First Trimester with Twins
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While Iām actually constructing all of these thoughts amid my second trimester, I guess it a good time to recap my first trimester of pregnancy with twins, as I can adequately look back at it and share with you! So much occurred and I have so much to mention. The first trimester feels lightyears away, maybe because I was so sick for most of it and am feeling much better now; but, as I sit here, er I mean LAY here at 19+ weeks, I know it was just yesterday. Whether youāre reading this for fun or genuinely interested in what my life has been like the past several months, know that bodies are different! There isnāt a right or wrong way to experience a first trimester. I experienced 7 weeks of a first trimester last year (I had a miscarriage), but I can say that the two 1st trimesters Iāve experienced were vastly different. You could speculate that that is because one pregnancy wasnāt viable and the other was twins, so they are likely to be different; however, I just wanted to share that sentiment, so you donāt read this thinking something is wrong because you did or didnāt experience something I did. Always talk with your doctor / medical professional. I keep a running list of questions on my phone in the notes app and bring them up during appointments.
That being said, letās talk about my first trimester with twins! Before reading further, you might want to catch up and read this post where I first announced we were having twins.
Photos by Jillian Adrianne Photography
Hatch Eliza Dress (wearing a size 1, also available here, cheaper similar option here) | Oxford Casual Shirt | AE Black Skinny Jeans
Whether youāre new around here or just need a refresher, I quit taking hormonal birth control back in January of 2019. Iāve been tracking my period / cycle since then using FAM, so needless to say Iām pretty in-tune with my body. I first took a pregnancy test on February 13th (the earliest I could take it, ~ 4 weeks pregnant) and then took another one and told Nick on February 14th. Letās back up a little though! I actually had a hunch that I might be pregnant the weekend of February 6th. We were actually on a ski trip in Lake Arrowhead. At first I just thought it was the altitude, but I had some mild cramping that was reminiscent of the uterine latching from my first pregnancy. I didnāt have anymore wine or sit in the sauna for the rest of the weekend - thatās how sure I was! Save this tidbit for later, but I actually felt more cramping on February 8th. That should have been my first indicator of twins! I had acupuncture on February 9th and she mentioned to me (via my pulse) that she thought I might be pregnant, so it was kind of just a hurry up and wait deal until I could take the test.
WEEKS 1 - 6
As mentioned, I did get a positive test on February 13th and 14th, but it didnāt feel like before. During my previous first trimester I craved sweets and gummy candies. I was also thirsty and freezing all the time. Previously I felt like my skin was glowing, whereas this time I experienced more acne. This time I really didnāt have any cravings and was more warm than cold. I began spotting on February 15th, which was hard, as I spotted and bled up to my miscarriage. I would continue to see spotting here and there until my 9th~ish week of pregnancy. More on this later.
Around my 5th week (~February 22nd), I began getting nauseous here and there. NOTHING sounded good to eat. This was the calm before the storm, because once I hit the 6th week (~February 25th) I had full blown morning sickness. It was more like afternoon / all day sickness though! The first time I vomited, I didnāt make it to the bathroom. I threw up all over the floor, the wall, my Ugg slippers, and then finally in the toilet. The worst part is that vomiting didnāt make me feel betterā¦ I know some people experience nausea purgatory where they just feel bad and never throw up. Well, I threw up all the time and felt bad. The act of throwing up didnāt make me feel better like you would expect in the normal senses of vomiting. I literally had a bucket that I kept next to me at all times in case I couldnāt make it to the bathroom in the future. Riding in the car? Couldnāt do that without bringing a to-go throw up bag with me. Add in masks because of COVID? I pretty much didnāt leave my bed, much less my house for about a month and a half. I was never formally diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), but looking back I think thereās a good chance I had it. I mention going to the hospital below and there I was told I was dehydrated and low on potassium which are symptoms of HG.
MORNING SICKNESS
During this time and for most of my first trimester, no food sounded appetizing. We pretty much ordered food every day versus our usual strategy of preparing food from the grocery store, as we never knew what would sound semi-okay to me. Basically all I ate those weeks were chicken nuggets, grilled cheeses, and bean burritos. Iām pretty sure I can count on one hand the amount of vegetables I ate during this time too, as nothing green sounded even remotely good. I was on team āletās try and keep food down at whatever costā, which meant I was eating what my body said to. That being said, I didnāt ever really have cravingsā¦ I had aversions. No veggies, no chicken unless it was in a fried nugget form, and no lemon which was odd, because I LOVE lemons and hot lemon water. Thank goodness for eggs! They were and still are my safe food. Scrambled or hard boiled eggs, in addition to bananas and sourdough bread were the only things I could really keep down. The only food I truly missed was (and still is) fried eggs. I love a good, runny yolk! I didnāt miss wine or really anything else, because literally nothing sounded good and I felt sick most of the time. Forget trying a mocktail. I just wanted to be able to drink water and even that was hard for me, despite the fact that I was so thirsty. My mom suggested Hint water since it had a little fruit flavor and those were actually easier for me to drink than real water. I tried all the remedies. I bought these anti-nausea acupressure bands and I think they worked a little bit, but not enough for me to stop throwing up completely. I also bought these Preggie Pop Drops with B6 and would eat those after every meal. Not my favorite since they have corn syrup, but I was desperate. Note that the ones I purchased have vitamin B6 so there is a serving size. If you are already taking B6 or donāt want a limit, buy the regular ones. I know that ginger is a suggestion for nausea, but I enjoyed ginger / ginger tea pre-pregnancy. For some reason it didnāt really help, nor did it sound appetizing during this time. I should write a whole post on nausea, but something that gave me instant relief was acupuncture! I would have gotten it everyday if I could! I settled for once a week.
