In the quiet hush of the labor & delivery room, where the air is charged with anticipation and the scent of earthiness and birthyness, a new chapter in your life unfolds. The rhythmic cadence of your breath is mirrored by the gentle whispers of your doula, a reassuring presence in this oh so sacred moment. The culmination of nine months… maybe more, leads to this: the first hour with your newborn.
When I was selecting items for my baby registry, it was really important to me to not go overboard. As a doula of 14 years, I’ve seen families get overwhelmed with the amount of stuff in their homes and nurseries and I knew I wanted to keep things on the simpler side. I also wanted to be mindful of the impact on not only the environment, but also my baby’s microbiome - which meant finding a lot of eco-friendly products to keep waste down and keep our home as “low tox” as possible. Here you’ll find some of my favorite sustainable and most useful items that I registered for.
The Doulas of Orange County office phone rings.
I pick up. “Hello! Doulas of Orange County. Lauren speaking.”
A strained voice sounds relieved to hear me, and it sounds like she has been crying. She’s an exhausted new mom of 12-week old twins and a 20-month-old toddler (who won’t let her out of his sight). She’s drained from her twin pregnancy, a difficult birth, and breastfeeding challenges. She struggles to keep up with laundry and wash enough dishes to have plates for the next meal. Her partner has been trying to feed the baby at night, but she’s still waking up to pump for multiples and can’t help but feel guilty about how tired her partner will be at work the next day. She really needs a postpartum doula in Irvine, CA.
“Can you help me, even though my babies are so old?” She asks.
In the quiet hush of the labor & delivery room, where the air is charged with anticipation and the scent of earthiness and birthyness, a new chapter in your life unfolds. The rhythmic cadence of your breath is mirrored by the gentle whispers of your doula, a reassuring presence in this oh so sacred moment. The culmination of nine months… maybe more, leads to this: the first hour with your newborn.
Choosing to give birth at home is a deeply personal and empowering decision for many expectant parents. It offers a unique opportunity to welcome your child into the world in a familiar, comfortable, and intimate setting. However, planning a home birth requires intentional preparation in mind, body, and spirit, plus good organization to ensure a safe and positive experience. As a fellow homebirth mama, I've put together a step-by-step guide to help you prepare for your own home birth experience.
When we first started considering phasing out our agency and transitioning to a doula matching service, we had a lot of questions about how it would work and if it would be sustainable. One of the biggest joys in running our doula agency was having the opportunity to get to know our clients and support them through their entire journey. And while we knew we weren’t the first doula agency to have to pivot after independent contractor laws changed (nor would we be the last!) ultimately it was important to us that we didn’t lose the opportunity to connect with those searching for a doula in Orange County.
One of the biggest things that sets us apart from referral services is that personal connection that makes finding a doula so important. That is why we strive to get to know you, not only because we love hearing about you and what you want out of your birth/postpartum experience, but because it helps us make those matches made in doula heaven. By learning more about you and your care needs we can confidently match you with doulas who’ll you have good chemistry with (‘cause let’s face it, finding a doula is kind of like dating) and who will be able to support you in the ways that you need and want.
Parents who give birth to twins often say they intuitively knew they were carrying more than one baby from the very start. Even before their doctor heard two heartbeats or confirmed a twin pregnancy via ultrasound, they just knew.
There are some early signs that you could be expecting more than one bundle of joy! Scroll through to see if you might be pregnant with multiples and for tips on soothing your symptoms.
Studies have shown that pregnant people expecting twins or multiples may have higher hCG levels than those experiencing a singleton pregnancy. That said, hCG levels vary from person to person and pregnancy to pregnancy, so hCG levels are not definitive to determine a twin pregnancy. Some people have high hCG levels and only give birth to one baby; others have exceptionally low hCG levels and give birth to multiples.
If your doctor has been monitoring your hCG levels, talk to them about your levels, and ask if they indicate that you could be expecting multiples.
Hormone fluctuations cause pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting. If you are pregnant with twins or multiples, you will likely have higher hormone levels. These more elevated hormones increase the risk of extreme morning sickness and hyperemesis gravidarum. This condition can lead to dehydration, weight loss, and electrolyte imbalance. Of course, every pregnancy is different. Some parents experience little to no nausea and vomiting during their twin or multiple pregnancies.
Check out our blog post 11 Safe + Effective Morning Sickness Remedies for the best tips to relieve morning sickness.
