Week 31 Twin Pregnancy Experience:
Last Week of Work
I liken the pain of a twin pregnancy at this point to that of a mild ankle sprain. You can’t walk normally, it makes you grimace when you stand up, but it’s not bad enough to fully prevent you from walking around (albeit a little oddly). In my week 31 twin pregnancy experience, I realize the pregnancy is ready to send me off of work.
Ergo, this is my last week of work before maternity leave. How wild is that! Part of me believes it’s selfish and lazy to go off this early. Yet the other half of me is so ready and so grateful to be off of my feet. Despite how uncomfortable my body is getting, and how important it’s getting to be off of my feet, switching mindsets into a different phase of life does make you feel vulnerable in your career.
Having worked so hard to get where I am, I don’t want to come back having been pushed backwards. Yet I also can’t wait to move into a maternal mode for this year. What a dichotomy of feelings. Have you felt torn like this too, or is it just me?
.
So what’s up during this time of mat leave? So much! I’ve scheduled the first week to the max, checking things off of the massive to-do list in time for the babies to arrive. They could come at any moment, so I’m eager to get the preparations in order for this intense period of life to come. I’ve also started engaging in personal passions again, such as revamping my blog into more of a business-focused platform, and sending out query letters for a novel I wrote a couple years back.
Physically, I’m definitely feeling the effects of the pregnancy now. Aside from the back aches, hip aches, leg cramps, etc., the most frustrating part actually seems like the smallest: the constant stinging, itching and numbness of my belly. Every few days I see new, raw, red streaks spread across my abdomen. Pregnancy is literally destroying a part of my body and there’s nothing I can do about it. I just keep telling myself – it is worth it. I feel the babies getting stronger and pushing against me, and it tells me that each pain, each new uncomfortable part of my body is actually a good thing. The bigger I get, the healthier they will be. And that makes it absolutely, entirely worth it.
Looking forward to the post-pregnancy phase, everything I read tells me how hard and wild the first few months with twins will be. I wish there was more I could do now to make things easier then. Should I be reading more books? Preparing sleep & eating schedules? I have a good to-do list ready in terms of preparing frozen meals, sterilizing everything, researching night nanny options, putting up blackout blinds, etc. And I have the shopping list ready to go, with our Ultimate Minimalist Twin Baby Registry Checklist (I turned it into a free PDF download so you know exactly what you’ll need!).
But still…I want to try to make future Danielle’s life easier. Recovering from childbirth is hard enough with one child. Doing it with two babies, likely premature, with a two-year-old in tow? Insert terrified emoji here.
.
Symptoms: Purple stretch marks spreading across belly. Hip pain, back pain, leg cramps. Insomnia, waking to pee every two hours overnight.
Babies are each the size of: Coconuts!
Belly size in singleton weeks: 40. We have made it there, ladies and gentlemen. I am officially as big as those women who carry to term. Only…7 more weeks to go! For anyone who has carried a baby to term, can you imagine going another seven weeks?!
.
READ NEXT:
Last Week: Week 30 Twin Pregnancy Experience
Next Week: Week 32 Twin Pregnancy Experience
Tips: The Ultimate Minimalist Twin Baby Registry (free download)
Follow along on social @TwinWinning
.
