Double Trouble

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Bigred: August twins are the best! Hopefully she makes it there! Ummm sleep depends on the babies to be honest. On here there are babies that slept through the night almost within weeks. Mine on the other hand are 5 months old and still wake up at night to eat. When they first got home, they were eating every three hours (even at night) so sleep was a no go. Honestly, get them on the same schedule right away and that will save you in the end. Is she going to BF? If so, help her to do it at the same time (they make pillows for twins). I would just let her know that she will be sleep deprived. I honestly do not remember those days too well as I was a walking zombie. HOWEVER it does get better fast! Also, enlist help where you can. Laundry, dishes, whatever people are willing to do. If they can just come and watch the babies while your wife takes a nap that will save her as well. Help is great with twins and I wish I had more of it.


Kenzie is starting to get better. Still stuffy but much better. Her eyes are not as swollen either. So now we are just praying Brooke does not get it!

Thanks for the information, yeah she will be BF as far as I know, but I guess that all depends on how she does with it. Honestly, I hope she does because for the love of all that's holy formula is expensive!!!! I think she knows what is coming and I've tried to tell her through this whole thing, that I have it easy, and thank god we're not relying on me for this whole thing because we would've stopped a long time ago. lol I'm going to get up at the same times she has to just to be there for support and help with whatever I can. She doesn't have to worry about the dishes and stuff as I pretty much take care of that along with the cooking and cleaning of the house. She pretty much takes care of the laundry and that's it. My mom raised me a certain way and sometimes I curse her for it.

[tolbee]

Hi All,

Kim -- so sorry about your stomach flu! Hope you are feeling better. It's the worst thing in winter.

Suga -- hope Kenzie and Brooke are feeling better. When kids are sick, you are up all night! I also use the Vicks vapor plug ins and the humedifier. That normally works, but some days nothing works. We just have to deal with it... For the first time in many weeks, we are completely sick-free as a family. We'll see how long it lasts.

Jade1 - sorry your babies are sick, too. The winter is hard for families like us. Hope they feel better soon. Just can't bare to see little babies suffering. They look so helpless!

Kimberly - Isn't it freakin' cold this winter? I cannot believe it snowed again yesterday (did not accumulate). Normally average temps around this time of the year is 47. Lately it's in 30s way too often. Oh, BOB arrived on Friday! DH took kids for a walk and we love it! It's so easy to push and turn. We were saying we should have bought it sooner!

Bigred -- congratulations! You'll love having twins and so does everyone around you. Twins attract a lot of attention when out and about, too. Like Twinmommy is saying, it is a LOT of work at the beginning but you will get used to it. Hopefully, you have families nearby that could help out in the early months. Good luck and feel free to ask any questions here. My twins are almost 1 year and they have enriched our lives in a very special way!

Can you belive the weekend ended so quickly? I could use one more day for sure. Any plans for superbowl this weekend? We are hosting a party and if you have any good advice on finger foods, let me know!

[kholtan]

Bigred~ There really is no way to tell you what you are in for because it really depends on how the pg is for your wife and how well the babies do. I always say I must be in for some rough years ahead because pg and infancy were so easy for us. There is no way I'll get by like this forever! Also, your wife's personality plays a big part as well. Little sleep the first few weeks didn't bother me but I know people who were totalled by it! If aches and pains make her unbarable or if she is a really good sport thru it. Just depends. Also, all babies are so different. Mine BF'ed until 15 months and did great from the get go. For me, I am the type of person who likes ot do it on her own so we have never had any help and that is really how we wanted it. That made it easier for me not having to worry about other people and how they handled the babies ect. . .Im a control freak when it comes to some things and I liked my schedule and like it to go just as planned. Feel free to ask us any and all questions. The women on here are a lifesaver for sure!!!! Congrats and enjoy. Twins are the best thing that ever happened to us and we continue to love it more and more!

Kimi~ It us FREEZING here!!!!! WE were going to head to the mountains for the day but I checked the temp and it's 10degrees!!!!! No thank you!!! We said the same thing about the BOB. Should have started with that one and never even waisted our time on the others. It has made the beach better, the zoo, mountains. . . .it's just so smooth I would feel fine putting a newborn in it as well. Plus, it will work for us forever. It is bulky but I don't dare complain about that since we love everything else x's a million!!!

Twinmommy~ I still want to call you Suga! Hope the girls are feeling better. It's a constant battle somedays huh? On the sleep, I just let my sleeper sleep. Annelise slept thru the night a few weeks before Bodie and I just figured they were two didfferent people and they may need different amounts of sleep. It worked for us. Good luck!

Better go get ready for the day before my window of opportunty leaves me!

