As soon as you discover you're having twins, you start googling... How big will I get? How much should i eat? Will I have to get a c-section? What will my belly look like after twins? Well, for the latter question, one catch phrase comes up again and again... TWIN SKIN!
Twin skin is basically saggy wrinkly skin that will never bounce back to its former taught self, no matter how much weight you lose or how many crunches you do. Not every twin mom will get twin skin. Some moms will bounce back to their pre-pregnancy bodies in a split second, without a stretch mark or ounce of fluff to show for it. Good for them... but most of us are not quite so lucky.
Some of the unluckier moms will even end up with Diastis Recti, which is a permanent separation of the abdominal muscles. The abs separate during pregnancy, but in some cases, especially multiples pregnancies, the muscles never go back together. This can leave you looking 6 months pregnant for... forever! A physical therapist can guide you through certain exercises that may or may not help, some only find a fix with surgery. On the bright side, they can couple that with a tummy tuck - et voila beautiful belly (minus the hip to hip scar, that is).
We're all so excited to watch our bellies grow through the pregnancy, I even made a stop-motion video about it!
But the belly that remains after your little ones are delivered is not quite so exciting. For the first month or so, you still look very much pregnant. I remember being on the elevator one week postpartum and my neighbor asking in disbelief, "You haven't had them yet!?" Ugh. I nearly socked her!
The fact is, it takes a while for your very overstretched uterus to shrink back, and all the extra fluid and bloating to ease away. But sure enough, little by little your belly disappears, leaving small reminders of the amazing journey your body has been through to carry and birth two beautiful miracles. So, yes. I have twin skin. I have stretch marks. But you know what? I'll take 'em, because I also have the most amazing little twin girls in the world!! And on top of that, my squishy pug-like belly provides endless amusement for my toddler. HA!
Have you learned to embrace your postpartum body, or are you struggling to come to terms with it? Share in a comment below!
UPDATED April 18, 2017!!!
I've been using Nerium Firming Body Contour Cream nightly for 3 months now, it's made a pretty dramatic difference on my twin skin!! It's not gone, but definitely better! I waited until 15 months postpartum, down to pre-pregnancy weight, so my body did all it could do naturally. No more weight to lose, haven't been working out, and still have about a 1-2 finger gap in my diastasis recti. I didn't edit the pix. It's a true before and after, with only the cream at work. Pretty cool, huh? I got my cream free for review, but you can reach out to the rep to try out her Nerium goods here!
10 Comments
Anne
2/18/2016 07:01:57 pm
Thank you SO much for the candid sharing of your experience. I'm 21 weeks with B/G twins, third pregnancy... Already covered in my "tiger stripes" and wondering what more will come. Come what may, I hope to be as confident about it as you are. Thank you! ♥️
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Sarah
2/18/2016 08:04:56 pm
I thought I was getting away with no stretch marks (tiger stripes)...then all of a sudden 3 weeks before I gave birth, all these stretch marks appeared! After birth they were BRIGHT RED....exactly like scratch marks. Have hope...they will fade! Within a year or so, they were totally faded, and unless you really looked, you really can't see them (kinda).
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2/19/2016 11:06:53 am
We'll see how my tummy looks if I ever lose the weight! Which is more from lifestyle than pregnancy. I lost weight while pregnant but mostly because I stopped drinking wine ;) and they sucked everything out of me!
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2/19/2016 11:28:14 am
HA! Isn't that the truth! There's baby weight and then there's baby related weight. At 4 months postpartum, my baby weight is gone but i still have a good 15 pounds of "baby related weight" i.e. pounds I packed on during pregnancy and haven't been able to shed yet because 1) I have no motivation to exercise or diet yet and 2) breastfeeding twins makes me ravenous LOL
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Kim
3/15/2016 08:36:32 am
I know this comment is a little late, but I just found your blog! I'm almost 8 mos pp from my twin girls and I have twin skin and diastasis recti :( going back to work and taking care of the girls after work left me with absolutely no time to go to physical therapy or a gym, so I'm pretty much stuck like this. I had the hardest time coping and would think about how much I hated my body. But only about a month ago, I realized that I carried 2 healthy babies to term, delivered them, and am still exclusively feeding them breastmilk.. My body is freakin amazing!! Thank you for posting this! By the way, I'm also in Brooklyn, so it's even more exciting reading through your blog!
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3/15/2016 10:34:18 am
Thanks for sharing, Kim!! Working, pumping, mommying twins - what a super woman!! Are you a member of FB's Brooklyn Parents of Twins? I'm one of the admins. If you're not a member yet, join and maybe we can have an in-real-life play date :)
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Kim
3/15/2016 11:17:55 am
Thanks heather! I just requested to join the fb group. Meeting other twin moms would be fantastic!
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Chris
10/4/2023 02:56:58 pm
I had polyhydramnios and swelled like I had twins even though I didn't.
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About ME:I'm a NYC metro area mom blogger living in NJ with my Japanese husband & our 3 kids (twins plus 1), focusing on fun and honest product and travel reviews, saving moms time finding the best for their families! Find what you need in the menu bar or search section above! Categories
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