Getting Your Pre-Pregnancy Body Back After Twins.

You just had twins. Your breasts are aching as your milk comes in to feed two hungry little mouths. Your C-section incision is tender (or even below the belt) after delivering two HUGE babies. You're tired. You're cranky. You're still figuring this twin mom thing out. You look down at your deflated mess of a belly and think, "How the heck am I ever gonna fit into my clothes again?"

After I gave birth to Aria & Cadence, I thought the same thing. Around my 30 week mark my belly just sprouted all sorts of stretch marks going horizontally, vertically, diagonally.... basically EVERY DIRECTION. I was depressed thinking of my post-partum body and how horribly distorted my stomach would be.

About a week before giving birth, I bought this amazing post-partum girdle called "The Belly Bandit".

Click HERE if you want to learn more about The Belly Bandit!

I put it on while I was in the hospital after the twins were born. I really liked it because it actually protected my C-section incision from opening because it was a barrier between my clothes or even the babies as they breastfed. When I first wore it, the wrap barely closed over my huge belly (still lopsided with all my organs pushed up against my ribs) and after a month of wearing it, my stomach had shrunken down so much that the wrap was too big on me.

Breastfeeding, as I'm sure you've heard, helps with the weight loss. But you also need to be eating a lot to keep up with producing enough milk to feed two babies, so fill yourself up with good things. I ate a lot of apples and tangerines throughout the day and had two peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and a pretty big dinner.

Luckily, I had my mom and husband with me after giving birth and she would watch the girls for an hour while Kurt took me to the pool and I just walked the length of the pool for 45 minutes. It was a very easy, non-strenuous work out, but it really helped me bounce back and lose all that weight. 

With the stretch marks, I don't know what to tell you. I haven't found anything to get rid of them. But the Belly Bandit did help tighten the skin on my stomach and wearing some nice comfy Spanx also really helped to restore the elasticity in my skin. 

Your body, while pregnant, produces a hormone called hCG. After giving birth, it helps shred a lot of the weight you gained during pregnancy. It's wonderful!

By about 3 months post-partum I was already 12 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight and feeling fantastic! 

Be sure to keep the weight off even after that hormone wears off. Eat healthy, go on walks with your babies at the park, take a night off and go to the gym. You want everyone to say, "Whoa. She had twins?!"

My Post-Partum Cardiomyopathy.

Some of you might have heard about my personal battle with a rare condition called Post-Partum Cardiomyopathy. For a detailed version of my struggle with it, you can read more about it here. Basically, about 2 weeks after I gave birth to Aria & Cadence I started having trouble breathing and would have to sit up to sleep at night. I developed a cough and then one night, coughed up blood. Long story short, I went to the doctor the next day, then to the emergency room where I found out that my heart was enlarged and I needed to be flown to a bigger hospital on O'ahu immediately. I was medevaced on a small little airplane and didn't know whether I would see Aria & Cadence ever again. It was one of the scariest moments of my entire life.

A very tired me awaiting the diagnosis from the doctors.

There, I learned that my heart had become weakened during my pregnancy (something that only affects a very small percentage of women) and that it was working at just 20% of its capacity whereas a normal heart should be working at 55-60%. I was considered to be in "heart failure" because of this.

In the hospital, the Cardiologist told Kurt and I that it is recommended that we not have anymore kids because additional pregnancies could worsen the condition of my heart. This was one of the hardest things I have ever had to hear especially since I'm just 22 and Kurt is 24. I cried a lot for months. I just was blessed with two beautiful girls but the thought that they wouldn't have any younger siblings killed me. Kurt remained very optimistic, but I was in shambles. People would ask when we were going to have more kids and I would have to fight back the tears every time and try to give a vague answer like, "I don't know. Not for a while." Then when I got home, behind closed doors, I would just bawl. Even though my life was filled with blessings, this trial made it hard for me to see that.

However, despite all of these things, I continued to try and take care of myself. I stuck to the low-sodium diet which was also a real struggle for me. I tried to exercise with the girls by going on lots of walks in the park since the doctor was very clear that I should not over-exert myself in any way. I continued to take the medications the Cardiologist prescribed so that my heart could heal and regain its function back as much as possible.

Two weeks ago I received a follow-up echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) to see how these life-style changes have helped my heart heal. I met with the doctor this past Monday to hear the results. I was very nervous. I didn't know whether they would tell me I needed a heart transplant or if my heart had worsened. Kurt took off work so that he could be by my side to hear the news with me.

The doctor informed me that my heart has made a tremendous recovery and is working at 45-50% again! I am well on my way to a full recovery! She also informed us that because of this incredible recovery the possibility of having more children isn't out of the question. It would need to be further down the road after my heart has fully regained its function, and the pregnanc(ies) would need to be closely monitored. Oh my goodness, my heart did leaps in my chest when I heard that!

This has been the most difficult trial I have ever personally been faced with in my life. But there has not been a single instant where I have had to suffer through it alone. I have felt the comfort of my Heavenly Father every step of the way and I know that He had a big hand in my recovery. I have never felt closer to Him than in these last seven months. Through lots of prayers from me, and given on my behalf, I have had an amazing recovery - one that not many women who also have this condition are able to have. It has been my very own miracle.

