Is It Normal to Be This Big, or Am I Having Twins?!!!

Updated on June 12, 2009
A.H. asks from Bloomfield, NJ
16 answers

I'm 39 and 7 weeks pregnant with my second child. I haven't seen the doctor yet (appt is in 1 1/2 weeks), and I'm very nervous I might be having twins because of my "advanced age" (which makes twins more likely), and because my pants are already starting to get very tight, and I can feel the top of my "belly" hardening. I did not get like this until I was 3+ months pregnant my first time, and I'm wondering if it's normal for a second pregnancy. I'm getting more and more nervous about it every day.

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So What Happened?

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. I felt so much better about how I was progressing, knowing it was perfectly normal to get big so soon! I had my ultrasound this morning and found out I am carrying only one child (yippee!!!). Good luck to all of you out there that are currently pregnant as well, and to those that have twins. More power to you!

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S.F.

answers from Syracuse on

Im seven weeks prego this past tuesday... I had an ultra sound monday and saw 1 baby. :) This is my second pregnancy, Ive always been slim to begin with but I actually feel uncomfortable with my pants buttoned. Everyone says you pop sooner. I didn't show with my first one till about 5 1/2 months. So Im agreeing that those abs are already stretched out!
best wishes

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A.G.

answers from New York on

You tend to show quicker with the next pregnancy due to the muscles being stretched or looser than before any children. Don't get yourself nuts just yet about twins. A.

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K.H.

answers from Utica on

Hi A.
congrats on new baby!!!
I like you was pg at 39, and had our twins at 37 wks when I was 40. Difference is our boys were 14 and 3 wks short of being 19.
OK so as to the question you really asked is it possible? Yes, likely perhaps, but with our first I was due in July and by Christmas I was in maternity clothes, and he was a single. However with our twins at 6 weeks, they told me it was an empty pg, and by 8 weeks it was twins. Before I was 3 mos, I was not able to desquise that I was pg. At 4 mos I appeared full term and the women in the waiting room at OB office would guess they were due about the same time as me. That began in Feb, after a week in hospital for preterm labor, when they headed me to delivery, and I said, I am not due til July. There was a fast turn around, and I was ultimately put on trabutiline, after mag drip. OK so bed rest was then the order of the day, and the only thing I did was go to OB office. Had I had your little one as well I would have been in the hospital from 18 weeks on.
It was fun to go to OB and look at all the girls as they hoped to discuss being in hospital together, They would say "I think we will meet at the hospital" or reasonably similar statement. I would say "I don't it, but when are you do?" They would usually say "2-3 wks" and I would say "These babies are due in July" It being March they would change seats, I called it they ran so they wouldn't catch what I had that caused me to balloon like that. Now I listen for the plural when people talk about their pg.
As I waddled down the hall at the MD office with my 14 yo, I did have the Jewish MD say to me that they don't tell anyone they were pg til after their 3rd month, but that it would be pretty hard to mask. I agreed and it was worth the laugh. They were born at 37wks 3days at 6#8oz, and 5#11oz. The OB office staff celebrated each week and more so when I hit milestones. When I hit 34 weeks they had a cake for me.
Laugh at our stories.
Your answer will come soon enough.
God bless you and please let me know what is said, I do have lots of advice, helps, ideas, and suggestions.
K. --- married 38 years --- adult children 37,coach; 33, lawyer, married with 10 mo; and twins 18, in college after homeschooling, fine arts, on campus, on Dean's List, hoping for President's list this semester; commuting, journalism, on Dean's List.

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B.A.

answers from New York on

Congratulations on your pregnancy!
Anything is possible. It could be twins, but I am 19 weeks pregnant with a singelton (also a later in life pregnancy) and I feel that I started getting big much faster with this pregnancy than with my first.
All the best,
B.

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M.T.

answers from New York on

Hi A.,
Since your skin and muscles have already stretched from a previous pregnancy, they do so more quickly and easily with subsequent pregnancies. It's very normal to show sooner then second time around. I'd say that I was showing at about 9 weeks with my second baby and while it didn't make me think that I was having twins, it did make me need to announce my pregnancy sooner than I'd have liked.
Good luck, wishing you a healthy and wonderful pregnancy!

