On Wednesday, April 10th, I was on my way to my weekly OB appointment. Little did I know that I would go into labour that night. My life forever changed in the wee hours of April 11th as we welcomed two beautiful angels into our family, our twin girls Isla and Gwendolyn.

I began my checkup with an ultrasound. All seemed good until the technician calculated the girl’s weight. It came as quite a shock that Baby A hadn’t gained weight in the two weeks since my last ultrasound. Next was my internal exam and the discovery that I was already 4cm dilated and 100% effaced! Holy smokes these girls were getting ready! Because of the concerns with Baby A’s size (1 ½ pounds less than Baby B) my doctor insisted I proceed to the hospital right away! So at 36 weeks and one day my careful little birthing plans went out the window. Now, how accurate are ultrasound scans in predicating babies’ weight?  Not very, as we later found out.

I was obviously nervous and maybe a little upset that I was to go into labour weeks early. Naturally I was going to do what is best for the girls and follow my doctors advice, but 36 weeks is still a touch premature, even for twins, and Baby A was so active in utero I really couldn’t believe she could have any issues. I was in a slight stupor when the doctor made the decision. I went numb. I had my son with me, my husband was at work and I wasn’t even remotely prepared so I think I can be forgiven for thinking, “What do you mean now? Seriously?”

But everything fell into place as if the Universe was listening. My husband’s good friend was coincidentally at his restaurant when I phoned him and was able to come over and babysit our son, my best friend joined us at the hospital and I had a relatively easy labour. Giving birth is life changing and life affirming. There is no experience on this beautiful planet that is its equal.

I can truly thank my one class of hypnobirthing I was fortunate enough to attend at Zen Beginnings (I certainly would have loved to be at more, but something came up!) It helped me so much and gave me the inspiration to keep going.

At 6:25am I pushed and I pushed and I pushed some more and my beloved Isla came into the world. It was amazing and euphoric. As I listened for that first cry and I can’t even begin to tell you the emotion I felt. I delivered my girls naturally! I got a top up from the catheter in case Baby B flipped, but she remained head down and 11 minutes later Gwendolyn arrived and as I waited for her beautiful cry the rush of emotion returned and I dissolved in tears of joy. I felt their squishy heads as they crowned and the maternal spirit welled in me to overflowing. Just an amazing experience. AMAZING! Isla was 6.1 pounds and Gwen was 6.2 pounds.

I was on a high. A monumental high. I never thought I would experience this kind of feeling after birthing twins. I can’t tell you how sublime twins are. They are such a delight and joy and we are loving our family of 5!

I started researching what the heck was causing this pain and I can thank my hormones and my two beautiful placenta’s! Good ol Relaxin Hormone is making things a little too easy to relax those ligaments therefore causing me more pain.

Thanks to Dr.Pande treating weekly/biweekly I have noticed a huge change in my body! Huge.  I’ve also been doing yoga because I don’t want to spend the last trimester bed ridden and in discomfort.

So far the pubis pain is minimized and I noticed the other day while walking through my sons school hallway that I was not waddling but walking like I did pre-pregnancy and not in any discomfort.

I will continue to see Dr.Pande through out the duration of my pregnancy as new things come about that I experience, plus with carrying twins we both want to make sure my hips and pelvis are level so they have room to move around. So far they are both head down at 29 weeks! Lets hope it stays that way.

So I’ve asked Dr.Pande to help me with this post and share her expertise.  Here are her words and advice.  If you are in the GTA area, I highly suggest you contact Pande Wellness Centre as she practices gentle chiropractic care called “low force-chiropractic care” and she also specializes in prenatal and post partum care.

By Dr.Maya Pande

Pubic bone pain (sometimes called Pelvic Girdle Pain but formally known as Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction) affects about 25% of pregnant women. It causes pain while moving, especially walking, climbing stairs or turning over in bed.

In some women, the pain can be constant and piercing; in others, the pain can be sporadic and manageable. The main reason why this affects moms-to-be is because relaxin, the hormone which loosens up ligaments to prepare your body for birth, has loosened the ligaments too much, causing the pelvis to become unbalanced.

Despite what you might have been told, there is no need to suffer through this during your pregnancy.

A couple of things you can do on your own are:

1. Apply heat to the pubic bone area to help relieve pain. Make sure not to apply heat to your belly!

2. Wear a pregnancy belt. It goes around your hips and helps support your belly, taking some pressure off your pubic bone.

If you find the pain is not going away with these suggestions, then a chiropractor is your next step. Find a chiropractor who specializes in pregnancy and knows about this condition.

Very gentle chiropractic adjustments that are specially suited for this condition can help reduce or even resolve this pelvic pain during pregnancy.

Have you suffered from any pregnancy discomfort that requires Chiropractic care? Have you thought of chiro care for your pregnancy?

I started my blog a little late after having my son but better late than never right?

He was just over one year old, it was 2010 and it all started with a recipe on Chicken and Apple Fingers recipe and it grew from there.

Being a shopaholic and product junkie it only made sense to start doing reviews as my blog grew.  I got approached by various companies asking for my opinion on their products and that’s how I stumbled into reviewing and hosting lots of reviews and giveaways.

Sticking to my blogging philosophy I’ve also turned down many big brands, as it’s not about getting free products. For me I want to share with my readers the best products out there, educate consumers on the products in regards to what’s in them and what should be avoided and to have relevant content. I believe in being an informed consumer and sadly we live in a toxic world of chemicals found in our toys to the products we use on our baby’s skin and in what we eat. That I can’t promote and those are commonly found in big brand names.

I have a passion for babywearing, babygear, skincare, cloth diapering, organic, eco friendly products and eating real food and sharing with you products that I think are truly awesome and worth knowing about. I love connecting brands to families and that’s what I’m all about.

If you don’t know Everything Mom and Baby, pop over and take a look. I am active on my Facebook page with product/consumer info and I love supporting small businesses as well.

I hope you’ll like with what I’ll have to contribute on Oh Baby! Magazine and thanks for taking the time to read what Everything Mom and Baby is all about.