I am also so grateful for Kurt. He has cried with me, encouraged me, and has given me unwavering strength throughout this entire trial. I am so grateful for him and his faith and support. My family and friends have also been a tremendous support during this time and I am so grateful for that too.

But my number one motivation for changing my lifestyle has been Aria & Cadence.

I want to be here to see them have children, to see them have grandchildren and I don't want to miss anything.

I debated about whether or not I should write about this here, but I knew that someone who might be struggling with the same thing may read it so I decided that I needed to tell my story. For those other women who are faced with this same terrible condition, my heart goes out to you. My battle has not ended at all, and my life will forever be altered by this experience. But we are "heart sisters" and I hope that my story can help you in any way to continue to have hope throughout this difficult time.

Why Having Twins Isn't That Hard.

When people find out I am a mom to twins, they usually express pity, saying, "Oh, that's rough" or something like that. Once, when we put the babies in a stroller and walked around Target, a woman stopped me and handed me a $20 bill. Confused, I tried to hand it back to her and she said, "No, take it, I know how hard one baby is, I can't imagine two."

Don't get me wrong, that woman was right - having twins is hard. Having one baby is hard. Having two is really hard. But having twins isn't as hard as I expected, and this is why.

I expected to never get any sleep for the first five years or so. The other night, though, Aria and Cadence slept for almost nine hours! Although it isn't the norm, they sleep that long semi-frequently. We talked to the pediatrician about it and he said that in his years of practice, he's noticed that for some reason, twins usually sleep better than singleton babies.

Aria and Cadence sleeping in the swaddlers that Hilo Hospital sent us home with.

Double everything really isn't double everything. Yes, we have two bassinets and two car seats. We will have two cribs. But the girls share the same wardrobe (except for some identical outfits that were given as gifts) and they share blankets, medicine, toys and a lot more.

They are superstars and are loved wherever we go. When we take them to church they are always held by someone else. We never have to take them out into the hall or anything because someone else usually has them and wants to. I always imagined everyone turning in anger towards me during church when one of them fussed, but actually people turn to me excitedly and say, "oh, I'll take her!" We think our babies are super cute, but everyone else also seems to think they are the most adorable things ever because there's two of them!

Even during my pregnancy with twins, it was great! I got "special" treatment from doctors and have about a thousand ultrasounds of each baby. We got to see their faces multiple times before they were born. We saw them breathing, we saw them yawn, we saw their hair floating in the amniotic fluid, and more. Although these babies stretched out my belly almost to its breaking point, I loved my pregnancy.

Things that I look forward to in the future is that Aria and Cadence will be each other's playmates. My mom told me how she struggled with my older brother because she was playing trains, playing cars, talking in "baby talk" for the entire day... and she really craved adult conversation. Aria and Cadence will play with each other and I'll act more as a mediator than a playmate.

They will have to learn to share early on. Because Kurt and I will likely buy one of everything (except things like bikes or other big toys) they will be forced to share with each other. They will probably be sharing a room for most of their young life, and sharing clothes, accessories, and more.

For much of the time, Kurt and I have an equal workload. You'll find us both bottle-feeding them at 4am, both changing messy diapers, both trying to soothe screaming babies. I feel that being able to really share the work has brought us closer together and strengthened our marriage. There's no room for blame or resentment because one person is doing more than the other or feels overworked and neglected.

Overall, although having twins is hard, it is so much fun. We are never bored. They are always keeping us on our toes and we are always having a blast with them! :) I'm sure other twin moms would agree - there's no reason to pity us. I feel lucky and privileged to be a mother of twins!

One Week!

Today my girls are one week old! Though they have only been with us for this short time,  it feels like they've always been a part of our family :)

Kurt and I have been learning so much in these past seven days. In just a week, we have both laughed and cried, struggled to get up when they scream in the middle of the night and struggled to put them down because we love them too much. Each day has its challenges and we are definitely learning as we go.

We are most grateful for all the help and support we have received. These girls are so well-cared for.

Here is a quick recap of their first week with us:

Aria and Cadence with their handsome Daddy

The proud and tired Mommy

Grandma and Cadence

Aunty Brittny and Aria

The first-time grandparents with their new granddaughters

Aunty Teleise

Aunty Sandy

First bath

First time in their crib

Enjoying their cute bouncers

First trip to the doctor

Sleeping again in their bassinets

Cadence and Mommy

Aria and Daddy

This week has gone by so quickly, but we have loved every second with them!

Happy One Week, Aria and Cadence! We love you!

The Twins Are Here!

Our girls are finally here!!!

Aria Kielekea Christensen

Born March 18, 2014 at 9:19am

5 lbs 6 oz / 18 in long

Cadence Puamelia Christensen

Born March 18, 2014 at 9:19am

(20 seconds after Aria)

5 lbs 2 oz / 18.5 in long

The girls were delivered by C-section at 36 weeks/1 day so we had to stay in the hospital a total of three days. Though they are small, they are incredibly healthy and doing well! I am also doing great and in little to no pain at all :) We are very blessed that the entire pregnancy and birth went so smoothly. We are SO grateful to finally have our two daughters here with us! Kurt and I are excited to be parents and are on a steep learning curve but slowly understanding all that is entailed in being the mommy and daddy of identical twin girls!

