This week I actually felt my babies move! No doubt about it someone kicked my tummy! Mamas out there all know that this is one of the single most exciting moments in pregnancy, the first time you feel your baby move.

I previously talked about how I thought maybe I felt a little movement really early on and I still may have but this time it was without a doubt a little foot or elbow tapping against my abdomen. This is slightly earlier than my first movement that I felt in my last pregnancy. I felt him move at 18 weeks and then not again for several more weeks. So far I have only felt this one definite movement this time. I am desperately willing them to keep kicking me so I can enjoy the feeling of them dancing within me but I know I’ll just have to be patient.
​
The vein update from last week is that the vein is still there bulging out of my inner thigh and looking gross. It doesn’t seem to be any worse but its existence is enough for me to despise it. I have placed a special order through the Coop for my CircuVein supplement. It cannot get here fast enough!

I feel pretty normal this week except for the overnight appearance of a giant varicose vein on the inside of my left thigh. What tipped me off to this vein (because it’s high up and kind of on the inside towards the back of my thigh) is that it kept itching. The kind of itch that a mosquito bite causes. It feels sore and itches at the same time.

Well, I was putting on lotion after a shower one night as is my evening ritual and I kind of rubbed this little spot on the inside of my thigh because it itched and I noticed a sizeable bump. Of course, the first and most logical thing I did was look and I nearly gagged! I will post a picture so if you get queasy easily at the sight of veins, DO NOT scroll down!

I got a few spider veins that I really threw a fit about in my last pregnancy but I managed well with compression stockings, elevating my legs frequently, using a few essential oils topically and by taking a vein support supplement. Those were nothing! I’ll trade this for these! It just throbs in an achy, itchy sort of way that just drives me crazy.

About a month ago, I almost purchased the vein support that I used last time but then I was feeling cheap so I passed it up thinking that I wouldn’t be working 40 hours a week on my feet this pregnancy. I figured I at least had another few months before I had to worry about it. I should have known better and started then! The product I use is called CircuVein by a company called Flora (most natural, pregnant mamas know Flora best by the iron supplement Floradix). CircuVein is a combination of two bioflavonoids Diosmin and Hesperidin.

Diosmin and Hesperidin are clinically studied to improve the strength of the veins thus reducing the possibility of them bulging in a weak area and then causing a varicose vein or even superficial spider veins. The sourcing of these are from citrus rinds which are rich in bioflavonoids. To be clear, I am not a licensed healthcare practitioner and cannot legally tell you it is safe to take during pregnancy. Always double check with your provider before taking any supplement while pregnant or lactating. I feel this is safe for me because it comes from food I already eat and bioflavonoids are healthy antioxidants that strengthen our cells. There have been no adverse side effects shown to my knowledge.
​
Varicose veins are a tough condition to treat and they commonly occur in pregnancy due to increased blood volume. I was shocked at how early they appeared this pregnancy but with twins, I have a huge increase in blood volume and every symptom is amplified from that of a singleton pregnancy. I feel for mamas dealing with this and I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to message me through my website or reach out via Instagram if you have any questions about other things I am doing to support healthy veins during pregnancy!

Admittedly, the photo of my worst varicose vein actually doesn't look too horrid. I realized while writing this post that I didn't have a picture of it. It looks really good in this photo (photogenic little sucker!) because I was lying in bed writing this blog post. It's at it's worst after I've been up and standing a while.

Now that we are in Idaho again, we have moved in with my parents for a while just until we get a few paychecks in our account and find a place to rent. In some ways, its every bit as stressful as it sounds, but in other ways its really not so bad. My parents have a few acres of land, two horses, a dog, a barn…. pretty standard stuff when you imagine Idaho (especially if you don’t live here). Thankfully, we are living in the barn. I understand that initially sounds horrible! It’s actually a very nice little studio apartment in their barn and no, it doesn’t smell like horse, we don’t have mice and its really quite nice.

Although, we are spending most of our time up at the house, its nice to have our own space. We can cook our own meals and it keeps everyone’s nerves a little calmer. I am struggling with the feeling of limbo and having the baby sleeping in the same room as us. I can’t feel fully settled until we have our own place that I can start to make our home. I very much like my routines and its hard to develop one when I know this is a temporary situation.

Our 1 year old does not sleep well in the same room as us. He wakes up a lot and cries and whines because he can see and smell us nearby. He sleeps great when he’s in his own room away from the temptation of mom and dad. I long for a good night’s rest and to sleep through the night, isn’t pregnancy exhausting enough on its own without having to care for a needy toddler? Oh right, that’s called Motherhood.

At 15 weeks, pregnant with twins, I’m pretty tired. Up until this point I have still been jogging a few miles 3-4 times a week. It’s something that nourishes my toddler and I. He enjoys the quiet time and the scenery. I also enjoy the quiet and scenery but also do it to take care of my body. I ran through my whole pregnancy with him, but with these twins, I have decided to be extra cautious and to call it quits this week.
​
Not only am I less motivated and fit this pregnancy than last time, but it just doesn’t feel 100% ok either. I’m growing so much faster and every step feels like my legs are led weights. It is so beneficial in pregnancy just to be up and moving; I don’t have to be running like a maniac (like last time) to have a healthy pregnancy. This pregnancy is defiantly more low key and I’m being gentler with myself this time. Yoga and walking for this lady! I’m thinking about picking back up lap swimming; that would be really good for me but I haven’t quite worked out the logistics for that endeavor yet.  

Last week I told you about the persistent spotting that was worrying me. It finally stopped just a few days short of reaching 15 weeks pregnant. The most logical explanation for the spotting I was experiencing is that during pregnancy, the blood flow increases to the cervix which can make it very sensitive and prone to bleeding. During my pap smear a few weeks ago, I started bleeding from the scraping done during the procedure. It is likely that this was the initial irritation to my cervix and it just took longer than expected to heal.

​It was reassuring that the spotting was consistently brownish and not bright red; brown blood is a sign of older blood that has been exposed to oxygen which causes the color change from red. Bright red blood is typically fresh and much more concerning during pregnancy. Everything I read on the internet about spotting said to contact my healthcare provider immediately if the spotting is accompanied by cramping. I’m always crampy! What is normal and what is not?

Pregnancy can be so overwhelming, especially with the overabundance of information on the internet and the extra hormones coursing through the bloodstream. Try not read too much, call your doctor if you are concerned and always listen to your gut.

Other developments this week that were not so great was sciatic pain. I’ve had on and off troubles with my SI joints since college swimming, but its been very manageable the past few years. These twins are really flaring it up though. I feel a sharp pinching in the left SI joint, this periodically radiates down the outside of my left leg and through the top of my foot. The sharp radiating pain seems to happen more in the evenings when I step to the side. For some reason this side stepping movement seems to pinch something in the worst of ways.
​
Overall, it’s been a relatively uneventful week of pregnancy which is a good sign! I’m very relieved to have stopped spotting and hope that my undies continue to stay clean in the weeks ahead. The sciatica is defiantly not a positive, but I will just keep trucking forward week by week and try to cope with it as best as I can!