By 34 weeks pregnant with twins, the babies are well developed, including their lungs and all body systems are functioning. When I was 34 weeks into my twin pregnancy, things were continuing to become more uncomfortable for me but at least the babies are doing well.
34 Weeks Pregnant with Twins – Development
When you’re 34 weeks pregnant with twins, you’re likely incredibly uncomfortable and ready for the babies to come out! I know I was, especially due to the intense pelvic and back pain!!
At this point the main thing they need to continue to do is grow overall, build up fat, and have their brains grow. You’re almost there, mama!!
By 34 weeks of pregnancy you’ll be well versed in the frequent prenatal visits with your healthcare provider checking fetal movement, the amniotic fluid of the twins’ amniotic sacs, gestational age, undergoing nonstress tests, and checking for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS).
There is a higher risk for identical twins who share a placenta within the third trimester so you’ll likely be seeing your maternal-fetal medicine specialists weekly by now. If you’re pregnant with MoMo twins you’re likely on bed rest at this point and are checked frequently to ensure the babies don’t end up with an umbilical cord wrapped around any part of them or tangled in any way.
For fraternal twins, the risks aren’t quite as high but you’ll still see your provider quite often at this point.
Depending on your overall health, your babies’ health, and the type of twins you’re carrying, you likely will already be discussing vaginal birth vs cesarean section (C-section). If you will need a C-Section they’ll likely schedule this soon, especially if you are pregnant with MoDi twins as they shouldn’t be in the womb longer than 36 weeks and 6 days.
You may also start to experience Braxton-hicks contractions which are often difficult to distinguish from actual contractions and other labor signs.
Twin pregnancies are also at greater risk than a singleton pregnancy for gestational diabetes and high blood pressure so you’ll likely have frequent monitoring for these conditions as well. Be sure to have your hospital bag packed at this point as babies could come at anytime! Also have the car seats in your vehicle all ready to go for the big day! Ensure that the car seat model you choose is rated for babies starting at 4 pounds as you never know how small your babies will be.
When I was 34 Weeks Pregnant with Twins…
Ear Infection Returning
I had almost a week without ear pain but sadly I’m getting yet another ear infection. I happened to have a chiropractor appointment yesterday which was the day after I started feeling pain so that was convenient. Sadly though there wasn’t much we could do at this point. I’m doing the homeopathy remedy that I did last time but the extra probiotic I took last time they are out of and I can’t find it online either. Eek!
Though I’ve been trying to stay away from antibiotics I actually did a Vitruwell online visit last night to get antibiotic drops but they told me I’m not in enough pain yet to give me anything. I’m so scared to be in as much pain as I was last time. It was so horrible and I lost so much sleep. At least if it gets worse in the next couple days I can go back to Virtuwell and they’ll maybe prescribe something then.
I am appreciative that they are trying not to do antibiotics right away since they aren’t good to have while pregnant, she said even the drops were a class C drug during pregnancy, but I’m just so scared of being in so much pain again. I have a few things I can try using essential oils but I’m quite doubtful at this time that anything will help just based on last time. I’m guessing this keeps happening because apparently while pregnant I have more mucus in my head (lovely) and since I can only sleep on my right side that gets pushed up against my right ear all night. Or something like that.
Heartburn
Luckily up until now I haven’t had much heartburn. Even when I was pregnant with my oldest I had some during the first trimester but with the twins hasn’t been to bad. Unfortunately starting this past weekend I’ve had horrible, horrible heartburn whenever I eat, no matter what I eat. It isn’t just in the front either, it radiates to my upper back and causes so much pain.
My chiropractor recommended some digestive enzymes to take before I eat and some papaya enzymes to take with snacks or if the digestive enzymes aren’t cutting it. I just started that last night. Haven’t seen a huge change yet but I’m hopeful because it’s to the point I’m afraid to eat!
Last Weekend/Contractions
Last weekend I almost went to the hospital a couple times to get checked out to see if I was in labor. I’ve been having a lot of Braxton-hicks contractions lately and sometimes they are pretty regular. Also with the heartburn I wasn’t sure what it was at first so thought that might have been labor pains but now I know it’s just heartburn. Luckily I ended up fine and am not going into labor yet but it was pretty painful for a while and touch-and-go.
