Twins: Who wants to discuss and share experiences?

[bodie1011]

Hi ladies

I'll definitely be following this thread. I'm expecting twin girls probably in late may. My singleton due date is 6/24. I have a million questions so hope to learn from you all.

For the "natural twins" thing - someone asked if it was expected when I told them I was pregnant with twins. I think they were basically trying to ask if we used IVF. I just twins are never expected, but always a possibility!

[rypell1985]

Congrats Bodie, and welcome aboard!!! Ask away

The twins has their appt today. D is 27" and 17lbs12oz and Bell is 26" and 16lbs10oz. SOOO big! Bell cut her first tooth on Saturday and D cut a tooth today, so it's been a lot of fun around here (insert sarcasm!). Doc doesn't think the babies need physical therapy for the not bearing weight issue, he said we will wait til 9months. Good news! I was told I need to stop swaddling Bell and I'm NOT looking forward to that :-/ Oh, and we are going to try and get D off the MPA formula and on to regular formula. Wish us luck around here

[margi26]

OK ladies! I edited my initial post so that our information is up top. Maybe it is ambitious of me, but I think it will be easier that way instead of continually reposting. Please let me know if I made any goofs. Ryann and Dillysgirl, I thought I made a mistake, but looks like you both went to 34w2d..funny!

Alexis: My favorite book is the one Dillysgirl mentioned, Mothering Multiples: Breastfeeding and Caring for Twins or more! By Gromada. It is like $12 on Amazon and well worth it in my opinion. It has a lot of good information, not just about breastfeeding. I also got When You Are Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads, by Dr. Luke. That book I didn’t personally find as helpful, although it was highly recommended and I know a lot of other women loved it. It also kind freaked me out and caused unecessary worry (imo) regarding weight gain. They strongly recommend a lot of early weight gain that was not possible for me to achieve. I also got the book, The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers, by Dr. J. Newman. Lots of good advice there too.

I saw a perinatologist throughout my pregnancy, but I had several risk factors. I-AMA (I HATE that term, lol) 2- twins, and 3-hematoma. We also were fortunate that the hospital I was planning to deliver at has a Level III NICU. Of course, I had every “intention” of not needing one, but things often happen.

And yes, I am breastfeeding. It hasn’t been easy, I will say, but it has gotten increasingly easier as time goes on. But mine were in NICU for a while and that added a challenge. I’d be happy to share more about my experience if you would like. I am now tandem feeding them a few times a day, but am feeding on demand so they don’t always match up on when they want to eat.

Bedrest isn’t a given with twins, but yes, is pretty common. I was on bedrest early in my pregnany due to my hematoma. There are different forms of bedrest, and I have been on them all at some point! "House arrest" is kinda taking it easy around the house, but not confined to bed. "Modified bedrest" meant I could go to couch, etc, but not do much else. "Strict bedrest" meant only up to go to the bathroom. Hospital bedrest is the worst (IMO). For me it only lasted one day and then my LO's decided ENOUGH and were delivered. For me, I found lots of activities to keep me busy--reading, planning for babies, Amazon (LOL), scrap-booking, and online support groups. I also found it helpful to do things to help DH so I didn't feel totally useless. For example, I would fold laundry that he would bring to me. Whatever works to keep you from going nuts.

Dillysgirl: cute photo of your boys!

Ryann: Wow Ryann! What milestones! I cannot believe how big your LO’s are. Great job, momma!! And teeth!! Wowza. Glad to hear ped isn’t worried about the lack of bearing weight. So much is so individualized. Why no more swaddling? Is she just too big?

Bodie: Welcome!! And, yes, feel free to ask anything.

Regarding the “natural” thing...I totally agree. It isn’t most people’s business. What I typically hear as “code” (I think) for asking if IVF is, "Do twins run in your family?" What I usually say, which is true, but irrelevent, is that, yes, DH has twins in his family. He does indeed....but that fact couldn’t affect our having fraternal twins!! Most people don’t think too hard on it though, and usually smile and walk away.

The silliest thing I have been asked is "are they identical or fraternal?" Um. They are a boy and a girl. So.....they can't be identical!! I try to refrain.

[MamaBoo]

Margi: I have to say, I love that people ask if they are identical! That's hysterical! I'd tell them they were identical for the fun of it! I was pregnant with identicals. My aunt was SHOCKED to find out they had matching DNA.

[rypell1985]

Margi...LOL on the identicals! If I had a dollar for every time I was asked that question directly after telling them thy are a boy and a girl! My LC in the hospital had twins and she told me to prepare myself for that question. I thought she was nuts. My husband actually was shocked the first time and answered with "No, he has a penis, she doesn't." I was mortified and we had the talk about how to answer that question in the future I'm sO impressed with you and breastfeeding both of them! Keep up the good work!

[baby_blu73]

Lyd - Water, water, water! I had two SCH (sub chronic hematoma) and was reading up on everything I could to prevent losing my sweet, sweet babies. Dehydration causes uterine contractions. So after reading that, I drank insane amounts of water. I was already so thirsty as it was hard not to.

