Competitive Siblings (how to prevent babies rolling over at night)

The girls are now 3 months old. They have been very good to their mummy, having slept all night since a months ago!!! I really cannot complain.
Then Gwen started rolling over a week ago. I think this is quite fast, considering Eddie only started rolling over at 6 months. It is a nightmare because when they roll onto their stomachs in the middle of the night, they get stuck and can't roll back. Of course they scream for your attention to help them roll back. What I used to do was put bolsters under his mattress, one on each side. This created a valley which he slept in and he couldn't roll over due to the slopes. With the twins, I substituted the bolsters with their supply of wet wipes.
This afternoon, Lillyth rolled over. Speaking of sibling competitiion!
My mozilla is sick therefore I can't upload photos for the time being.

When the Clock Ticks Past Midnight

That was the most fearsome part of post natal, in my opinion. How on earth am I going to manage 2 babies in the middle of the night, and what if they both wake up at different times?

Thank goodness, they have been wonderful. They wake up only once between 11pm and 6am, and they do wake up together. And yes, you can bottle feed at the same time. Illustration another time.

Sounds weird but yes, I've got 3!

This time around, I haven't got any gory pictures for this show and tell session. Even without any pictures to qualify for it, I did deliver my girls on the 9th April 2010, as promised. It was an uneventful day, I had more worries about Eddie than the impending birth of my twins.
Unsurprisingly, there were administration hiccups at the hospital. It was not too bad, I arrived at about 11am and was supposed to have my surgery a about 2pm. As the staff prepared me for my surgery, my ob-gyn was paged to attend another emergency delivery.
There I was, sitting on the metal cold surgery table. I couldn't lie down, as it was physically impossible. I did not realise how narrow surgery table was until then. The nurses in the operating theatre were very nice, and we were chit-chatting about what they were going to have for dinner. The anaesthetist turned up as he was oblivious to the news that surgery has been postponed. Good that he did, so I used the opportunity to tell him that I did not want my wrists bound during the surgery. Gasp, I know, that's another story for another day.
We waited for almost an hour before the doctor finally came. The anaesthetist stepped in for the job. I may not have had many spinal anaethesia for that compared to the first one I had 2 years ago, was not as pleasant. Even after the first pin-pricked injection, I could feel the liquid gushing into my spinal column. It was not painful, but rather an unpleasant sensation.
My ob-gyn proceeded to cut me up, which was still alright. However half way through the surgery, I had the oddest sensation in my legs. It feels exactly like the numbness before the pins and needles? You couldn't quite feel your leg but you do? Get what I mean. So here goes, I felt no pain but that sensation drove me nuts. So I got extremely agitated and kept telling the doctor how uncomfortable I was feeling and they must do something about it. I felt like getting up and reach out for my legs, but I could not do that as half my body was paralysed from the anaesthesia. You could imagine the feeling of helplessness. The only thing the anesthetist could do was to feed me for drugs to make me drowsy.
Thank goodness all went well, and I recovered with itch all over my body. Apparently that was the side effect from the drugs. Nurses and the services were crap. Insufficient communication between the nurses and the doctors, shortage of nurses. In the 3 days and 2 nights I was there, I was served 2 bowls of rice porridge (lukewarm), lots of milo and crackers. Crap.

An Appointment to Remember

Looks like we are all set for a date this Friday 9th April 2010.

I have not hit the panic button yet, as I still have a host of things to complete before then. What I worry the most is Eddie. He has spent the past 4 weeks, exclusively with me, which rendered him totally dependable on me alone. As Sig.Ot will not be here either, I definitely hope that my mom will be able to keep him happy and distracted for 3 days 2 nights. Oh heaven please make sure that the delivery go smoothly so I need not stay in the hospital for any longer period of time.

For those who haven't got anything better to do, just keep me entertained on Windows Messenger. I've told my family members to not bother with the 2 hrs round trip and just spend whatever little spare time they have with Eddie. It would be nice if you folks could just keep me company online.

The Adjective of Huge

My patience is running so thin you could practically see it through my gynomous belly.

I forgive those who do not know that I am carrying double, but for those who do and to then break into exclamation, "You are SO DARN HUGE!!!" is utterly 'duh.'

What else do you expect? I have got 2 human lives within me, double placentas, double water bags, and whatever else essential that I may have missed out.

And I am in alot of pain and discomfort.

F***ING Door Latch!!!!

It bloody hurts to scrape my belly against the metal door latch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big Yikes!!!