Appointment Today: Twin Babies are doing well
I had my weekly Biophysical Profile where they do an ultrasound and look at babies’ fluid levels, heart beats, and if they’re practice breathing. Both babies looked great though Baby A had to be woken up – haha! Sleepy little guy! I suppose the appointment was at 7:30am and he does tend to sleep in a bit because he wakes up throughout the night when I get up to go to the bathroom.
It was really cute to see them practice breathing again but again I feel bad they are so smushed in there! Babies are both in the same position as last week: Baby A on my right with his head up and feet down (breech) and Baby B on my left with his head way down in my pelvis and his feet up by his brother’s head.
They also did a nonstress test today where they measure the babies’ heart rate as they move around and also as I have contractions. We had a rough time keeping the monitors on the babies today and the monitor didn’t pick up when I was having a contraction but all in all babies looked good. I had a nice talk with the nurse who I haven’t had before but that was nice.
I ended up at a different clinic than usual today which was nice because it was closer because they had a scheduling conflict last minute at the Minneapolis clinic. Just three more weeks of prenatal appointments!! Next week we’ll have the same tests as today as well as some others, including a growth scan ultrasound so we can see how big babies have gotten!
Health Partners Resource Nurse
I had another call with the Health Partners OB Nurse today. She calls periodically to make sure I’m doing ok and that I have everything I need. She’s a very uplifting person and always makes me feel so good like I’ve got everything under control. It’s a nice feeling to have especially since often I feel so discombobulated and nervous that something is going to go wrong or that I’m not cut out for this (carrying twins).
Overall Pain and Weight Gain
The pain has increased since last week when I wrote which is crazy, I didn’t think that was possible. It is what it is though, two babies on my 5’1″ frame is a lot. I’ve gained 55 pounds of pure babies at this point which is just crazy. Ok, there might be 5 lbs or so in there of fat as well – haha! It’ll be interesting to see how quickly I lose weight in the weeks after they’re born. I’m sure some of it will stick around for a while but at least the bulk of it should be gone quickly between birth and hopefully nursing them both.
To-Dos/Nesting
We aren’t really doing traditional nesting since my eldest is staying in his room for now and the twins will be in our room so we don’t have a nursery to decorate or anything but there are always things to be done. I’m hoping to finish some updates on my eldest’s baby book (adding pictures, notes over the last year, etc.) before the babies are born as well as my eldest’s photo album of pictures of the past few months and writing in that as well.
I know I won’t have much time to do any of that once the babies are born! I also hope to start on both of their baby books, the stuff I can fill in ahead of time. I’m also working on getting some pictures off of my phone and onto my computer since my phone is currently almost full and I’m sure once the twins are here I’ll be taking pictures non-stop!!
Bathroom Remodel & Help
My husband finished the bathroom remodel for the downstairs bathroom last night which is great! It looks amazing and so nice to have that off the list. He removed the two layers of wallpaper that were on the walls, painted the walls, replaced a light that was in the shower, replaced the sink/vanity, replaced the faucet and put in a mirrored cabinet with storage.
We have been meaning to get to that project for 4 years but really felt it was important since it’s the main bathroom that my mother-in-law uses when she stays with us when I have my appointments and also will be staying with us for a while after the babies are born to help out. The bathroom didn’t have much storage so there wasn’t even a place for her to keep her toothbrush or anything which didn’t bother her but we always felt bad. We are so blessed that she’s able to stay with us, I don’t know what we’d do without her!!!
Everyone, especially twin parents, we talk to ask us if we have help and it’s so nice to say “yes, we do” We also have a lot of offers from neighbors, friends and family for help if and when we need it. We so appreciate that!! We’ve never been the best at asking for or accepting help but I think we’re going to have to get better at that when the twins are born because it’s going to be pretty crazy for a while.
This Weekend
This weekend we don’t have much going on which is nice. It’s one of our last weekends together with just the three of us. Hopefully we’ll get out and do something together as a family though we’re not sure quite yet what that’ll be. I’m so limited in what I can do but we’ll figure out something.
My eldest really needs to get out more I think, he’s been acting out a lot more in the past week as I am able to do less and less. Luckily when my mother-in-law is around she takes him to the park and for walks which I can’t do anymore. My husband takes him places during the weekend and in the evenings as time permits as well.
Ultrasound Pictures
Though we have so many ultrasounds I don’t always get good pictures to take home. Here is one from today that turned out pretty well! Baby A has his hand near his mouth and is looking to the right whereas Baby B is looking to the left.
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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.
Very informative