Go Home. Stand in Front of a Full Length Mirror Naked. And Take a Picture.

​No fancy photos for this post . These are REAL pictures, from my cell phone from a text conversation with my best friend...Check out the dates...Yup, that's right! I knew I was having twins even before I saw a doctor.

When you pick an OB when you’re 18 years old and just need birth control you don’t ever consider that there could be a moment when you’re sitting in front this doctor waiting for him to tell you more about the news you just received from an ultrasound technician.

“There are two heartbeats. Congratulations! You’re having twins!”

I certainly never thought I would be sitting there.
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The funny part was that while I never actually expected to hear this news and was still utterly shocked by it, I had spent the two weeks prior to this ultrasound appointment consulting doctor google. What could high levels of HCG could actually mean (HCG = Human Chorionic Gonadotropin or...the hormone that turns the pregnancy stick – into a +)? Why did I have cramping radiating from both of my ovaries? And how did twin moms find out they were actually having twins? Yup, I really did…I must have looked each of those things up at least 100 times and my research was inconclusive. For every “high HCG could mean you’re having twins” there was a “high HCG means nothing, everyone’s body is different.” I also found that there were a lot of women asking similar questions to the one’s I was quietly researching. And yet, I only told my husband, brother and best friend that my crazy, newly pregnant, hormonal mind had thought over and over again that we were having two babies.

So there I was, staring at a wall in that doctor’s office two weeks after we found out we were pregnant. While waiting for the doc to tell me more about this newly received news (Twins!!!), my head was racing. I was waiting for him to walk in and give me some profound insight, some magical piece of information that would put this whole “I’m pregnant [with twins] what do I do now?” thought to rest and allow me carry on with my day. But instead, he strolled in calm as a cucumber, singing Barbara Streisand’s “Memories” and said to me, “Go home. Stand in front of a full length mirror naked. And take a picture. Your body will never be the same.” Nope… That wasn’t it…That wasn’t the magical piece of information I had been waiting for, but somehow it worked.

It centered my thoughts, and we both had a good laugh.

Even my doctors dry sense of humor could not have prepared me for the amount of people who LOVE the concept of twins. The multitudes of ladies (and gents) who would stop me to say, “I think twins are so neat.”, “I always wished I would have had twins,” “twins are so cute, you can dress them up in matching outfits.” I.had.no.idea.

I had never even thought about having twins until I projectile vomited on a wall, got a blazing positive pregnancy test before even being 4 weeks pregnant, had ovulation pain on both sides of my tummy and a call from the doctor that my HCG levels were a little high. But apparently tons of people think about having twins, what it would like to have twins, and ‘what if’ they are pregnant with twins...all.the.time.

I probably shouldn't have been so shocked.... Every mother of twins knows that on any twin mommy pregnancy forum, there are lurkers. Lurkers who are obsessed with the idea of having twins, who are often quiet and sometimes not so quiet.  The loud ones post questions like, “I think I might be having twins because I have a feeling…how did you know you were having twins?” or worse, “I already had my 6 week ultrasound and they only found one heartbeat, but I just have a feeling there are two in there. Has that happened to anyone here?”  Yup…these questions are asked AT LEAST every single week by someone new. And typically snarky, swollen, tired, terrified, pregnant, soon to be mommies of multiples jump all over these poor women – who simply have dreams of having two bundles at once. The thread comments from exhausted pregnant or new twin mommies typically read like this:

​“Please see FAQ section.”
“Somebody asked this same question yesterday…I just bumped the post for you.”
“Only an ultrasound can validate that you're having twins.”
“I don’t know why so many people want twins. It’s not as easy as you think.”
“Be happy you only found one heartbeat.”
 “There is no way you can ‘have a feeling’ about having twins.”

​Well, the truth is:

1. These mommies are not snarky or mean but they are more than likely terrified, swollen, tired of being overwhelmingly pregnant (more on this later) and potentially wondering why someone in their right mind would ever want to go through the physical agony that is twin pregnancy.
2. I disagree with most of the standard responses, mostly, because I did have a feeling. A feeling that was coupled with quite a bit of circumstantial evidence, but a feeling nonetheless.  I even vowed to myself at one point to continue visiting these forums well after I had my twins to answer the questions of these poor women looking for some insight into their twin hunch, but then I too got overwhelmingly pregnant, swollen, tired, grumpy and then, ultimately, busy with two kids.

So instead of visiting those forums and providing hope to the ladies with a hunch, I’m writing this post. If you have a gut feeling and think you’re having twins, you might be right! Skip the forums and head straight to your doctor for an early ultrasound.

And if you end up being right? Congratulations! Welcome to the beginning of the craziest, hardest, most rewarding and fun adventure ever!!

​But before you do anything else, seriously, go home. Stand in front of a full length mirror naked. And take a picture. My doctor was right, your body will never be the same again.

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​Are you a twin mommy?
​Share your story about how your found out you were having twins in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!

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