Week by week Twins calendar: pregnancy in weeks 4-8


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You may just be finding out that you are pregnant. Congratulations! Many women are shocked to find out that they are carrying more than one baby! By four weeks, your developing babies will show up on ultrasound as two little gestational sacs. Although you cant see it on ultrasound until around week 6, the amniotic fluid and embryo are inside the entire time. Your babies are developing quite rapidly. During this time, the baby's brain, bladder, liver, kidneys, spine, extremities, reproductive tracts and heart are all beginning to develop. The first time your twins are visible on ultrasound, they will be about 2-3 mm long-which is less than a grain of rice. However, by week 7 and 8, each baby is about the length of two grains of rice . Cardiac activity can also be seen by ultrasound.

You might be noticing a great change in your appetite. This is one of the first signs of a pregnancy. Most women will experience an increase in their appetite between weeks 4 and 6. It is perfectly normal and may continue for the rest of the pregnancy. Because you are carrying twins, you should listen to what your body is telling you and eat accordingly. A woman expecting twins has about one and a half times the caloric need of those that carry single pregnancies.

It is also very normal to feel tired, or just plain exhausted at this point. Your body is working overtime to produce two healthy babies. You should try to get extra rest at night and rest as much as possible throughout the day. Eating a healthy diet and participating in light exercise will help.

An increased frequency of urination is a common complaint early (and throughout) pregnancy for most women. The uterus is beginning to grow and put pressure on the bladder, therefore making it hold less urine than normal and sending you to the restroom more frequently. If you experience burning or pain during urination, contact your caregiver.

Morning sickness and nausea may be worse with a multiple pregnancy. Although it rarely becomes serious, it can be frustrating. Nausea and vomitting can happen at any time of the day. Eating frequent, small meals should help ease your stomach. Many women also experience a hightened sense of smell and may experience an aversion to certain smells and tastes.

A twin pregnancy seems to cause more heartburn, and does so earlier in the pregnancy. This is because your uterus is larger. Antacids will help with heartburn symptoms for most women. Rather than lying down after a meal, take a short walk or sit straight up for a while to aide in the digestion of your food. You may also notice that you feel constipated. Drink lots of water and increase your fiber intake.

Many women experience nosebleeds and stuffiness during pregnancy. This is because the mucus memranes in your body have an increased blood supply. The increase in blood can make the mucus membranes in the nose become swollen and secrete additional mucus. Many pregnant women also experience a sensation of breathlessness. The feeling will get worse as the pregnancy progresses. It is normal to have an increased heart rate. This is from an increase in blood supply and decrease in blood pressure.

Breast tenderness is a common symptom of early pregnancy. Breast tenderness and swelling seem to increase in women who are expecting twins. You may also notice a darkening of the areola-the circle around the nipple on the breast. Support your breasts properly during pregnancy.

To think about this month:

Finding an obstetrician
Finalize all insurance concerns or questions
Apply for Medicaid if needed

At the doctor

During your first visit with the doctor, he or she will be going over information regarding your pregnancy. Address any questions or concerns that you have. They will also be doing a complete work up on you, including:
1.)Blood pressure and vital signs
2.)Physical exam-heart, lungs, breasts, abdomen, and pelvic
3.)Family history questionaire
4.)Urine Sample
5.)Blood samples



Comments by 4-8 week pregnant Twin mothers

Showing 1-13 of about 13 comments from week 4-8


mommybugx3 - Monday, 5 Jan
hello everyone! how are you? well i jsut gave birth on december 29, 2008 to identical twin girls! jailyn and jaiyden marie! im supper excited! i also have a two year almost three year old little boy named conner

ashley-blesseddaily - Sunday, 4 Jan
Hello ladies, I am only in my 4th week of pregnancy so far but had a dream last night I was having twins! I am sure it was wishful thinking, I would LOVE to have twins!!! Just wondering when each of you found out you were having twins?

bbcoop - Thursday, 1 Jan
French fries and potato chips did wonders for me for morning sickness, I know they aren't crazy healthy, but they did help and my babies are doing great at 23wks despite my eating habits--I have to wait until I'm about to pass out sleeping before taking my prenatals though, especially when the morning sickness was bad, so I put them by my bed and wait until I start nodding off to pop them in, and try to fall asleep before I would get sick. Good luck! Dont worry though, it DOES go away for most after first trimester! Oh, I also agree with hadtwins2008, protein is highly recommended for twins, especially if you are having mono/di identicals! (A double cheeseburger has a ton of protein so if I'm "eating bad" I do have one of these and at least I feel like im giving them protein, I also eat a lot of cottage cheese)

completnme - Thursday, 1 Jan
CACI TRY THE PREGNANCY POP SICLES THEY R SOO GOOD AND THE COMPLETELY ELIMINATED MY MORNING SICKNESS AND I GOT MINES FROM BABIES R US

caci - Sunday, 28 Dec
Hi all - this is my first pregnancy (via IVF) and 8 weeks pregnant with twins. Have been having horrible M/S since about 6.5 weeks. I have the week off due to holidays, but have to go back to work on Jan 5 and not sure how I will manage the constant nausea, dry heaving, dizzyness and fatigue to get through a work day. I can barely get out of bed as it is. Does anyone have any advice on how to manange M/S in an office enviornment. Luckily my direct boss is also pregnant, but she is further along and I dont think her M/S was as severe.