False Alarm.

This past weekend, we went to my grandpa's 80th Birthday Party at Kahuku Ranch in Ka'u. We had such a nice time! But throughout the day I was feeling contractions and since the ranch was almost 2 hours away from the hospital, Kurt and I decided to drive home instead of sleepover.

I felt contractions the entire drive over and they weren't letting up. Once we got home, we turned on a movie and started timing the contractions.

I was having them about 7 times per hour for a minute each time and we read that if they were regular and we were pregnant with twins we shouldn't hesitate to call the hospital. So we did, and they told us to come in.

Once we got there, they asked what the pain level was and at the time I thought it was about a 3 out of 10. They hooked me up to monitor the contractions and the babies and they saw that I was actually having them every 2 minutes. After checking my cervix, they discovered I wasn't dilating so their next step was to try to address the source of the contractions. They thought I might be dehydrated (even though I had 6-7 bottles of water that day) and hooked me up to an IV that was supposed to hydrate me. However, the contractions continued and they got stronger as the night went on. Next, they thought it might be a bladder infection so they had me give them a urine sample and ran it through the lab, but I didn't have one and, again, the contractions were getting stronger. By this time, I was moaning and groaning and the pain level was up to about a 7. They checked my cervix again, but I still wasn't dilated.

Kurt and I had been there since 10 and it was now close to 3 am. They finally decided that they'd give me a shot of terbutaline which is a drug that relaxes the uterus and slows down contractions. If, after an hour of receiving the drug, my contractions returned at the same strength and consistency, then it meant that I was in "real labor" and they would give me a c-section that night. However, after an hour, the contractions stopped almost altogether and I could hardly feel the ones I had.

So, by 7am, we were finally discharged and told to take it easy so that the contractions wouldn't start again. It was a really rough night for both Kurt and I but we are glad that we went in. We were scared that the babies would come early, but the nurses and on-call doctor really wanted to try everything so that didn't happen. They were also grateful that we came in when we did and told us to come back if the contractions returned and were very strong.

But tomorrow is finally the day! We have a C-section scheduled at 9am tomorrow morning and we are both so excited! The babies are far along enough now that they will likely need no NICU time and be able to come home just as soon as we're all released after about 3 days of recovery from the surgery. We can't wait to finally meet our daughters!!!

35 Weeks!

Today I reached the 35 week mark of this twin pregnancy. It is a HUGE milestone for me because it means that the babies will likely not need any NICU time when they are born. Since the only NICU is on Oahu, it also means that I will be able to have the babies at home in Hilo instead of needing to be medevaced to Oahu if the babies come early.

Also, it means that our babies are now about five pounds each. If they stay in until March 18th as planned, they should be close to six pounds each!! I can feel every ounce of their tiny bodies moving in me and their strong limbs as they kick and squirm. It is getting harder and harder for them to move in my tummy but they still manage to keep me up sometimes!

We are SO excited for our girls to arrive!! My family has been working like crazy to prepare for their arrival :)

The girls are so blessed to have been given so many awesome things from many different people so we have been washing, disinfecting, and putting things together for them. With almost a week left until they are born, we still have so much to do!

Kurt and I are so excited to meet our daughters in just 9 short days!

Baby Shower!

This past Saturday, my family surprised me with a baby shower! They had been planning it for months and did a fantastic job at keeping it a surprise. Kurt helped with that too.

The weekend started off with Kurt and I sleeping over at my grandpa's house in Ka'u. A few weeks ago, my grandpa called and invited us to go spend the weekend with them before the babies were born. Little did I know, this was a ploy to get me out of the house and out of Hilo so the shower could be perfectly executed.

Well, we spent a lovely weekend out in Ka'u and were treated like royalty. Aunty Diana cooked the best meals and we talked to them for hours on their patio as the sun went down. The plan was to go whale-watching on Saturday morning, but my big pregnant belly was protesting to the bumpy ride down to South Point, so we ended up visiting family.

After lunch, Kurt and I left for Hilo because he said he had to meet the bishop for an Ecclesiastical Endorsement and that I needed to be in on the interview as well. So we returned, got dressed in church clothes, and headed over to the chapel.

In the cultural hall, everyone was waiting for my arrival and yelled, "SURPRISE!!" when I came in. It was really nice, and I cried a lot. There were so many women that have helped raise me, befriended me, and loved me over the years and they were all there to celebrate my daughters.

We got tons of amazing gifts!! Everyone was so generous and spoiled these girls SO much already. We are so grateful for all of their love! I felt so loved and blessed at the baby shower, and I know that many, many people love these girls as well!

Maternity Photos.

I am very blessed that everything in my twin pregnancy has gone so smoothly. Lots could have gone wrong before now, but didn't. I have no doubt that Heavenly Father is watching over us and making sure that these babies come into the world as healthy and happy as can be. :)