[sarahalf]

Hi Everyone!
Bigred, Congrats!
When, oh when, will we find out the sexes of the preggo ladies? And how are you feeling chasing twins while being preg??
Suga, Thanks, as always, for asking the tough questions. I am alittle behind you and always look forward to the next set of questions I might have!!!
Lucy and Scarlett are 11 weeks now. We are doing well. The BF is dwindling, as I am basically pumping and supplementing with formula. I am pretty bummed because I exclusivly BF my other two kids, and I planned on doing the same with the twins, but after the NICU, they really dont want to BF unless the stars align (which is about once a day each, and not for a full feed).
They are sleeping in our room still but I am thinking about getting them into the crib soon. All of those noises in the middle of the night make it so hard to sleep!! They are on great schedules and will go 4 to sometimes 6-7 hours at night, which seems pretty good. I feel like if we keep them in the co-sleeper much longer, the switch to the crib is going to be really tough. When did you all put your babies in their own room??
Thanks for the info, ladies, as always. You are great!!!
Sara[/img]

[buckeyegal]

BigRed--Congrats! What a wonderful DH you are! I wish we could clone you! Oh, to have someone do the cooking and cleaning---ahhhhh! Your wife will get her sleep deprivation training toward the end of her pregnancy. The last month or two are REALLY uncomfy, so she'll probably be used to sleepless nights. As for those first few weeks, I'll echo what the others have said....it depends on your family! I definitely recommend getting the book, "Babywise"...it's about getting the kids on a good sleep routine. Once you figure out sleep, everything else seems to come more easily. I did BF for about 9 weeks, but then stopped. It's definitely cheaper, for sure! If you do go the formula route, definitely check out your local warehouse clubs (like Sam's, Costco, etc.). They have much better deals on diapers, wipes, and formula....plus they usually have double shopping carts! Good luck to you guys!

As for us, I'm still getting over this dang bug. I'm starting to wonder if my gall bladder is out of whack. It just seems like it takes me FOREVER to get back to normal after a stomach bug. Before the kids, I'd be over it in a day or two TOPS. Now, it takes me a good 6-7 days....DH was so sweet and took the kids to his parents on Saturday, so I could have a quiet house and sleep all day....it helped for sure!

Suga--I'd probably let her sleep...she's probably ready to sleep through. Good luck!

gotta run...cleaning to do! Oh, BigRed---where are you?

[kholtan]

Kim~ I agree. . .let's clone bigred!!!! My dh was fabulous the first few weeks and was cooking and cleaning like a champ! Then. . . oh then did it slip, slip, slip away! I can't complain but bigred would be handy dandy over here! Sorry to hear about your bug lingering on and on. I hope it goes away sooner than later for you. You dh sounds like a charmer as well. Taking the kids for the day! My dh would not do this unless I was dying or in the hospital delivering our 3rd child! I have already told his immediate family to let him try it on his own while I'm in the hospital so he can appreciate what us mother's do a bit more. Of course, I'm kidding with them but I secretly wouldn't mind them letting him go it on his own just for fun! We'll see how it all goes. Feel better!

Sarahalf~ I find out the sex on the 17th of Feb. I knew with my twins already but I am being forced to wait it out this time. Kills me! Sounds like your girls are doing great! Good sleepers too! What more can a mommy ask for? Bummer about the bfing but I guess what will be will be. We had good and bad days here but they eventually were champs. Seemed like we'd be doing great and then one would forget how to latch well or something so we had to relearn now and then but over all by three months I think we could do it blind. As for sleep, mine went to their crib after only 1-2 weeks at home. We don't have the room in our room so I had to but Im glad I did. I bet yours would sleep even better in their own space. It can't hurt to try it. Let us know how it goes.

Babies just went in for naps and I'm sure there are a thousand things to do but I think I will go do nothing at all. I have a friend coming from Portland for the weekend and I should try to clean up but she's been here before right??

[TwinMommy]

Kholtan: I know! I wish the system would let me be suga still as I am not used to this either!

I tried to let Kenzie go the night...bad idea. She sucked on her thumb for like an hour then finally started to cry and I fed her. So I was up an extra hour and a half *sigh* Here soon I am just going to make Brooke go longer lol. She is 15 lbs she should not be that hungry!

Also, should I drop the 10PM feed and see how long they can go? Or keep doing it? Brooke seriously is trained to eat like every 4 hours at night...dunno how to break her of it. Hopefully when she can eat solids it will go longer at night.

[buckeyegal]

Suga--have you tried gradually lessening the amount of their night feed...so they eventually get used to not having much? Sounds like they are attached to the feeding more than the food, kwim?

