At 33 weeks with twins, Claire has made it past her blood pressure scare. This week, she’s been settling into a slower, stranger reality: modified bedrest.
Inside this week’s pregnancy update for Week 33, Claire shares all about what it actually takes to rest when your whole personality is “get up and do something.”
Watch Claire’s full Week 33 with twins update here or keep reading below for the biggest takeaways from her 33rd week of twin pregnancy.
What is modified bed rest?
At week 33, when Claire sits or lies down, her symptoms settle. Yet, when she’s up and moving, the contractions come, sometimes every few steps.
Her team seems to think this is because of the pressure low in the uterus (with baby A sitting very low). Because of this, they’ve put her on “modified bedrest.” This doesn’t mean to be flat on your back all day. Instead, it means dramatically limiting how much you’re on your feet, and letting rest be the default.
Week 33 contractions and a cervical check
At her OB visit, Claire had a biophysical profile (BPP) and repeated non-stress tests (NSTs) after the babies kept “failing” the breathing portion. Thankfully, that seemed to resolve on its own with more monitoring.
Claire also got a cervical check showing she’s not dilated and her cervix is still long. However, just hours later while she was at Target, she got cold sweats, a racing heart, vision changes, and a contraction with every step.
It settled once she got home and sat down. If you remember from her Week 32 update, she was diagnosed with gestational hypertension (sometimes a precursor to preeclampsia). So this was a huge reminder to her to slow down even more and take it easy.
Twiniversity tip: Symptoms like vision changes and a pounding heart are always worth flagging to your provider, especially if you’ve already been having complications. When in doubt, call.
Remember, everyone’s third trimester is different, so avoid the comparisons
While Claire has been having a challenging third trimester, keep in mind that some twin moms are on their feet until 36 weeks or 37 weeks. Some are in a Pilates class the day before delivery.
But other pregnant mamas will have an experience like Claire’s where they simply need to sit or lay down. After 30 weeks, it’s genuinely hit or miss. And even if you’ve had other littles before, your third trimester experience this go-around could be entirely different.
Regardless of your experience, simply remember that you can only do what your body will allow. If you’re still feeling great at 33 weeks, that’s amazing. And if not, listen to what your body needs and give it exactly that.
Finding any comfortable position is a full-time job
The discomfort of twin pregnancy is pretty much around the clock for Claire at 33 weeks now. When she sits, she gets instant acid reflux as everything gets squished upward. And then when she lies down, she sometimes gets heart palpitations and has to sit back up.
If you’re struggling at this stage of twin pregnancy too, Nat’s tip is to prop a pillow under your hips (not your tailbone) so your hips sit slightly higher. This can take some of the pressure off because sitting still for hours can make your back ache even though you “did nothing.”
If your appetite vanishes, eat and hydrate “like it’s your job”
That good old nausea from way back in the first trimester can sneak back in these final weeks. In late pregnancy, your appetite often shrinks as the babies take up every inch of room inside of you.
Claire has been feeling barely hungry these days which is a big shift from her ravenous second trimester. Even if you don’t feel hungry or thirsty at this stage, it’s still vital to stay hydrated and nourish your body. Your body is working so hard and still needs nutrients, and staying hydrated can help ward off contractions and preterm labor.
A good option is to graze on protein and drink water at regular intervals. You can even mark your water bottle with times or stickers (“halfway there”) so you actually track it. Oddly enough, while on bedrest, it’s weirdly easy to lose track of whether you’ve had anything at all.
The truth about how it feels to be on bedrest…
Claire keeps reminding herself that if sitting on the couch keeps the girls in longer and safer, then that’s her job right now. She’s also honest that rest is frustrating and even a little scary. For example, she often bumps up against doubts about doing simple, everyday things like: Can I take a shower? And for how long?
For a partner supporting a pregnant mama on bed rest, it may be tempting to be overly positive. But sometimes a tired pregnant mom doesn’t want a silver lining. She wants to hear “That sucks, I’m sorry.” So be sure to validate her struggles while also lifting her up!
Resting at home can help you avoid hospital bed rest
There is a silver lining to taking it easy at home on modified bedrest. The calmer you keep your body and the lower you keep your stress, the better your odds of staying at home rather than being admitted to hospital bedrest. That said, if you feel safer in the hospital, certainly talk it over with your doctor. Some moms genuinely can’t rest at home for one reason or other.
If you do find yourself on bedrest at home or in the hospital, you may feel like the days and nights are replaying on loop. To combat this, give yourself one small, checkable thing to do each day . Match the tiny socks, read a chapter of a book, plan a future outing, watch the grown-up show you won’t have time for later, or start a game with a daily streak.
Focusing gently on the future, rather than white-knuckling the now, makes the waiting feel a little less endless.
One decision worth making before your twins’ delivery: cord blood banking…
One more item to at least think about before your twinnies comes is cord blood banking. Cord blood is a one-time source of newborn stem cells that’s collected just after birth, and it can be used later down the road in the case of certain health circumstances.
If cord blood banking is something you want to explore, this series’ sponsor CordBlood.com offers special twin-family pricing. Use the code DUO2 for a special discount for parents of multiples!
Watch the full episode:
This Week 33 update is part of a larger playlist following Claire’s twin pregnancy through delivery. See the full playlist here.
Connect with Mommy Claire:
Claire and her husband run Reignite Chiropractic. Show them some love by following along with them on Instagram or Facebook.
