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Mothers who are 15 weeks pregnant with twins are at a strange place in life. On one hand, you would be ecstatic to have gotten this far with your babies safely inside you and look forward to spending the coming months with them. On the other hand, the focus on their growth and proper development can start taking up a lot of headspace, leading you to stress out unnecessarily. The 15th week of pregnancy is thankfully better when it comes to nausea and exhaustion that gets too hard to overcome. Therefore, it is essential to make the best of this time, because higher demands are coming in the latter stages of the pregnancy.
The Growth of the Babies at 15 Weeks
Similar to the previous week, the growth and progress of your babies continue to chug ahead speedily and lead to a substantial increase in weight and length.
When the ears and eyes form on the head of the children, they are usually present on the side of the neck and towards the side of the face respectively. By the 15th week, the positions of the ears reach the final stage, journeying from the neck to the sides of the head. The eyes attain a proper place on the front of the face, and you can get a vague semblance of what they might look like after they are born.
You are not the only one exercising to keep yourself fit. Your little ones are undergoing their very own unique regimens inside your womb. Nearly all the limbs and movable muscles start getting the activity they need, as their muscular strength begins to develop, and the brain tests them out in numerous ways.
An interesting aspect to notice about babies in the 15th week of pregnancy is that their eyes can now sense the presence of light around them. Sure, their eyelids have covered the eyes completely and there doesn’t seem to be any light inside the womb, but the capacity to sense it does seem to be present. The breathing process has begun too, with their noses taking in the amniotic fluid present in the sac. This fluid reaches within and helps develop their lungs for breathing in actual air.
What is The Size of the Babies
Twins and multiple babies are always a tad smaller than a child that is growing solely by itself in the womb of its mother. Around the 15th week of pregnancy, a baby tends to weigh somewhere around 40-50 grams, with a length of around 9-10 centimetres. With multiples, these values will obviously be a tad lesser. However, their overall size would still be as large as a fresh orange.
Common Bodily Changes
If you feel that you are not looking pregnant as compared to other pregnant women, worry not. By the 15th week of your pregnancy, your belly would be evident enough for many people to start noticing it clearly.
- It is a well-known fact that a pregnant woman’s body experiences numerous changes through pregnancy. But many effects tend to stay present for long durations. A constant thought that revolves around your future life and the safety of your children, combined with the need to urinate often at night, and randomly occurring leg cramps, can make it difficult for you to get proper sleep, day or night. This is where many pregnant women tend to look sleep-deprived and insomnia might strike at the worst possible moment. An absence of rest can make pregnancy a difficult journey for you.
- The increased blood flow in the body also reaches the nasal section. This can cause your nose to be stuffy as well as get blocked due to increased mucus in the nostrils as a result of stimulated mucous membranes. Therefore, you might turn out to be the one in the family who begins to snore at night. It might be a little uncomfortable for your companion during sleep but that snoring isn’t a cause of worry.
- The pricking and jabbing feeling in the tummy will continue this week as well, which is a strong sign of ligament-based pain. The constantly increasing uterus can stretch your muscles internally, making it difficult for you to carry out any stretching on your own terms. Majorly affecting the area around your groin or the lower region of the stomach, it might be discomforting to quite some degree but isn’t indicative of any serious condition.
- The sensitivity and tenderness that your breasts experienced in the first trimester, causing them to be irritated at the slightest brush, would thankfully take a backseat. Nevertheless, their size will keep on increasing and the areolas will tend to get darker, too. The swollen breasts might show a few veins around them as well.
Symptoms of Twin Pregnancy at 15 Weeks
Carrying twins or multiples in your womb is not an easy task for your body. Although you would be in a much better position to handle the symptoms by the 15th week, there will be some of them which will be quite strong.
- Blame those elevated hormone levels for relaxing your digestive muscles and causing your separation valves not to function effectively. There will continue to be moments where you end up passing gas randomly and suffer from heartburn at night. If this continues even after you have regulated your meal consumption and adjusted your diet, your doctor might be able to help you out.
- The increased volume of blood is combined with the enhanced production of blood vessels to cater to the needs of the growing babies. This also indirectly ends up elevating your blood pressure, which can push blood in the nasal region, resulting in occasional nosebleeds. Such bleeding can occur in your gums as well since they are quite sensitive than before. Be warned that this could react with the bacteria in your mouth and cause gingivitis. Thankfully, they don’t cause pain and are generally harmless, but they need to be treated immediately and can be easily prevented by brushing your teeth properly.
- A lack of exercise regimen that you were used to, combined with the uterus pushing your diaphragm can make you breathless at the smallest activity you conduct. This would be even more evident when you engage in some sexual activity with your partner. There’s no need to pull back your sex drive, and adjusting your positions can make the entire act easier and pleasurable for you.
Vanishing Twin Syndrome
As scary as this name sounds, it is a possible condition that is generally observed in 20 percent of pregnancies that involve multiple babies. Although mentioned for twins, it could happen in case of triplets or more babies, too. What it describes is a scenario where the pregnancy was earlier diagnosed to have more than one child. But as the term approached 15 weeks of completion, one of the babies might seem to have disappeared and wouldn’t be visible in ultrasounds anymore. This rarely causes any complications for the woman or the existing baby and the pregnancy can continue ahead unabated, apart from a small disappointment for the parents.
Twin Pregnancy – Belly at 15 Weeks
The belly size varies across women in various ways. Mothers pregnant with triplets might have smaller bellies as compared to the ones with twins. Nevertheless, that should never be a means to compare the healthiness of your little ones. Most stomachs tend to increase in roundedness while the waistline might not grow as much.
After the 15th week, the belly growth picks up pace and changes can be observed quite clearly. The dark line running over your stomach can get more pronounced, too.
Twin Pregnancy at 15 Weeks – Ultrasound
The ultrasound conducted around the 15th week of pregnancy usually pairs itself with a bunch of medical tests to rule out further issues that might affect you or your babies in the upcoming weeks of pregnancy. Genetic disorders are also diagnosed around this time, but apart from that, you can enjoy watching your babies move around in the womb.
What to Eat
Nutrition stays of paramount importance even in the 15th week. Fruits, dairy products, cereals, eggs, and rich green leafy vegetables have to be included in the diet without fail. Opt for products that are rich in Vitamin E since those can play a vital role in giving the placenta the strength it needs. Various nuts and seeds or supplements can be used to get the appropriate quantity.
Pregnancy Care Tips
Taking good care of yourself doesn’t have to be too complicated. A few tips here and there can be enough to keep yourself safe.
Dos
- Remember to make a note of any medical tests that you need to get done during your ultrasound.
- Engage in conversations with your baby, and start creating a bond early-on with each one of them.
Dont’s
- Avoid undergoing intense exertion. It can further contribute to your insomnia.
- Don’t let the anxiety of your pregnancy get to you. Relax and listen to soothing music.
What You Need to Shop for
Going for some cute maternity gowns that can work with the seasons can be excellent shopping therapy. A trip to the supermarket to buy organic fruits will help support your health, too.
Taking good care when you are 15 weeks pregnant with twins is smooth and quite necessary. All it requires is a calm mind and faith in the journey your body is taking you on. Know that you are not alone in this, and your kids are banking on you as well.
