We have finally made it out of the dark trenches of the first trimester which means I can finally reflect on the beginning of this twin pregnancy and share my experience so far. The symptoms of this pregnancy have definitely been more and worse than my previous two pregnancies, likely because of the increased hormones that come along with twin pregnancy. Today, I want to share some of the major symptoms that affected my first trimester of twin pregnancy and some advice for symptom relief from the perspective of a Doctor of Physical Therapy!
*Disclaimer – All pregnancies are different. This blog is simply meant to share experience, education, and general advice and should not be substituted for medical evaluation and treatment.
NAUSEA
Like many, my first sign of pregnancy was nausea that became overwhelming over the course of my first trimester. Although the cause of this intense nausea/morning sickness is still not fully understand, the significantly increased levels of HCG along with increased levels of other pregnancy hormones likely contribute to the early onset and intensity of nausea in twin pregnancies.
FATIGUE
Extreme tiredness and exhaustion was very noticeable very early on during this pregnancy. This extra dose of fatigue makes sense as your body is working extra hard to implant two babies and develop two placentas (in my case), but can also be very challenging to continue to attend to your daily life and duties – whether that means other kids, work, relationships, or self-care.
CONSTIPATION
The increase in progesterone at the onset of pregnancy also causes a decrease in speed of the gastrointestinal tract (again, thanks hormones). This is adaptive for your body to absorb all possible nutrients and retain water for the implantation and development of the fetus or fetuses, but can cause major mayhem for your typical bathroom routine.
STIFFNESS/TIGHTNESS
For me, the physical changes happened much more quickly in this twin pregnancy which led to feelings of stiffness and tightness earlier on. These symptoms are completely normal as your body adjusts to having a new center of mass, extra weight, and possibly a new activity level.
Early pregnancy is a beautiful time that can come with a lot of not-so-pretty side effects, and twin pregnancy can often feel like a double dose of the rough. Twin mamas, what symptoms did you feel differently in your first trimester and how did you manage to survive? Drop some advice in the comments below!
#twinmom #twinpregnancy #pregnancywithmultiples #pregnancysymptoms #pregnancyfatigue #pregnancynausea #pregnancyconstipation #pregnancystiffness #pregnancytightness #physicaltherapy #pelvicfloorphysicaltherapy #pelvicfloortherapy #pregnancyphysicaltherapy #postpartumphysicaltherapy #northlaketx #argyletx #southlaketx #grapevinetx #flowermoundtx #highlandvillagetx #dentontx #lantanatx #roanoketx #kellertx #bartonvilletx #justintx #alliancetx