I've been so consumed with the everyday going-ons that it only just hit me that I'm supposed to have the babies next week! I am flying home with Eddie in 3 days time. "Oh gosh," as Eddie would say.

On the upside, I don't have time to fret over things I have no control over. My time is very stretched and divided between all my loved ones, plus the stupid car which keeps going back into the garage. Bleah, which reminds me I need to get the windows tinted by Wednesday!!! Bake and freeze an Oreo cheesecake. Oh, and order tiffin dinner for a week! Aiks, pay car road tax... oh gosh... I need to make a proper list of things to do.

The only thing I've bought for the babies is ONE set of clothes. hehehe... One will have the top and the other one the bottom I suppose. Yesterday Sig.Ot bought 5 bags of diapers!!! Looks like we are all set for the poop.

I am not very sure how I feel, a mixture of everything of course; fear, worry, panic. Like I have said before I am not a very baby person, ironic yes, so it will take some time before I am overwhelmed with happiness and glee.

Hazards of a Protruding Belly

It is very easy to forget what your actual circumference is, around your middle, until you get a rude bloody painful reminder.

Real life accidents:-

1. Hot tray of 3.5 kg roast beef on the kitchen counter
2. Reaching up for the cabinet above stove while cooking a pot of soup
3. Rush of steam coming out of my superb giant size Tefal iron

35 Weeks

The latest check-up revealed that the smaller twin has finally made through the 2kg mark. Not that I have expected any less since I somehow knew that the smaller one is just genetically smaller and not because she nutrition competition etc, whereas her sister will soon breach 2.4kg mark. Not bad, I've actually got a total of 4.4kg worth of babies inside my belly!

I no longer look for the appearance of new stretch marks. I have accepted the fact that they are distinguished markers of the amazing feat I am to undergo (haha). Well that doesn't mean I will be going around flashing my belly to the general public. It is really huge.

As for overall general health, I am keeping fit by running the house and running after Eddie. However a word of advice for pregnant women with a case of Pubic Symphysis Diastasis, try not to sprint. I did exactly just that last Sunday when I was out with Eddie in Vivocity. He was running towards the escalator and with a lightning flash of maternal instinct, I dashed after him! Honestly, we women are truly superhuman. Despite the additional weight and architectural flaw of a pregnant belly, we can sprint if the occassion demands it.

Unfortunately what came after wasn't quite superhuman after all. I further destabilised my pelvis and I could not walk! Each step was excruciating. I actually had to hold my crotch (oh yeah very sexy) as I walked because the pain was unbearable. Tears fell with every step and I bet passerbys probably thought I was going into labor.

It has been over a week since and I have not been the same. I can no longer jog up the stairs and I waddle due to the pain in my pelvis. The little click of my pubic bones has turned into a crunch when I turned at night. Even Sig.Ot can hear it! I have to remember to stop swearing each time I am in pain. Eddie has repeated the "f" word after me, quite a number of times. Not a very impressive vocabulary development.

33 Weeks and going

I now officially measure 40 weeks, which is full term for the uninitiated. Yes I do look it and I definitely do feel it too!

In the past few weeks, some adjustments have been done to my bedroom to lend me whatever little comfort to make me sleep better. This you've got to see for yourself. Sig.Ot has moved our guest room bed which is a queen side bed into our bedroom. This is put right next to our Super King Size bed which measures 2m x 2m. We've now got LOTS of sleeping space in our room. Eddie loves it because he bounces from one end to another end as if he's in a bouncy castle.

I just think it's looks so funny and ridiculous to have 2 big beds in my bedroom! But I definitely sleep better because the guest room bed is firmer (being less slept in) and allows me to turn better without sinking into the bed. I now have 8 pillows in my bed to support my entire body! One cannot have too many pillows I assure you.

Also I went to see the doc today and the babies are growing very well. Twin 1 measures at 2.2kg and Twin 2 at 1.7kg. I suppose the difference is quite great but as long as they both continue growing at the same rate, Twin 2 probably is just genetically more petite than her sister. As long as Twin 2 hits over 2kg at time of birth, that would be good news. Also, it looks like I should not have any problem carrying until full term which is a good thing but if my stomach continues growing at the rate it is, I am definitely going to topple frontwards soon!!!

And shame on me, I haven't worked up the guts to break up with him....

What Got Me Fitter as I Got Bigger

Lugging a huge belly around while managing a hyperactive toddler on my own and on a 24-7 basis, was rather a daunting task. Well that was my CNY, and after weighing myself this morning, it was quite worthwhile!