rylansmommy23 - Saturday, 27 Dec
Hey Ladies, I just found out Im pregnant-well I got a + at 6 dpt! YES 6 days. We did our second attempt at IVF, we put in 4 embryos, and Im pretty convinced we got more than one bean....I started testing positive at 6 dpt, and by 10 dpt it was SUPER DARK-you can look at my page I posted them. I am going on a tripin 2 days for 2 weeks, but my clinic will give me an ultrasound when we get back january 12th!

courtney - Saturday, 27 Dec
just cant help but think theres more than one.. we shall see soon.. blessings.

hadtwins2008 - Tuesday, 16 Dec
To all of you having twins - I had twins and they were 2 months early. If I may give unsolicited advice. thank God I ate a LOT of protein that my babies weighed 1-2 weeks ahead of sked. I beg you to read Dr. Barbara Lukes' 'what to expect w/twins, triplets, and quads'. If I did not follow the protein diet, my twins would have been severely underweight and in the NICU a lot longer than 30 days. I cannot tell you as a mother of twins, how important it is to eat VERY health, gain weight, rest, drink water, and do NOT let those doctors give you a cervical. That is what happened to me at 30 weeks when I thought my water broke but it was urine and I walked up & down my stairs b/c I had to get my stupid house in order and 2 weeks later my twins were born. thank goodness like I said they were big 4 premies. 32 weeks and they were 4lbs9oz and 4lbs 13oz. Dr. Luke does nOt joke w hen she said gain the weight early 'should' you have preterm labor. I cannot tell you h ow horrific and sad it is to have your twins in the NICU and not w/you for a month. I humbly write this today since I have been crazy busy since they have been born but I wanted to write now since I remember. MY OB put me on Wellbutrin per some pharmacist only to lose my memory and mind - I do not recommend that to anyone. Being a parent of twins is VERY difficult. Hire help-we are almost $10000 in debt b/c I needed help and no one was there to help me but hired help. After a few months, I promise you it will get a little easier. They are getting syniges b/c they were born at 32 weeks. I am not vaccinating until they are older simply b/c they are premature. I am not against vaccinations,however, I amn not taking any chances either. Read Dr. Stephanie Cave's book - educate yourselves. I hope and pray all ofyour pregnacy's (spelling) go well. Just please, please eat the protein, drink lots of water, rest, and pray...... If you have any questions, please feel free to leave me any messages. I do have twins and 1 1/2 year old so I might not be able to get to youright away. God bless -and Happy Christmas and a beautiful new year!!!

godsgift - Sunday, 14 Dec
did ne one do ivf?

AlexMommy - Thursday, 11 Dec
I am 10 weeks pregnant with twins as well. The doctors can't tell for sure if they are fraternal or identical. My blood pressure is already up, but the doctor isn't giving me anything for it. I am concerned that I need something.

elaineg - Monday, 8 Dec
can you only tell if your carring twins through a scan? or are there other signs

courtney - Friday, 5 Dec
ok ladies.. went in for a preggo verification, and the nurse came out and asked me if twins were common in my family.. she said that i shouldnt be having this much m/s if its just one.. where's the validity in that? I mean just cause someone has m/s at 4 weeks? It got me thinking now.. i took two pregnancy tests first one came back a plus sign so fast, and the second one was digital they say that you have to wait up to 5 mins the timer will appear and blink during this time, so i peed on it, it blinked twice and said pregnant.. so im just wondering if fast results mean that you have a higher level of HCG? and if m/s early is a sign? thanks for commenting! blessings!

pamallhoney - Wednesday, 3 Dec
Congrats to all you twin mommies!!! I just had di/di boy twins that turned out to be identical in May. Now I'm pregnant again. I turned down an early u/s so I have no idea if it is one or two YET! Anyways, just wanted to say Congrats and Happy Thanksgiving.

Bethanie Poole - Monday, 1 Dec
hi my name is bethanieand i found out that i am pregnant with my fourth. and they have been doing blood test every two days on my hgc levels and they started at 86 ,then they went up to 280 then 570 then 1800. some pepole are saying to me that i might be having twins. so just wondering if any one out there has had the same please help thanks beth.

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