People saying I look so small for twins...

Hi ladies!! I am 17wks along and am getting frustrated. Every time people see me, I hear that I look so small for my dates for having twins...what do you think?? My Doctor last saw me at 15wks and didn't say anything...she said she thought I looked "cute"...I'm starting to get a complex :-(

This pic should say 16wks 5dys, not 17wks 5dys...

Belly 16wks 5dys

 

I remember having the same concern. People used to say the exact same thing to me. It started to freak me out but then one day everyone started telling me how big I was and they wondered how I'd make it another XX weeks. I may have been a little smaller than you at that stage so you look awesome to me. I carried my babies to 38 weeks, 1 day and delivered a 7.2 lb baby girl and a 5.4 lb baby boy. Trust me...the weight will come as will a huge (and I mean huge) belly! This is true for any pregnancy, but especially a multiple pregnancy - slow and steady wins the race when it comes to weight gain and growth. Just forget about what people say, if they've never carried twins, it's hard for them to wrap their head around any part of what it must be like. Good luck and I hope you have a happy and healthy pregnancy.

 

I wouldn't worry, I don't think I was even showing that much at 16-17 weeks as I was still vomitting at that time. Once the nausea and vomitting slowed down around 18 weeks, I really put the weight on!! I think around 20-22 weeks, my belly really popped and now my co-workers, husband, and myself think I grow by the day. If I could remember to measure myself, I would do so as I am starting to feel huge even though people still think I am small for twins. If I could figure out how to post a pic on here I would but I haven't tried yet. I wouldn't be concerned unless your doctor says something. Enjoy your "small" belly now while it last and you do look cute!!

 

I used to think people thought I was lying about having twins because no one thought I was very big. I never looked like I ws having two until about 8 months when I suddenly exploded. Even though I was so small my girls were still over 5 lbs a piece and that was at a month early. So, congrats on carrying them so well...you should be proud!

 

I think most people are clueless about how big a woman should be when pregnant with twins. It seems like I can't win: I have a friend who recently said, "Wow, you do NOT look like you are carrying twins. Were you this small with your older son?" And then my DH's aunt said, "Oh my goodness, you are HUGE already. There is no way you are going to make it to April."

I also wonder if a part of it is how I carry my baby weight -- it is entirely in my tummy. In fact, I think my arms and other parts are actually smaller now than when I conceived, everything has migrated to this gigantic stomach. I can't even fit into my maternity clothes anymore, I'm stuck wearing men's XL t-shirts just because my stomach sticks out so much.

So I guess my long-winded point is -- I wouldn't worry about what people say. Your doc should be measuring you and the babies, and as long as everything is looking good, you'll just have to smile and endure it.

 

Enjoy it while you can! I think I looked very similar to you up until about 22-24 weeks and then suddenly, wow! Belly! Even people at work who I see every day are commenting on how much bigger I am now. You'll get bigger, don't worry. I think I looked smallish because a. I'm tall and b. I have a long torso so there's more room to spread out. Anyway, now I'm outgrowing some of my maternity clothes which is sort of annoying.
I think you look great!

 

I had the same thing when I was pregnant with the twins. My first singleton, I honestly looked about 7 months pregnant when I was full term. My body just hides them well. Unfortunately, with my twins they didn't have enough room to sit both vertex, so they sandwiched transverse...cradled in my pelvis. you'll hit a huge growth spurt between now and your third trimester, so get ready! The second trimester was the most uncomfortable for me in my twin pregnancy just because of the growth rate! It levels out in the 3rd trimester, so you are uncomfortable, but not increasingly so.

 

I think you are fine. I definitely needed maternity pants early - like 9 weeks, and I have grown a little here and there, but don't feel like I have really grown much lately. I have actually lost weigh and only gained 2 of those pounds back and my prei still thinks I am fine. Trust your doc to tell you when to worry!

 

I agree - I think you look great! I'm tall and always carry small (even though I think I'm huge!) People will always have their opinions - and just wait until you hear some of the things people say once the babies are born! It's as if they don't have any kind of censor on their mouths.

