We experienced God’s miracle in our lives first hand. And we continue to experience it day by day. We waited 15 years for this. He made it happen. This alone made the pregnancy and all the pain that goes with it totally worth it.

I had it easy. For the most part. I was expecting it to be bad. Specially when we learned we are having twins. I read that symptoms are worse with twins. But nope, I never had morning sickness. I didn’t have weird cravings. I never had bleeding or threatened abortion. As of this writing, I don’t even have stretch marks on my belly. Nor do I have that dark line on my abdomen called Linea Nigra. So yes, I had it easy.

I feel more radiant and beautiful now that I am pregnant. I’ve suffered from falling hair before I got pregnant, but I noticed I hardly have falling hair now. No more clumps of hair in the shower drain. I also have clearer skin, specially on the face. I enjoy dressing up (and shopping for maternity clothes!) and putting on make up. I wish I can wear heels! I’ve also lost weight before I got pregnant, and during my first trimester. And when I started gaining weight in the second trimester, it was slow and steady, and the weight just went to my belly. I get a lot of comments that my face is smaller, and it looks like I’ve lost a lot of weight. I am enjoying it. I just feel more womanly now and loving it. That’s why I really enjoyed our maternity photo shoot. I love how the photos turned out. I also get more compliments now. Ok, so I am enjoying the attention. Is that bad?

I love watching my belly grow bigger. It’s proof that I am really pregnant.

Hubby and I enjoy our new rituals. Let me share a secret. Hubby and I have a lot of “love rituals”. We learned early in our marriage that rituals help strengthen our relationship. One such ritual is putting on the wedding ring on each other’s fingers everyday before going to work, then we seal it with a kiss. So it sort of replicates our wedding ceremony every single day.  Anyway, with the pregnancy, we added new rituals to our existing ones. Here’s one that I love. After our evening prayer, Ariel would apply belly lotion/balm all over my tummy while he talks to our babies (to familiarize them with his voice). Not only does this help moisturize my belly skin (so they don’t become itchy, and also to prevent stretch marks – sort of), it’s also a great bonding activity for us.

I love feeling the babies move inside me. I have to admit that the absence of the nausea and other pregnancy symptoms made me doubt whether I’m really pregnant. In addition, many of the moms at the forum I am at started sharing baby movement experiences early in their pregnancies. I didn’t feel any movement until my 19th week. I can’t describe the feeling when I finally felt them. It suddenly felt more real. There are little humans growing inside me!

We love seeing the babies during ultrasound sessions. I’m sure it will pale in comparison with seeing and touching them in person, but for now, seeing them grow and move inside me is enough. And I am happy this is one experience I get to share with Ariel.

I enjoyed researching baby names. Amaris Sofia and Alisa Liana – what beautiful names that remind us of God’s grace.

I enjoy the little perks that go with the pregnancy. I now have access to priority lanes in supermarkets, banks, etc. I also get offered a seat while waiting in supermarkets, in department stores, etc.

We’ve experienced the kindness and generosity of friends. It made us so happy that a lot of people shared our joy when they found out we are expecting. Some even tearfully called me to personally convey how happy they are. I was so touched. Other friends gave maternity clothes and promised baby gifts. We already had two first baby showers and received awesome baby items. We are so grateful.

What woman doesn’t love shopping? We’ve mostly done online shopping for big ticket essentials. We haven’t really started buying everyday baby stuff, except for cloth diapers. But I am excited at the prospect of buying things for our girls. Here’s what we’ve bought and received so far, plus things we still need – Baby Essentials Wish List.

I love wearing preggy outfits. A lot of people warned me against buying a lot of maternity clothes. But one person advised me to buy what will make me happy. So I did. I loved wearing maternity dresses. I bought 3 maternity leggings and they are super comfortable, and I’m glad I bought them. I also bought some maxi dresses, and a lot of tops. Some of them are maternity/nursing clothes so I can keep wearing them even after giving birth. I also received a lot of pre-loved maternity clothes and they make great additions to my wardrobe.

That’s all I can think of for now. I will update the list when I think of something else.

Now onto the not so lovable aspects of pregnancy. Like I said, this is not a rant. I am not complaining. I am merely sharing my experience – the good, and the bad.

1st and 3rd trimester fatigue – During the first trimester, I find myself feeling tired all the time. All I wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep all day. Then 2nd trimester rolled in and suddenly, my energy is back. I could go to the mall after work, do the grocery shopping, get a mani-pedi. We even went on a 4-hour road trip to Baguio. I thought the fatigue is over. But then came week 29 and I found myself yawning every few seconds while driving to work. When I get home, all I want to do is sleep. I realized it’s back!

Heartburn/Acid Reflux – I experienced this briefly, maybe two weeks, somewhere between my 20th-24th week. I’d wake up with pain in the chest area, plus the feeling that my dinner wasn’t properly digested. It felt like I needed to burp but couldn’t. Sometimes, throwing up gave me relief. Thankfully, it was short-lived and it’s gone now.

Ok, this might be a little TMI, but most pregnant women experience this. Constipation and its nasty cousin called Hemorrhoids. No explanation needed. Raise your hands if you experienced this!

Aches and pains – In my case, I recently started feeling a bit of discomfort just under my breast area, in the upper abdomen. I can tell it’s not abdominal pain, but I don’t know what it is. I told my OB about it and she checked it during my last ultrasound and she said it’s just the babies pressing on some membranes, and even the diaphragm. She warned me that it will get worse since they are getting bigger, and more cramped in my belly. Ugh! I also had some discomfort in my pelvic area while walking. I started wearing a belly support to help but sometimes, it’s not enough.

I started to waddle. It’s not sexy.

Limited sleeping positions – I am having trouble breathing when lying on my back. I’ve been warned about this. I was told I should avoid this position starting 2nd trimester. I had not issues back then. But now, I find myself gasping for air when I lie on my back.

Limited movement and activities – I can’t even sweep our floor anymore as it causes backache. Maybe it’s excuse to keep me from cleaning chores? Brushing my teeth and washing dishes are a challenge since my huge belly keeps me at an awkward distance from the sink.

The need to pee every few minutes – This was an issue in the first trimester. It’s not much of an issue now. BUT, I’ve been warned that it will get worse in the third trimester as my belly gets cramped and the babies start pressing on my bladder. Bracing myself for this.

Gestational Diabetes – Yes, I have GDM. I prick my finger to check my blood sugar four times a day. I have to monitor what I eat, and make sure my weight gain isn’t drastic. It’s been good so far. As of week 30, I’ve only gained 11 lbs. A lot of pregnant women gain 20-30lbs with a single pregnancy. So I’m all good. And the pricking isn’t so bad. I’ve gotten so good at it I can do it on my drive home (during red lights). I just miss sweet treats – like chocolate milkshake, pancakes, cheesecake, even fruit juices. Sigh.

The worries and fears of a first time mom-to-be – Since it’s my first time, I had no idea what’s normal and what I should be concerned about. So I tend to worry with every little “symptom”. I always debate whether I should call my OB or just let things pass. For example, a couple of days ago, I felt contractions (which I thought were maybe just Braxton Hicks) throughout the night. I debated for an hour if I should tell my OB. At 5:30am, I texted her and told her about my experience expecting her to tell me that it’s nothing to worry about. Instead, she asked me to go to the delivery room to get hooked up to a monitor (Non-Stress Test). I panicked a little. There were no issues. Babies are happy and healthy.