Twins: Who wants to discuss and share experiences?

[rypell1985]

Anton...so sweet of you to drop in! I am following you as well and wishing you the best of luck in finding a job!!

Margi...your babies are gorgeous!!

Here are the twins' 6 month pictures!

[margi26]

Ryann: AWWW!!! Love those pictures. How big they are getting! And gorgeous....and you can really start to see their personalities in their faces....what darling outfits and set up! Did you do those pictures yourself?! It is not always easy to find "matching" outfits for b/g twins. I don't want them to be dressed the same always, but sometimes it is cute, especially for photos. I have a hard time finding coordinated outfits--any recommendations?

[rypell1985]

Thanks Margi! Honestly, I swore I wasn't going to do the matchy matchy, but for their pics I couldn't resist. For their 3 month pictures I bought coordinating outfits from Carters.com. One came in baby blue and the other in baby pink. For these, Dylan's pants were my nephew's and came with a completely different shirt. My mom had bought Bell those white polka dot pants and black tutu from a second hand shop. We love all that is black and white (if you can remember my nursery!) so I found ansolid black onesie at babies r us and pulled Dylan's grey onesie from a different outfit. It has come together over probably 4-5 weeks, so my advice is give yourself time! If you know you're going to tale pics a certain day start planning in advance! You can find a lot of single pieces (not full outfits) at second hand shops and clearance racks, and sometimes a mom's imagination is so much better than those big businesses! PLUS, no one else will have an outfit just like it! Now the challenge Begins for their 9 month pictures (that sounds crazy saying!!!!!)! I already picked out their 1 year outfits from etsy... I'm waiting to have a better idea of size!

[Wishingandhoping]

Hello Ladies! I would love to join this group! I love seeing all of the gorgeous baby pictures!

I am currently 29 weeks and 2 days with boy/girl twins. I had some minor bleeding at the beginning of the pregnancy, but since then everything has gone fairly smoothly. At my 26 week check, my cervix was still 3.9 cm, but with pressure it would funnel and shorten to 2.8 cm. The little boy's head is right on my cervix. So now I'm only allowed to work half days, then I come home and lie down. I have borderline gestational diabetes, so I started the GD diet last week...not so fun, but whatever it takes to make these babies healthy! My next appointment is in a week, so we'll see how everything looks then! Right now my boy is vertex, and the girl is breech. I really don't want to have a vaginal delivery followed by a c-section to get the girl out. Right now that's one of my biggest fears. I can't imagine dealing with pain in both places

I really appreciate all of the advice. As this point we are planning on using the Snap N Go and the double Bob. We have 2 cribs, but we're hoping they will want to share a crib at first...we'll see. We finally had all of our furniture delivered last week I have 2 showers this week, and we plan on buying anything else that we need next week. I'm hoping to have most everything ready by 31 weeks...

Right now my biggest stress is child care. We looked at daycares when I was 8 weeks pregnant, and we have been on waitlists since then. It looks like the earliest they'll get in is September (almost a year on the wait list ). I have to go back to work at the end of May. Now we're wondering about a nanny. Does anyone have nanny experience? We have no idea how much a full time nanny would cost. I would love to get any input. Thanks ladies, and thanks Margi for starting this thread! I'm sure it will be very helpful for all of us!

[LYD10]

Wishing, does your work have an email list whe people share home based daycare info? There is a lot of them where I live, maybe you can google home based daycare.
Nanny is about 10-15 an hour in California

[NatHAnAnDy]

My boys are 19 months old. They were born at 34w2d and spent 8 & 13 days in the NICU. Pregnancy landed me in the hospital with pre-e at 30 weeks, the only thing worse than hospital food for a month is hospital food on the gestational diabetes menu! Eww.

[wishfull27]

Afternoon ladies
Sorry not had a spare minute to post - I do read religiously every day but posting is so hard from my phone so can only do when got access to computer as don't like logging on from work laptop for obvious reasons !! so home from work - meant to be doing some work emails and letters but thought best atch up with my ladies first lol!!

Cribs - In the Uk we have moses baskets think simialr to a crib but smaller for first week both slept together in one basket, then had there own to 6 weeks when they outgrew them - then went into a shared cot bed - one either end in our room - they went into a cot each in there own room at 5months with no problems at all!

strollers - we have a nipper 360 - side by side three wheeler - love it - used from birth and fits through normal doorways. Got the car seats that are premanent fix and fit from birth to 4 years.

I had no bedrest except towards the end when i was so huge and knackered all i wanted to do was sleep but could never get comfy enough or once I did I needed to go pee so badly .. and it was always like max of an egg cup full lol - last fewe weeks I slept on an air bed with some of the air out so the bed moulded to my bump which was best solution for me and Dh to get some sleep !!

Well done Margi on still breatfeeding I did till 3 months and frequently tandem fed - much easier until they start to wiggle more!

For those still to deliver all i would say is get as much help and support in place for those fisrt couple of months .. especially if breastfeeding as I just felt like a milking machine and for recovery from c section - you wcan't even begin to believe how much washing two little ones can generate !

I have never been asked directly if we had IVF but often asked if twins ruun in the family- just say no ... one was a surprise and two was a lessing indeed and that usually shuts people up !

Sorry no personals - really need to get my act together and keep up with you all - can't believe in less than 3 weeks my boys will be 2 .. time really does fly!!

Take care

Carolyn xxx

[margi26]

Welcome Wishingandhoping! And congratulations!! What is your due date?

Regarding your delivery, I really, really wanted a vaginal delivery. My little girl was head down ready to go almost the entire pregnancy. My Baby B-my boy was all over the place! It seemed he would make a point of being in a different orientation at each visit, even within days--head down, breech, transverse. LOL. Each OB is different...have you had a conversation about it with him/her? My OB was a bit unique, and said as long as A was head down--barring any other issues--he would be willing to “cowboy up” (his term!) and get Baby B to come out even if not head down. Apparently a lot of OB’s aren’t willing to do that anymore. I really wanted to try to delivery both and my OB was in full support of that for which I was so grateful. Now, after all of that, I ended up with an emergency c-section because Baby B’s HR wasn’t recovering with contractions. But I was fine with that as it was medically necessary (turns out with all that twisting and swimming around he got a "true" knot in his cord). I think you should plan for the way you would like it to be--be that vaginal or c-section, and then realize that, especially with twins, things can change and just be prepared that it might not happen. When I saw my beautiful, healthy babies, even though small, I didn't care at all how they got out of me!

Your childcare waitlist?....wow...it is indeed a BIG issue. I don’t know about nanny care, but I would think it would be something worth exploring as the price for two infants is so high. I know here there are some agencies that help you get matched to a Nanny. You could call and find out the going rates. We were looking into care in the home, but someone else’s home--there is a state website for licensed in home care that you can reference. Is there a MOM (mother’s of multiples) group local to your town? I know we have one here in Charlotte. Maybe they would have some good advice/recommendations. Best of luck!!

Carolyn: How quickly I already forget those late pregnancy days--but your post reminded me exactly! LOL. Uncomfortable, unable to sleep--then when you finally fall asleep, having to pee--and a few ounces only! Those days/weeks were tough indeed. Thanks for the complement about BFing. It is indeed very time consuming and challenging, but I have been determined! I find it to be personally very rewarding, but certainly understand other's who make different choices and decisions regarding it.

[Wishingandhoping]

Margi- Thank you so much for the welcome! I am technically due on 4/7, but they won't let me go past 38 weeks, so that puts me at 3/24. My OB is like yours...as long as my little boy (twin A) stays head down, they're going to try to deliver them both vaginally. I would love to have the both vaginally, but I am a little nervous about getting the little girl out. My next appt is Monday, and it's with my primary OB, so I'll revisit the issue with him.
As far as childcare goes, it's interesting that you mention the MOMs groups. I'm actually in Charlotte too, and I just joined CMOMs! What a small world! I've looked through the threads about nannies, and anytime someone asks about cost, no one seems to answer. I don't know if it's taboo to discuss... There are a few agencies mentioned, and I think that's going to be my next step. I can't get over how long the waitlists are for daycares! We're in the Ballantyne area, and apparently there are lots of new babies! I'll have to look at the state website for licensed in-home care.

Lyd- Unfortunately I don't think there is any list at my office. It seems that most folks have a relative that watches their children. That doesn't work for us because my MIL lives in Charlotte, but still works. My mother lives about 3 hours away. Anyway, I'm sure we'll figure it out, but it's stressful!

[LYD10]

Hi ladies, had my 8 week scan and we are down to one healthy baby in there. A little bitter sweet but I am just so grateful to have one healthy baby! That's all I want at the end of the day, a healthy baby to take home!

[margi26]

Wishingandhoping: What a small world indeed! Hope that your appt on Monday goes well.

Lyd: Glad that your one bean is healthy and looking good....sorry for your loss. Several others on the babies due in 2011 had a "vanishing twin"--Rio, Klinger13 (Amanda), and Blair went from triplets to twins. Of course having one healthy baby is the goal, but I know it is still a loss for you as well. Take care of yourself... I hope that your pregnancy goes smoothly from here on out!

[rebeccajm]

I would love to join you. I have fraternal boy/girl twins. My pregnancy was fairly uneventful until about 32 weeks. At that point they began to worry about pre-eclampsia. I had steroid shots to help prepare for an early delivery just in case. At 34 weeks I was put on bedrest. I delivered Isabel and Mateo on September 15, 2011 when I was 37 weeks, 2 days pregnant. They were born via c-section because my little boy kept moving all over the place and they were worried about what he would do once my little girl was out and he had even more room. Isabel was 5 lb. 6 oz. and Mateo was 6 lb. 11 oz. Mateo spent 2 days in the NICU while Isabel was with me the entire time. Isabel was born with a clubfoot and she had surgery when she was 11 weeks old. She currently wears orthotic shoes with a brace to keep her feet in the position they want them in. I returned to work when they were 2 1/2 months old (I am a teacher). My twins attend daycare while I am working.

I am excited to have this support group where I can share my experiences and get advice. I am looking forward to getting to know all of you!

[margi26]

Welcome Rebecca!! Our b/g twins are pretty close in age, born just a few weeks apart. How does your daughter do with the brace? Is she used to it? or does it bother her? I was bowlegged and my mother said I had to have my feet attached to a board at night. She said since I was so young, I didn't know any better and slept fine. Sounds like the end of your pregnancy was stressful...glad that all worked out well. Did you actually end up with Pre-E?

Glad to have you in the group!!! I am curious what your LO's are doing...since they are a few weeks ahead, although a bit more with adjusted age. Mine started drooling like crazy, but I am thinking they are still too early for teething. Do you have any questions for those ahead of you?

[rebeccajm]

Thank you for the welcome Margi...you're right, ours are very close in age. This has all been so exciting for me and I still find it hard to believe that I am a mother of two perfect little ones.

Isabel does great with the brace. She is uncomfortable at times and prefers not to be held much. That is hard for me because I just want to cuddle with her sometimes, but I understand. She is starting to get blisters on her feet from the shoes, but they don't seem to bother her. She is such a happy baby and I do believe that since she has either been in a cast or the brace since she was 6 days old that she is just used to it.

I did not end up getting pre-e at the end of my pregnancy. I was hospitalized a couple of times because my protein was so high, but my blood pressure was always fine. My specialist decided to have me deliver at 37 weeks because they felt the babies were ready and they wanted to be safe.

You talk about drooling and my little boy, Mateo, drools constantly. I was also thinking it is awful early for teething, but I am beginning to wonder.

We had Isabel and Mateo's four month appointment last week. They couldn't get their immunizations because they were both too sick. Isabel has bronchitis so she is using a nebulizer now which she hates. I am noticing that her cough is getting better and I can't wait until she is over this. Mateo has been congested and coughing since he was born and the pediatrician keeps telling us to give it 6-8 weeks. It is not getting any better and it is all the time so we are taking him to an ENT next week to get him looked at. Mateo was in the 90%tile for weight at 17 lb. 9 oz., 26 inches long and Isabel was in the 25%tile at 13 lb. 6 oz., 24 inches long. Both are rolling over, but Isabel won't with her brace on and they both love sitting and playing in the exercauser or jumpy. They just started really reaching for and grabbing at toys during tummy time. It is all so exciting to watch.

My pediatrician said we could start rice cereal between 4-6 months. When did those of you ahead of me start with food? I know we can start anytime now, but I just haven't.

Ryann...I know you mentioned that you had to stop swaddling and I was just wondering the reasoning behind that. I swaddle both of mine, but I never talk about that with my pediatrician. Just wondering why?

Wishingandhoping...Childcare was a huge stressor for us and I still wonder if I made the right decision. Mine go to daycare and when I look at how much of my paycheck goes to it I often wonder if I should just stay home. What really keeps me working is the insurance which I hold for the family. I am happy with where they are and they seem to be well taken care of. I also like that it is about a minute from my house so drop-off in the morning goes pretty smoothly. I will be keeping them there until I am on summer vacation the we will reevaluate and decide if we want to re-enroll there or try something else.

Margi and Ryann...I have the hardest time picking out outfits for pictures. I am already thinking ahead to their 6 month pictures and trying to decide what I am going to do.

I am out of time, but I will catch up with the rest of you later. Happy Tuesday!

[rebeccajm]

3 month picture of Isabel and Mateo...

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