 

You look wonderful!

Even though I'm measuring big (I'm 23w, measuring 32w), my belly is not sticking out very far yet either. Perhaps when the babies start to put on weight, the belly will pop out (instead of growing upwards!) for both of us?

 

Everyone's body is different and I think people expect you to look 8 months pregnany the second you find out you're having twins. I got that my whole pregnancy and still get it even though I was measuring 44 weeks at 35 weeks.

 

Thank you ladies!! you have made me feel better! I am tall so maybe that helps me hide it a bit. I am 5'7". I knew I could count on you to make me smile!

 

http://rodowiczfamily.shutterfly.com/279#277
http://rodowiczfamily.shutterfly.com/279#278

Hi, try not to listen to what people say. I have posted pics of me at 17 weeks, I am also 5'7 and wasn't showing much. But if you want to go thru my slide show, now at 31 weeks I have clearly gotten large. The new comment I hear is, wow you must be due any day, nope 7 weeks until I get induced...it never ends Best wishes!

 

I was not showing at all at 16, 17, 18 wks. I am small like you and didn't start even getting a pooch until around 19-20wks. People all the time thought I was not having twins or something had happened. I wouldn't worry about it at all aslong as the babies are growing. Pretty soon you will be much bigger and all those questions will be different ones..like you must be due any day now and be 26wks preg.
I am almost 25.2wks preg and you can tell now!!! I measure 33wks preg for a singleton. All the sudden after wk 22 or so I just started growing!!

 

I never looked like I was carrying twins. I had a friend 3 weeks ahead of me PG with a singleton and she always looked substantially bigger than I did. I didn't worry, mine always measured right around 50th percentile for gestation.

 

We didnt' even KNOW it was twins til 21wks - and even then the doc was SHOCKED as i wasn't even measuring ahead. No one believed me and it wasn't til the end that people said 'okay, maybe you really are! LOL" I got comments the whole time 'how small you are' (which I did with ALL my pgs). A nurse on the floor was SHOCKED When I came up to the ward and she found out I'd gone down for a section with twins (she wasn't my nurse - just saw me going down and wished me luck - then had to come see me to say how shocked she was! LOL)

 

I got this all of the time until i was 34 weeks. I think people assume that since its twins, you are supposed to be huge from the moment of conception! I went to the grocery store and to get a smoothie when I was 34 weeks and I had 5 (yes 5!) people ask me if I was carrying twins. I guess thats when I started to be super huge!

I also flew at 26 weeks and during descent the babies were kicking a lot and the flight attendant asked if I was due today. haha.

 

People told me this ALL THE TIME too. First of all, I think that people have this completely skewed idea of how big you should be. I think they expect you to be GINORMOUS...like something out of a comic book or something. And I think that unless you stand next to someone at the same stage having a singleton, people don't realize...because when you are say, 28 weeks, you look like a 40 weeker singleton, so they've seen women that big before...they just forget that you have a few months left!

Besides, I think that I started getting HUGE around the 30 week mark...and even STILL people swore I didn't look that big. I measured like 48 weeks by the end...so it was as if I was TWO MONTHS overdue with 1 babe...like I said I think people have this crazy idea of what you should look like...

check out my pics and see that even by the end people told me I didn't look "that big". I wanted to slug 'em.

http://gibsonsurprise.blogspot.com/2009/07/come-grow-with-me.html

 

Thanks again ladies!! Certainly making me feel better. I am starting to pop a bit more now. They seem to have hit a growth spurt or something. My tummy sticks out further than my boobs now!! yay!! haha..

 

I think you look wonderful! I have noticed that thinner women usually seem to be around where you are at this juncture in the pregnancy.

I, on the other hand, keep referring to my babies as twin fatties. lol. Everyone keeps asking me "how did you get so huge all of the sudden!?"

I'm 11w 2d and I already look ridiculously being not very far along. Everyone carries differently, and it could be that your uterus sits a little further back than someone else or something simple like that. But like I said, you look great!