LOL @ the identical boy/girl twins! People seriously lack common sense in general (driving a bus, I see this A LOT ) My typical scenario lately is as follows....

Random Person: Oh my goodness how cute!
Me: Thank you (smiling)
RP: Oh wow!!! There's TWO! Are they twins???
Me: Yes (still smiling)
RP: A boy and a girl?
Me: Two boys (no longer smiling)

LOL!!!
Next time I'm gonna ask which one looks like a girl because I think they're both "manly" looking fellas.

Oh, and I found t-shirt that addresses the question of "natural" twins... It says "Yes, they're natural. What's an artificial twin anyway?" hehehehe

[LYD10]

Hi ladies! I love all the advice keep it coming!
Had a word with my daycare lady when picking up my DS and to my great joy she agreed to take care of all three at our house! Yey! And her husband helps out too. So we would be getting more than one person for the price of one. I was very happy. Because we have such a great report with her. She is like a grandma to us! I felt very happy! Now I just need to hold my little ones in my arms! I keep thinking. I am only 7 weeks. I still have a long way to go. My next u/s is next Friday and my OB appnt has been scheduled for feb 6th. Exciting! I started going to my spin classes. Which makes me very happy. With my DS that was my main form of exercise and I did it to the day I delivered. With twins I expect my belly to be bigger I should look for a handle extender of some sort. Anyway, way too much planning ahead. I am enjoying this pregnancy with abandon! I hope it stays good. I don't want any sad surprises. I hope I still see two on time babies next Friday.

[DillysGirl]

Alexis- mini cribs are just smaller versions. They are about the size of a pack and play. Mthe mattress has three height positions and they later convert into twin headboard and footboard. A little more difficult to find bedding for but I made my own so that worked out fine.

Too funny about people's identical comments. I feel like I have to convince people that yes mine are twins. I have had people argue that with me! And apparently the one with all the hair is the "girl" no matter what he wears.

Afm- boys turned 20 months old yesterday! They are starting to use some small sentences like "your welcome Mama" and "pick me up" and they have really grown fond of the vacuum. They ask (tell really) me to vacuum multiple times a day! We only have one rug and the rest wood so my little rug stays pretty clean, ha!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

[baby_blu73]

LYD - I attribute the boys big weights to being in the oven so long and I honestly believe that was in part thanks to all the water I drank throughout my pregnancy. Dehydration irritates the uterus, causing contractions. I drank at least a gallon of water per day, I constantly had a cup or bottle of water around the clock. We have two cribs too.

Dillys - Wow! Do you happen to know Brady and Jackson's middle names. Our guys' are Brady Edward Dean and Jaxon Matthew Ray.

Ryann - Chompers huh? How'd Dylan do on the regular formula? Hope they've been letting you get some sleep at night! Do you use Exersaucers and/or Jumperoos?

alexis - Congrats! No toddlers, but two tweens... helpful sometimes, but getting to be royal pains in my butt here lately LOL
I "breastfed", by that I mean I pumped and they had bottles of BM and were supplemented with formula until 7 weeks since I had to return to work. I had just my OB no peri.

[bodie1011]

Hi ladies - I am starting to think about shopping and am really confused on the whole stroller thing. Seems to be so many options. Any advice to offer?

[margi26]

Dillysgirl: So cute about what your boys say and about the vacuum. I can’t wait for my babies to get more communicative, but at the same time, I don’t want to rush this cute tiny stage.


Bodie: Stroller wise? Everyone has different needs, etc so I think the best thing to do is research a lot of different ones and look at the features as well as get advice from others. I had really wanted the Contours Options Tandem stroller. I thought it would be good to have seats that you could move around to face you, each other, or forward and with the option of using car seats. All that said, my MIL decided to surprise us with a Valco ion twin stroller. It is a sidebyside, which at first I wasn’t sure I wanted, but in retrospect I really like it that way. The ion is “pod” like and very narrow. Easily fits through doorways. It is made of aluminum so it is quite light--which is a definite plus. It is also very easy to flatten to put into the car. It is a bit big, but I think they all are. The seats fully recline flat (which is important for newborns) and steers very easily and with one hand. I know a lot of women choose one of the snap and go’s and find it very handy with the infant seats, but we didn’t get infant car seats (just one seat that adjusts from 5-65lbs) so that wasn’t something we needed. My advice is think about what is important to you. Weight of stroller? Sidebyside? Front to back? Ease of open and closing? How much room do you have in your car’s trunk? Will you be jogging with it? Etc. Hope some of that helps. Best of luck!!!

Ryann: Funny what DH had to say! Bet they will not ask that question of any twin momma again though....

Stephanie: I have gotten the “are they 2 boys?” when my Sophia is dressed out in full pink!! I also have a pink blankie on her in the stroller and a blue one on him to try to help keep those questions at bay. I really think people sometimes see what they want to see...or something!