WEEKS 7 - 14
Letās pop back to weeksā¦ around 7 weeks (March 7th to be exact), I had my worst bought of morning sickness yet. I also had continual spotting the previous week, which turned into full on bleeding this day, accompanied by some of the worst abdominal pain Iāve ever felt. I 100% thought I was having another miscarriage and told Nick to take me to the ER. I wrote more in depth about this hospital visit here, but basically it turned out that I had a really bad UTI. This was when I found out that there were two babies! I was (alone) in the ER when I learned of the twins. The baby I thought didnāt have a heart beat anymore was actually two babies and they were in fact still alive. I had my first OBGYN visit (alone) 2 days later where I saw the babies again and learned that I had a subchorionic hemorrhage (SCH), which is what was causing my bleeding. While I was relieved there was a reason, it also induced a lot of miscarriage anxieties I already had around this pregnancy. I was put on pelvic rest and instructed to basically not do anything except occasionally walk. This is different from bed rest in the sense that I wasnāt confined to the bedā¦though I pretty much stayed there anyway since I felt so horrible. Around this time I also developed a yeast infection, likely because of the antibiotic they put me on for my UTI. I got on a probiotic and that helped heal it.
This appointment doesnāt really have anything to do with the babies, but around 8 weeks, I had my 6 month check-in with my gastroenterologist. Having an IBD (I have UC) can actually affect fertility and pregnancy, so it was good to see her around this time. She told me to buy a donut pillow and keep taking my meds, which are thankfully safe to take during pregnancy.
I had my next OBGYN appointment at 9 weeks and Nick got to join me this time ! It was at this appointment I learned I need to come with at least a partially full bladder, since I would be asked to pee in a cup each time from here on out. I came back at 10 weeks and did bloodwork for genders and genetic issues. I went into more depth here, but we did the Natera Panorama test. This is the only blood test that can tell the sex of multiple babies! This took 2 full weeks to come back, but we waited an additional week to read the results, which meant that we didnāt know the sexes until week 14ā¦ that being said, Iāll touch on that in my second trimester post and will have announced before then!
At the end of the 11th week / the beginning of my 12th week, I started taking Diclegis! I told my doctor I couldnāt stand it anymore and she prescribed me that. It is essentially just a mixture of Unisom and B6, so most insurance companies donāt deem it as necessary and donāt cover it. We use Good RX to buy it, as it is $300+ cheaper to do so. I donāt know why, but taking the two meds separately / over the counter just doesnāt work as well. It helps me a lot (Iām still on it) and am very thankful for it. I can drink water now without feeling sick!! I did stop taking my prenatal vitamins for the rest of the 1st trimester to try and help with the nausea as well.
My next appointment was with a specialist when I was 12 weeks, almost 13 weeks. My doctor has all her patients see a Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialist, but this was especially important for me due to my Ulcerative Colitis and the fact that I was pregnant with twins, which is in turn more high risk. The specialist appointment was for the NT scan. Iām not sure why I needed to both this scan and the genetic bloodwork, but I did. Both this test and my bloodwork came back very low risk. If it were to come back higher risk, we would have tested Nick too.
And just like that, I made it to 14 weeks! I always thought the first trimester ended at week 12, but it actually ends at 13. The second trimester officially begins at week 14!
My 1st Trimester Symptoms
Sore / crusty boobs
Lots of discharge
Morning Sickness (vomiting and nausea)
Fatigue
Heat Rash (at and around my boobs ~ it went away for the most part in the second trimester)
Gas
Headaches / Migraines
Hemorrhoids (worse than usual - this pillow did help)
Food Aversions
Things I stopped during the 1st Trimester
Eating fried / runny eggs :( (no alcohol or sushi either, etc)
Using salicylic acid (my doctor said I could if it was 1% or less, but everything I used was more than that. I stopped getting chemical peels, using peel pads, or anything like that)
Going to the chiropractor (just until 2nd trimester)
Getting massages (Nick got me one for Valentineās Day!! I had to wait until the 2nd trimester to get it)
Exercising (I wasnāt allowed to for the bulk of the first trimester due to my subchorionic hemorrhage, not that I felt like itā¦ the most I did on a regular basis was take Dino around the block in the afternoons)
CBD (per my doctor, I stopped taking any supplements and didnāt use it topically anymore either)
Painkillers (I donāt really make it a habit of taking these anyway / only take when I canāt take it anymore, but I made sure I didn't take Ibuprofen anymore. I have taken Acetaminophen a handful of times to keep fever down and pain relief when I was hospitalized)
Things I continued during the 1st Trimester
(with the approval of my doctor - be sure to talk to yours!)
