At 22 weeks pregnant with twins I was getting more used to the idea of having twins and also feeling more secure that both twins would survive.
However, at my biweekly ultrasound for my high risk MoDi twin pregnancy I learned that the babies have a couple more health issues and we get an update on their kidney issue.
22 Weeks Pregnant with Twins – Development
By 22 weeks pregnant with twins you’re firmly within the 6th month of pregnancy and your little twins are becoming more coordinated in there! Their grasps are also becoming stronger and hearing is improving.
Results of the Twins’ 2nd Echocardiogram
The second echocardiogram for the twins was on Friday, June 15th, my husband’s birthday. We found out that Baby A’s heart looks great but Baby B has an issue with his heart. He has a mild leaking of the pulmonary valve, the valve leading into the lungs, which can indicate a mild pulmonary valve abnormality.
The prognosis if it stays mild, isn’t anything too troubling but if it becomes worse than there could be surgery and other issues down the road. The technical wording for Baby B so far is, “Mild pulmonary valve insufficiency, no pulmonary valve stenosis. Possible pulmonary valve abnormality.”
The twins will need to have another echocardiogram when I’m 30 weeks, my appointment is on August 9th Minneapolis, to see how the condition is progressing. If it has gone from mild to moderate or severe then I’ll have to deliver in Minneapolis when it comes time instead of the smaller hospital I delivered my first at. Baby B would also have lifelong heart issues.
If the condition is still mild then I could deliver at the smaller hospital when it comes time but Baby B would need to be seen by a pediatric cardiologist soon after birth and often thereafter to monitor his condition.
Though it could be worse, this is difficult news for us. There are many conditions they cannot rule out with the fetal echocardiogram but some big ones are ruled out at least.
All identical twins are at an increased risk for cardiac abnormalities when compared to the general population. That’s why they’ve been having echocardiograms to begin with.
Kidney Update
Both babies had a kidney issue 4 weeks ago when I went in for their monthly growth scan and first echocardiogram. Baby A’s issue has resolved itself and Baby B has improved somewhat but still has a slight issue (was 4.9mm but now is 4.4mm). They’re assuming that by the time I make it to 32 weeks it should resolve completely but we’ll see. So that was good news to hear at least.
Gestational Carpal Tunnel
I’ve been having weird tingling in my right hand that feels like my hand is asleep a lot or waking up from being asleep. It’s not all that painful so far but is frustrating and uncomfortable. Turns out I have gestational carpal tunnel. Hopefully it’ll go away after the boys are born but we’ll see.
Pressure
I’ve been having increased pelvic pressure over the past week or so which ended up with one night where I couldn’t sleep because I thought my water was going to break. Luckily it didn’t break and I had an ultrasound scheduled for the next morning.
At the ultrasound there were no indications of going into labor but both babies were head down which makes sense why I’m feeling more pressure. The good thing is I’m a little more balanced now with one baby on each side for the time being. I’m quite the waddler though…I feel like a penguin!
Here is a picture comparing my singleton pregnancy with my first child and my twin pregnancy, in terms of my size at 22 weeks along.
Growth Discordance
Last Friday I also learned that Baby A is 1 lb 3 oz whereas Baby B is 1 lb 6 oz. Neat that they’re over a pound each now! Their weight discordance, or difference between the two weights, is 12%. A month ago it was just 10%. If the discordance hits 20% then there may be an issue and further steps will be taken but I’m not sure what that would be at this point.
Repeat C-Section
I had an emergency c-section with my first child, 2 years ago when he was 8 days overdue and after 27 hours of induced labor that didn’t progress. I had hoped that with the twins I’d have the opportunity to try a vaginal delivery (VBAC) but doesn’t sound like that’ll be the case. Since Baby B is bigger than Baby A they don’t recommend vaginal delivery because Baby B might get stuck and he will need to come out quick after Baby A to reduce complications.
