What special things to do to remember twin pregnancy?

Hi Everyone,

This will be my last pregnancy after going through ivf 5 times so I was thinking of things I can do to make the pregnancy special and remember it by. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have heard of belly plaster things but I am just wondering what I would do with it after? I was going to have my sister take some photos of my 4 year old hugging my belly and that kind of thing. Any other suggestions I would love to hear them. Thanks
Amy

Due with fraternal twins November 14, 2008
Son Griffin 4 1/2 years old

Three pregnancies through ivf (one miscarriage)

 

QUOTE(amybloch @ Aug 6 2008, 10:03 AM) [snapback]916567[/snapback]
Hi Everyone,

This will be my last pregnancy after going through ivf 5 times so I was thinking of things I can do to make the pregnancy special and remember it by. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have heard of belly plaster things but I am just wondering what I would do with it after? I was going to have my sister take some photos of my 4 year old hugging my belly and that kind of thing. Any other suggestions I would love to hear them. Thanks
Amy

Due with fraternal twins November 14, 2008
Son Griffin 4 1/2 years old

Three pregnancies through ivf (one miscarriage)


One thing that I had read on here while I was pregnant and did was, go to build a bear, get the blank recordable devices. record each heart beat on a seperate one. Then you can make a bear(or whatever) for each child with their heartbeat in it!

the pregnancy pictures are a must!

I also LOVED my 4-d ultra sound on CD.

Enjoy.

Start journaling, I didn't and wish I had!

 

Definitely take plenty of pictures and the journaling is a great idea. I thought I was taking pictures pretty regularly with the girls, but now it seems like I only have about 5 pictures total of me pregnant. My friend gave me a pregnancy journal and I only filled about half of it out, I found it the other day and really with I'd have completed it.

 

We did the 4D ultrasound on DVD as well. We also made pregnancy scrapbooks with all of our ultrasound pics and info from OB appts (length, wt etc) because we have so many , baby shower etc. I took a lot more belly pics too. Sometimes after your initial diagnostic ultrasound some offices allow you to videotape them performing your ultrasounds. That would be cool too because you never know who is gonna be kicking who or sucking their thumbs. I have seen one that someone taped with a video camera and it looked really good.

 

Because I spent so much time in the hospital on bed rest, I couldn't do a lot. But we did a belly cast and I'm so glad I did. I plan to paint it and just keep it as a memento of my one and only pregnancy. I also have videos of me being on the monitors and listening to heartbeats. I have videos of DS having the hiccups. (I would balance something on my belly and then video it jumping.) And I did keep a very detailed journal.
Also, the nurses would draw and paint on my belly and then we'd take pictures. That was a lot of fun too and fun pictures to have.

 

I did a plaster cast of my belly with my first pg with my 2.5 yr old ds. I'm so glad I did. I painted it blue then actually had everyone sign it at my shower. It's hanging on the wall in ds's room. I'm definitely going to do it again with this pg!

nursery pic

I also paid a henna artist to do a henna tattoo on my belly. It was beautiful and lasted almost a month. I took lots of pictures of it too.

henna belly pic

 

I think the painted belly casts are a good idea! You treat it as a work of art.

Here's a link with some pictures of some painted ones...
http://www.artbodyandsoul.com/portrait/pre...y/gallery1.html

 

Take LOTS of pictures. I also have a tape of my ultrasound showing twins!

 

I bought a cheapie little notebook, sort of journal from Target. I started writing when I was about 3 months along, but I started with how we found out I was pregnant etc. I would write every couple weeks and fill in how the appointments went, how I was feeling, what they weighed. I also wrote about our family, what my parents were up to, where my siblings lived... I haven't looked at it in a while, but I know we (the babies and my dh) will in the future.

 

I, too, went through a long battle with fertility, and finally got my twins on my second IVF. I was on bedrest from week 18.
The one thing I wish I would have done was journal! This sounds really paranoid and a little weird, but I was almost afraid to journal
during my pregnancy. I kept thinking something would go wrong. Looking back that was so dumb, and I could kick myself for not doing it.
I did recently write down a bunch of stuff that happened during my pregnancy. Little things like what I would do each day home on bedrest, our
little rituals, how I would drink orange juice every morning to get them moving, things like that
Save every ultrasound. I think they date them, but I saved them all in order and wrote little things that happened that day. My mom and I would always go to Panera after an ultrasound or doctor's appointment and I would get the same thing, so I would write that down. Write down what you saw at each ultrasound, how big they were, anything special, etc.
Like others said, take a bunch of pictures of your belly. I wish I would have taken a picture each month. Or, more of my husband and me, like on the couch or going to appointments.
Now that they are here I take a million pictures a day.
I also saved EVERYTHING from the hospital. I have it in plastic bags marked scrapbook and I keep it all in a box for now until I can start it.
Oh, and I saved my pregnancy test(s) and I just recently took a close up of it, so that I can put that in there, too.

Have fun with it!

 

Wow there are already some great ideas on here...love the henna tattoo!! My sister has been trying to convince me to get a belly cast, and I keep hemming and hawing about it not knowing what to do with it after. But then I looked at those painted ones, they are beautiful!! Maybe I'll have to rethink this!

I'm having a friend take pictures (wish I started sooner than 18wks)...
I'm also kind of keeping a journal...documenting current events-newspaper clippings...what popular movies/songs are out...what I did for fun etc...

Best of luck to you!
reb

 

If you're not a writer (for journaling, etc.), try starting a blog. It's a great way to get your thoughts down and also to share news with relatives, friends, etc.