It's here! Twin Sanity is finally here! ...with an excerpt
Happy New Year, everyone! I am not usually much for New Year's resolutions, but sometime last year I set out to finish Twin Sanity before the end of the year, and I am so excited to announce that it is now in print!
Your encouragement has been tremendously helpful in spurring me on, and I hope that you will start this New Year knowing that you made a difference. I appreciate you! And now it is my hope and prayer that this labor of love will be a help to others--a resource for staying sane, even when expecting and caring for twins.
There have been a few occasions over the years when friends have speculated over what I must have looked like when I was expecting two babies... It paints a mental picture, doesn't it? 5'0"...normally not weighing enough to donate blood...then becoming nearly as big around as I was tall... Well, as a special thank-you-for-your-support treat, here is a picture of what I looked like in the days before our sweet girls were born, along with an excerpt from Twin Sanity's chapter on Maternity Wear.
Happy New Year!
-Susanna
I almost can't believe I let Stephen take these pictures--but I'm glad he did.
Looking back, it's hard to believe my body really did that!
These were taken at 33 weeks, and the girls were born at 34. I can't imagine what it would have been like if I'd made it to 37 weeks (typical for twin pregnancies), let alone 40!
From Twin Sanity...
Maternity Wear
I was so excited about the prospect of maternity clothes! I couldn't wait to wear things that made me look really pregnant. Although at the same time, I was worried early in my pregnancy that if I wore anything that even remotely resembled maternity clothing—at a time when trapeze tops and empire waists were hot—that people would think I was jumping the gun. I could not wait to genuinely need to wear maternity clothes and have it be obvious to the world that I was, indeed, pregnant.
That was before I found out I was expecting twins. After I found out that twins were on the way, I was still excited about my belly starting to "pop;" I just didn't have much time left to anticipate it.
I’m definitely showing now! We took a two-week trip to see family and friends, and by the end of our trip, there was no doubt that I’m pregnant. My sister, Allison, said, “It’s like I can see you growing!” -July 4, 2007 (15 weeks)
Before I knew it, my regular pants no longer fit, and I was wondering just how big I was going to get. What size maternity clothes do you buy when you know you're just going to get bigger and bigger and bigger? Should I bother buying a new bra now? I mean, my regular ones were too small, but just how busty was I going to get? And then there were nursing bras to consider. So many questions...so little room in my pants...
I bought some clothes here and there, and managed to keep my tummy covered (mostly). Here's what I wish I had done:
First purchase
A "belly band" or "tummy sleeve." This miraculous device is a big stretchy band that fits over your regular pants so you can wear them unbuttoned/unzipped. They sell them at Motherhood Maternity and Target, among other places, and they are a God-send for making your regular pants/jeans/skirts wearable and comfortable for longer. I wore one with a lot of maternity pants, too, when the elastic in them was not placed in a way that actually held my pants on. I also liked it as another layer over my bulging belly button when I got really big. You've gotta get a couple of those. I only wish I'd had one sooner.
Maternity clothing sizes
Most people wear the same size in maternity clothes that they wear in regular clothes; someone who normally wears a "medium" will wear a "medium" in maternity garb. Don't buy too far in advance, though. As an expectant mom of twins, chances are pretty good that by your third trimester, you'll outgrow the first size of maternity clothing and move up a size (or two). Shop as you go.
I’m not sure what I weigh right now, but we measured my waistline last Friday and it was 1 ½ inches more than it had been two weeks before. So I’ve now grown about 10 inches around, and at this rate, I could grow 10 inches more. Wow. Even my maternity smalls are getting too small—thankfully I’ve had a few friends loan maternity clothes to me, so I think I can hold out a few more weeks before buying anything new. The weather’s getting ready to change, so I definitely don’t want to spend any money on more summer maternity clothes. The good news, of course, is that this means that the babies are growing. I read today that they each measure about 8 ½ inches crown-to-rump, or 12 inches head-to-heel. So I have 24 inches of baby in me! No wonder strangers think I’m due any day now—one lady in Staples said the other day, “Oh…are you getting anxious?!” I suppose I could just say yes, but I feel compelled to be truthful and say, “Well, I guess, but I have a ways to go. They’re twins and aren’t due until December.” - September 7, 2007 (24 weeks)
{Skipping ahead...}
While we’re on the topic of what’s going on with your changing body, I’ll address this question:
Will I ever get my body back?
Yes…pretty-much…eventually…
A friend who recently had twins made it all the way to 37 weeks. At the end, her doctor told her she was measuring comparably to what a woman would measure if she were pregnant with a singleton…at 47 weeks. The best sound bite I can give you on this one is that it took about nine months to get your body so out of shape, and it’ll take (at least) nine months to get it back.
My personal experience was that I shrank back down to my normal size pretty quickly—taking care of and nursing two babies (burning 500 calories per baby per day)—can do that to you. Within weeks I was back in my pre-pregnancy jeans, so you could say that I was back to my normal size, but I would not say I was back to my normal shape. Things shift when you’re pregnant, and it takes a while for them to go back. I could wear most of my pants, but my tops looked bizarre—my tummy wasn’t flat(ish) again for some time, and my bust continued to be much bigger than usual for as long as I nursed. (Okay, that part wasn’t so bad.)
I found myself very frustrated a couple of months after the girls were born when I went shopping for something new to wear to a semi-formal party for my husband’s squadron, and the things I pulled off the racks that normally would have looked cute on me all looked completely awful—I was just a different shape than I’d ever been before. (I did eventually find something to wear—in a style that I wouldn’t have considered before and haven’t worn since.)
Mothers of multiples are just as susceptible—maybe more so—to the stretch marks, varicose veins, and/or lasting belly button imperfections that many mothers experience. You may sail through without any of these, or, like me, you may consider having that umbilical hernia fixed someday. In the meantime, try to consider them battle scars of the unique, awesome experience you’ve had. I’d take my girls over the ability to wear a bikini any day. (Although it would be cool to be that woman who has twins and can wear a bikini…maybe someday…)
Probably the best advice I can give is as follows:
1. During pregnancy, eat right and engage in regular, low-impact exercise—according to the advice of your obstetrician.
2. Continue to eat right after your babies are born. If you’re nursing, this is extra important—if you subsist on a diet of chips and soft drinks, you won’t be passing along the best nutrition to your babies. Eating well will benefit all of you.
3. You will naturally get a lot of exercise in the business of caring for two babies. Don’t drive yourself crazy trying to get to the gym. Leisurely walks through your neighborhood will be good outings for your babies, will get some fresh air for all of you, and will get you some time out of the house. But if it’s good for your mental health to go to the gym while Dad watches the kiddos, do it for the sake of “Mommy Time”—not in the quest for physical perfection.
4. Be patient. Go easy on yourself. Appreciate the miracle that has just happened through your body—something far more impressive and important than outer appearance.
