Out of the First Trimester

We’ve just completed week 13, and we are completely out of the first trimester! ***General celebration!*** While there are still risks, we have fortuitously navigated through the dangerous waters of the first trimester and avoided the extra perils caused by age and having identical twins. Our two little babes have come a long way. Here is a recap of some of their basic information:

Thurs., Jan. 21: 7 weeks

• Twin A: 9.4 mm, 6 weeks 6 days old
• Twin B: 9.9 mm, 7 weeks old

Our little California raisins.

Thurs.,Feb. 4: 8 weeks 6 days

• Twin A: 22.1 mm, 8 weeks 6 days old
• Twin B: 23.2 mm, 9 weeks old

To give you a little perspective, our two little ones were each about the size of a grape.

Fri., Feb. 26: 12 weeks 1 day

• Twin A: 75.2 mm, 13 weeks 4 days old
• Twin B: 75.0 mm, 13 weeks 4 days old

The Amazing Duo are as long as a peach but not as round!

Let’s see how much they’ve grown:

The Amazing Duo at 7, 9 and 12 weeks.

As you can see, the Amazing Duo more than doubled in size between weeks 7 and 9, and they tripled in size between weeks 9 and 12. By week 12, they also looked a lot more like tiny little babies (though still with fairly large heads in relation to their bodies). It’s also extremely important that their sizes stay close to the same early in their growth, so they’ve done a good job there too. I’ve added not stealing each other’s food and blood to the twins’ prenatal training. What all is on the list?

• Stay healthy.
• Share the space.
• Share the food and blood equally.
• When the time comes, heads down and faces forward.

Pregnancy Symptoms

As the pregnancy-symptoms shuffle comes to a close, I’m left with a few enduring symptoms, primarily fatigue (doubled by my allergies at the moment), indigestion and constipation. I fell asleep early in the evening last night only a few hours after a 2 1/2 hour nap because I just couldn’t keep my eyes open. As for the other two symptoms, I’ve found some remedies that work for me. Much earlier in the pregnancy, I started drinking a daily cup of prune juice (you can buy brands that call themselves plum juice if you find the name unappealing) which has helped keep me running smoothly. As for the indigestion and heartburn, antacids do help, but I’ve recently started to chew a little candied ginger instead. The ginger seems to be more effective in relieving my heartburn quickly.

The Wait

Now the wait is on. We are waiting until we can feel those little ones moving inside regularly, until we know if they are 2 little girls or 2 little boys. We are also watching as my belly continues to grow and my bellybutton gets bigger. At the moment my mammaries are determined to give the belly a run for its money, and they have maintained a small lead in their measurements. However, I’m not sure they have the endurance to keep that lead over the course of the race.