Five More Ways a Twin, Triplet or More Pregnancy is Different from a Singleton Pregnancy

As a follow-up to my original article, Five Ways a Twin, Triplet or More Pregnancy is Different from a Singleton Pregnancy, here are five more ways a multiples pregnancy cannot be compared to a singleton pregnancy.

Blurred Vision

I could not see during the latter months of my pregnancy. I'm not sure what medical reason was behind my extreme blurred vision, but I could not even use my laptop or read a book while I was on full bed rest.

Difficulty Breathing

With three babies in my stomach, there was little room left for my organs. My diaphragm was so compressed that I could not take deep breaths and even small breaths were difficult. I could not even have a conversation toward the end of my pregnancy, because I couldn't get enough air to say more than one or two words at a time. Also, I suffered from extreme nasal congestion for months. I could not breathe out of my nose for months.

Inability to Move

I was just too big to move near the end of my triplet pregnancy. It's as simple as that. My stomach was so huge and heavy that I could barely even roll over in bed. Frequently, my husband had to help me roll over. Getting out of bed to use the bathroom was nearly impossible.

Swelling Body Parts (Not Just Your Stomach)

By the end of my pregnancy, my feet and ankles were so swollen I had grown out of not only my pre-pregnancy shoe size but also a full size bigger than that. The only shoes I could get on were flip flops that were two sizes above my pre-pregnancy shoe size. Luckily, my third trimester fell in the summer months. My fingers were so swollen that my wedding ring could not even fit on my pinkie finger. My face was also very swollen and bright red (I don't know why). My days of glowing during my pregnancy ended at about 20 weeks. In fact, when I hit about 24 weeks into my pregnancy, I was already the size of a full-term singleton pregnancy, and I still had 2 more months to grow ridiculously bigger before I would give birth.

Doctor's Appointments

When you're pregnant with multiples, you are required to go to a lot of appointments with your doctor. Your OB/GYN will want to see you far more frequently than he or she sees a patient carrying one baby. If you're carrying triplets or more or if you're having a high risk twin pregnancy, you will probably have to see a perinatologist as well. You'll also need to have many more ultrasounds performed than you would if you were carrying one baby. Toward the end of my pregnancy, I found it ironic that I was not supposed to get out of bed except to go to the bathroom, but I was allowed to go to all of these doctors appointments and inevitably wait a half hour or more at each appointment to be seen by the doctor. It was always torturous trying to sit in the car and the waiting room chairs (not to mention walking to and from the car) waiting for my name to be called.

Carrying twins, triplets or more is a challenge few women are lucky enough (or unlucky enough, depending on how you look at it) to experience. It's worth it in the end when your new babies look at you, and two or three times the pregnancy side effects changes into two or three times the love.