Kholtan---Yeah, I had to laugh! DH said he was soooooo exhausted after the day with the kids. But, today, I reminded him that he didn't clean, cook, or go to work! So, what's he tired about! ha ha!

[liz35]

DH and I put together both cribs this weekend. Exciting!
1. Mattress- Is there a paticular mattress that I should buy or whichever is cheapest. Does it really matter?????
2. Diapers- I want to start stocking up. Have a feeling I'm going to be going through alot of diapers with 2. Any recommendations for boys?

Thanks for your help!

[TwinMommy]

Liz: I have one baby Sealey (got used) and the other the cheapest they had at Target. I do not think it matters as long as it is a firm mattress. As far as diapers go, I heard huggies are better for boys. Dunno if this is true though. We use pampers and I LOVE them. No leaks ever. I recently started using some Publix brand and I find them ok as well they just run smaller compared to Pampers. Anywhoo, I think I had 3 big boxes of newborns and some (3 or 4) smaller bags of them and I used them all up. Then they were in size one. I would def. get sizes different because you never know where they will be. Do not get preemies! Mine were preemies but they fit into newborns really quickly (by the time they came home from NICU). If you REALLY need them when they come home just buy one pack when you get home.

I will try the smaller feeds tonight. I think it is a comfort thing as well.

[kholtan]

Twin mommy~ Let us know how the feeding less goes. You are so close to a good nights sleep! I can feel it!!!!!

Liz~ As far as mattresses go. . . . everyone has their own theory and developing backs weren't something I was willing to go cheap on. I went with a pretty decent one, I can't remember what it is but I can look, because I figure mine will be in toddler beds for a while as well. That's anywhere from 2-4 years on the same mattress. I looked up reviews as well and that helped some. When in doubt go somehwere in the middle. I know that my own mattress is top of the line and it's way better than when I stay places with mediocre ones so I figured my babies deserved the same. I am a little over the top on some things though!
As far as diapers go, I went from Pampers swaddlers to Costco Kirkland brand. I have NEVER had a blow out in either and I have b/g twins. I had one box of huggies from my shower and I hated them! My twins are b/g so my biggest tip is point the family jewels downward! While the babies still had their chords on my little guy leaked above his diapers sometimes because I couldn't get it real snug yet but other than that all was well. For sizes to have on hand I would do what TwimMommy says, get a little of each. Mine were in preemie for a while and when we switched to NB size we were there for about 3 month. Are you getting so excited???? We love new baby buzzzz around here!!!

Off to watch mindless tv while I should be doing other things!

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Thanks for all the kind words ladies, I don't think I'll be backing off of my duties any time soon since I've been doing them for 7 years so far.

[TwinMommy]

With mattresses, I did not even think about back development. I am a bad mom! lol. We are not going to do toddler beds though we are going to go straight to twin beds so they will get a good mattress there.

So I totally forgot to put less in the bottle last night...I will do it tonight lol.

We have our appt. with Shands on the 13 of Feb for their reflux. Hopefully they can offer remedies so we can do some tummy time!

[liz35]

Thanks ladies for the info on mattresses and diapies! I'm sure there will be more ?s to come. I love this thread. Yes, I'm getting so excited. It will be here before we know it.

[buckeyegal]

Mattresses----I went back and forth on that one....did research them, found some that were great--but then the dang things didn't fit in our cribs properly. so, ended up taking them back and got some mid-line ones (Sealy maybe? I don't know, and the kids are napping, so I'm NOT going to check! ), and they fit great. Just make sure whatever you get fits snuggly into the crib. And, they should be firm....I'm more worried about SIDS and strangulation with crib matresses than back development. But, the ones we got are good, so we should be fine through the toddler beds too.

Diapers? Lord knows I've tried them all! We have b/g twins, and to be honest, I've never noticed a difference with either kid and the diapers we've used. Just be sure on the boys to have the diaper ride higher in the front (once the stumps gone, of course), cause they tend to leak out the front more. I did use pampers a lot when they were really little, but then we moved onto Sam's club (just like Costco I think). They were great, until we reached size 4. Then, it seemed like they didn't do well at night. So, now we're on to Huggies. They work fine for us, but I do use Pampers too. Honestly, for us, it depends on what's the best deal price wise. I didn't use preemie diapers at all. You can use size ones and fold them down a bit in front, and you should be fine. Of course, if your twinks are really early, then some preemie ones could come in handy. But, I'd wait to buy those. Get lots of size ones and twos....you'll need them. We're in size 4's right now, and my kids are 19 months.

I had a snow day today! Woo hoo! We're supposed to get another 6 inches tonight. so, I may be off work tomorrow too!