While I’m disappointed I won’t be able to try for a VBAC if I were to go into labor, at least I won’t go through trying to labor so long like I did with my first and then end up with a c-section anyway, which really made for a rough recovery. This way we can schedule the c-section at 37 weeks, around Sept. 22nd, and as long as the boys wait that long we can have a gentle, planned c-section which will be a lot less chaotic than the emergency one I had with my first.
Passed 3 Hour Gestational Diabetes Test
I forgot to post a couple weeks ago that I passed my 3 hour glucose test so I don’t have gestational diabetes for now at least! Yay! My doctor actually was surprised at how low my numbers were and jokingly asked me if I actually drank the sugary drink or not! ha! I’ll still have to go back between 26-28 weeks along to go through the 3 hour test again.
I’m very relieved that I passed. This pregnancy is already hard enough on me, I didn’t need more food restrictions than I already have. I’m already gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and also can’t have spinach, avocado, or shellfish.
I’m in so much more pain than I was when I was pregnant with my oldest. I was excited to be pregnant again because in the second trimester when I was pregnant with my first I felt so great. This pregnancy I don’t feel that way at all, sadly. It must be because there are two babies in there that just really drag me down and cause constant pain, a lot of numbness in my arms and hands along with tingling and a host of other pregnancy-related discomforts that I didn’t have until well into the third trimester when I was pregnant with my oldest, instead started just a few weeks into my second trimester. I still have to go to the chiropractor every other week in addition to all my other pregnancy-related appointments. At least my chiropractor is in town whereas all my other appointments are 15-40 minutes away.
Surviving Twin Pregnancy in Summer
Being pregnant in the summer, especially this summer when it’s so darn hot already, isn’t easy. I knew it wouldn’t be but here we are! Being pregnant with twins is even worse because I’m so much bigger! I still can’t believe that I’m measuring 10 weeks ahead of schedule for a single pregnancy since I have two babies in my tummy. So at 23 weeks currently I’m measuring at 33 weeks.
By the time I deliver at 37 weeks I’ll be measuring 47 weeks, at least, which obviously isn’t even a thing since pregnancies don’t last that long! Basically, I’m going to be massive by the end of the summer. I already get really swollen feet when I’m outside in the heat and humidity for more than a few minutes, I can’t imagine how much worse it’ll get in the next couple months!
Surviving the summer while being pregnant with twins means a lot of water, making sure I always have snacks with me, staying in the shade whenever I can, sitting whenever I can, and staying indoors with air conditioning when I can.
Preparations
We’ve purchased and my husband put together the bassinets for the twins and he’s also working on making a dresser changing table topper for the dresser in our room. We’ve been ordering some supplies we’ll need for their arrival as well as picking up some matching outfits here and there. We don’t want to have them match all the time, it’ll already be hard enough to tell them apart, but once in a while will be fun!! We aren’t getting two of everything but there are obviously some things that we’ll need two of so we’re getting as prepared as we can.
Until next time…
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Pregnant with Twins? You’ll want the Twin Pregnancy Journal!
When I was pregnant with twins I was using a regular pregnancy journal but there was no place to keep track of all the extra appointments, all the measurements, ultrasounds, etc. Years later, I decided to make the twin pregnancy journal I wish I would have had when I was pregnant!!
The twin pregnancy journal has over 100 pages you can use digitally on a tablet or iPad or print it out and put it in a binder to hold even more info. It includes a page for every week, ultrasound pages you can duplicate if you need more, places to keep track of Baby A and Baby B’s measurements, weights, etc. each week, birth plan pages, and even the hospital bag checklist I created from when I had my twins!
Here it is below, click the button or image below to learn more and purchase. It’s much less expensive than the pre-printed ones, that’s for sure! I know you’ve got enough expenses right now, though this took me a lot of time to put together, I’m ultimately here to help.
As a mom of identical twins and a son two years older, I have gained invaluable experience in the realm, and chaos, of parenting. With a Master's Degree and Education Specialist Degree in School Psychology, I spent years as a school psychologist, helping children navigate through their educational and emotional challenges. Now as a stay at home mom and professional blogger, I combine my areas of expertise to help you in your parenting journey.