I haven't put on any weight after a week long of CNY feasting at my folks, but the most astounding thing I realise is the fact that I am now much fitter! Isn't that surprising considering my belly is getting bigger and I was constantly in pain for the last few months?

For 1 week, I was managing Eddie on my own from the moment he woke up till he went to bed. The walk up and down from my 3rd floor room was initially a breath taking task but by the end of the 1 week, I sometimes unconsciously jogged up the stairs to fetch an item. Putting him in and out of the car was another struggle and initially this hurt my back. I did not have much of a choice as even running into the chemist for 1 minute to enquire after an item required me to take him with me! Therefore on average I was strapping him into and out of his seat at least 10 times a day.

Eddie wouldn't let anyone else carry him, taking him out of the bath or put on his shoes for him which left me no choice as I was the sole candidate for the job. Don't forget these are the things everyone including the doctor told me not to do.

I was of course knackered by the end of the day but I also noticed that I slept better. In fact one night I slept ALL night without waking up! I even managed to turn in bed without waking myself to achieve the Herculean feat. My lower back no longer ache as much and my pelvis seems much more stable, though I have to remember not to rest Eddie's weight on my left hip (this is still a problematic area).

No wonder our moms and grandmothers did not complain much in the past despite being pregnant, with no help whatsoever, having to do the manual washing up, cooking, farming, and tending to the other 8 children. It was most common to be working up to the moment they had their babies, and they are up again running around after having their babies!

All-Round Workout for 31 wks Pregnant Woman with Twins

• Squats from putting on and off Eddie's shoes
• Carrying Eddie to 3rd floor for all-round stamina improvement
• Putting struggling Eddie into car seat strengtens lower back, but please remember to bend your knees
• Having a 10kg mound strapped to your belly of course increases your endurance and overall fitness! haha...

Weirdest Sensation

Imagine feeling movement as far up as right under your boobies and a kick at your pelvis bone (which is very ticklish) simultaneously???

That sure was unexpected!

Big is Beautiful... in nude unless you can find the clothes

When I was pregnant with Eddie, I am very proud to mention that I did not buy any maternity clothes, and ESPECIALLY not maternity dresses. The only acceptable maternity clothing were work trousers and jeans.

It was just as well that 2 years ago, all the clothes that were in fashion then could be donned by very pregnant women. I did my shopping mainly at Mphosis (for black) and Forever 21.

This time round as much as I would love to own a bandage dress (only if I cut a hole for the paunch), the only dress I could possibly find to fit me is a baju kelawar. To make matters worse, my impossibly huge tummy cannot even fit into clothes that I wore when I was 8-9 months pregnant with Eddie. Did I mention that I am only 6 months pregnant tomorrow?

Pain Down Under

In any other situation, this is quite an alarming heading. No, no, we are not talking about STDs or anything like that. Remember, this is a pregnancy blog.

When I was first pregnant with Eddie, I had the same condition called Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD) which turned up only in the last month of my pregnancy. Perhaps this time round with twins and everything else in double doses, my pubic bone started clicking (bergesel) at 25 weeks.

In preparation for birth, your body has been releasing the relaxin hormones to relax the joints. In my case, my pelvis has become very unstable which resulted in the clicking. Why it only happens at night I have no idea. Apart from the clicking, I get pain in my pubic bone which wakes me up in the middle of the night.

I have no choice but to take it in my stride. But I still have got 3 more months to go!!! Sob sob...

Vital Stats

When you are past 20 weeks, each pre-natal visit is completed with a vital stats measurement.

I am 25 weeks now and yesterday ob-gyn whipped out a measuring tape to measure my mound. It is supposed to be from the top of your pubic bone to the top of your bump, and your measurement in cm should correspond with the number of weeks you are pregnant. Therefore if you are 25 weeks, you should measure 25 cm etc.

I hereby confirm that I am not imagining my gynomous belly. It is officially 5cm bigger than a pregnancy with singleton. Doctor reassured me that is normal.

Honeymoon Trimester Over in a Blip!

At least my Christmas holidays was very enjoyable. Up until 5 months, everyone I met told me that my belly is rather small for someone carrying twins. I should not have basked in the praises because lo and behold, in a mere 2 weeks, my belly button popped and I have a huge belly! I am only 6 months pregnant but I am as big as I was 8 months with Eddie.

Forget about vanity, but the discomfort of having to carry the load in front of me is taking its toll. Also, do not forget that growth acceleration happens in the final trimester! Now I wish that I am still working, apparently bed rest is usually ordered by doctor in the last trimester. After 28th week, the uterus becomes very strained.