my babies were going to be "safe" (very complicated pregnancy with TTTS and multiple threatened pre-term labours starting at 23 weeks). There was also an overwhelming sense of uncomfortable-ness and pain - I had one twin bouncing his head on my cervix while the other used to lie sideways up the top with his bum under my ribs on one side and his head sticking into my ribs on the other. I found many of their movements at that stage painful because there was so little room left for them to move in. The pain in my hips and pelvis was different to the SPD I had in my first pregnancy, but still painful. The reflux was constant and awful.

But at the same time, it was amazing knowing I'd got these two babies far beyond any of the doctors predictions (they told me I wouldn't make 24 weeks and I made 36!) and that every single hour I had them inside me, they were getting stronger and bigger and healthier. And that the day I got to meet them was coming so quickly (yet so slowly at the same time) and it would all be real. And a lot of fear - we were expecting them to be born with a lot of problems, some which would be apparent at birth and others that we would discover as they got older. (So far, we've avoided everything we were worried about and instead have an even longer list of medical problems that may or may not be related to the complications and interventions experienced during the pregnancy.) That said, I didn't have a typical twin pregnancy at all, so my emotions etc were probably different to what you'd experience if you hadn't nearly lost your babies multiple times.

Terrifying, exciting, exhausting and bloody long!! Mine's still very recent, and it was both the most difficult thing I've ever done, and the most fulfilling and thrilling. Sleepless nights coupled with a roll of toilet paper a day did my head in by the end (37+6) but it was small price to pay for the perfect healthy babies I deliered. I didn't for one moment believe I was going to get anywhere near the end, and the 10 weeks after I finished work were the longest of my life. Each day was one step closer to getting them out!! I was so sick of it, but didn't want it to end. Now I wish I han't wished it away and enjoyed it more, but I was so over it and I was miserable in the last week. But I wouldn't have swapped it for the world!!

Uncomfortable, scary, embarrasing.

25wk scan put me on complete bed rest for rest of pregnancy. Had to live with the in-laws so DH could keep working and I could be fed!

Uncomfortable, bordering on downright constantly painful.

Stressful - wondering whether you're going to go into preterm labour or not.

Interminable.

But it gives you a wonderful new appreciation for being able to roll over in bed, go all night without having to do a wee, bend over to pick things up, and reach the kitchen sink without having to stand sideways.

And this is what it looks like...

Now that's what I call "all belly!"

Gorgeous too.

In a single word? FAT

You THINK it's hard work and sleep depriving...and then the twins arrive

I prefer the terminology "Fat with babies".

My single word description would be SLOW. You can do nothing quickly in that third trimester. Soooooooooooooooooo slow and cumbersome.

This! I remember walking as slow as a snail everywhere I went.

Painful (one headbutting my cervix constantly and the other up under my ribs), exciting, anxious, nervous, proud of making it so far and the babies doing so well.

Yes, the slow bit I totally get! Slow brain, slow walk, slow everything. Can't even wee in a hurry any more.

I agree with the feelings of being pleased at getting this far. For those who had complications in particular it must have been a really difficult time. For those who had other little ones to look after I don't know how you managed!

I will describe 3 trimester in pictures. LOL. This is me at 36+2. I've given up wondering if my skin is going to stretch any further. I guess it will have to. They are 2.7kg each now and hopefully I can keep them inside for another 2 weeks or so. Just enjoying my last days of peace and quiet before my life changes forever.

Hmmm... non-existant.

and that is an excellent point Alison. Better to suffer through it than not go through it at all. Thanks for giving me something else to be thankful for today.

Nothing like you could ever imagine. Painful, exhausting, uncomfortable, huge, constantly going to the toilet....did i mention exhausting and huge?? lol

I remember seeing my belly coming around the corner before anything else,
I remember the kindness of strangers offering to help me load groceries in the car,or other kids lol,
I remember being stuck on bedrest with contractions every two minutes for 5 weeks that were juggled with meds to keep them mild enough so as not to dilate my cervix but still enough to be very annoying.
I remember making friends with a woman across the hall (that was also on bedrest) that i never spoke to face to face.We shared dvds , mags,laptops and gameboys
I remember seeing my beautiful babies together in the humidycrib for the first time together again ,bottoms tucked up and of course,
I remember that first twin cuddle

Far better than the 1st and 2nd trimesters.. No morning sickness so that was a huge bonus..

I was pretty tired/out of breath a lot. Finished work around 28 weeks and just concentrated on keeping those bubs in long enough. Got the house organised, read lots of books, lunched with girlfriends enjoyed weekends away (not too far from a hospital) with DH.

Found it a little nervy after 35 weeks as you read so many stories of twins coming early, every time I got a twinge I thought it was labour. In reality barely any of my friends went before 38 weeks. I had a c section at 38 +1.

Good luck to you!