UC Meds
Prenatal Vitamins (I was taking them before conceiving. I take this brand 2x a day as per my doctor)
Bioactive Progesterone (I started taking this before getting pregnant I think day 19 - day 2 of my period. I tested low for progesterone in January, which you test on day 19-23 of your period. I continued to take this through week 12 of pregnancy. I got this from a local more natural kind of pharmacy)
Topical Progesterone (I started applying this on my wrists last year - I used it on day 14 until day 2 of my period. I used this until I was 12 weeks)
L-5 MTHF (I was taking this previously and took one a day through week 12 - it is essentially folate. I used this brand)
Vitamin C Supplement (This was something I have been doing specifically through COVID. I take this brand)
Collagen (Iāve been taking this brand)
Magnesium Citrate (Iāve been taking 400mg a day for a while now - it helps keep me regular. I take this brand)
Ginger Turmeric Supplement (I wrote a review of the one I use here)
Ginger Digestion Elixir (This helps keep me regular and I think why I havenāt really experienced pregnancy constipation. Use code ELLEMULENOS for 5% off)
Things I purchased during the 1st Trimester
Belly Bands for over Jeans (didnāt really buy any maternity clothes - these you can wear over your jeans / shorts and leave them un-buttoned / un-zipped, you just canāt tuck in shirts when you do this)
Diclegis (prescription required)
What To Do When Youāre Having Two by Natalie Diaz
When Youāre Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads by Barbara Luke, Tamera Eberlein, and Dr. Roger B. Newman
Hardest Things About the 1st Trimester for Me
COVID-19. Yep. I contracted Coronavirus while pregnant in the first trimester. I wasnāt really public about this and donāt plan on sharing too much, but I do know when and where I contracted it. And yes, we were wearing masks when it happened. I got it and gave it to Nick, so we were both down and out for a good 4 days before we started feeling better, though Iād say recovery was more like 7-8 days. I lost all sense of taste and smell and had a very stuffy nose, but that was pretty much the worst of it for me. I had fever one day and it only reached 99.5 F which is good, because the fever is the most high risk think for the babies. Nick wasnāt so lucky and had a high fever even with Tylenol (100-101.5 F) for 4 days before it finally broke. He had a lot of congestion and headaches, but his senses only dulled / did not go away completely. It about 4 weeks for mine to start coming back and even long to return to ānormalā. I donāt know if I lost weight during this time, but I certainly didnāt gain any. I have been very focused on gaining weight as of late, as this is even more important for twin moms and helps prevent pre-term labor.
Oh and yes, COVID has also made it hard for doctor appointments and such, as I have to go in alone to my MFM appointments.
Morning Sickness. You guys, I literally could not do anything! I would lay in bed all day long and try not to throw up.. Nick would bring me food. I would really only get up to use the restroom. Luckily I had the ability to lay down all the time and could eat every hour, which also helped lessen the nausea. I know not everyone can do that during work. That being said, I only make money when Iām working, so it was very hard for me, as I felt bad not bringing in as much. I posted maybe 3-4 times in March and in April, just because I was too sick to function. I couldnāt even do helpful things around the house much less read a book or watch tv, because EVERYTHING made me nauseated.
Relaxing. I kind of touched on this above, but I was very used to doing anything and everything for myself. I was posting on the blog 4x a week and instagram / stories daily, in addition to creating video content for YouTube and TikTok. Now Iām lucky if I get 1 post up a week on both! I have had to sit back and just not do it. This has been the biggest change for me and Iām still not really used to it. Even though it has been hard, Iāve actually adapted to it better than I thought I would. I know that when Iām taking it easy, it is better for my body and the babies and that is what matters most!
Anxiety. Iāll touch more on pregnancy after loss in a different post, but I donāt know if it ever felt real to me during the 1st trimester. I think I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. If it werenāt for the morning sickness, I donāt know if I would have known it was even remotely real. Perhaps it was a gift!
I think that is all for now! If there was one takeaway from my 1st trimester it was āomg I never want to see or taste another cracker again!!ā There were so many eventful things that happened during this {short] 14 week span, but see you again once I hit 28!!! Let me know if you have any questions regarding anything I didnāt cover. Always happy to be a sounding board or give you (non-medical) advice!!
P.S. We took these photos when I was 14 weeks and 2 days, so technically out of the first trimester, but wanted to include them in this post, as they are so beautiful. Jillian Adrianne Photography did such a great job!! We took them at Matador Beach in Malibu and did them the same time we shot these. We definitely need to print some out!
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