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When you are 16 months pregnant with twins or multiples, you have officially completed the first month in your second trimester. This is usually the time when most women are at the peak of their confidence and seem to be happy about their pregnancy. The second trimester tends to be easier on the body and lets the mothers focus on numerous other aspects governing their lives, which could even be important for the new entrants in the family. Many tests might be scheduled around this period, to check and mitigate the presence of any anomalies or complications.
The Growth of the Babies At 16 Weeks
Your little ones in the womb might be growing in size and weight but what lies unknown to our eyes is how quickly they are picking up newer and advanced techniques of a human being. With all these months focused on getting the babies up to speed where they can have a body that can be adequately sustained, this is usually the time when your little children will start getting acquainted with the environment they are currently in. The eyes begin to reach their core functionality and are susceptible to changes in light, as they move under the eyelids. Your womb is usually dark and silent, but try shining a strong torch by pressing it on your belly, and your babies will react to its sensation.
Contrary to the popular opinion, it is not just our ears that help us hear the different sounds around us. The bones in our body are responsible for carrying forward the little vibrations to your brain, which also form a crucial means for the sense of hearing. Since the bone development and cartilage growth have reached a pretty good point in the 16th week of pregnancy, the sounds of the outside world can be sensed by these little ones faintly. Your voice, however, is audible to them. This is where most doctors will ask you to engage in conversations with your children if you haven’t done them already. You can even establish a schedule of listening to specific songs, all of which can be easily recognized by your babies once they are out in the real world.
What Is The Size of the Babies?
Don’t let the small size of your multiples in the womb fool you into thinking that their growth process has taken a break. Their development is proceeding rapidly. Single babies are usually 10.5 to 11.5 centimeters in length around this time, and weight about 27-30 grams easily. Instead of being stuck on values, it is essential to look at how large your babies are. Comparing with fruits is a traditional way of looking at children, which now would be similar to an avocado.
Common Bodily Changes
The body changes that emerge around the 16th week of pregnancy with multiple babies are some of the first treasured moments in a mother’s life.
- The troubles of gases and burping are present for sure. However, there might be certain moments where you begin to feel the tiny movements of your babies internally. Termed as quickening, most mothers start to experience this later in the second trimester, while you might be one of the lucky ones to start experiencing it early on. It might be difficult to differentiate these movements from your typical gaseous blubbering or hunger flutters, but over time, their specificity will make itself evident to you.
- The skin of pregnant women begins to get so much more beautiful and smoother, that they begin to resemble goddesses at a certain point. The hormone levels can cause the oil secretion in your skin to lend an extremely noticeable sheen, which makes you look rosy and cute, and might cause people to guess your pregnancy, even when your belly might not be hiding under the loose clothes.
- Since hormones are responsible for keeping the growth of your babies on the right track, the effect of the same can be seen in you as well. As your hair begins to get thicker with minimal hair loss, you would also notice your nails grow faster than before. The fingernails and toenails would require to be cut more frequently and, at times, your nails could even get brittle. As temporary as these changes might be, it is necessary to take proper care of them.
Symptoms Of Twin Pregnancy At 16 Weeks
The ecstasy of the 16th week of pregnancy with your twins in your belly is a great one. The various symptoms that tag along with it are usually welcome, while a few others might be a little bothersome.
- Don’t be surprised if your partner starts noticing your increasing bosom and begins to feel a different kind of attraction to you. The swelling of your breasts keeps continuing through this week, and it would be better if you invest in a bra that supports them well.
- The bigger breasts will be complemented with a bigger uterus, trudging itself inside you, making space and increasing your weight. The results of it will put your back in a strenuous position, causing it to ache quite often. Simple stretching exercises can bring some much-needed relief.
- The uterus starts applying pressure on your intestine and the hormones tend to relax the muscles. These work together in making it difficult to poop, leading to increased bouts of constipation. Drinking lots of fluids and eating fibrous fruits is the best treatment for it.
- These changes in the body are not restricted to the lower half. Your cornea increases in size as well, which can cause the eyes to be irritated or even itch at times. Highly experienced by women used to wearing contact lenses, a couple of eye drops can reduce the discomfort quickly.
- Maybe it is the unending happiness or the numerous changes in your body, but you may begin to forget things on a regular basis and wonder what’s wrong with you. Attribute it to a phenomenon called as “pregnancy brain,” and pull out those to-do lists and smartphone apps to keep track of necessary information.
Twin Pregnancy – Belly At 16 Weeks
Since you are pregnant with multiple babies, there would rarely be any person who wouldn’t notice your well-rounded and protruding belly by the 16th week of pregnancy. If this is not your first pregnancy, the tummy tends to push out a little more than usual. The dark line gets darker, dividing your stomach into clear halves down the navel.
Twin Pregnancy at 16 Weeks – Ultrasound
What might not have been evident in the previous months, begins to be loud and mighty when you complete 16 weeks of pregnancy. Each baby that lives inside your womb will have a proper heartbeat of their own, which can be audible to you.
The ultrasound undertaken at this stage is a critical one, since it pretty much rules out chances of random miscarriage once completed successfully. The risk percentage goes down to nearly less than 5 percent, which can be a huge relief for anxious mothers.
The nails on the children will start growing soon as well as the hair would be covering their body, which won’t always be clear on the screen. Furthermore, you might notice that the umbilical cords of the children might be hovering on the lower side of their abdomen.
What To Eat
As your weight will continue to increase rapidly, it is necessary to maintain healthy nutrition irrespective of it. Don’t attempt to reduce your meals to keep your weight in check. As was mentioned earlier, stick to the basics of ensuring the necessary nutritional support that is described for a woman pregnant with multiple babies. Smaller meal portions consumed throughout the day can keep your hunger pangs in check, as well as reduce chances of heartburn.
Make sure breakfast is the largest meal of your day. Post that, the meal quantities can be reduced, with your dinner being the lightest one, which stills fills your stomach. Keep consumption of salt to only the necessary amount, and avoid sweet and spicy food items as far as possible. Boiled food items, with a lot of fluid consumption, can be easy to digest as well as protect you from any infections.
Pregnancy Care Tips
With 16th week being a great week for your pregnancy, all you require is a handful of tips to take care of yourself.
Dos
- Track your weight to know if your babies are growing at the right pace.
- Use oil or petroleum jelly to treat the stuffy nose.
Dont’s
- Avoid biting your nails if they grow quickly. Use a nail cutter.
- Don’t stand for longer durations since they could make leg cramps worse.
What You Need To Shop For
Invest in a pregnancy pillow to help with your insomnia and make it easier to fall asleep. When partying, get a mocktail recipe book to create some healthy juice alternatives to join in with the others.
Being pregnant with twins at 16 weeks marks an important milestone in the entire journey as well as the second trimester. The challenges that will come later on can be handled well if you take care of yourself in these few weeks. Be your own princess and enjoy the moment.