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K.L.

answers from New York on

All I can say is that by 7 weeks I knew I was having twins and I wondered why I wasn't getting bigger right away. It still took a little while (but I did get plenty big). I would say that my first sign (besides the obvious sonogram) that the pregnancy wasn't typical was not my size, but a much more extreme tiredness and morning sickness in the first trimester than I had with my single pregnancy (though single pregnancies can all be different in these aspects too, I have heard). I just found every pregnancy symptom to be more extreme with twins - except I really didn't get big as early as I thought I would.

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K.S.

answers from New York on

Hi A.,
Congrats! Apparently I'm learning that you "pop" a lot faster with the second. I was huge (really big, almost cartoonish) with my first. I'm 9.5 weeks and already in maternity pants and I've only gained 5 lbs! I look like I'm already 4 months! I swear it's like my body went "oh we remember how big we can get, lets see if we can beat that record". Of course have the Dr. check but I already had 2 ultra sounds (there were issues) and there's just one little guy in there.

Best Wishes,
Kristal

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H.P.

answers from New York on

In my second pregnancy, I seemed much more bloated much faster than normal but it was a single baby. In my pregnancy after that, I stayed pretty small and I WAS pregnant with twins. If you do a sonogram, you'll know right away if it's twins. They saw it was twins for me when they did a sonogram at 5 1/2 weeks (although no heartbeats until the following week).

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K.P.

answers from New York on

First I want to say, CONGRATULATIONS on your becoming a mom again! While being older may mean the possibility of having twins is greater, that still may not be your case. Each pregnancy is different and unique. Since you are hoping to have only one child more, you are compounding your own anxiety. You will know one way or another when you go to the doctor's and at that time you will need to make a decision as to how to proceed forward for this pregnancy.
One of my friends is a mom of five and has one set of twins (boys). It was very hard in the beginning when they were small but now they are grown men and a delight. She says it was all worth it and when you hear the stories of everything they did and where they are you just know she has many reasons to grateful and proud.
Preparing yourself to be the greatest mom you can be to all your children even before they are born is the best thing you can do. I'm certain you will have plenty of encouragement and support.
So relax as much as you can, and count your blessings. I hope this is helpful to you.

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S.T.

answers from Albany on

Yes, this is normal. Each time you get pregnant, you get bigger and bigger only because your uterus is stretched out from the first pregnancy. Don't worry about athe size and so if you do have twins, congatulations on that too. Yes, more work, but if you have twins, God knows you can handle it. But, either way, congrats on addition(s) and when you have the US, please let us know since I am interested to know what the results are. Congrats again and have a wonderful enjoyable day with your two year old and the new one on the way! God bless you!

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N.M.

answers from New York on

With your second child you start to notice things allot sooner. By the time you get to your third your might start to show before the test even has a postive result. That is what happened to me and allot of people that I know!

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D.R.

answers from New York on

with my second and especially my third, i felt like i was showing 10 min after i got pregnant! and, by the way, in case that freaks you out thinking about your weight, although i started a bit heavier with each baby, even though i felt like i looked pregnant right away with the last 2, i gained less weight with each of them then i did with the first. dont worry about twins, have faith and feel good :) and congrats!

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C.T.

answers from New York on

I am so glad to hear all these "popping" stories from everyone!!

I have been feeling HUGE since we found out we were pregnant with our second. I found that things seemed to shift upward under my ribcage before I ever had a "baby bump" in my uterus area. Now the doctor says I am measuring "large". I think it is just a stretched out issue but we will see at the US that they scheduled me for at 28 weeks.

Thanks for all the great stories. Awesome post! I feel so much better!
~C.

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M.H.

answers from New York on

ohhh, the body remembers...... I believe it jumps into weight gain faster the second time...... I know friends who even gained less weight during the 2nd pregnancy(overall), yet still started out gaining earlier ...

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E.F.

answers from New York on

When I got pregnant with my second it did not take long to feel pregnant. I had to wear maternity pants a lot earlier as my stomach just seemed to give out immediately. I hope this makes you feel better and just enjoy this second time around.

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L.L.

answers from New York on

Totally normal! I'm 17 weeks pregnant with my 2nd and look like I'm about 5 months along. I didn't look like this with my 1st child either. I feel huge already!
Congratulations!
Lynsey

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