It's common for pregnant people to experience strong aversions to certain foods, especially coffee, meat, fish and seafood, and (surprisingly) leafy green vegetables. Food intolerances can increase morning sickness. In this case, the smell or taste of specific foods and beverages could trigger nausea and vomiting.
No one knows for sure why food aversions occur during pregnancy. They may be caused by changes to your taste perception or the increased sense of smell commonly associated with pregnancy. Other studies suggest that food aversions and intolerances during pregnancy are a natural adaptation to reduce pregnancy's physical challenges.
Fatigue is a common symptom of early pregnancy. Still, people who have experienced both singleton pregnancies and multiple pregnancies reported that they were far more tired when expecting multiples. Higher hormone progesterone levels and an increased basal metabolic rate may contribute to people's utter exhaustion when pregnant with multiples. The first trimester can be incredibly taxing for all pregnant people, as this is when a baby's foundational body systems are forming. Your body is undergoing rapid changes to support your pregnancy.
If early pregnancy fatigue is taking over your life, you can try:
Taking naps during the day (some people find sneaking in a short nap on their lunch break at work is helpful)
Going to bed early every night
Staying well hydrated
Ensuring you are eating a healthy balanced diet
Avoiding sugar and caffeine, which can cause fluctuations in your energy
Eating foods high in B vitamins
Going for a walk or other light daily exercise
Breast pain is a typical early pregnancy symptom that can be more intense when expecting twins or multiples. Your breasts are preparing to feed more than one baby, and the hormones that initiate these preparations may be higher. If you are experiencing intense pain and discomfort in your breasts, you can:
Stop wearing bras with underwires
Choose softer bras and ensure your bras fit properly
Avoid high impact physical activities such as running and jumping
Talk to your doctor if you experience burning pain, localized swelling, or notice a lump in your breast. These could indicate infection or other health concerns.
Frequent urination is another symptom that many people experience during early pregnancy, sometimes even before a positive pregnancy test. Parents of multiples sometimes report that they found their trips to the bathroom were even more frequent than they were in other pregnancies. Of course, hormones are to blame for this symptom, too!
To reduce the number of times you have to run to the bathroom, we suggest:
avoiding drinking liquids before bed
limiting beverages with a diuretic effect like coffee, tea, and seltzer
being careful to empty your bladder each time you urinate
If you are expecting twins or multiples, your belly may be bigger than expecting one baby. Looking "bigger" than would be expected for how far along you are can be a sign that you are expecting twins or multiples. Still, every body and every pregnancy is different.
Your doctor or midwife may notice that your fundal height measurements are significantly higher than expected if you are pregnant with multiples. To measure your fundal height, your care provider measures the distance between your pubic bone and the top of your uterus. After about 12 weeks of pregnancy, this measurement is an indicator of how well your baby, or babies, are growing.
Just like your basal metabolic rate increases, your resting heart rate will increase during pregnancy. A normal resting heart rate is about 70 bpm (beats per minute), rising to 80-100 bpm in pregnancy. People who are pregnant with twins or multiples may have a resting heart rate higher than 100 bpm. If your resting heart rate is above 100 bpm, you may be diagnosed with tachycardia. Tachycardia can be a normal pregnancy condition but needs to be monitored by your primary care provider.
You can help keep your heart rate within a normal range by not smoking, reducing stress, and using mindfulness techniques like meditation and deep breathing.
If you're feeling incredibly moody, you could be expecting twins or multiples. Blame it on all those extra hormones (again!). Intense feelings can be overwhelming for you, but keep in mind that they can go as quickly as they come due to hormonal fluctuations. Be sure to validate your feelings and give yourself space to recognize and accept how you feel in each moment; don't latch onto those feelings. Try journaling when you need to vent, chat with a friend, or consider seeing a therapist regularly.
Your intuition is powerful! As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, many parents "just know" that they are pregnant with twins or multiples.
Many twin pregnancies are discovered by ultrasound. Your doctor may suspect you are pregnant with more than one baby when checking your baby's heart rate or having alpha-fetoprotein levels tested. If your doctor suspects you may be pregnant with multiples, they will likely recommend you go for an ultrasound.
Doulas of Orange County wholeheartedly congratulates you on your pregnancy! We love working with families in Orange County, California, and surrounding areas, expecting multiples. We have experienced professionals to support you through pregnancy, during your birth, and in the first year of your baby’s lives. We can connect you with the right professionals to provide the support you want and need.
