🧡 This post is part of my Twin Pregnancy at 46 series.
Start from Week 20 →
https://www.freyanaturaltherapy.co.uk/blogs/my-twin-pregnancy-over-40/115025668-20-week-twin-scan

I think one word sums up this week and it’s “expanding”! My tummy seems to have hit overdrive and I’m wondering how on earth it’s going to keep stretching until the end of July. People are still saying I’m very “neat” – which is lovely to hear, but I do think they’re just being kind!

I’m liberally applying my Simply Pregnant Body Lotion as it really helps with the itching (which I think is caused by the rapidly expanding skin).
👉 You can find the range I created for pregnancy here: Simply Pregnant aromatherapy collection.

The other things that are continuing to expand are my feet – as per last week, it’s the left foot that’s the culprit. I’m drinking lots of water to try and compensate, which has the net result of frequent bathroom trips (generally in the middle of the night). Epsom salts baths are my solution to this and when it gets really bad I top up with magnesium, which is supposed to help with swelling. I even made myself a gentle blend with added juniper and grapefruit – it smells gorgeous.

Sleep deprivation

I was warned about this happening in the third trimester – and even though I’m just shy of that, it’s starting to happen. I get to sleep OK, always trying to sleep on my left side with a pillow between my legs. However, after the second bathroom trip at about 3am, that’s it – I can’t get back to sleep again. Hip pain kicks in, so I toss and turn trying to get comfortable, then the heartburn starts and I end up trying to sleep sitting up. Not ideal!

Heartburn

Oh how I hate you! It’s been so bad it’s made me feel sick. The Simply Pregnant blend helps but only so far. A lot of the essential oils I would normally choose aren’t suitable during pregnancy, so my options are limited. My GP prescribed ranitidine, which I’ve just started taking – apparently it takes a few days to kick in, so I’m still topping up with Gaviscon. Fingers crossed it helps me get some sleep!

My midwife appointment went without fuss. Twin 1 is head down and Twin 2 is breech. Twin 2 is always the more active one, so it’ll be interesting to see if this continues after birth.

Next milestone: the 28-week consultant appointment and another scan. I haven’t had one for a month so it’ll be lovely to see them again and find out whether we’ll be given a date for an elective C-section. Eeek!