Advice please from other mommas: One of the most *difficult* things I find when going out with Sofia and Levi is not dressing X2, carrying X2, worrying about them getting hungryX2, but dealing with other people. Seriously! Sometimes I am on a short time line....like, I know Sofia will be hungry in 30-45 minutes so I want to race through the supermarket to get the few things that I need. I have them both in the stroller and am dragging a cart (or sometimes I just put things on the stroller.) Then I get stopped. Sometimes more than once in the same aisle. To hear the “ahhs” and “are they twins?” and “boy? And girl?”( if they are paying attention), and the “how old are they?” and the “I’ve always wanted twins!” and the, “how big were they when they were born?” and other non-stop questions!! All by very nice, well-meaning people. And so I smile and try to answer as quickly as I can, but sometimes I am in a REAL hurry and don’t know how to get through these questions without being rude. DH says to ignore people, but I can’t do that. It was even worse when I would wear them tandem--they are getting a bit big for that now--at least for me. People would be really amazed and astounded that I had TWO babies “in there.”

Maybe nothing to do except smile and accept what are mostly compliments, but gosh, sometimes I am in a rush. One twin website suggested twin mom’s put a note on the stroller like” Yes, they are twins. Boy and Girl...etc” but that seems strange to me.

Oh, well. Thanks for letting me vent my little vent. I really am blessed and proud of my LO’s and when I have the time I do love talking about and gushing about them. But when I am in a rush or if people get too close with their germs (UGH!!)--I actually had a lady reach into the stroller to put my daughter’s paci in her mouth while I was at the doctor’s office yesterday. I wanted to slap her hand!!! It is cold and flu season and my LO’s are barely 10 lbs....Sofia is 9lbs10oz and Levi is 10lbs14oz. Last thing I need is for them to get sick.

How do you ladies handle these situations?

PS All of this is typed while my LO's are tandem feeding! We are slowly getting the hang of this "sharing" thing. Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend!!

[DillysGirl]

Margi- oh the joys of other people! I can definitely say that people will ease up as they get older! I can go to the store now without getting too much if any comments from other people. When mine were babies and I didn't feel like dealing with the twins conversations, I would try to find someone to go with me to push a cart with one of the boys. I am lucky that my teenage cousin lives close so she would go and people would just assume one was hers . I have also perfected the smile and nod when people say dumb/ignorant things and doing silly things like pretending to be on the phone. I also found it helpful if I wore one baby and put the other in the cart that way they were both close to me and I could shield them from others easier.

Bodie- Margi about summed up the stroller info... We got two strollers and I rotate which I use depending on what we are doing. I have a graco duo that is front and back and holds two infant seats and we also have a Bob Revolution double that is side by side. I really love our Bob, it is lightweight and although it's side by side it's the same width as a wheelchair so it should fit anywhere handicap accessible. But if I am going to the mall or somewhere crowded I use the graco because of how narrow it is.

[bodie1011]

Thanks ladies - sounds like there is no one "perfect" fit -- having a couple options probably is the best thing. For now I think we are going to get the double snap and go -- seems the best for the first few months while we can take some extra time to figure out the next stroller(s) to get.

[anton]

**Crushing**...



Hello mamas! hope you don't mind me crushing over here...I was stalking you and was just reading your stories of people asking stupid questions about your twins and found it so funny i though I had to crash and say hello to my old cycle buddies... your babies are beautiful!! and wow! are growing SO fast! that is wonderful! I am SO happy for you!

I just had a flash back of you girls waiting for your BFP's and all that stress and the excitment together with fear of the unknown after getting it it must seem like an old memory for you now.... I am actually looking forward to that part my self

Margi! it seems like ages ago from when you went to california to "pick up" your miracle babies :mrgreen and now look at you mama! I am SO SO happy you made it! ...you now have to deal with people's stupid questions on the twins I think I could actually find this entertaining

...I have no news to share besides that I am just sitting here waiting to get a job so that i can start IVF again...last cycle was back in July and it feels like AGES ago! I no need to tell you how much I am looking forward to get back on the meds and u/s and all that madness of IVF! crazy hah!

...anyways, I send you girls my love and know that I have you and your LO's in my prayers...

anton

[margi26]

Anton, you are the absolute sweetest!! I am stalking YOU. You and Leora are specifically in my thoughts and prayers always. This year will be the year for you and I cannot wait to celebrate with you. I, too, have those flashback moments....of those cycles and cycles of crushing BFN's And yes, it was almost exactly a year ago that I was plotting my trip to Cali to *get* my babies....and here they are!! On my lap nursing away. Giving me such bliss after all that stress and worry and 2ww after 2ww. (((HUGS))) Anton. That job will come your way...as will your little one(s). Are you still looking at the natural cycling? Take care of yourself....and thanks for dropping in. You are always welcome. Baby Dust to you!!

Recent photo of my California Babies: