Mothers of Multiples

[Twinmamas]

angelgirl8
angelgirl8, 28
DH: dave, 28
Married: 7.6.03
TTC: 1.04
BFP: 6.2.05 after 2nd IVF
EDD: 2.12.06 (?)

Bernie
me: 30
DH: 34
Married: 1/18/2003
BFP: 6/29/05
U/S showing twins: 7/8/05
EDD: 3/8/2006

cari2
me: 32
dh: 30
married: 9/03
fraternal twin girls: born 8/05 at 35 1/2 weeks

cbiggers
Me: Casey 34 (almost anyway)
DH: Brian 34
IF due to endometriosis
m/c June 2003 - Triploidy
Successful IUI April 2004
Caroline Louise and Isabel Jean
born: 12/04/04 (36w5d)

charmcitygirl
me: 31
DH: charmcityboy, 33
Married: 3/04
TTC: nope, not even trying to get pg!
BFP: 1/26/05 U/S shows twins 2/11/05
EDD: 9/19/05
boy/girl twins
birth date: 8/14/05
Jake and Arizona (Zoe)

Jad
Me: K, 34
DH: P, 34
Married: 09/02
BFP: 10/10/05 after 2nd IVF
EDD: 06/20/06
Monoamniotic twins

journey
Me - 26
DH - 36
Married - June 17, 2001
DS - William Clark June 6, 2003
b/g twins; 40 week EDD: 2/11/05
birth day: January 28, 2005 (38w0d)
Catheryn Jean @ 3:42 p.m.; 6lbs 4ozs, 19 3/4"
Nathan Richard @ 3:44 p.m.; 6lbs 8ozs, 20 1/4"

jrsygirl
Me - 31
DH - 32
Married - September 7, 2002
BFP: 8.18.05 ( DH birthday!)
EDD: 4.28.06 (I'm sure it will change once I see my OBGYN since this is based on a single)

kakirk
me: Katie, 27
dh: Todd, 32
married: 8/17/02
angel twins Tess & Sam, 5/6/04
boy/girl twins EDD: 7/28/05
Birth Date: 7/8/05 (37w3d)
Harrison Kirkpatrick, "Hank", 7.2 lbs.
Camilla Margaret, "Lily", 6.5 lbs.

kat
Me: 36
DH: 40
Married: 9/02
IVF: 6/05
Positive beta: 6/23/05
EDD: 3/2/06

khouse
Me: Kenan 32
DH: Brian 31
3rd IUI April 2004 - 3rd times a charm! :-)
Proud Mommy to Delaney Thea and Devon Wade
Born: 12/04/04

klm2klh
Me: Kristin, 31
DH: G, 31
Married: 09/15/01
BPP: 07/25/05
EDD: 03/26/06
Ultrasound showing twins: 10/28/05


Lovin'it
me: 25
DH: 30
Married: 11/16/2001
BFP: 6/29/05
U/S showing twins: 8/22/05
EDD: 3/9/2006 (Dr. thinks they will be here by Valentine's Day!)

mittyrd
Me: Missy - 36
DH: Steve - 37
DS: Jake - 10/7/03
Married: 11/9/02
Identical boys due 9/25/05
Birth day: 7/1/05
Matthew Ryan, 8:06 a.m.
Samuel Jay, 8:09 am

mrsblud
Me: Julie (29)
DH: Brett (26)
Married: 12th October, 2002
m/c: January 04
Pg with 100mg Clomid and 1500mg Metformin
Emma and Brandon
birthday: 12/24/04 (36w1d)

MrsPuls
Me: Sarah
DH: Shaun
Married: 11/10/01
DS: 11/23/03
TWINS EDD: 1/28/05
Gender: Boy and girl
Birth date: 12/13/05 (33w3d)
Lucas: 4lbs 14oz
Aubrey: 4lbs 5oz.

natgirl
Me: Natalie
DH: Jeff
DD: Sophia, born 3/28/04
Twins due 3/11/06!

NJMom
Me - 35
DH - 45
Married - September 14, 2002
Fraternal Boys
birth day: February 15, 2005 at 33wks
Jacob Michael 4lbs 10ozs
Brayden Matthew 4lbs 5ozs

Phen
me: Phen (33)
dh: Tom (28)
Married: 4/20/02
Birthday: 7/13/04 (37w5d)
Thomas Calvin IV - 3:31 a.m., 7 lbs 9 oz, 18"
Alexander Childs - 3:33 a.m., 6 lbs 3 oz, 19.5"

PilotsWife
Me: 37
DH: 35
Married: 4-30-04
BFP: 4-15-05
40 Week EDD: 12-24-05
Boy/Boy Twins
(Brit'sBride on WC)
Birth date: November 25, 2005
Aidan Morgan - 10:02 p.m., 4 lbs. 9 oz.
Ryan David - 10:03 p.m., 5 lbs. 9 oz.


QPDoll
Tina, 31
DH = Travis, 30
Married 7/4/03
fertility issues: PCOS/IR
Conceived on 4th month of metformin and first month of clomid
Expecting di/di boys
40 week due date: August 14, 2005
Adjusted due date: July 31, 2005
Birth Date: July 23, 2005
Peter Randall at 9:20 am, 7lbs 3 oz 20” long
Nathaniel James at 10:30 am, 6 lbs 19” long

relly
Married: 11/8/3
TTC: 11/8/3
M/Cs: March 2004, May 2004, November 2004
BFP: 8/18/5, IVF #2
EDD: April 26, 2006

Saathei
Me - 22
DH - 24
Married - August 29, 2003
Fraternal? (not sure) girls twins; 40 week EDD: 6/2/05
birth day: April 24, 2005 (34w3d)
Thalia Barbara @ 10:26 a.m.; 4lbs 6ozs, 17"
Michaya Leita @ 10:27 p.m.; 4lbs 9ozs, 18"

Sunmoonstars75
Me=Sara, 29
DH=Andy, 32
Married 09/28/02
Audra Elizabeth 03/08/05 4:36 pm
Amelia Grace 03/08/05 4:37 pm

2labradogs
me: Lynn (34)
dh: 42
Married: 8/29/02
Birthday: 02/20/2004 (37.5 wks)
Identical Twin Boys
Chase - 9:30am, 6lbs 14oz, 19.75 inches
Tyler - 9:31am, 6lbs 8oz, 19.75 inches

vancouvergirl
me: 35
dh: 37
married: august 1998
dd: 6
ds: sept 18, 2003
dd: sept 18, 2003
1st IVF attempt
37 1/2 weeks
5 min apart

In our hearts, Astro's Steven Alexander and Ryan Philip.

[Twinmamas]

Birthdays and Duedates

September 18, 2003: vancouvertwinboy and vancouvertwingirl (vancouvergirl)
February 20, 2004: Chase and Tyler (2labradogs)
July 13, 2004: Thomas Calvin IV and Alexander Childs (Phen)
December 4, 2004: Caroline Louise and Isabel Jean (cbiggers)
December 4, 2004: Delaney Thea and Devon Wade (khouse)
December 24, 2004: Brandon and Emma (mrsblud)
January 28, 2005: Catheryn Jean and Nathan Richard (journey)
February 15, 2005: Jacob Michael and Brayden Matthew (NJMom)
March 8, 2005: Audra Elizabeth and Amelia Grace (sunmoonstars75)
April 24, 2005: Thalia Barbara and Michaya Leita (saathei)
July 1, 2005: Matthew Ryan and Samuel Jay (mittyrd)
July 8, 2005: Harrison Kirkpatrick ("Hank") and Camilla Margaret ("Lily") (kakirk)
July 23, 2005: Peter Randall and Nathaniel James (QPDoll)
August 14, 2005: Jake and Arizona ("Zoe") (charmcitygirl)
August 2005: two girls (cari2)
November 25, 2005: Aidan Morgan and Ryan David (PilotsWife)
December 13, 2005: Lucas and Aubrey (MrsPuls)

due February 2006: two babies! (angelgirl8)
due March 2006: two girls! (lovin'it)
due March 2006: a boy and a girl! (Bernie)
due March 2006: a boy and a girl! (kat)
due March 2006: a boy and a girl! (natgirl)
due March 2006: two boys! (klm2klh)
due April 2006: a boy and a girl! (jrsygirl)
due April 26, 2006: two babies! (relly)
due June 2006: two babies! (Jad)

[Twinmamas]

FAQs
Can you breastfeed twins?
It's been done by many twinmamas. The twinmamas on this thread who didn't BF (or pump) were usually unable to for reasons OTHER than having twins.

We do recommend finding a lactation consultant *with experience in helping BF multiples* prior to the babies' arrival, though. We strongly encourage that. Like get off the computer now and go call the La Leche League to find a multiples-experienced LC in your area!

Is bedrest a requirement during my twinpregnancy?
No, but there's a very strong possibility that you'll be put on some sort of restrictions. A twin pregnancy is a high-risk one, and even if you're having a fairly trouble-free twin pregnancy, you'll need to rest: your body is working harder than ever to grow those babies.

What are the chances I'll make it to full-term with the twins?
Full-term for twins is actually not 40 weeks, but rather 34-36 weeks, which is actually when most of the twinmamas here have delivered.

Should I not gain more weight than I would with a singleton pregnancy?
Dr. Barbara Luke has done studies showing that mothers of multiples who gained an average of a pound a week for the first 24 weeks and 2 lbs. a week for the rest of the pregnancy end up delivering healthier babies who spend less (if any) time in the NICU. She advocates twinmamas try to eat 3,500 calories a day. Take it from us...it's hard, but it's worth it.

Twinshock!

First Trimester

Second Trimester

Third Trimester

Eek! They're HERE!
Elizabeth Lyon (a twinmama) has articles she calls "sanity savers" about living with your twins once they're on the outside (http://www.elizabethlyons.com/)

[Phen]

Hi y'all! Just thought I'd bump up this new thread for us. C'mon, where are the rest of our twinmamas??

QP, pardon me for not remembering, but are you going for a vaginal or a planned c-section? You and Katie are in a race to the finish line now, aren'tcha?

angelgirl, have you gotten your doc to give you Zofran yet? I saw on LJ that you're not feeling great and are losing weight. Also, let me take the opportunity to push, er, urge you to get the Dr. Luke book (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060542683/qid=1120180338/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_ur_1/103-2564578-3820604?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) as soon as possible. It's THE pregnancy book for twinmamas.

I'm going nutty planning my guys' first birthday party. We're actually having TWO (why not? we have two birthday boys... :p ). This weekend, we're having a cookout and birthday cake with the boys' cousins and aunts and grandad and everyone. Then the following Saturday, we're having a big ol' party for friends (ours and the boys). I am so excited. The boys? They hardly notice.

~ Phen

[Phen]

Oh, and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY (next week), angelgirl8! :o

~ phen

[QPDoll]

QP, pardon me for not remembering, but are you going for a vaginal or a planned c-section? You and Katie are in a race to the finish line now, aren'tcha?

The boys parties sound great! Do you have a theme? Love the bbq party, sounds fun. Of course the boys arn't into it. Its more a party for the adults to celebrate their first year. LOL Wait till they get their cake...then watch out - they will be bouncing off the walls. LOL

I'd love a planned c/s, but its not the way my OB does things. If they are both head-down, were going to try for a vag delivery. Of course, worry-wart me is scared to death of delivering A vaginally, and ending up having a c/s with B. Induction at 38 weeks if they haven't made their appearance yet.

Im on my 4th size of maternity clothes, but I've only gained about 30lbs (I know, way under Dr. Lukes guideline.)
What the heck size will I be after the pregnancy?

Katie - are you here yet?? Is 7/14 your adjusted-38 week due date, or 40 week? Looks like were in a race with each other. Welcome home from Boston! How was the move and how are you doing?

[Astro]

Looks like I'm joining. We're still in shock mode. :) (expecting it to last quite a while). DH and I went through IVF, after having my betas checked every other day for 6 days, the RE said looks like we'll have one baby... We went in for our ultrasound today. (6 weeks 4 days). The RE said, "look, see the heart beat.... and wow, there's another one." :D :D

me: Astro age 38
DH: 36
Married: September 2003
U/S showing twins June 30 2003
Due date: 2/19/2006 ?

[Phen]

Congratulations Astro!! WOOHOO!

QP, I wore maternity clothes until my guys were probably about three or four months old. I re-joined WW when they were 8 weeks old, but still had that darn twinskin to deal with (truth be told, the twinskin is still around to this day and I've lost all 65 lbs. of pregnancy weight + 8 more pounds). The maternity tops are helpful if you're nursing (extra roomy for the boobs), and the early-stage maternity stuff (with the small stretchy band around the top) was helpful with the belly.

~ Phen

[angelgirl8]

phen...thanks for officially starting the thread! i'm going to call my obgyn after the holiday if i'm still not feeling well!

DH is reading the dr. luke book as we speak!

and thank for the anniversary wishes!!

astro...so excited for you! welcome!

[mrs_barkley]

Hijacking your thread for a minute. Phen we started a summer 2004 moms thread over here. I hope you will come join us! :)

[QPDoll]

Congratulations Astro!!!

Phen, I've gone through L, XL, 1X, and now am in 2X maternity clothes. Im just wondering what size range of maternity clothes I will be in when they are born. LOL Im not carrying out front, Im carrying WIDE and I haven't really gained much (but my thighs have still managed to grow!) The pregnancy trigged graves disease/overactive thyroid, so half of the pregnancy was fighting to simply regain weight.
I wonder, if Ive only gained 30lbs, will I weight less than I did when I got pregnant?? :cool: Oh, me and my fantasy world. LOL

Twinskin...ugh...why can't they just do a quick tuck while they got me all opened up. LOL Is there anything to be done to get rid of it - besides surgery?

Im going to try to nurse, but Im not wholeheartedly set on it. Im afraid of the exhaustion of those first few weeks, I can't imagine the exhaustion of adding nursing to it. But I want to give it a try at least.

[Astro]

Thanks everyone for the congrats and welcome. It still doesn't feel "real"... whatever that is. :)

QPDoll - hope you're enjoying this nice weather. The lovely weathermen keep saying clouds and rain, and I keep waking up to sunny Seattle. I wish it'd rain. The progesterone is making me too hot to appreciate the sum. :)

Question for everyone here based on the Dr Luke book (just picked it up this weekend). How many of you stayed with your regular OB and how many of you went out to find a maternal-fetal medicine specialist as suggested by Dr Luke?

Just trying to figure out if it's really needed....

[mittyrd]

Just a quick note to say the babies are here: Matthew Ryan and Samuel Jay born July 1, 2005 at 8:06 am and 8:09 am. Both are teeny, tiny and will be in the NICU for the next 3 months. I just got home from the hospital. I'll write more when I get a chance.

[Phen]

OHMYGOSH, mittyrd! Please do update when you can and let us know if there's anything we can do for y'all. Welcome to Matthew and Samuel!

Astro, I started out with an RE, but he released me to an OB at around 10 weeks (although the RE did monitor me through to the start of the third trimester). I debated the whole MFM thing, and in the end, decided that I would go if anything started showing signs of going wrong or getting scary, but it never did, so I stayed with my OB. That was a long way of saying "no," huh? But everyone's situations is different, of course.

QP, oh I was miserably disappointed to find that I still had a ton of pregnancy weight left on me after I delivered the boys. As for twinskin, I keep reading articles about how Pilates and other exercise will actually make it go away...I haven't exercised in months, though, so I can't tell about that.

~ Phen

[QPDoll]

How many of you stayed with your regular OB and how many of you went out to find a maternal-fetal medicine specialist as suggested by Dr Luke?

I changed OBs at the start of my 2nd tri. My local hospital didn't take our insurance (and it doesnt have a level 3 NICU), and my OB doesnt have privelages at the hospital closest to us with a level 3 NICU. My OB aso didn't believe a twin pregnancy was any different than a singleton. I was starting to have problems and she dismissed them and took 4 days to call me back regarding my problems and concerns. So I called the big hospital and asked for a referral for a high-risk OB.

Are you in Seattle? Im in Bremerton, rejoicing in todays rain. The heat is a killer.

Phen, thanks for the info! How are things going for you? Did the boys enjoy their bday party??

Congrats Mittyrd Welcome to the world, Matthew and Samuel. Please update when you can, and I pray for a short hospital stay for your boys.

[mittyrd]

I'll try to write this as I remember it but all of this has been such a blur - it happened so fast - I swear we are going to wake up and find out this was just a bad dream.

Thursday morning I had a doctor's appt. I complained about a lot of achey pains in my right ovary but he laughed at me and told me it was "ligament pain". I had also noticed that my belly had dropped significantly. Anyway, other than all that I felt ok and was just annoyed that the doctor didn't offer me any sympathy. Thursday evening, I was getting Jake ready for bed and I started having a few contractions around 6:30 pm. I didn't think too much of it as I often had contractions when I was sitting on the ground. Around 7 pm they started coming more regularly. I put Jake to bed and the contractions were getting stronger. DH was out so I didn't call anyone thinking they would go away. By the time DH got home around 8 pm the contractions were every 10 minutes and more and more painful. I had DH call the doctor and they told me to go to L&D right away. We dropped Jake off at his daycare provider's house and went to the hospital. They started me on tirbutiline (?sp) right away and even though I thought the contractions were getting better, apparently they weren't on the monitor. By then they were every 3-4 minutes. So then they started me on Magnesium and they started getting stronger again. They checked me for dilation and I was 3-4 cm so they sent me right away by ambulance to Boston. By the time I got there the contractions were only every 20 minutes so I thought I was doing better. When they checked me I was 100% effaced already but still at 4 cm. THe doctor told me I would be in the hospital for the remainder of the pg whether it be 2 days or 3 months. I cried b/c of Jake. As it turns out they had to deliver by c/s 2 hours later b/c I continued to dilate and they couldn't stop the contractions despite all the magnesium. I only got one shot of celestone 8 hours previously and the doctors were trying to hold on for 48 hours so that I could get 3 total to mature the lungs. So I had the babies 13 hours after the contractions started - the babies were 27 wks 3 days.

THe babies cried at delivery but were intubated within minutes. I got to see them for a couple of seconds before they sent them to the NICU. They anticipate they being there until the end of Sept. They are actually doing really well. THe nurses and doctors keep saying that they don't know they are only 27 weeks and think they are older. They also say they act like babies who got the 3 shots of celestone, not just one. They remained on the ventilators for only the first day and now they are both on CPAP. They have lots of spells when the CPAP is out even for a minute so they will be on that for a while. THey started on small amounts of feeds already and they are still getting TPN. I am a pumping fool so hopefully, I'll be able to make enough milk for them. Matt is just under 2.5 pounds now and Sam is just over 2 pounds.

It's been hard b/c I had to leave them in the hospital which I know is the best place for them but still sad. I needed to come home for Jake b/c he was having a very hard time without mama home. Poor guy is so confused. I'll try to post pictures later if I can figure out how to download them. Please keep them in your prayers.

[mrs_barkley]

mittyrd,

Hugs to you and your little family from a long time lurker here! Sounds like they are doing great so far! My DD was born at 28 weeks so I understand what you are going thru. I know both me and my DH cried all the way home when we had to leave my DD at the hospital. If you need someone to talk to, please feel free to send me a private message or e-mail me thru my profile.

[angelgirl8]

mittyrd...sending love to you and your new twins! good to hear they are doing well. hope you are doing well, also. let us know if you all need anything.

ETA: i love their names...just beautiful.

astro...obviously i'm at pretty much the same point you are, but we are going to stick with my obgyn for now. we really like her and she has delivered tons of twins (and she has her own). unless i become more high risk than just a normal multiple pregnancy, we are going to stay with her. she's affiliated with one of the top hospitals in the city, so we're comfortable with that as well.

___

well, i've been released from my RE! as of today, i am released to my obgyn. our first appointment is on 7/15. i've been feeling unbelievably nauseated so i got a prescription for zofran yesterday. took one pill last night but i'm feeling pretty good today.

[QPDoll]

Missy, It sounds like your two are doing really well - and have made quite an impression on the nurses. Its great that their lungs are developed like they had received all the shots! I know they have a lot of developing and growing to do still, my prayers and thoughts are with you all.

[Astro]

QPDoll I'm actually over in Redmond (east of Seattle)
mittyrd Congratulations on the babies. I hope their time in NICU goes fast and they get to come home sooner than expected.
angelgirl8 Congratulations on getting released from the RE's. Looks like I'm a little over a week behind you, so hopefully I'll get released soon as well. :)

Next US is tomorrow evening. I'm getting nervous as both my DH and I have been having nightmares about them finding a 3rd little baby in there. :eek: Two's going to be plenty for us. We'd like to stick with our two and hope to make it to a happy and healthy delivery with them.

[kakirk]

GAH! HOW have I missed this thread??!?! Stupid, 37 weeks pg lady!!!

Missy, I will keep you & the twins in my thoughts. I don't know what hospital they're at in Boston, but I have 1000% confidence in any of the three "big" ones (MGH, BIDMC, or B&W). Do keep us posted on how they're doing.

Astro, I've only seen perinatologists for both my pregnancies. Once we knew it was twins after IVF#1, I read Dr. Luke and decided to go with a MFM. Frankly, it was probably the smartest decision I've made in all of parenting. While I lost my first pregnancy (despite being monitored closely), I was already established with a fantastic doctor who, incidentally, specialized in the condition I have (incompetent cervix). And, as a result I've been taken care of so well through this whole pregnancy that I don't think (even with a singleton) I would ever go back to a regular OB.

I see you're in Redmond -- I'm in Edmonds (Hi QP!), and I've been going to the UW. They have a FANTASTIC "prematurity prevention" clinic which is staffed by perinatolgoists. I'd be happy to PM you the info if you're interested. I've been VERY, VERY happy with them. As premature birth is a high risk for any twin pregnancy, and even higher for someone with IC like me, it was SUPER important to deliver at a hospital with a Level III NICU (whcih the UW has). Further, their L&D floor has a dedicated perinatologist, AND a neonatologist, along with anesthesiologist on the floor 24 hours a day (no paging someone in the middle of the night to come in from home). That was huge for me.

QP, July 14 is the day I turn 38 weeks; my doc always said she didn't want me to go past 38 weeks so that's what i had in my sig. Incidentally, the schedule wasn't great for me to have a c/s on 7/14, so I'm scheduled for 7/15 now (38+1). :D

As for what's up with me...Not a lot! I had my cerclage taken out yesterday, hoping it would put me into labor but alas, it did not. As such, I'm on a wait-and-see holding pattern. I'm scheduled for a c/section or induction (my choice) on July 15 if I don't spontaneously go into labor before then. I have two NST's between now & then too.

It's only EIGHT MORE DAYS!!!!! :D

[QPDoll]

It's only EIGHT MORE DAYS!!!!! :D

OMGISH! Is that all!?!?!?! *~*~*~*~labor vibes*~*~*~*~
So how much worse is 37 weeks in comparison to 34/35 weeks?

My DH "wants" me to go to 38 weeks, I think he is sadistic. 7/16 is my goal, 36 weeks. (ten more days) But I think Im going to be like you and go all the way. (boo-hiss)

I was bad today. I snuck out of the house and got a mani & a pedi, AND a haircut. *heaven*
Oh, and DH tried to install the carseats in the truck this weekend....um...yeah...they don't exactly fit. Were screwed!

[crazycaro]

Missy, I just wanted to stop by to congratulate you on the arrival of your earlybirds. I had Ruby at 31 weeks and am happy to talk to you at anytime, with any questions you might have about what is ahead. They sound like they are doing wonderfully for being born so early.

Thinking about you lots, I know how hard this is.

Caroline

[angelgirl8]

katie...i can't believe you're 37 weeks! that's wonderful. i also can't believe you have that giant B as your avatar. don't think we can be friends anymore. :)

[mittyrd]

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Katie: The boys are at NEMC. We feel really confident with their care so far.

Here are some pictures:

Sam:
http://images.snapfish.com/3443973523232%7Ffp45%3Dot%3E2348%3D4%3A%3B%3D448%3 DXROQDF%3E232394%3B%3A96%3A%3A6ot1lsi
http://images.snapfish.com/3443973523232%7Ffp54%3Dot%3E2348%3D4%3A%3B%3D448%3 DXROQDF%3E232394%3B%3A9%3A249ot1lsi
Matt:
http://images.snapfish.com/3443973523232%7Ffp58%3Dot%3E2348%3D4%3A%3B%3D448%3 DXROQDF%3E232394%3B%3A9%3B288ot1lsi

[angelgirl8]

mittyrd...they're so tiny and beautiful! look at all that hair! how are they doing? how are you doing?

[kakirk]

Oh Missy!!! They're just beautiful!!! Absolutely perfect! And I'm sure you're getting the best care out there; I just can't say enough about the quality medical care that I experienced in Boston. I'm so happy that your boys are there. Will continue to be thinking about you & your family lots. :)

Angel, hey, it's just impossible to NOT be a Sox fan after living in New England. I swear. YOU try it. :D

K

[angelgirl8]

katie...hey, i lived in boston for 5 years and managed to stay true to my yankees. although you do get caught up in the excitement sometimes!

____

question...i never looked into any of this before because i didn't want to look ahead but are there different kinds of prenatal testing i should be looking into? or testing i shouldn't do?

my first obgyn appt is on 7/15 so i guess i'll talk to her about this then!

[kakirk]

Bah...Angel, I was getting you confused with Astro who is in Seattle; I thought you were teasing me for switching from a Mariner's loyalty to a Boston loyalty. And you're a Yankee's girl??? Ugh...things could get ugly 'round here come October! ;)

The only testing I did was a nuchal fold scan about 11 weeks. We're in the low risk category (I'm 28), so we didnt' feel the need to do any further testing. A lot of the "standard" singleton tests (like the AFP/quad screen) have wicked high false positive rates for multiples pregnancies so that wasn't even offered to us.

Katie

[QPDoll]

We haven't done any of the 'standard' tests either, because of the high inaccuracy rates with twins. I also was changing OBs around the time of the Nutchal test timeframe, so we never had it done.

My Peri's opinon is that we have a ton of level 2 ultrasounds, and most things will show up on those too.

Missy: Thank you for sharing the pictures! They are beautiful and perfect. I love their little noses! They are just tiny bundles of joy! Thank you again for sharing!

[MrsPuls]

Can I join in here?

Me: Sarah
DH: Shaun
Married: 11/10/01
DS: 11/23/03
TWINS EDD: 1/28/05
Gender: Will find out in 6 weeks at the next ultrasound. Guessing Boy and girl

We're just getting over the inital shock, and starting to think clearly. I just have so many questions.....

[QPDoll]

Welcome Sarah!!

Twin-shock can be overwhelming, and it comes and goes.
Feel free to ask questions as you think of them! The girls here have been great, I still pepper them with questions as they come up.

[Astro]

Hi Everyone.

We had an Drs appointment last night and saw the twins. Today on the way to work, something felt wrong. By the time I got home, I had filled a pad with blood. Major cramping and bright red blood. We were sure we lost the kids. Went back to the Drs this morning, the kids are ok. I'm on bedrest for the weekend. Hopefully the twins will stay put and be good. The bleeding is from around the placentas. They're 7 weeks 5 days.

[Journey]

Hello! Do you mind if I join here, too? I like following along with everyone, but most everyone seems to be disappearing from WC!

Mitty - Your boys are absolutely beautiful! What perfect little babies :)

[angelgirl8]

welcome sarah!!

astro...that is unbelievably scary. rest up! when do you go back to the doctor?

[QPDoll]

Astro! how scary! How are you doing now? When do you go back to the doctor next?

Journey! Nice to see you!

Im late posting these, and I will be taking new ones tomorrow, but here are my latest belly shots. What I can't believe is that each month, I consistantly measure 8 weeks ahead (fundal height). This month, Im measuring 47, which is 13 weeks ahead! These guys have really GROWN in the past month. Monday, we have another ultrasound - Im excited to see what their guestamated weight is. Last month, they were 4.0, but I have grown a LOT since then.

These are last weeks. I can't wait to take this weeks, I know I have grown a lot the past couple of days!

34 weeks:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d924b3127cce92e4b3e48d4f00000015108IaM2TJw1aAh ttp://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d924b3127cce92e4b3e10c7a00000015108IaM2TJw1aA

and a progression:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d924b3127cce92e4b7dc8d7500000016108IaM2TJw1aA

[sunmoonstars75]

mittyrd - Those babies are too precious! Keeping all of you in my thoughts. Glad to hear they are receiving such great care.

Astro - you too are in my thoughts, I hope the bed rest this weekend does the trick.

Journey - HI! Glad to see you over here.

QP - you look so cute! I wish I would have taken more belly shots, I was too self conscious about my already plus sized self! I know I grew a ton the last few weeks while I was in the hospital! Keep up the great work, they'll be here before you know it :)

angelgirl - like most of the other responses, we didn't do the testing. It wouldn't have changed the way we handled the pgncy, so we opted not to put ourseves through it.

Sarah - Welcome!! I love this group of mamas, I am sure you will learn lots here. I remember from the other board that you used to live near me - are you still there? If so, you can PM me and I can get you the local multiples info, they have a pretty active group here. And I have some twin books laying around if you are interested...

Kate - Sending lots and lots of labor vibes your way!!

Hiya Phen! I can't believe the boys are going to be one next week! Have a wonderful time at the big bday par-tay!

Well, the girls are four months today. We are having so much fun with them. They are smiling and talking up a storm, with some strong consanent sounds starting a week or two ago. Still no rolling over from a flat surface, but they do it all the time when they are on their boppies, front or back, so I am sure it will happen any day now. They have been sleeping in more, this week until 9 am or even later (DH is in HEAVEN!) after gong to bed around 10 PM or so, but I have been taking them for walks almost every night, so I am sure that helps. We've gone to the grandparents' houses twice so far (about 2.5 hours away) without little to no difficulty, and we are headed to central/upstate NY for a family reunion in August, so I will have to let you know how the flight goes. Otherwise, just staying super busy, between working FT and being a "single mom" at night during the week.

Have a great weekend ladies :D

[QPDoll]

They are smiling and talking up a storm,
What? No pictures after a comment like that?? :confused: LOL
Sleeping in till 9am...oh you give me hope that it can happen. Everyone just tells me awful stories.

And lol - I am plus sized, even to start with. My start picture was taken just before I was diagnoised with Graves Disease, a thyroid problem that means basically that your body eats itself. I dropped a lot of weight my first trimester. So I went from a 14/16/18 to a 12, and am now in a 2X (some shirts are 3x, but they are a little big still...not for long though, Im sure).

I didn't like my pictures until the third trimester, but now I don't care. And with my huge ole belly, it makes my chub in my first pictures look smaller. LMAO Im just *really* thankful that Im carrying so far back instead of all out front. Although that has its drawbacks too. Until this month, people have been telling me 1) I don't look pregnant, I just look like a "really big woman", or 2) that I don't look like I have two in there (Im like, well, the doctors are pretty sure...).

[sunmoonstars75]

QP - I post pics in my LJ, if you are over there, I will friend you (and anyone else that wants to see the girls). Just PM your username :D

Katie update:

Here is a phone post from LJ:
“Hi everyone. Just want to let you know that I'm in the hospital. I'm going to be delivering by c-section probably within the next couple of hours. My blood pressure was up today so they sent me on up. I'll keep you all posted.”

YAY! Lots of happy, easy delivery vibes to you, Katie! If I see anything more, I will be sure to post again.

[sunmoonstars75]

Here I was so excited about Katie, I forgot everything else. It took us awhile to get to sleeping til 9, but we got there finally. We have been working on them sleeping later because DH takes care of them during the day while I work and then he leaves for work as soon as I get home. Some nights, he doesn't get to bed until 2-3 am so every extra hour in the morning helps.

I was very plus sized, but thanks to trying to keep up with the girls and BFing, I am about 20 lbs under my pre-preg weight. I have a joke with another BFing frined of mine that I am going to nurse the girls until they are 8 just so I can be a skinny minnie ;) I carried really high, so I didn't really look very preggo, and certainly not twin preggo until the end, and I was in the hospital by that point. Though a couple people's descriptions of me that last week (head, BELLY!, toes) cracked me up. It's like everything finally caught up with me at the end.

[paisleydays]

Hi twinmamas! Just wanted to let y'all know that Katie's babies have arrived!

Harrison Kirkpatrick "Hank" is 7.2 pounds &
Camilla Margaret "Lily" is 6.5 pounds.

Mom Dad & babies are all doing great!

[Phen]

HURRAY HURRAY!!! HURRAY!!!!

~ Phen

[saathei]

CONGRATULATIONS to Katie and Mittyrd!!

Between going on vacation and the server issues last week, I was only able to register just now. So....

Saathei
Me - 22
DH - 24
Married - August 29, 2003
Fraternal? (not sure) girls twins; 40 week EDD: 6/2/05
birth day: April 24, 2005 (34w3d)
Thalia Barbara @ 10:26 a.m.; 4lbs 6ozs, 17"
Michaya Leita @ 10:27 p.m.; 4lbs 9ozs, 18"

Thalia's now 10 lbs and Michaya is 9 lbs 12 ozs! They have been doing great - they now hold their heads up like pros, and are really alert. They're so much fun! :D

[angelgirl8]

katie...congratulations (again!) the names are absolutely gorgeous! so happy for you and your family!

[QPDoll]

Congrats Katie!!!!! Welcome to the world, Hank and Lily!

sunmoonstars75: Im still learning how to use LJ, but my user name is bluegingham (I so lack imagination and yes, I have a sucky user name to prove it).

[sunmoonstars75]

Congrats Katie! So excited for you, Todd and the new babes :) Welcome Hank and Lily!!

QP - considered yourself friended. LJ does take a little getting used to, but I am sure you will get the hang of it.

[saathei]

QP - I friended you also. And I like your user name. :)

[Astro]

Katie Congrats on your wonderful new family. :D

[mittyrd]

Katie: Congratulations!! Those babies are a great size!!

Matt & Sam are hanging in there. Matt is having a lot of spells and they are considering re-intubating him. I got to Kangaroo hold Sam today for 20 minutes and I loved it!! Thanks to everyone for all your support and prayers.

[QPDoll]

Missy, thanks for the update! Did they re-intubate Matt? How is he doing today? How wonderful you were able to hold Sam, I can't imagine what a wonderful experience that was! More prayers and well wishes for you and your boys!

****
35w 2d:
Ultrasound today went GREAT. Both boys were deamed "perfect". Then the tech asked me what exactly am I feeding these guys?!?

I have 12lbs 4oz of pure BABY in me! :eek:
Baby A is 6lbs 12oz
Baby B is 5lbs 8oz

We had aniticipated them to be 5 1/2lbs at BIRTH, based on their growth patterns and gestational weight chart. We were laughing the other day that they could be pushing 6lbs if I went to 38 weeks. Holy crap, I can't believe how BIG they are already!!!

[Astro]

QPDoll Wow, that's a bunch of babies in there. :)
mittyrd Congratulations on Kangaroo holding Sam. Glad to hear both boys are doing well.

As for us...after our scare on Friday, I spent the weekend on bedrest and went back to the REs today. Both babies are still there, hearts are still going like crazy, and bleeding is decreasing. :D :D

[angelgirl8]

mittyrd...how are the babies doing today? so happy you got to hold sam for a bit!

qpdoll...those are some big babies! good job growing them.

astro...SO happy you and the babies are still okay. was worried about you over the weekend!

______

things are looking green over here. threw up (first time) yesterday and i'm very unthrilled about that. started taking zofran, though, so hopefully that helps.

question...for those of you who experienced m/s: when did it stop?

[saathei]

angelgirl8 - Not what you'll want to hear, but my m/s cleared up at about 18 weeks. I still had a couple random bad days, but 18 weeks is where it stopped being every day, and when I could stop taking the Zofran.

Astro - Glad you and the babies are OK!

QPDoll - Man, your babies are sooooooo big! Congratulations!!

[mittyrd - So glad you were able to kangaroo hold Sam. :)

[QPDoll]

question...for those of you who experienced m/s: when did it stop?

Mine stopped at 10 weeks. It completely dissapeared overnight!

[angelgirl8]

saathei...thanks! (even if it's not what i wanted to hear). were you throwing up that whole time or just nauseated? and did you take the zofran every day? i'm not thrilled with taking it, but it seems to do the trick!

also, i see you're on LJ...can i friend you? i'd love to follow you and your twins!

qpdoll...10 weeks sounds good! thanks.


has anyone heard (or had the experience) that m/s is worse for women who are pg with twins?

[Journey]

QPDoll You look great!!! I love the belly shots. :) Your babies are huge!! That's awesome!

Katie Congratulations on your healthy babies! What wonderful weights, and I love their names. :)

Saathei Glad to hear the girls are doing so well.

Mitty Glad you were able to hold Sam. Sending you more warm thoughts.

Astro That's great news! What a relief.

Phen Are you ready for your boys' 1st Birthday?? Hope you have a wonderful day with them!

Nathan and Catheryn are doing great. They move all around the living room, and are getting impatient to crawl, I think. They are having trouble at night for some reason. They were both sleeping through the night, and now they are waking up every few hours. I am napping them in different rooms so they sleep longer than 20 minutes, and I wonder if they are waking each other up too much at night. With 3 little kids, the house is never really quiet, so I hope they are able to get used to that. I will be back with a couple new pics in a bit.

[Journey]

Just wanted to post a couple pictures

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d932b3127cce929fac6cf63100000016108AbsWThy4aNs
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d932b3127cce929fac56f60b00000016108AbsWThy4aNs
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d932b3127cce929fac54f60900000016108AbsWThy4aNs

[angelgirl8]

journey...those pictures are way too cute!

[Phen]

angel, I was sick until the start of the second trimester. Just queasies, no barfing. A lot of people say that twinmamas have twice the m/s, but it didn't seem out of hand to me.

Nice going on the big babies, QP!

Thanks for the updates, mittyrd. I think of you and your boys every day and can't wait for the day you report that they're coming home.

Yay on the good report on your babies, Astro!

Ack, crawlers, journey?! Wheeeeeeee! The fun is REALLY beginning now.

Today my guys turned one! It's so trippy. I can't believe it when I look at photos from a year ago.

July 13, 2004
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/applebutter/mamaboys2004-2.jpg

July 13, 2005
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/applebutter/oneyearwithmama.jpg

And here they are at their party last weekend.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/applebutter/birfday.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/applebutter/morebirfday5.jpg

xoxo

Phen

[looty]

Delurking to say that everyone's babies look adorable and that I am thinking of Mittyrd and Astro.

By the was Phen you look great too! :D

[Journey]

Ahh Phen, you are so beautiful with your boys. Hope you had a wonderful day! :) Happy Happy Happy Birthday Beautiful Boys!!!!

[angelgirl8]

phen...oh, those hats again! happy birthday to your boys (again)!

and thanks for the info on your m/s. i'm worried because i heard it can be worse for twinmamas and i'd like it to not be!

anyone else have m/s severity/timing info for me??

have my first obgyn appt tomorrow...no idea what to ask!

[Bernie]

Can I join you over here? I just had my second post-IVF ultrasound, which confirmed that there really are two sacs - with heartbeats!! :D

My stats:

me: 30
DH: 34
Married: 1/18/2003
BFP: 6/29/05
U/S showing twins: 7/8/05
EDD: 3/8/2006

Phen - Happy birthday to your boys! They are just adorable!

[sunmoonstars75]

Congrats and welcome Bernie! Your due date is my girls' first birthday :D

angelgirl8 - I never had any m/s to speak of - save one incident with my toothbrush one fateful morning. Everyone was convinced I was having one of each because they "cancelled" each other out.

journey - your babes are getting SO big! I love your updates, it lets me know what I am in for shortly.

Phen - Those boys are so cute, and you are looking pretty fabu yourself there sweetie :)

QP - Such big babies, hopefully you'll have them soon!!

[mittyrd]

Bernie: Congratulations!

Phen: Happy Birthday to the boys! They are so handsome! You look great too - How do you feel?

Journey: Your two are just adorable too. How is your older son handling everything?

Angel: I was one of the lucky ones in that I never had m/s with this pregnancy.

My boys: they are doing much better. Thank you to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers. I was pleasantly surprised when I went to the hospital yesterday and found them off of CPAP. YAY! They were starting a trial off of it and as of 5 am today they are still off of it and just on nasal cannula for oxygen. They still aren't gaining much weight so they went up on their calories yesterday. I'm still pumping every 3 hours which is getting tedious but I know it's best for them right now so I'll keep doing it. I can't believe they are 2 weeks old today. DH & I were talking yesterday how weird it is that we have 2 more babies but we really don't have them yet. It's like I had them and dropped them off somewhere. It's a very strange feeling.

[kat]

May I join over here?? Like Bernie (who seems to be living a parallel life :D), we just had our second post-IVF ultrasound today and saw two heartbeats, so I guess it's official. :D

Me: 36
DH: 40
Married: 9/02
IVF: 6/05
Positive beta: 6/23/05
EDD: 3/2/06

*******

Those are some gorgeous twins on the last page!! It makes me so excited about being a twinmamma, even though right now I feel pretty crappy. "Just" queasiness, no throwing up, although I'm at the point where I think throwing up would bring me at least a few minutes of relief.

Since I "outed" myself on another CC thread, I'm going to do it here.....Phen, I dunno if you remember me from way back when, but I was katbride on the WC (before picking this ridiculous anonymous name for TTC purposes). We had quite a few mutual friends back in the day -- Iolanthe, cdworkin, etc. (Now *those* are some blast-from-the-past names!). Your boys are gorgeous (and mommy ain't so bad herself ;) ).

Ugh. Must. Go. Lie. Down. NOW.

[Bernie]

MIPG - it does seem like I am stalking you a bit, doesn't it? I swear I'm not!
Congratulations on the ultrasound - I am so glad everything was okay!

Hope everyone else has a great weekend!

[kat]

...or that I am stalking you. (Which I am not, of course). :D

Thanks mucho. Happy weekend, everyone!

[Phen]

SHUT UP. of course I remember you, silly MIPG/katbride Hurrah! Hurrah!!

Welcome to Bernie, too!

And YAY!!! on the CPAP-less boys of mittyrd!

This is too much excitement for me. I must go lie down now.

~ Phen

[angelgirl8]

mipg?...YAY! did i miss the part where you saw 2 heartbeats?! where have i been?

feel good! i have to tell you, actually throwing up does not make you feel better...it's unlike a virus or anything. ick!

bernie...congratulations! so many twins!

___

very very early question: dh and i were just looking around our tiny 1-bedroom today and figuring out what furniture we would eventually move and what we would get rid of and that brought us to the sleeping question. i would think we would not have a full size crib in the beginning, but then do the babies sleep in different bassinets? i was under the impression that they like to be close together, but i'm not sure a bassinet is big for too?

i know i don't have to worry about this for a long while (and shouldn't be!) but we were bored on a stormy, humid day!

[sunmoonstars75]

Another Twinmama? That's three in a blink of an eye, how exciting!! Congrats MIPG? - H&H pregnancy to you :)

angelgirl - the girls slept in a PNP on the lower level with us until I started sleeping upstairs, then in our room for awhile. We moved them to a crib in their room together at about 9-10 weeks (right as I went back to work), and their own cribs a few weeks after that. Audra loves to sprawl out while she is sleeping and Amelia likes to move, so it was best (and they started sleeping better) when we separated them.

Just wanted to let you know there is no doubt Audra is my daughter - she talked up a storm today, even got really loud between 9-11 tonight. Even after she fell asleep, she was still talking! DH & I were cracking up, it was so cute!!

Off to keep reading Harry Potter...

[MrsPuls]

I haven't been in here in a while, so I'll have to catch up on the reading.

I do have a question though.

Where i work I don't have any sort of short term disability, or coverage for maternity. Our family depends on my income and we really are at odd on how we're going to survive without my income if I were to need bed rest, or be on leave for an extended period of time. We can fake it for 2 months or so, but nothing more. Does anyone know of any programs or help we can get to make it through this? We're trying to save as much as we can, but it really won't be enough.

:confused:

[kat]

Hi -

Just a drive-by to post that I changed my username from MIPG? to kat, because I was sick of that name (never liked it on the WC, so why I used the same name when I came over here, I'll never know!!!).

So, could you please update my stats? Just a changed username. Thanks!!!

-kat

[Phen]

angel asked:
do the babies sleep in different bassinets? i was under the impression that they like to be close together, but i'm not sure a bassinet is big for too?
My boys shared a crib (or PNP bassinette) for the first 8 weeks of their lives. We separated them at that point because they were waking eachother up a ton by smacking eachother in the head (also they caught colds and needed to sleep in their carseats--only room for one carseat in the crib). But, you're right...they do like to be together; my guys used to wake up if one of them was taken out of the crib for diaper changes or something. The hospital kept them in the same bassinette, too.

Mrs Puls, you said you don't have maternity coverage, but does that mean no maternity leave? The thing we learned when I was working during my pregnancy was that even if you don't have short-term disability, your maternity leave can kick in ahead of time. That is, if you were to get (say) 4 weeks paid leave that people typically use after childbirth, you'd instead begin those 4 weeks paid leave whenever you stopped working (went on bedrest, or whatever doctors' orders are) during the pregnancy. It means, suckily enough, that you have no time "left" after birth. Do you have any vacation or sick leave saved up, though? My HR person was very helpful in trying to work it out so that my sick and vacation leave covered a couple weeks in there for me (I stopped working altogether around 28 weeks).

Okay, kat, I'll make the change! :)

Tomorrow we're going to Memphis to see Alexander's cardiologist (he was born with a VSD, or a hole in his heart) for a checkup. They haven't seen him since mid-December! I can't wait for them to see how much he's changed and grown since then. They are going to fall over with shock. He's like a different child now. Most of the time, we don't even remember about the VSD anymore.

~ Phen

[QPDoll]

Well, Im off to the hospital again. I started bleeding tonight. Im not having contractions (just a few braxton hicks, but nothing beyond normal), but the charge nurse told me I needed to come in. Maybe the boys are going to decide to come out on their own?

36 weeks and 3 days...hospital labor run round #2.

[Journey]

Bernie and Kat - Welcome and CONGRATULATIONS on your twins!! Wishing you both a healthy pregnancy!!

Mitty - So glad your boys are doing so well. Hope you are able to take them home soon!! Will is doing pretty well. He has days where he is more needy, but I think that is normal for his age. He gets really goofy and somewhat obnoxious when he is needing a little more attention, so I try and stay as tuned into him as possible. Overall, he is really doing great with the babes. They are starting to interact with him, and he is loving it. He has his dad's outgoing personality and loves to be the center of attention, so the bigger the audience, the better, as far as he is concerned!! :D

Angelgirl - Ours slept together in the PNP for a while. It worked pretty out pretty well.

sunmoonstars - Too cute about Audra!!!

Phen - Good luck at Alexander's appt.

QPDoll - Hope everything is OK. Please keep us posted!

Catie has a very noticeable calming effect on Nathan. He has to be held all the time if he is the only one awake, or he just cries. But as soon as Catie is up from nap and back with him, he is perfectly fine. He does not like to be alone at all.

I had to take Nathan to the Dr yesterday because he is throwing up all the time. Dr said he has extreme reflux, but he is growing fine so I am supposed to back off milk a little and add more solids. Hopefully that helps.

Catie is just as happy as can be these days. She spends most of her time on all 4's, even when she is supposed to be sleeping!! She has these big beaming smiles, like she is just so proud of herself...Nate does the same thing when he is standing. Everyday they let their own little personalities and strengths come out more and more. It is amazing how different they are, yet so alike at the same time.

[QPDoll]

just an update.
Home from the hospital, they coudln't find a reason for the bleeding and it stopped. They kept me overnight, but I didn't get much sleep with all their needles and tests and such. Im sooo tired. And cranky.

Im so ready to be done, now!

[Journey]

QPDoll - So glad everything is fine. Hope you are able to get some good rest.

[kat]

Ditto, QPDoll. Hope you're feeling more rested now!

Journey, I think it's so sweet that your twins have a calming effect on each other! It's stories like that that make me feel good about having twins (right now, frankly, I feel too crappy to get excited about it....and in fact, the thought of taking care of two babies when I feel this crappy is pretty overwhelming).

[Journey]

We decided to give the bath seats a try. Nathan and Catheryn are still a little small since they aren't quite sitting up by themselves, but it was really nice bathing them together. They weren't quite sure about each other in the tub, either, so that was pretty cute. I bought another high chair and they both now eat with the family. I had them outside on a blanket while their big brother played, and they refused to stay put. My days of having them stay where I put them are numbered! Then I am sure the real fun will begin, with 3 little ones on the move! I guess I am so used to just having to keep tabs on where Will is, that it is going to be quite a change trying to keep an eye on all of them...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d901b3127cce92a62913a73f00000016108AbsWThy4aNs

[QPDoll]

Oh gosh, they are cute! Nathan looks like he is just chillin out, just adorable!

[mittyrd]

Journey: Cute picture! I can't even imagine yet how hard it will be to keep tabs on 3!!

Phen: How'd the doctor's appt. go?

Kat; Congrats!

QPDoll: What a PIA to go through but think of how big and healthy those kids are going to be!!

My boys: So far so good. Can't remember if I told you that they got transferred to the hospital near me (and where I work) over the weekend so I'm happy not to be traveling into Boston every day. They are still on monitors and oxygen but overall doing good. I've been kangarooing them a couple times a day and I love snuggling with them. I'm still pumping around the clock which is getting tiring but I know it is best for them. I'm going back to work in a week and a half so I can save my time for when they come home. At least I'll get to pop in on them off and on all day although I won't be able to hold them for an hour at a time like I've been doing. That will be hard but I think I need the time with them when they come home. I wish it didn't have to be so long before they come home :(

[Phen]

QP, I am telling you, that cranky mood is a harbinger of labor! I'd bet money that you'll have them in the next week. Yay!

I'm jealous, journey! We only have one of those bath chairs and it doesn't even work properly in our bathtub (the suction cups don't work on our pebbly-bottomed tub surface). That is a sweet story about the calming effect.

Oh, that's great news, mittyrd. I imagine they wouldn't move your boys if they weren't doing beautifully, right? What's the criteria that will graduate them out of the NICU and home? My college roommate's son was born 7 weeks early and he was in the NICU until he hit 5 lbs. and could regularly breathe on his own; are your boys looking at the same goals?

Thanks for asking about Alexander's doctor's appointment. It DID go very well (or, rather, as well as a toddler having to go through an echocardiogram -- they're not supposed to wiggle during that test, but good luck on that :rolleyes: ). The "moderate"-sized hole in his heart that they found shortly after his birth has NOW CLOSED COMPLETELY! Good as new! We are so happy. Of course, we kinda had an inkling that maybe the hole had closed...he has made amazing progress since the last doctor's appointment and almost looks like a different child from seven months ago. The doctor hadn't seen him since December and, at yesterday's appointment, was not entirely sure which boy was his patient...that's how improved he looked. :D

Anyhoo, after the appointment we had their One-Year photos done. The boys picked out the Pooh prop to pose with; they wouldn't stand still for more than a split-second (long enough to take a photo) with any other prop.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d938b3127cce92b23bade39d00000035108QZN2TNm4bQ

Hope our new (preggo) twinmamas are managing to get past the queasies and twinshock.

~ Phen

[Bernie]

Still working through the twin shock (and working my way through Dr. Luke's book), but so far, I'm pretty light on symptoms - except for constant hunger. I have another ultrasound tomorrow, so hopefully seeing the little guys and hearing their heartbeats again will make it feel a little more real.

Phen - the boys look so cute in their one year photos! I am so glad to hear the good news about Alexander!

QPdoll - Hope you're doing okay and getting some good rest at home.

mittyrd - Glad to hear that your boys are closer to home now! I hope they are continuing to make great progress.

Journey - That bath picture is adorable!

Hope everyone has a great day!

[Journey]

Mitty - That is GREAT news!!! I am so glad your boys are closer to home. Counting down until they are home with you!

QPDoll - I'm with Phen...you should be having babies really soon!! Can't wait! :)

Phen - So glad to hear about Alexander!!! How wonderful. Their picture is just adorable! They always look so happy... :D Must be the awesome Mama...

The team work has begun...I put Nate and Catie on their backs on a blanket and went to get their big brother dressed...when we came back out, they were both on their tummies, still on the blanket, but across the room playing with Will's Little People Farm and they had dumped the little tub of animals...I can just picture them pulling each other on that blanket across the room to tackle the farm. Goof Balls...they get that from their brother (and their Daddy!!)

[QPDoll]

just checking in. Still pregnant. Cranky and tired of not being able to move.

[snowzilla]

Hi Twin-mommas! Tina asked me to keep you informed if she goes into labor....

She is at the hospital right now, being induced, and should be having her boys very, very soon. Wish her luck! :)

[kat]

Good luck and congratulations, QPDoll!!!!!!!

[snowzilla]

I am happy to announce:

The safe arrival of

Peter Randall at 9:20 am, 7lbs 3 oz 20” long

and

Nathaniel James at 10:30 am, 6 lbs 19” long.

Tina/QPDoll delivered the twins this morning with no c-section or complications and they all expect to go home on Monday. The babies appear full term & great. Mom & Dad are doing well. :)

[Phen]

Way to GO, QP! Welcome Peter and Nathaniel! (thanks for letting us know, snowzilla)

The boys went to their 12M pediatrician appointment yesterday. Funniest (not haha funny but how weird funny) thing is that the boys weigh exactly the same: 21 lbs. 10 oz. Thomas is 29.5" tall, and Alexander is 29.25" tall (DH thinks Alexander must've been slouching).

The ped pronounced them "beautiful!" and sent 'em home with instructions to:

* begin the transition from formula to WHOLE MILK. Huzzah! Huzzah! (I am weeping with joy about this one)
* turn those carseats around;
* start doing more sippy-cup action with an aim towards eliminating bottles (and being Totally Sippy-Cup) by October.

Then the boys had two shots, but we delayed two other shots (MMR, maybe?, and chicken pox) due to my being on chemo at the present time and those two shots are live vaccines and dangerous for me to be around. Anyhow, the boys were really really offended about the shots. DH said Alexander gave him a look as if to say "you betrayed me!" Hee.

~ phen

[mittyrd]

Congratulations QP!! What big boys you have!! Yay!

[Astro]

Congratulations QPDoll and Travis. :D :D

[cantwait]

Since I "outed" myself on another CC thread, I'm going to do it here.....Phen, I dunno if you remember me from way back when, but I was katbride on the WC (before picking this ridiculous anonymous name for TTC purposes).

OMG, katbride! I was lurking in this thread and found your post! I always wondered what happened to you. Your proposal story is still the BEST EVER. I was cantwait on WC too (you poked in my very neglected journal from time to time - Tuscan-themed wedding) and now I have a little munchkin of my own. TWINS! Congratulations! Best wishes to you and DH.

Edited to add - how rude of me, I forgot to congratulate QPDoll and all the other fabulous twinmamas! I have so much respect for all of you, growing and raising these beautiful children!

[Bernie]

Congratulations QP!

[T&M'sMommy]

Congratulations Tina!!

Phen: I love that avitar of your boys. Those shirts are such a great message! Wishing you all the best.

[angelgirl8]

such great things going on around here! i've been away in boston for the last few days, but i'm back and catching up!

qpdoll...congratulations!! guess phen was right with her prediction! so glad everything went well and the boys are here!

phen...what wonderful news about alexander's heart and the boys' checkup!

mittyrd...so happy to hear the babies have been moved and are doing well.

___

let's see: i think the twin-shock ended the week after my positive beta but this darn m/s has stuck around. can't seem to shake it. still taking the zofran every day.

otherwise, things are good. my nuchal translucency u/s is this thursday. can't wait to see them again!

[cbiggers]

Sheesh!! How did I miss this and be gone sooooo long from our twinmommas?? I changed my user name on here from clrobinson1 to cbiggers, so everyone can know who I am.

Here's my info:
Me: Casey 34 (almost anyway)
DH: Brian 34
IF due to endometriosis
m/c June 2003 - Triploidy
Successful IUI April 2004
Caroline Louise and Isabel Jean
12/04/04

Hi everyone!!!!! Gotta run. Girls have become mobile and someone sounds into something they shouldn't be!

[angelgirl8]

casey...i was wondering where you were!! i can't believe the girls are mobile!

[cbiggers]

You and me both on the mobility!!!!!!! It's exciting and scary at the same time. I'm happy about it though, just makes life a little more interesting!!!!

[Journey]

:) QPDoll - CONGRATULATIONS on your baby BOYS!!! I love the names ! They had such great weights, too! And , I have to admit, I am officially jealous that you were able to have them without a C-section...that was my dream...but I am very happy for you and can't wait to see those big beautiful BOYS!!!

Phen - Glad your boys are doing so great!!! Congrats on making it to the milk and forward facing car seat stage.

Angelgirl - Hope the m/s decides to leave you alone soon!

cbiggers - Good to hear from you! Your girls are on the move!? How time flies! Mine are not far behind. They are pulling themselves all over the place and Catie is sooo close to actually crawling. Mixed feelings here, too. I kind of like having them stay where I put them, but I guess that can't last forever.

What a great day!!! I just love it when new babies are born...it just makes me smile! :) :)

My little babes are doing great. They will be 6 months on Thursday already. I think Natie is 20 lbs. I am anxious for their appt.

[Astro]

strollers?

I know I'm getting way ahead of myself here, twins aren't due till February. But a family member has offered to buy us a double-stroller for the twins, so I'm trying to research. There's all kinds of pro's and cons to the side-by-side and in-line styles on the web, but what have you ladies found? I'm thinking of a stroller that'll be useful when they're really small, so it'd need to fit two carseats (bucket seats), also recline.

Any opinions, expereince? :)

thanks

[cbiggers]

Astro - We now have three strollers and I love them all for different reasons. Our girls are now almost 8 months old so stroller needs have changed a bit.
1. Graco Duoglider System - Fit the carseat carriers when they were small. Has a nice basket underneath and I mostly use that stroller now for when we go to the mall to go shopping. I couldn't have lived without they travel system when they were tiny and still in their carriers. I like the tandem for stores because it seems to go through clothing racks, etc. pretty easily. Downside: Whoever is in the back (usually Isabel) loves to kick the front seat and now she's also figured out she can reach Caroline's head and loves to pull her hair. Also, it is long (we call it the limo), but not too bad.
2. Jeep Side-by-Side - We got this stroller because it was cheap and we just thought we would need it for traveling. It works great in airports and to gate check and to get it onto the security x-ray machines. This is fast becoming my fav stroller and somewhere down the line, I'd love to get a little nicer (MacLaren, Peg, etc) side-by-side. The downfall to this particular stroller is that it has no basket underneath so I only use it if I know for sure that I'm not buying anything. (yea, when am I NOT buying things? :rolleyes: )
3. B.O.B. Jogger - LOVE this stroller for walks and my daily walking trip to the grocery store. It has an o.k. basket underneath that fits my groceries and a great sunshade that keeps the girls out of the sun. Major downfall is that it doesn't even come close to fitting through doorways, so I only use it when I know there are automatic doors or if DH is sure to be with me.

Our stroller needs seem to change and I like having more than one for different things. I have no clue if the side-by-sides fit the carriers. Good luck and also, it's NEVER too early to start figuring this stuff out!!!!!!!!!!

Journey - Can't wait to hear how big the kiddos are! My girls were both 19lbs at their six month!!!!!!!

[Journey]

Astro - We have the jeep front and back. It was a gift from my BIL. The stroller itself is really nice, but I personally do not care for it. It is way too long. It is also VERY hard to manuver. Forget about trying to get in a door by yourself. There is a lot of storage underneath, but that is one of the only pros IMO. It only holds a carseat carrier in the back, so we couldn't use it before the babies were about 4 months old and a little more stable. I personally would like to get a side by side. Like cbiggers said, though, I am not sure if they can hold carriers or not. I also have to agree that it is never too early to start deciding these things!

cbiggers - 19lbs at 6 months!? That's great!!! I love their picture :)

[kat]

Congratulations, QPDoll!! Can't wait to see them!

Speaking of which....well hello, cantwait! Long time no chat. :) Congratulations to you, too, on being a momma! Hope all is well, and thanks for the well-wishes!

Astro: hahahahahahahaa. Um, I'm not due until early March and already have done a ton of research on this issue. :D Obviously I have no first-hand experience, so what I say won't be valuable like the moms on this thread, but I've heard good things about the Double Snap-and-Go as a carseat carrier for the first few months, and side-by-sides for later. I'll have to go and check out some of the side-by-sides in person -- I have a friend who had the MacClaren Twin Traveller a few years ago and loved it (mainly b/c it has a great harness system and full recline). But now I've read kinda mixed reviews (though still 90% positive) about their customer service. I've generally read good things about that stroller, but as I said we'll have to wait & see how we like it in person. It's expensive, too, which stinks....but since we're not the type of people to spend a ton of cash on the nursery, I think we can splurge a bit on the stroller if we like it.

Anyone have any experience with either of those two? I'm curious, too! :)

*******

Final RE appointment yesterday. Saw the twins, 1.7cm each, hearts a-flutter. Tomorrow is my first official OB appointment (I'll be 8w5d tomorrow). Gonna ask about CVS, and gonna try to delicately suggest that I go to an MFM for that. I'm not seeing my actual OB tomorrow -- she's unavailable until later in August -- but instead I'm seeing a new guy in her office(graduated from med school in 2000), just for this first appointment. I think I can use the "since my regular OB is not available, maybe I should go to the MFM" line. We'll see. In a way, I'm glad that I'm not seeing my regular OB; if I offend the new guy, I won't feel as bad. :)

Anyway, I know that at our hospital, there's a MFM who lists "CVS" and "multiples" as her areas of specialization/interest on the website, so I may gently suggest that he refer me to her just for the CVS. I know how important the "years of experience" is for CVS!

Feeling generally better overall. I wouldn't say "great," but I'm not so weepy/whiny sick, either. Still have huge aversions to many foods, but the nausea comes & goes, rather than remaining constant. I'm just thankful I get breaks!

[angelgirl8]

kat...share some of those nausea breaks with me!

kat and astro...we haven't started thinking about any baby gear yet, but i have no idea what we'll do about strollers over here! we really don't have space for even one stroller, let alone a few (we're in a one-bedroom apartment). i also need a stroller that folds easily for cabs and gets on the stroller and navigates city streets and gets through doorways in the city easily! that's a lot to ask!

[sunmoonstars75]

Congrats QPDoll!!! Welcome Peter and Nathaniel :)

Strollers - We have the Combi Twin Savvi, and I love it. It's the only one I have, so I've been using it from the beginning with the girls. It's really light, and folds up nice and small, so it fits in our trunk, a must. The baskets are an okay size, but a little hard to put stuff in when the seats are reclined. And it folds and unfolds very quick and easily, It doesn't turn on a dime, but other than that, I've really enjoyed it. We looked at the Eddie Bauer tandem one, and the reviews said it weighed between 40-50 lbs (mine weighs about 18) and would not fit in a trunk. But the front seats could be turned around so the kids could face each other instead of one in front and one in back. I thought that was very cool. I think your best bet would be to head to a store that carries them and test drive a bunch. We did, read some reviews online (Amazon, Baby Bargains, WC had a double stroller thread back in the day), asked people with double strollers what they liked and didn't, and then shopped for the cheapest price. Good luck!!

I think teething has started in our household, and I am either going to need a bigger bottle of Tylenol or a bottle of my Smirnoff Raspberry ;) Audra had all sorts of fits last night, it was terrible to hear her in that kind of pain - it rivaled the shots scream. And Amelia didn't seemed bothered by the cries, which bothered me even more. Tonight was much better, thanks to the addition of Orajel to our house (we had some, but the bottle got misplaced - now we have two and a container of the gel in applicator sticks). Hopefully this doesn't last too long - we have a flight to catch next week, and I pity anyone else on the plane if Audra's teeth are bothering her. Though doc suggested giving them Benadryl before we leave to dry up their sinuses and help them sleep better on the plane. I haven't decided if I am going to dope up my kids or not, I will have to let you know.

[2labradogs]

hey ladies, I haven't officially joined, but I do have twins! Some of you may remember me from WC - I was Santa Barbara and my sons Chase & Tyler were born 2.20.2004. Just wanted to chime in with some stroller experiences - I have had 4 strollers so far.

Double Snap-n-Go - A great stroller for carseats. Bare bones tandem stroller, good for the first 4-5 months. Try to buy it used from you local twins club.

Combi twin Savvy - This one is a great light weight sbs stroller and I loved the snack tray, but after my boys got older and heavier it became harder to steer. The storage basket is really small too.

Dreamer Design Ditto Jogger Stroller - very, very nice jogger. Love it. Similar to the B.O.B. that Cbiggers has, it is also very wide. Great for outside walks (or runs - if you are into that :) ), horrible for the mall. Takes up a ton of space in the back of the car.

Favorite all around stroller - Mac Twin Traveller. Handles well, is very comfy for C & T. No snack tray, but it's ok since C & T can hold their snacks now. It also folds easily. Storage basket is just ok, but way better than the Combi. Fits great through doors - like the Combi.

Kat - Congrats on your pregnancy - your babies are due just about the same time as mine were in 2004.

[mrsblud]

Hi guys I am finally here!

Sassydog from WC

I have 7 month old Emma and Brandon!

I am currently on the hunt for a umbrella fold strollel to take on holidays with us - I currently have a love n care twin sporty jogger.

[angelgirl8]

santa barbara and sassydog (but with your new names!)...hi!

santa barbara...i always loved seeing pictures of your boys! thanks for the stroller info.

kat and astro...now you've got me making stroller lists, lest i lose the valuable info i'm getting here!

___

have my nuchal translucency u/s tomorrow...totally nervous. normal, right?

[Astro]

angelgirl8 I'm glad you're nervous about your test. Mine is in 2 weeks, and I'm nervous. I'm also very glad your a week or two ahead of me. :) I get to hear what's coming from you first. Are you still taking progesterone? When do you stop? My RE said to take it through the first week of August, but then what?

[angelgirl8]

astro...i responded to you in the IVF thread and have no memory of what i said because i had to go look up when i stopped! silly brain. it's in there, though!

[QPDoll]

Not much time for an update, but thought I would share a couple of pictures!

http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeENGbJk4atHsg

Tina

[angelgirl8]

tina...the photo link isn't working for me! hope you're doing well!

____


question (again): i posted this as a thread this morning but i thought i'd ask you ladies, too.

i've been struggling with when to tell people we're pregnant. we're really excited, but we went through a lot to get here and are very nervous.

i'm 12 weeks now and i have my nuchal today and we were considering telling people after the test if everything went well.

however, i've been feeling nervous about it. what if something goes wrong? i know i can't wait forever, and i'm already starting to show so i wanted to see what other twinmamas did!

my early morning question (http://constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=3551)

[Phen]

Tina, I love the photo of Nate "just born" -- he looks like he's beseeching you to do something (PLLLLLLEASE Mama?). They're beautiful...and so much hair! Hope you are all getting sleep.

angel, we told our families and friends and coworkers after the 8w ultrasound (the second time we saw their heartbeats)....although some family we didn't tell until 9w (but that was more because we wanted to tell them in person and 9w fell on Christmas Day).

Strollers, we've got the Graco DuoGlider and the Combi TwinSavvy. I loooove the TwinSavvy, but could not have survived early twinmamahood without the DuoGlider. It enabled me to get out and about and run errands when the boys were still in their infant carriers. The basket underneath the DuoGlider is incredibly roomy; I've done quite a lot of grocery shopping with just the DuoGlider for help.

Hi to our long-lost twinmamas Casey, Lynn, and Julie!

~ Phen

[cbiggers]

QP - Great pics!!!!!! Adorable!

Angel - I think by 9 weeks we had pretty much let the cat out of the bag. I had to tell work because I was sooooo sick and was already starting to show. Plus, we were just so excited we couldn't keep it to ourselves anymore!

Nap protest going on, so gotta run! Hope everyone is doing great!

[ginadc]

Hey gang,

Thought I should sign in here! We are expecting twins in September via domestic adoption, and are just over the moon with excitement. We had been "activated" by our agency literally 24 hours when we were notified that a prospective birthmother had chosen us as parents for her boy-girl twins. What a wild ride! We will be going out there in September to be there for the birth; she really wants us there at the hospital, so I might go out there a few days early so as not to miss things, depending on what the doctors say.

All this information about twin strollers is very useful! We have been going back and forth between the Twin Savvy and the Aria Twin; thought about the Maclaren Twin Traveller but lifting it was just a huge chore for me; the weight's too much. Has anyone here tried the Inglesina Twin? I've also heard good things about that one, but can't seem to find it in a store near us to check out? We're thinking of just getting the double Snap 'n' Go for the first couple of months.

I'm really looking forward to (and going to NEED!) perspective from experienced twinmamas!

[Astro]

Tina Those are very handsome boys you have. Does Pete have blond hair? Congratulations again. Hope you all are settling in nicely. If you need anything, feel free to ask. I'm not too far away, just a boatride and drive. I'd be happy to bring groceries or food over on the weekend, but it'd have to wait a couple weeks due to company. I'd just drop it and drive off, so it wouldn't interefere with naps or feedings.

angelgirl8 My DH and I struggled as well, but we decided we had to tell a few (2 each) close friends and immediate family (siblings and parents) as soon as we were pregnant. Many of our friends have had miscarriages, and we knew we'd need their support if something were to happen. Now that we're at 10 weeks and both the RE and OB feel very confident about this pregnancy, we're telling some more friends. No general statements and no telling big bosses until 12 weeks. You and Dave will figure out what works best for you, and whatever you decide will be right for you. Remember, you guys are in charge and only you two know what'll work best for you during the pregnancy. :) (Short answer is there is no right or wrong for any of this)

Phen I love the pics of your boys. Can't believe they're a year old. I hope they had a great birthday.

cbiggers nap protest? oh NO!

ginadc congratulations on becoming a twin momma. :D :D Good luck on the crash course between now and September.

Feeding question: Do most of you tandem feed (either bottle or breast)? I was reading in a book that you need to learn to feed the twins at the same time, otherwise you'll spend 10-15 hours a day feeding!

[ginadc]

Hey Phen,

I saw that you mentioned that the boys slept in a PNP bassinet in your room for the first few weeks. We were trying to figure out our plans for that, and I wasn't sure if two babies would be too smooshed in a PNP bassinet. I know they'll be quite small, but still, the bassinet is much smaller than a crib. So yours were comfy there?

[angelgirl8]

phen...love the avatar of the boys! thanks for the "telling" info!

gina...congratulations!

tina...ahhh...i can see the pictures now! the boys are adorable. and you all look so happy!

____

had my nuchal this morning. everything looked good on ultrasound, so it's just a matter of waiting for the blood results to come in next week. i'm trying to figure out if these blood results are one of the tests that carry a higher false positive rate with twins. anyone know?

our immediate families and close friends already know we're pregnant because they were in on the IVF schedule and everything, so now i just have to decide if the u/s results were good enough or if i want to wait for the blood results!

[Phen]

gina, I've been meaning to email you since Meg told me the wonderful news about your TWO BAYBEEEEEES. I couldn't find anything other than the DuoGlider and the TwinSavvy to test-drive, so we sorta gave up and just went with those two. Yes, the boys shared a PNP (for naps) for a few weeks...we kept it in the living room so that whoever was On Duty could enjoy TiVo when the little tyrants, er, babies were sleeping.

Here's a photo of them in the PNP bassinette when they were four weeks old. They could both fit in there for another two or so weeks after this, I think:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d633b3127cce99fcda627e5c00000026108QZN2TNm4bQ

If you are wondering whether or not to even get a PNP, wonder no more! They are invaluable for travelling overnight (Thomas sleeps in our PNP when we go visit family and we borrow another one for Alexander), or even just for taking the boys to visit friends who don't have a babyproofed house (we set up the PNP in our friends' living room and throw a ton of toys in there with the boys and they bash around, all safe and sound).

angel, I dont know about the bloodwork and false positives. I always get those tests mixed up; is the nuchal translucency the same as the AFP?

Astro, tandem is MUCH EASIER. I pumped for a few weeks and we fed the EBM in bottles; that way Daddy and our other helpers could feed one baby while I fed the other. When the helpers went home, I used a boppy and some pillows to bottle-feed both boys at once. Here's a photo of my method:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d727b3127cce99fcd18e58b400000026108QZN2TNm4bQ
We also used liberal propping-of-bottles (with burp cloths, rattles, small stuffed animals, etc.). I know it's not recommended that you prop, but whoever said that hasn't been up at 4 a.m. with two hungry babies who can't hold their own bottles.

~ Phen

[Bernie]

I haven't even started thinking about strollers and stuff, but I am dutifully taking notes, just in case I can't find this thread when the time comes to start shopping.

Angelgirl - so glad to hear that everything went well today! We've also been trying to figure out when to tell people. Similar situation -- we've told our friends and family who knew about the timing of our IVF cycle, and a few other people - but we haven't made it really public yet. I think I am going to hold out until I get back from vacation at the end of August - which will be a bit past 13 weeks.

Tina - the boys are so cute!

Gina - Congratulations!

Phen - you make it look so easy!

[ginadc]

Thanks, everybody! Phen, I've been thinking about you too: how are you getting through the summer?

So the boys slept in the PNP bassinet for naps? What about at night? Did you put them in their cribs right away or did you have some sort of bassinet setup in your bedroom for the first bit?

We are definitely getting at least one PNP, and perhaps two since our house is 3 stories and my office is on the third floor! I'd have one in my office (my current plan is to start back to working at 3 months with half-day daycare or nanny), and then we'd have one on the first floor as well. Is that overkill, or will I welcome having a place on each floor to put them down/change them without having to schlep the PNP up and down stairs?

Studying your boppy technique; I know I'm going to need to get proficient at that very quickly!

[mittyrd]

Congrats to the new twinmamas!

Phen: Thanks for posting the photo of tandem feeding - couldn't picture in my head how to do that.

Strollers: I bought the duoglider and 2 people have donated their used double strollers to me. I have no idea what kind they are but they look really nice (side-by-side).

Update on my boys: Matt hit 3.5 pounds today and Sam is now 3 pounds 2 oz :D So Matt has gained a pound since birth and Sam just over 1/2 pound. They will be 4 weeks old tomorrow. I can't believe it's been 4 weeks already. They both had eye exams today and have stage 1 retinopathy and will have another exam in 2 weeks. I'm still having a hard time dealing with the fact that I don't get to see them much and hold them even less. I can only hold them at certain times and only if they can tolerate it without desatting or spelling. Sometimes I feel like I didn't even have 2 babies b/c I just dropped them off somewhere. It's strange.

[saathei]

Catching up... just got back from our second family trip! Congrats to all our new twinmamas!

Strollers - We just have the DuoGlider right now, and I like it alot. I couldn't imagine not being able to snap the carseats in - it's such a lifesaver to be able to move the girls about without unstrapping them and such. I also love the big basket. The only beef I have with it is that some of the nonessential parts, like cupholders and the front canopy, have easiliy broken.

PNP - We had them solely in the PNP bassinet for awhile, but they didn't sleep that well in it, and we ended up cosleeping most of the time anyway. Now we have them only in the crib, and they sleep way better. I think it's because the little mattress thing in the PNP is rather stiff, and even a firm crib matress was more comfortable for them. But like Phen said, it's a lifesaver for travelling, and they definitely weren't/aren't smooshed - if you get the full bassinet, there's quite a bit of room!

Tandem feeding - If you are planning on nursing, you should get the giant twin nursing pillow. I don't have one, and I just can't seem to get them positioned right! So I nurse one while the other cries, then nurse the other, then bottle feed them both together. I prop them up on pillows like this:

http://pics.livejournal.com/pleiades829/pic/00067138

and then pop the bottles in their mouths. Then I burp them one at a time. Fortunately, our girls are efficient eaters so I'm not feeding ALL the time - it takes about an hour, and then I have another 2 hours or so before we start again.

[mrsblud]

Hi all

angel - we didn't tell till I was almost 13 weeks - the day I had my nuchal - reason being that I'd already had one miscarriage, and we found twins at 6 week u/s, then at 8 week u/s Dr said that one was smaller and he didn't think it would survive - I then had to wait till the nuchal u/s to find out if I was having 1 or 2.

Feeding - I have two boppy type pillows and lay them in that and hold the bottles. I have hardly fed them seperately - mainly only when out, and when one is still asleep.

[ginadc]

Well, so much for me being part of this group.

I just got a call from the (former) birthmother's social worker; she has decided to parent the twins. The social worker was pretty shocked; she had seemed to be pretty determined. But she was getting a lot of pressure from her mother, sister, and the baby's father, and she had stayed out of touch with the SW all this week, not returning her calls about doctor's appointments and so on. (I kind of had a squicky feeling yesterday and today when we hadn't heard from SW, but kept telling myself I was being paranoid.)

Today SW got a letter from her, saying that she had been having nightmares and waking up in a cold sweat, and that she just couldn't do it, that we seemed like the perfect family but that she owed it to the father to give him a chance to have his kids. (I will not comment about my opinion on that, given his history with her.) The SW said she sounded like a totally different person in the letter than she's been over the past few months, when she's been very emotional about the decision but clear that it's the right thing.

We are heartbroken. We just have to pick up the pieces and start over, but it's so hard. This match felt so right. I keep telling myself that maybe this means that something else is out there, a situation that's meant for us, but THIS one felt like it was meant for us, you know? I keep trying to find something about this that I can comfort myself with, but it's not easy.

DH and I talked about it and we told Tosha (SW) to reactivate us right away, so that we wouldn't be waiting any longer than necessary. She said that our adoptive family specialist, Laurie, had told her as soon as she heard about this that she had to get us activated again right away, that we're just the perfect couple and someone will pick us again soon. Then, of course, we'll have to deal with the fear that this will happen all over again. But we just have to keep going.

In any case, odds are that it won't be twins again if and when we are matched with another situation--so looks like I'll be saying a fond farewell to this group after barely having been part of it. Sorry!

[Phen]

Oh Gina, I'm so sorry for you and E, I can't even say.

~ Phen

[cbiggers]

Gina - I am so, so sorry. What a blow. I'm very sorry that you have to go through this. I'll be thinking of you and praying that the baby meant for you will soon be in your arms. Take care!

Feeding - I tandem feed my girls (well, now they hold their own) by sitting sideways in my double chair with a pillow on my lap. I put both girls on there and that way I can hold their bottles. I can also talk on the phone and change the channels when they are positioned right! ;) When they used to burp halfway through, I'd prop one bottle while I burped the other and then switch. I definitely recommend feeding them at the same time.

PNP - We've only used ours for travel. Our girls slept in one crib until they were about two months old and then they were seperated. Caroline is a rambunctious sleeper. The PNP worked great for us when traveling though. They both slept fine.

Mitty - It sounds like the boys are really gaining some good weight. I hope they continue to improve so that you can bring them home soon! I can't imagine how difficult it must be. Hang in there!!!!!

Not much new here. WEll, I shouldn't say that. The newest form of recreation in our household seems to be "tackle the sister." Caroline finds it hysterical to sneak up behind Isabel and pull her over and then lay on top of her. I tried to get it on video today but was a little slow. Needless to say, Isabel doesn't find this quite as amusing as Caroline does! Momma thinks it's pretty funny! The girls are as close to crawling as they can get without actually crawling. They are pulling up on things and go nonstop now! And I thought I was tired before.

Hope everyone else is doing well! Take care!

[kakirk]

I'm short on time so I can't reply to everything...

Congrats to my fellow PNW'er QP!!! Your boys are just darling!

Gina I'm so sorry for this setback in your journey to parenthood.

Missy I'm pleased the twins are doing so well!!

Regarding feeding, I nursed the babies one at a time for the first two weeks while they were learning to latch, and now I tandem feed exclusively. Seriously, it has changed our lives!! We still have to supplement a bit with formula, and for that daddy (or another helper) feeds one of them, but any time I nurse, they're both on there at the same time. I LOVE it.

Speaking of nursing...the screamers call! :D

Katie

[natgirl]

Hi,

Just introducing myself. I found out today that we are expecting twins. I am in utter shock. There are no twins in either of our families. I am sure I will adjust to the news eventually, but for now I m trying to wrap my brain around this news!

Me: Natalie
DH: Jeff
DD: Sophia, born 3/28/04
Twins due 3/11/06!

[Kymba]

Hey Natalie - no twinmama here, but I saw your post and couldn't resist popping up to say hello! Kymba here, remember me from waaaay back when, during the old WC days, we both got married at PE? Good to see you again, and with a Sophie and new babies coming! Congratulations!!

I'm due any day now with our first, baby girl Zoe, over in August 05 mamas.

I'm over on LJ as well, with the same handle if you ever feel like popping in! kym [at] lyricdesigns.com

[2labradogs]

Nat - I just saw your LJ post - whee! I am glad you made your way over here - you will have some twin preggo buddies to chat with! Twins don't run in my family either, so I know what you mean about being surprised!

[khouse]

Hi Ladies ...

Friend of cbiggers and thought I'd join in on the twinmommas fun! Casey and I delivered the same day, same hospital. Both twin girls! What a small world!

Here's my info:
Me: Kenan 32
DH: Brian 31
3rd IUI April 2004 - 3rd times a charm! :-)
Proud Mommy to Delaney Thea and Devon Wade
Born: 12/04/04

Thanks!

[cbiggers]

Natgirl - Congrats on the twins! Twinshock eventually wears off (I think! :p )! There are some great women here to help you out! Good luck!!!

Kenan - Yea! My fav RL twin buddy! I'm so glad you decided to join here! See you tomorrow!!!!!

On a side note, not only did Kenan and I deliver same day, same hospital, both girl/girl twins, but we have the same exact wedding anniversary, both of our husbands are named Brian and they are both in pretty much the same work profession. They are our "alternate universe" friends!!!!!! Kenan is great and I know she'll make a great addition to our twinmommas!

[angelgirl8]

gina...i am so so sorry that you have to go through this.

welcome khouse and natgirl!

cbiggers...the game the girls play sounds like fun! does isabel never knock over caroline?

katie...i hope to be able to nurse as well as you do! i plan to pick your brain in 6 months or so!

[mittyrd]

Gina: I'm so sorry

Welcome new twinmamas!

Thought I'd drop off some new pictures:

Sam saying he's had enough of the pictures:
http://images.snapfish.com/3445884%3B23232%7Ffp58%3Dot%3E2348%3D4%3A%3B%3D448 %3DXROQDF%3E232399775%3A297ot1lsi

Sam in his party hat:
http://images.snapfish.com/3445884%3B23232%7Ffp63%3Dot%3E2348%3D4%3A%3B%3D448 %3DXROQDF%3E232399775%3B%3B3%3Aot1lsi

Matt:
http://images.snapfish.com/3445884%3B23232%7Ffp3%3B%3Dot%3E2348%3D4%3A%3B%3D4 48%3DXROQDF%3E232399775%3A%3B6%3Bot1lsi

Big brother:
http://images.snapfish.com/3445884%3B23232%7Ffp47%3Dot%3E2348%3D4%3A%3B%3D448 %3DXROQDF%3E232399775%3B%3B%3C6ot1lsi

[khouse]

mittyrd: such sweet photos!

natgirl: Congratulations on the twins! As Casey said, the shock does wear off! :) Yet, sometimes I still think "how did I get here?" ... one pregnancy and two babies!!! :D It's been nothing but special to have two beautiful daughters at once! Enjoy your pregnancy ... it goes by fast!

cbiggers: I wasn't going to metion our other coincidences until the gals got to know me a little better. Nothing like scaring them off with our "alternate universe" similarities. :D See you tomorrow!

Thank you again for welcoming me into the Twinmommas group!

[2labradogs]

mitty - your children are precious, just precious. Thanks for sharing.

casey & kenan - what a crazy coincedence...so cool you two found each other!

Kenan - I love the names you picked, they sound great together

gina - I am sorry, I hope some happy news comes your way very soon.

katie - way to go on the breastfeeding!

regarding feedings - I must agree with other moms, tandem feeding is the only way to go. With both babies on the same feeding/sleeping schedule you will get a chance to take a little break. Until Chase & Tyler learned to hold their bottles (around 5-6 months?) we propped bottles (supervised of course!).

[Journey]

I have so much catching up to do, but I have some craziness going on upstairs. Congratulations to all the new twinmamas! I love all the pictures of the babies!!

Just a quick post of 6 month old Catheryn and Nathan and Big Brother Will

http://www.shutterfly.com/jsp/proceserv.jsp?uid=8AbsWThy4aNs&rostate=67b0de21b83c0cce154e&co=-1&js=1122885168890&rx=304&ry=304
http://www.shutterfly.com/jsp/proceserv.jsp?uid=8AbsWThy4aNs&rostate=67b0de21b83c0cc61546&co=-1&js=1122885209100&rx=304&ry=304

[Bernie]

Just popping in with a brief question--

Did any of you experience random spotting during your pregnancy? I will be 9 weeks tomorrow, and yesterday I noticed a very small amount of brown spotting. It's very very light, but it is still sticking around today - so I'm feeling kind of nervous. I talked to the nurse at my RE's office (even though I am officially discharged) and at my OB's office (even though my first appointment is not until Monday) and they both said not to worry - unless there is a major amount of red bleeding and cramping. I think I do have some very light cramping - but this is pretty consistent with what I have been feeling over the past month or so.

I know I am probably worrying over nothing -- but knowing that isn't making me feel any better!

Journey - the kids are so adorable! They all have such beautiful smiles!

[Astro]

Bernie random spotting? I've got that now, and am thankful. I had full on heavy bleeding three separate times. The first time was bright red, cramping, soaked 2 maxi-pads in 2 hours. I thought for sure I lost the kids, went in for an ultra-sound and everything was fine. I've heard brown spotting is common in the first few weeks and nothing to worry about. So the short answer is random brown spotting is no problem, cramping is normal. :) Bright red heavy flow could be fine, or could be something else. If it's bright red heavy, call your RE or OB immediately. Good luck.

mittyrd Your boys look so sweet. :) Glad to hear they're doing better.

Journey Your kids personalities sure appear to be coming through on the pictures. They look like oodles of fun. :)

[angelgirl8]

mittyrd...the boys are beautiful! how are the babies doing?

journey...what fantastic pictures! what happiness!

bernie...i had some random brown spotting from about 9.5 to 10.5 weeks. weird, but doctors said it was wasn't a problem!

astro...hi! how are you doing?

[Bernie]

Thanks! Not sure why - but hearing it from you ladies makes me feel better than hearing it from my RE and OB!

[Phen]

Welcome natgirl! We are gonna have a flood of cute twinpics next winter. :D

~ Phen

[NJMom]

Hi Fellow Twinmammas! I'm so glad I found you. I never had much time or patience to learn the new WC format so I've been away for quite a while. I would love to join here though! Here are my stats:

NJMom
Me - 35
DH - 45
Married - September 14, 2002
Fraternal Boys
birth day: February 15, 2005 at 33wks
Jacob Michael 4lbs 10ozs
Brayden Matthew 4lbs 5ozs

I hope all is well with everyone and I'm glad to be part of this new thread. I will send pictures as soon as I can figure out how to attach them!

[angelgirl8]

njmom...hi! can't wait to see pictures.

____

new question: my obgyn yesterday called with some blood results and said that i have hyperthyroidism (pregnancy-induced, presumably). i'm going to see an endocrinologist (like i haven't done that before!) tomorrow to see whether i need to control it with medication or what.

my dr said that it's not unheard of in pregnancy, esp. with twins so i wanted to see if anyone had any experience!

she also said it causes nausea, so that might be why i'm still feeling so darn ill.

[QPDoll]

njmom...hi! can't wait to see pictures.

____

new question: my obgyn yesterday called with some blood results and said that i have hyperthyroidism (pregnancy-induced, presumably). i'm going to see an endocrinologist (like i haven't done that before!) tomorrow to see whether i need to control it with medication or what.

my dr said that it's not unheard of in pregnancy, esp. with twins so i wanted to see if anyone had any experience!

she also said it causes nausea, so that might be why i'm still feeling so darn ill.

I don't have a lot of time to post, but just wanted to let you know I was dxed with the same thing during my first tri, after loosing 12lbs. I was on PTU thorugh my entire pregnancy (low dose) and after three months, my levels were back to normal. Both of my boys are fine.

[angelgirl8]

tina...can't believe you found time to post with the sweet boys at home! thank you SO much for the info.

i figured i'd post the levels here in case anyone else has info:

TSH: .02 (low)
T4: 17.8 (high)
T3uptake: 19.8% (low)

[NJMom]

angelgirl8- I had the same thing during my pregnancy but only for a short time. I didn't have to go on medication, it corrected itself over a few week time period. I was also very sick during my pregnancy, I had Hyperemesis (horrible!). Hopefully you wont need medication either.

I also want to say congrats to all the new twinmammas from WC! I can't believe your babies are here! Sorry I have been mia but those new boards were horrible and I have been back to work full time since mid May (unfortunately!) and didn't get to check in much.

[Journey]

QPDoll - What precious little babies! I love that little picture.

NJMom - Glad you made it over! Looking forward to pictures.

Just thought I would share 6 month stats from the monkeys. Catie is 16#6 and is 26 1/8 in. Nathan is 19#2 and is 28 in. They are both doing great. They got 2 shots each and were not too impressed. I took them back to their old Dr so as not to repeat the 4 month experience and it was definetely worth the drive.

Catie lifts her knees now when in crawl position, so she hangs out on her hands and feet...silly little girl. Nathan has started waking up about 4 times a night again. I am not really sure why, perhaps teeth are on the move and he is just uncomfortable. Both Catie and Nate are sitting up now! I still have to put them on the foam mat (we have hardwood) because they topple over a little still, but they are doing so great! They sat and played together yesterday for a long time! I will post a pic when I get a chance.

We are now done nursing. I started supplementing at about 2 months, and last week I stopped pumping in the evening. Nursing is hard to let go of because I enjoy it so much, but 6 months is a good time, I think. Both babies are healthy and strong, and that makes me very happy. Nathan still suckles when he wakes up, but I don't think he will be able to do that much longer.



Hope everyone has a great weekend!

[angelgirl8]

njmom...thanks for the info! sorry you were so sick during pregnancy...did it last the whole time?!

journey...6 months! that's wonderful!

[mittyrd]

The boys were moved to an open crib together yesterday afternoon:

http://images.snapfish.com/344659%3B523232%7Ffp63%3Dot%3E2348%3D4%3A%3B%3D448 %3DXROQDF%3E23239%3B3439435ot1lsi

so they are finally back together again. Do you think they realize it?

[NJMom]

Mittyrd-I'm so happy your boys are doing so well! They are so cute. I definately think they realize they are together. They remind me of my boys when they were in the NICU. They got moved into an open crib together too just like your boys! (We are still cobedding them but I don't know how much longer we'll be able to).

I'm sure they want to make sure they can maintain their own body temperature before they will release them, correct? I remember my boys were in the open crib for about 5-6 days before they got released. Any news on when your boys might go home with you? I hope soon!

[Journey]

Mittyrd - How wonderful that your boys are together again! I think they notice. Hopefully you are able to take them home soon!

We have been busy the last few days. Catie and Nate tried cheerios with lunch today and loved them. We started using sippy cups and they are both getting the hang of those as well. I felt gums this morning and they both cut their 1st bottom tooth! I don't think the 2nd will be far behind, they are pretty lumpy. Catie can sit from crawl position and vice versa. Nate is really close, but has too much momentum and just keeps going until he falls over. Catie is able to take a few crawl steps, and Nate is not too far behind. They are both really fast at slithering and don't think it is too long until they are both up crawling all the time. I went to get them from morning nap and Catie was up on her knees holding onto the side of the crib. Not sure I am ready for that yet. I am not even going to get into what big brother has been up too...I better just fasten my seat belt. :p

I saw a quote by Mother Teresa this weekend that I think a lot of us can relate to "I know God promises not to give me more that I can handle. I just wish He didn't trust me so much."

[Phen]

Belated welcome to Natgirl and NJMom!

Oh mittyrd, lookit those little faces; so sweet. :)

~ Phen

[khouse]

mittyrd: I most definitely believe they know the other is there and feel their presence. I have read that cobedding is awesome for premature infants and really aids in their stimulation with development. Congratulations ... that is a big step for them and they are just adorable!!! :) I am anxious to hear when you might be able to bring them home?!

Journey: Six months is such a fun age of exploration and discovery. And it gets better and better. My girls (8 months) are finally discovering eachother and today one climbed on top of the other while they both giggled!!! Reminds me of cbiggers girls ... :D

And I must remember the quote Journey posted as both of my girls are battling upper respiratory infections and an ear infection at the moment. Many sleepless nights so far ... but the joys of having multiples definitely outweighs the challenges!!!

~ khouse (hopefully going to sleep now) :o

[Journey]

khouse - Hope your girls are feeling better soon, and you are able to get a little sleep. I am loving how much they are starting to interact with each other. It becomes a little more each day. I agree, the joys definetely do outweigh the challenges.

[charmcitygirl]

hello twinmamas! i finally "outed" myself the other day in the sept. mamas thread and phen caught me. so here i am... admittedly not much of a poster, but i'm a lurking fool.

here's my info.

charmcitygirl, 31
charmcityboy, 33
Married: 3/04
TTC: nope, not even trying to get pg!
BFP: 1/26/05 U/S shows twins 2/11/05
EDD: 9/19/05
boy/girl twins

i am currently on bedrest at home for preterm labor that began at 28w. i've been in and out of the hospital 4x since then. right now i'm 34w3d and am no longer on strict bedrest (not that i feel up to doing anything at all now: backaches galore, crazy swollen legs & feet that ache as well, general uncomfortableness and sleep deprived). i am ready to have these babies, however they know better and seem to be staying put for now.

luckily i have incredibly supportive and generous friends and family so i'm pretty much all set for their arrival. nursery is mostly setup; diapers, bottles, breastpump at the ready. i think i have everything i "need" (minus the stroller) and the things i don't and want can just wait. bedrest has been nature's way of getting me to let go of my control freak ways ;)

excited to meet these little buggers, but still absolutely twinshocked and terrified. never really goes away, huh?

[angelgirl8]

charmcitygirl...welcome!

journey and khouse...i love hearing about how your twins are interacting!

mittyrd...how are those gorgeous boys doing?

[Journey]

charmcitygirl - Welcome and CONGRATULATIONS on your twins!!! You don't have too much longer to go! You must be so excited to meet your little babies. Looking forward to sharing in the rest of your pregnancy and birth of your son and daughter. :)

Catie is officially pulling herself up on things. I had to lower the crib mattress last night because she wouldn't stop standing. Why does it seem that once they learn one thing, they learn everything?

[angelgirl8]

quick question: did your doctors have you on extra folic acid for twins? no one has said anything to me, but i've been taking the same dose (800mcg) that i was before. normal?

[Phen]

Welcome charmcitygirl! I assume you're in Balmer? I used to have O's season tix and miss Camden Yards like mad. Do they still shout "O" at the end of the national anthem? Hee. Are you planning on getting a stroller? Maybe I am biased (I have two double strollers), but I swear, if it hadn't been for having a double stroller in the beginning, I would've gone maaaaad. It is invaluable for getting out of the house with two infant-carrier-dwelling infants, whether for doctor visits or grocery store runs or just walking around in the fresh air. If we haven't already Talked Strollers here (I think so, though), I'm sure everyone will chime in on their faves.

Journey, oh I know what you mean! I swear, no sooner had Alexander learned to stand in the crib, but then he started JUMPING in the crib! We are on borrowed time over here crib-wise, as both boys' mattresses have been on the lowest setting for months. I just KNOW that one morning we'll wake up and find that they've learned to scale the sides of their cribs...and then I guess, what? Toddler beds? Gah.

angel, I don't remember being on extra folic acid. Though my OB put me on extra iron and my RE put me on extra calcium (but that was because of the heparin, not because of the twins).

My guys learn new things every day. They are very into Pointing this week. Pointing at books, toys, the dog, their mouths (that's the big one; they are hungry little hippos), you name it. They are so funny. Every day with them is fun.

~ Phen

[NJMom]

Charmcitygirl - Congratulations on your twins! You are so close to having them, you must be so excited!

Journey-I can't believe how much your little one's have grown and all the fun things they are doing. I can't believe that Catie is pulling herself up and stanging already! I love seeing the pictures too- they are so cute!

Phen - Belated congrats on your boys first Birthday! I love their 1 year picture - they are so precious! That is so cute that they are pointing at everything (even their mouths!).

Mitty-how are your boys doing in the open crib? Do you get to visit them a lot. I know you said you were going back to work so it must be really hard for you to have time for everything.

Angelgirl - no extra folic acid for me. I was so sick during the pregnancy that I wasn't even taking my prenatal vitamins so I'm sure your 800mcg's are fine. My doctor said the babies are like parasites (terrible term!) they take whatever they need from their Mommy!

My boys are going to be 6 months old on Monday! I can't believe it. We got their pictures done at PP and they came out so cute. They go for their 6 month check up next friday so I will fill you all in on their weights, etc. I am going to guess that they will be about 16-17 lbs. They are hungry little guys!

They are also doing lots of fun things. They smile like crazy and like to stare at each other and hold hands. We still have them in the same crib but Brayden likes to move around a lot now so we are going to have to separate them soon. Jacob loves to talk and roughhouse while Brayden is more of a snuggler and they both like to make raspberries. They really are just so much fun!

I keep trying to post pictures but I am not very technically savy. Can anyone guide me so that I can FINALLY share pictures of my sweet boys? My pictures are all saved as .jpg files.....

[charmcitygirl]

to all the twinmamas thanks for the warm welcome

phen first of all, love your sig. "cancer slayer." awesome.
yep, i'm in bawlmer, hon! where did you live? we've just moved to hampden (home of the "hons") from fells point where our house was waaaayyy too small for twins.

strollers we def. are getting a double stroller. i just haven't been able to go looking. i started to look just before i went on bedrest and i was interested in the zooper tango but i'm afraid it's just going to be too heavy at 30lbs. but now that i've been doing the research online it seems that pretty much all of the "good" double strollers are around that weight. we are now thinking of getting a jogging/all-terrain stroller because we live right next to a large park that has no paved walkways. i'm also thinking of getting a lightweight single stroller and using it in conjunction with a carrier/sling. someone gave me some carriers that her twinmama friend used so at least we have a way of leaving our house with the babies until the stroller thing gets worked out.

i'd love any recommendations for strollers, both double and a lightweight single.

[mittyrd]

Charmcitygirl: COngratulations!! We were due around the same time!

The boys are doing great. Matt is just over 4.5 pounds now and Sam is just over 4 pounds. THey are both off oxygen. They both took their first bottle Wednesday. They are only allowed one a day for now until they get better at taking it. THey didn't do very well with them but that is to be expected. We are going to try breastfeeding tomorrow. I am visiting them alot although I don't get to hold them very long b/c I am "working". I did get to give them their bottles Wed. and yesterday and will do it again at lunch today. They are gettign so much cuter now that they are filling out. When I look back at pictures from their first few weeks I can't believe how small they were and how big they have gotten. The doctor seems optimistic that they will be able to come home sooner than expected. Maybe the week after labor day or the week after.

Jake met Sam for the first time Sunday and didn't like him at all. Cried hysterically b/c I was holding Sam. He did seem curious though as to who that little critter was. I'm expecting a traumatic time for Jake when the babies come home.

Here's a (bad) picture of me holding Sam - it gives true meaning to the word "Kangarooing" (The nurse put him in my shirt):
http://images.snapfish.com/3446%3A87523232%7Ffp63%3Dot%3E2348%3D4%3A%3B%3D448 %3D%3A4%3C6%3B3b282%3B3423%3D3232%3A%3B6946694nu0m rj

And here's a picture of them together - Matt is waving hello:
http://images.snapfish.com/3446%3A87523232%7Ffp54%3Dot%3E2348%3D4%3A%3B%3D448 %3D%3A4%3C6%3B3b282%3B3423%3D3232%3A%3B695%3A%3B89 nu0mrj

[charmcitygirl]

mittyrd i know... i have been following along. i was in the hospital when your babes were born and honestly i've been a little freaked out by it. but, wow, they look great. i'm so glad to hear that they are just moving right along and getting bigger everyday. it's interesting to see pics of them because at my last u/s 2 weeks ago, mine were estimated to be about the same size as yours are now. it always surprises me that they really are that teensy tiny.

[Journey]

angelgirl - I didn't take extra folic acid either. Just took a regular prenatal through the entire pregnancy.

Phen - Too cute that your boys are pointing at everything! Will mastered climbing out of his crib at 15 months. We had an interesting time getting him to stay in the toddler bed. Hopefully your boys will stay put for a little while longer. :)

NJMom - I didn't realize how close together our babies are. Only a few weeks apart. Yours sound like they are really starting to interact. Very cute. As for pictures...I am not too good at it either, but I will attempt to help. Do you have them on a site? (Like shutterfly?) I save mine there, then bring up the pics and right click and go up to Add to Favorites. Then come here and bring up your favorites. Right click on the image and go to properties, ctrl X and then click the little yellow mountain above and ctrl V. Then OK and it should put the address on your post. I don't think that made any sense...so sorry. Can someone else help explain that better? I would love to see these cute little boys!

charmcitygirl - We started with a front/back stroller. It was a pain to push and really hard to manuver (it wasn't one that would hold 2 carriers though.) We bought a double jogger a couple weeks ago and it is heaven. DH took it to work today to fill the tires and I had to push the f/b a mile down the road to the library and was reminded just what a pain it is. I think I ran over Will half a dozen times...

mittyrd - What great progress!!! Good luck with the BFing. It sounds like you will have those adorable babies home in no time!! :) Will wasn't too sure about the babies in the hospital, and he cried, too, when we took them home. The first couple weeks were the hardest, but it was a big adjustment for everyone, not just Boo. He was extra clingy and needy. To be expected when a 19 month old is suddenly 1 of 3. I spent as much time with Boo as possible so that he knew he wasn't replaced. He loves the twins to death now and I don't think he remembers life before them. Give Jake a little time, and I am sure he will feel the same way. What beautiful pictures of your babies...you look GREAT!!!

[cbiggers]

NOt a lot of time as MIL and FIL are here! Yea!! LOVE the help!

Welcome to our newest twinmomma, charmcitygirl! It's a fun and exciting ride! I second Phen's recommendation of the stroller for sanity's sake. We have the Graco Duoglider and used in conjuction w/ the carseats for about 4/5 months, Jeep side-by-side and the B.O.B. double jogger. LOVE all my strollers for different reasons. I know we discussed advantages/disadvantages a while back so you may want to look through the thread a little.

Mitty - So glad the boys are doing so well. The pics are great. They must be soooo teeny tiny but it sounds like they are growing stronger each day! I'm very excited for you to bring them home.

Sorry I don't have time for more s/o's. Just super busy the last few days.

Caroline now has one tooth and is officially crawling. My girls seem to be late bloomers on both those fronts. Isabel could crawl if she wanted to, I think she is just being lazy. We leave on Thursday for a trip up to Montana to see my family. It's longer plane rides w/ layovers than our last trip so I hope the girls do o.k. Still a tad ticked that we can't sit together and some aircraft, can't even be near each other. Something about not having two infants in the same row and another something about the air masks and another something about infants only being allowed on one side of certain planes. Ugh! What if I was traveling alone?????????? Anyway, we'll make it through, just means I have to fully pack two diaper bags.

Gotta run! I'll try to check back in later this weekend whne things slow down. Oops, forgot! I have twins that are mobile. I don't ever slow down! :D Have a great weekend!

[mittyrd]

Journey: So funny that you call Will "Boo". We call Jake "Boo" too. For the longest time, I think he thought that was his name b/c he would turn his head to that and not to Jake.

[Journey]

cbiggers - Have a great trip!!! Where abouts in MT are you headed? DH and I met in Missoula and still consider MT home. We hope to move back when the kids are out of school. Only we want to be down around Dillon or Wisdom.

mittyrd - Will does the same thing. He always says "Boo hungry" or "Boo apple juice please." When you ask him who is in the picture, he always says Boo. He is starting to answer to Will more now, but still refers to himself as Boo.

[khouse]

Welcome Charmcitygirl!!! What an exciting time for you!!! I 3rd Phen & Cbiggers double stroller ideas. We actually used our Duoglider with car seats up until the girls were 7 months (8 months now and just changed to the Britax Marathon seats). Our girls are smaller but the contraption worked great and was VERY convenient!!! We copied cbiggers and also bought the Jeep side-by-side. Cheap ($80), light weight, individual canopies, the girls LOVE it, folds up small, great for travel!

anglegirl: It wasn't until I experienced some light bleeding at 16 weeks that my OB & specialist both recommended extra Folic Acid.

Phen: Happy Birthday to your boys!!! Hope I didn't miss the details ... did you have a large party with friends & family or just family???

cbiggers: Call me before you leave for Montana! Hope your girls are feeling okay!!!

NJMom: I am with you ... would love to share pictures of my girls but have no idea quite how to do so. Will get some information from cbiggers and hopefully be able to pass it along!

Quick update here: The girls have been sick the past few weeks. Went to a playgroup not knowing that a couple other twins were ill and then hosted a playgroup that included cbiggers' girls and so far her girls haven't gotten anything (thank goodness). :o Delaney seems to be fighting it but pretty congested and today, started pulling on her ears. Taking her to the doctor tomorrow. Took Devon today and after almost 10 days on Amoxicilin, changed her antibiotic to Omnicef since she was not improving. Upper respiratory infection and double ear infection. YIKES! But I know they will get better soon! Trying to keep a positive attitude! :)

I will post pictures of the girls soon! Have a GREAT week everyone!

~ khouse

[sunmoonstars75]

I really should be in bed, but thought I would drop this link (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=662) off - it's a FAQ about how to post pics on CC.

The girls made it through our NY trip with flying colors! While I don't recommend the 6 or 7 am flights if you are the mama, the girls loved them. No tears, slept most of the way, I was just so proud of them! We have decided that we are most likely driving next year, though. The thought of having not one, but two 16-17 month olds on our lap for that long, and then have to rent a car when we get there? No thanks. Everyone loved the girls, and they were spoiled something fierce - we had to send two shopping bags full of goodies home via my dad's semi!

Well, the last load of wash is done, so that and my bed are screaming my name. Have a great night ladies :D

[NJMom]

It works! It works! Here are my precious boys! These were taken about 3 weeks ago so they were 5 1/2 months old here!

This is Jacob
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d622b3127cce9362ba9389d500000016108CctWbNszcu
This is Brayden
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d622b3127cce9362a5ff481e00000016108CctWbNszcu
Here they are together!
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d622b3127cce9362ac52891f00000016108CctWbNszcu
I am so happy to finally share these with you! Thanks for the info on posting Journey and Sunmoonstars75! Journey - our babies are very close in age - only 2 1/2 weeks apart!

[mittyrd]

NJMom: They are BEAUTIFUL!!

[angelgirl8]

thanks to everyone for your thoughts on the folic acid. i had never heard about more for twins, and my doctors haven't said anything but for some reason i started to worry.

mittyrd...the boys are looking fantastic! so glad you'll get to take them home pretty soon.

njmom...the boys are adorable! i love the picture of them together!

___

okay, another question. i posted this as a question on the pregnancy forum, but i wanted to ask the twinmamas since it's been worrying me so much.

since yesterday morning, i started getting some cramps mostly in my lower back. i've also noticed an increase in cervical mucus over the last couple of days. it's the first time i've seen any egg-white mucus during this pregnancy, so it's worrying me, especially coupled with the cramping.

has this happened to anyone else? is it hormones? should i continue to panic?

(i'm 14 weeks, by the way).

[Astro]

mittyrd I think that's a cute picture of you holding Sam. Definitely one to save and frame. :) Tell Matt we said hello back to him. ;)
njmom Your boys are so cute!
angelgirl8 I saw your post on the other thread, and didn't respond there. I've heard an increase in cervical mucus is not abnormal, but the cramping would cause me to worry too. Do you have a call in to your Dr?

I'm off to see a Perinatologist today per my OB's request yesterday. Everything looks good with the kids, they're on top of each other hanging out on my right side (don't the silly buggers realize there's another side for more room?). My OB (and I) are concerned that I continue to bleed (some red, most brown). I'm 13 weeks 2 days. I'm not too concerned about it since the kids are measuring fine and their hearts are going great. I'm just wanting to get it under control so my DH and I can have some fun again.... ;)

[kat]

Just a drive-by to tell angelgirl that I've had a ton of cervical mucus since about week five (pantiliners are my friends :)). I haven't had much cramping, but FWIW, the OB who's doing my CVS (today) asked me, when we met with him a couple of weeks ago, whether I was having any cramping (he actually asked because he said that if I was, I should have a Guiness or some wine while we were in Ireland!!). Anyway, he said he asked because cramping was pretty common.....so maybe yours is entirely normal. I'd still call your OB if you're concerned, though - that's what they're there for!

Oh, and none of the doctors I've seen (RE, "regular" OB, "CVS" OB, endocrinologist) have said anything about extra folic acid (or extra anything, for that matter, except calories and weight gain). I'm still sticking with the regular prenatals.

[around the world]

Sorry to interrupt here, ladies -- just wanted to post a quick hello and OMG, CONGRATS! to kat. Kat, it's me, Mallory. A little birdie told me about your news, and I just wanted to send you lots of belly rubs for your two little ones! So good to have you in the 'club' (I'm pregnant too, due 12/06 with a girl)! Smooches to you, darling, and so good to hear that you (all) are well!

[mrsblud]

Journey - I can't believe what your two are up to. Emma and Brandon are 8 months next week. Emma has just learnt to sit unaided (ie. when I put her in a sitting position - she can't get into a sit herself yet) - no crawling, no pulling up to a stand either yet. Crawling is getting close for Emma, but I think it along with sitting up is still a way off for Brandon.

[angelgirl8]

astro and kat...thanks for the reassurances.

since the back cramping got worse, i called my obgyn and she got me in for an u/s at the hospital. we just used this appointment in place of the one i have set for next week. anyway, they did a cervical length check and measurements on the babies and everything looks good. phew!

[kat]

That's awesome news, angelgirl! I don't know what women did before we had ultrasound!

OMG, Mallory!!! Hello, hello, hello, and CONGRATULATIONS! I'll have to peek around these parts & see where you're a-posting....

**********
Did any other Twinmammas do CVS? I had it done yesterday, and boy was that a surprise. The stuff they'd given me beforehand said nothing about pain, and in fact said I could return to work afterward. Um, no. Doctor (who is incredibly experienced with CVS and amnio -- that's all he does at this big-city teaching hospital) said that he knew mine was going to be painful because of the angle they needed to use with Twin A. And, of course, because there are two of them, which means my uterus was punctured twice. The cramping was so bad I wasn't able to get off the table for twenty minutes after all doctors had left the room. Anyway, I'm completely better today.....and just waiting now for the results (should have them by the end of next week).

Did any of you do CVS, and if so, did you have more pain then you'd expected? I'm just sorta curious.

Of course, we saw the twins. Each was measuring almost exactly two inches (right on target). Doctor said the placentas, membranes, etc., all look good. It was very strange when the ultrasound would show all of one twin and would pick up the feet of the other twin as well.....looked like something in a circus show. :)

[angelgirl8]

kat...i didn't do CVS so i can't help. sorry! feel good, though. so glad the babies are doing well.

and, yes, thank goodness for u/s! dh thought it was completely hilarious when they would be looking at one baby and an arm of the other baby would come swinging by.

[khouse]

Hope everyone is having a great week! Just wanted to share my girls with you all (hope this works)! Delaney has hair and Devon is in the process of growing hers! :) Take care! ~khouse

file:///C:/DOCUME~1/ADMINI~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/0.jpg


file:///C:/DOCUME~1/ADMINI~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/1.jpg


file:///C:/DOCUME~1/ADMINI~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/2.jpg

[khouse]

I obviously did something wrong??? Can anyone look at my URL addresses and help me out??? I uploaded my photos to Snapfish and then thought I followed the instructions properly?! :o Thanks! ~ khouse

[khouse]

Okay, trying this again as I believe I was using the thumbnail and not the entire photograph as the instructions mention. :D ~khouse

**file:///C:/DOCUME~1/ADMINI~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/2.jpg**

**file:///C:/DOCUME~1/ADMINI~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/2.jpg**

**file:///C:/DOCUME~1/ADMINI~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/2.jpg**

[khouse]

Nope ... I am a DORK! Cannot figure this out ... HELP! Thanks! ~khouse :confused:

[angelgirl8]

khouse...now i REALLY want to see these pictures!

when you're in snapfish or shutterfly, click on the thumbnail of the photo to make it normal sized. then right click on it and copy whatever it says in the properties section (usually http://.....). then that is what you post as your image link. good luck!

[khouse]

It worked!!! Thank you SOOOO much anglegirl8!!! Once again, Delaney has hair and Devon is in the process of growing hers!

http://images.snapfish.com/3447735523232%7Ffp64%3Dot%3E2353%3D%3C95%3D5%3B8%3 DXROQDF%3E2323%3A4683554%3Aot1lsi

http://images.snapfish.com/3447735523232%7Ffp63%3Dot%3E2353%3D%3C95%3D5%3B8%3 DXROQDF%3E2323%3A46835554ot1lsi

http://images.snapfish.com/3447735523232%7Ffp63%3Dot%3E2353%3D%3C95%3D5%3B8%3 DXROQDF%3E2323%3A46835839ot1lsi

[mittyrd]

Khouse: THey are beautiful - glad you finally got them posted!!

The doctor told me this morning that the boys may be coming home at the end of the week :eek: That's 5 weeks early!! Matt pulled his feeding tube out last night so they kept it out and he's been taking all his bottles good (breastfeeds twice a day) and they are pulling Sam's tube out today. I can't wait to see both of them without any tubes/wires/etc.

[Phen]

That's such great news about your boys, mittyrd! All that kangaroo care worked. :o

Oh khouse, I love how your girls are mirroring eachother. They are so sweet.

Glad to hear you're doing well, angelgirl. I'm forgetting, are you seeing a "regular" OB-GYN or a specialist?

Good to see you, kat, and glad the babies are growin' like mad. I didn't do CVS, either, so I'm afraid I'm no help.

I just worked my local twinmama group's sale this weekend; exhausting! But it was kinda fun to be around other twinmamas. Plus it was very nice to get stuff cleared out of our house. however, I didn't sell as much stuff as I'd hoped. Oh well. Anyway, I think pretty much every twinmama group (at least the ones affiliated with NOMOTC) has a sale once or twice a year and are good sources of clothes and various baby items (we got our swings and some extra carseats at last year's sale). The Memphis group's sales are in March and August.

Here's my guys having a giggle (no idea what they're laughing about...must be a private joke):
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d632b3127cce9332987a001a00000016108QZN2TNm4bQ

~ Phen

[angelgirl8]

khouse...the girls are beautiful! love that swing photo.

mittyrd...so excited the boys are coming home early! they're doing such a good job growing!

phen...i was wondering whether there were other twinsales around. will have to look into it.

for now, i'm seeing my obgyn, who is basically a specialist in twins/triplets. she's delivered as many multiples as most of the specialists in the city and she has twins herself!

additionally, all my ultrasounds are done at my hospital by an MFM doc. so i'm very comfortable with the practice. we did discuss adding a specialist if there are any complications or anything.

question for all: when did you start feeling movement?

[lovin'it]

X-posted from the Mar 2006 Mommies!

Quick post because I still have lots going on here...but had to come and tell you girls!

Just got back from my 1st appointment with the OB....and boy....guess what?

WE ARE HAVING TWINS!

I am soooo excited! These are a huge and exciting surprise...and the Dr. said it is all thanks to my heritage. My mother is a triplet and my dad is a twin!

I am soooo happy!

Lovin'it
me: 25
DH: 30
Married: 11/16/2001
BFP: 6/29/05
U/S showing twins: 8/22/05
EDD: 3/9/2006 (Dr. thinks they will be here by Valentine's Day!)

[khouse]

Phen: Your boys are so cute! What a darling picture!

angelgirl8: Thanks again for helping me finally get the girls posted! To answer your question, I didn't feel much movement until the middle of my fifth month. And even then, only one of my girls was active (which was part of the reason I delivered early). Of course, the less active one in the womb is now my more active one! Go figure! :D

lovin'it: Congratulations and welcome! So cool that your parents are both products of multiples! Are either identical to their siblings? They must be thrilled that you are also having twins!!!

mittyrd: How exciting that your boys will be coming home soon! That is just great news!!!

Question for all of you ... traveling with the kids. Do you take carseats or boosters on board? Buy them each a seat? Have them sit on your lap the entire flight? What have any of you, or friends you know, done for airplane travel and what are your thoughts on the safety issues?

Thanks so much and have a great week!

[lovin'it]

Okay, now that I have semi-organized my life after the news....here are some pics for you all!

Have I said, How excited I am?! :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/emmabarrus/Twins_1noname.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/emmabarrus/Twins_2noname.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/emmabarrus/Baby_Anoname.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/emmabarrus/Baby_Bnoname.jpg

[angelgirl8]

lovin'it...congratulations! your excitement has given me renewed excitement! and wow about your parents!

phen...i see somewhere that you have the first twinmamas thread somewhere. how do i get ahold of that? might stop me from asking so many darn questions!

[Journey]

NJMom - Great pictures!!! What beautiful boys!

mrsblud - Would love to see some pics of your twinnies. I am sure they will be crawling in no time!

khouse - Beautiful!!! I love the pictures!

mitty - What great news! I am so excited for you!

phen - Great picture! How funny that they sit and laugh about things...I myself am curious about what was so funny. :) They are adorable.

lovin'it - CONGRATULATIONS!!! You must be so excited!!!!!

I am using DH's camera and it is a pain, so I am only going to post the little pics. Hope you can see them. I will try and figure this thing out a little more.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d602b3127cce93f6a3a6d97700000010108AbsWThy4aNs http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d602b3127cce93f6a3bcd96d00000010108AbsWThy4aNs http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d602b3127cce93f6a3b8d96900000010108AbsWThy4aNs http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d602b3127cce93f6a3bb585a00000010108AbsWThy4aNs

[kat]

Such beautiful pictures of everyone's twins (including lovinit's - welcome!)

So glad to hear that your twins are coming home soon, mittyd!

******

A couple of cross-posts from the March Mommas thread:

CVS results came back this morning. Both babies are chromosomally normal. And, in news that made us very happy, too (partly b/c it means I don't ever have to be pregnant again LOL) ...... baby A is a girl and baby B is a boy.

And their pics:

Twin A (and part of the feet from Twin B...freaky, 'eh?)

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d639b3127cce93d596368cc100000016108ActGLZy2ZM-

Twin B:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d639b3127cce93d5961f0dd800000016108ActGLZy2ZM-

[Journey]

CONGRATULATIONS Kat on your BOY and GIRL!!!!! :D

[Bernie]

Hi Ladies!

It is so nice to see all of those twin pics - they are all so adorable!

Just got back from my nuchal fold test - we don't have the results yet, but everything is looking good in there. I can't believe much they have changed in only 2.5 weeks!

I'll add another u/s pic to this page:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d602b3127cce93c8ab15995700000016109RcNmTZp4

mittdy - so glad to hear your boys are coming home soon!

[mittyrd]

The boys are coming home TODAY!!

http://images.snapfish.com/3447%3A%3B3523232%7Ffp63%3Dot%3E2348%3D4%3A%3B%3D4 48%3DXROQDF%3E2323%3A573%3B6896ot1lsi

[Astro]

mittyrd CONGRATULATIONS! I'm so happy to hear they get to come home already. :D :D

[Journey]

mittyrd - I am so happy that you are finally able to have your whole family home!!! Congratulations on taking your boys home!!!!! They are just beautiful.

[mrsblud]

Congrats Mitty!

Emma and Brandon were 8 months old yesterday.

They weigh:
Emma 7.4kg or 16lbs
Brandon 6.8kg or 15lbs

Emma has 4 teeth - two top and two bottom
Brandon has 2 teeth - two bottom
Emma can sit (has to have pillows around her for when she crashes
Brandon can't sit yet
No crawling, no pulling up, etc.

Photos:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/mrsblud/emmatube.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/mrsblud/emmasit1.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/mrsblud/emmasit.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/mrsblud/brandonelmo.jpg

[angelgirl8]

mrsblud...what great pictures! brandon (is that him on the bottom) looks just like elmo! it's funny that they're looking in the same direction with the same mouth expression!

kat...a boy and a girl! how wonderfully exciting! congrats!

bernie...look at that ultrasound! amazing how clear the picture is!

mittryd...YAY! congrats on the boys coming home. they must have wowed the NICU staff!

___

nothing too much doing here. feeling lots of aches and pains around the bottom of my uterus. really low down. mostly when i get up or i've been moving around a lot. assuming it's normal for now!

[Astro]

quick question...

When your babies were first born (first few months), did they sleep together in 1 crib? IF so, did you use a divider? Or did they sleep in separate beds?

We're obviously doing the bed scenario right now. We're thinking we'll have 1 crib in our bedroom for a few months for them to share, then move them both into their own cribs in the nursery. We're just not sure if that'll work or if they'll need a divider when they're really small in the one crib.

thanks

[saathei]

Astro - My girls are 4 months old and still sleep in the same crib, without a divider. They actually tend to sleep better when they are in the same crib - I think being together comforts each other. However, I think we're going to need to start seperating them since they've gotten really wiggly and can scoot all over the crib!

Mitty - CONGRATULATIONS on bringing your boys home! I am so happy for you!

Manu - Congratulations on your twins and welcome to the group! There's a local mother's of multiples club for Utah Valley; the Yahoo group is at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/uvmom/ and the website is at http://www.uvmom.com . We have playgroups every month and will be having a twinstuff sale in September. It will be cool to see a familiar face!

Yay for all the ultrasound pictures!

--------
So, the girlies just turned 4 months old on Wednesday. They're certainly adorable - smiling and cooing and everything! We're at my folks' house in COlorado right now, and they are charming them. However, I think maybe they're teething because they have been insanely cranky. When did your kids start teething?

Anyway, when I get home I'll post a picture - I don't feel like dealing with uploading pix on this snail's pace connection. :p

[charmcitygirl]

just a quick note to let you guys know that on 8/14 Jake and Arizona (aka Zoe) arrived. both weighed in at over 5lbs. everyone is doing well. more info to come...

[angelgirl8]

astro...i asked this question at some point and people did say the babies liked sleeping together at first. i guess they're used to it!

saathei...happy 4 months to the girls!

charmcity...congratulations!! what wonderful news. how are you feeling?

[MrsPuls]

charmcity Congrats to you. Glad everyone is doing well.

I haven't been in here in a long time. Life has been so busy. I'm at 18 weeks, and just lost my job on Friday. I went in to talk with my boss about cutting back at work a bit because I've been so tired and having lots of braxton hicks, and she asked me to leave. Basically upper management told her that I was to be fired when I asked to cut hours, and that they didn't have work for PT people. So in a nutshell, I was fired because I'm pregnant. Nice. She told me to go home and take care of myself and enjoy the pregnancy. Kinda hard to do when now I need to worry about paying the bills. I better get unemployment!!

All things considered everything else is going well. We found out we're having a boy and a girl, so we're pretty excited about that. Prior to losing my job, I did get quite a bit of shopping done, so we're pretty ready for anything. I've been having lots of pulling in my lower abdomen when I stand or walk around too much, and am tired most of the time. My lupus has been pretty quite, but could still cause mucho problems. The doctor said she'll be happy if I can make it to Christmas.

I have a lead to work at home with West Business Services taking phone calls, so hopefully that will work out. I'm sure it won't pay what I was making, but anything is better than nothing.

Good to see everyone is doing well in here, and love seeing those darling babies. I'll probably be around a lot more now that I'm unemployed. :rolleyes:

[cbiggers]

Crazy. That's all I can say! Life has been crazy.

Astro - Our girls slept in one crib until about two months. Isabel just would not sleep without Caroline right there with her. Once Isabel stopped wanting to be swaddled we seperated them. She just moved around too much and would wake up Caroline.
Charmcity - Congrats!!! Can't wait to hear an update and see some pics!
Mitty Anxiously waiting to see some pics and hear how the boys are doing at home with their mommy!!!!!! I'm so happy for you! They must have done really well to be able to come home so quickly.
Manu - Congrats and welcome! Hope we can offer you great support here!
If I missed anyone else, so sorry! I love seeing all the ultrasound and baby pics! They're great. Keep 'em coming.

WEll, we had some excitement at our house. DH has been in New Orleans for 4 days at a trade show. Luckily, he made it out on the very last flight early this morning and is home safe with us. He slept in the airport last night but at least they didn't cancel his flight. His was one of the last ones out of there. I am glued to coverage of Katrina and am praying for everyone in her path. I hope everyone remains safe!

C&I are doing great and will be 9 months old in one week. Amazing! They are doing great but giving me a run for my money. They are so much fun right now. They laugh and giggle at each other and of course try to stand up on each other which doesn't seem to work too well. They also enjoy Mommy Jungle Gym 24/7 which gets a little wearing, but I know one day soon I'll be saying "oh please come and sit with mommy" while they run in two different directions, so I'll enjoy it for now!
Here's a quick pic for everyone. I have more current ones, but nothing uploaded right now! Have a great rest of the weekend!
http://images.snapfish.com/34484%3A2323232%7Ffp3%3Enu%3D3236%3E459%3E%3A48%3E WSNRCG%3D3232%3A%3A7%3B9%3A8%3B5nu0mrj

I've decided to stop pumping. Finally. I just had another bout of mastitis and decided enough is enough. I'm slowly weening off the pumping and hope to be totally done by the end of the week. I feel good about how long I went and I know I'll be glad to be finished!!!

Oh, Kenan, playdate this week???? Call me! If anyone else is in SoCal (Orange County, anyway) let us know!!!!!

[mittyrd]

Just a quick question for those who BF together: How do you get them both on at the same time? I haven't figured out how to be coordinated enough to pick them both up at the same time and get them on.

Phen: HOw are you making out with the storm?

I'll try to post pix tomorrow when I have more time. Thanks!

[QPDoll]

Just a quick question for those who BF together: How do you get them both on at the same time? I haven't figured out how to be coordinated enough to pick them both up at the same time and get them on.

I sit on the couch with one on either side of me and a pillow across my lap. I pick one up, put him on the pillow in a football hold manner, then I do the same with the other. Then I scoop up their heads with the palms of my hands and get them in a latch position.

Its something Ive only done occasionally, BFing isnt going so well for me (lack of time to get them both fed, they are still taking full bottles after BFing, and can only double feed if they are both calm and willing...which is rare).

[Journey]

mitty - Can't wait to hear how your boys are doing at home! How is big brother? I nursed until 6 months, and did it almost exactly as QPDoll. I was almost always on the couch with one on either side. Then I would scoop up their heads one at a time and latch them on.

mrsblud - Great pictures!

Astro - Our babies slept together - undivided - until around 4 months when they started waking each other up.

saathei - 4 months already!?! Can't wait to see pictures of your beautiful girls!

charmcitygirl - CONGRATULATIONS!!! Can't wait to hear details and see pictures. Hope you are all doing well.

MrsPuls - So sorry about the job situation. Congrats on your BOY and GIRL!!! That is wonderful news!

cbiggers - Glad your husband made it home safely. Congrats on pumping so long! I think that is wonderful! Your girls are just beautiful!

I have 2 crawlers, 2 pull-to-standers, and 2 babies with 2 bottom teeth! :) They are definetely keeping me busy. What a joy, though. Big Brother Boo is loving the fact that they are so mobile and interact more with him. They turned 7 months on Sunday, so here are a few pictures.
http://www.shutterfly.com/jsp/proceserv.jsp?uid=8AbsWThy4aNs&rostate=67b0de21b8d4bc921570&co=-1&js=1125431758080&rx=304&ry=304
http://www.shutterfly.com/jsp/proceserv.jsp?uid=8AbsWThy4aNs&rostate=67b0de21b8d4bcac154e&co=-1&js=1125431786540&rx=304&ry=304
http://www.shutterfly.com/jsp/proceserv.jsp?uid=8AbsWThy4aNs&rostate=67b0de21b8d4bcaa1548&co=-1&js=1125431806360&rx=304&ry=304
http://www.shutterfly.com/jsp/proceserv.jsp?uid=8AbsWThy4aNs&rostate=67b0de21b8d4bca8154a&co=-1&js=1125431823660&rx=304&ry=304
And if they disappear and it gets really quiet, chances are they have crawled down to Will's room...we decided he must have the better toys!
http://www.shutterfly.com/jsp/proceserv.jsp?uid=8AbsWThy4aNs&rostate=67b0de21b8d4bca59477&co=-1&js=1125431843160&rx=304&ry=304

[vancouvergirl]

hi everyone!! new to CC and thought i'd drop on by. love seeing all those cutie pie pictures! we have boy/girl twins who will be 2 september 18th and a 6 year old girl starting 1st grade next week.

here is one of my favorite photos of them when they were little:
http://members.shaw.ca/vancouver-girl/joy.jpg

[mittyrd]

Here are the boys packed up and finally ready to come home with mom & dad:
http://images.snapfish.com/34486%3B%3B923232%7Ffp54%3Dot%3E2348%3D4%3A%3B%3D4 48%3DXROQDF%3E2323%3A74%3C74396ot1lsi

Here's a picture of all my boys:
http://images.snapfish.com/34486%3B%3B923232%7Ffp47%3Dot%3E2348%3D4%3A%3B%3D4 48%3DXROQDF%3E2323%3A74%3C76332ot1lsi

Things are great but I am exhausted. Between getting up to feed them and pumping still it's getting to be too much. Something has to go and since I still have to feed them, I guess it may have to be pumping. I'm meeting with the lactation consultant today so we'll see what she says.

[angelgirl8]

cbiggers...they are so cute in that last picture! sounds like such a fun age.

journey...wow, they're growing so much! i love how quiet means they've gotten into some sort of trouble!

vancouver...that's one of the sweetest pictures i've ever seen.

mittyrd...so glad you have all your boys home!

___

had my 16 week u/s and cervical check yesterday and everything looks good. one of the placentas is really close to my cervix, but the doctor said there's a good chance it will resolve itself.

still feeling pretty ill and still on zofran. i'm ready to start feeling better!

baby B

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d610b3127cce93bee2e221d200000016108AZNXDhqzbtO

baby A

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d610b3127cce93bee2d3a0d300000016108AZNXDhqzbtO

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d610b3127cce93bee2dc21ec00000016108AZNXDhqzbtO

[Journey]

vancouvergirl - Welcome and that is a great picture!!! I love it!

mitty - Love the pictures. So glad your family is home together now.

angelgirl - Beautiful little babies you have in there. :) Hope you are feeling better soon.

[Phen]

Welcome vancouvergirl! I'll be happy to add you to our "lineup" if you'd like to add your stats.

CONGRATULATIONS charmcitygirl! Were they able to come home from the hospital with you? Hope you are doing well with your new life and new loves.

I love all the photos. They really illustrate what we twinmamas know so well: "double the blessings."

~ Phen

We came through the storm fine, but many of our friends and family have lost homes. It's complete misery. :(

[NJMom]

Wow, great pictures everyone!

Mitty-I'm so glad your boys are home with you now. How are you settling in?

Journey-I can't believe all the things your little ones are doing! It's nice to see what I can look forward to my boys doing in the near future.

Angelgirl-great u/s pictures. I hope you will be feeling better soon. I was able to start eating a little around week 15/16 (also on Zofran) so hopefully the worst will be over for you soon!

Phen-glad you came through the storm ok.

MrsPuls-sorry to hear about your job situation. Sounds like you have a great lawsuit! Just try to relax and enjoy the pregnancy....the money will come. Congrats on your boy and girl!

My boys had their 6 month check up 2 weeks ago. They are both doing great! The doctor doesn't even adjust for them being 7 weeks premature. Jacob is 26 inches and weighs 16lbs 15oz and Brayden is 25 5/8 inches and 16lbs 10oz. They are both getting so big. Brayden is starting to get a tooth! I am sure Jacob will be teething soon too!

They both have colds right now again. They have been in daycare pt (3 days week) since mid June and this is their 3rd cold. Everyone says it's good for their immune system but I still don't like it! I still hate that they have to go to daycare, I would love to stay home with them. We did find a really good place and the woman who takes care of them adores them! My daycare center is getting another set of twin boys in 2 weeks.

Gotta go, the boys are waking up from their morning nap!

[PilotsWife]

subscribing!

[mittyrd]

Welcome Pilot's Wife!

Things are actually going really good. The babies only sleep and eat and since they were on a schedule in the hospital, we have kept them on it at home and it has been working pretty good. Jake has been surprisingly good with them and even kisses them and tickles their feet. He hasn't gotten too jealous like I was afraid of. DH & I have been spending alone time with him each day and that seems to help. I have officially thrown in the breastfeeding towel as of today. I just felt that all I was doing was breastfeeding and pumping while still needing to give them bottles and that I wasn't able to spend any time with Jake b/c of that. Yesterday, he took my hand, brought me to his room and then shut the door behind us so that I couldn't leave. It was so sweet and sad and made me realize that the breastfeeding thing just wasn't going to work for us as a family. I have enough milk frozen that the boys will be able to have breast milk for at least another month or 2 which will give them 4 months of only breast milk. Also, once we finally would get to the point where I wouldn't need to pump and bottle feed I would have to go back to work so it doesn't seem to make sense. I feel better for finally making a decision one way or the other too.

I'm still trying to get pictures of all 3 boys together but Jake is not cooperating with that yet.

[Astro]

16 weeks on Sunday

Cross-posted to IVF Anyone, Feb2006 Mommas, Mothers of Multiples, and Pregnancy after Infertility.

Hi all. I do not want to retype this as we've just been through the worst 12 hours in our lives. Here's the short story.

I started cramping Thursday evening. Bled a little (not much, but red blood) on Friday morning, went to the MAternal Fetal Specialist and they could find nothing wrong. The kids were moving around, their hearts were going strong, they measured on track. The specialist checked the placentas (all good) and my cervic (long, tight, closed). The cramping died down a bit as did the bleeding (old blood spots, not new blood). Saturday and Sunday I felt better.

Now's the bad part. About 10:30pm on Sunday, I strated getting very sharp difficult pains for 1-2 minutes every 3-10 minutes. We called the OB on call that night. He was to return our call in 20 minutes. Within that time, I went to the bathroom (felt a gush), and delivered the first baby in the toilet. The Dr called, we said we were on our way to emergency. He said he'd meet us there and we'd go directly to labor and delivery. The 2nd baby was born about 30 minutes later. We waited 3 hours for the placentas, but they never appeared. At about 4am, I was taken to surgery for a D&C.

The kids (two boys) were absolutely perfect (but stillborn). They measured correct and looked so good. We named them Steven Alexander and Ryan Philip. We're currently trying to work out the details for their cremation.

Please remove me from all lists EXCEPT the IVF Anyone board. I plan to return there eventually to try again. For now, my DH (that doesn't even come close to my feelings for him at this time) and I are going to concentrate on healing ourselves. I will probably be reading/lurking, and I wish you all the best.

thanks.

[cbiggers]

Astro - I don't even know what to say. I'm so sorry for you and your family. I can't begin to imagine what you are going through. I know words don't help much, but please know that I'll be thinking of you and praying for you. Take care of yourself!
Casey

[khouse]

Astro: I am sitting here with tears in my eyes. You & your family are in my thoughts & prayers as I cannot imagine the loss you must feel. Take care!

[vancouvergirl]

astro,
thinking about you both. it's so great to read that you feel very close to your dh.

[Journey]

Astro - My heart is breaking for you. Words cannot express how truly sorry I am for you and your family in this time of deep sorrow. You are in my prayers.

[mittyrd]

Astro:
I am so sorry :( I cannot even imagine what you and DH are going through. Please stay strong and take care of yourself.

[Phen]

Oh Astro, I'm so very sorry. Words can't express.

[PilotsWife]

Astro - I'm very new to this thread, but wanted to express how truly sorry I am for you and your DH.

[NJMom]

Astro, I am so very sorry. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

[cbiggers]

Astro - Thinking of you and hoping you are doing o.k.

I need help! I am at my wit's end!!!!!! Isabel has decided that her new wake-up time should be 5:15 a.m. Now, if she were a singleton, I'd just leave her in there until she went back to sleep or it was time to get up. Problem is, she starts out playing and talking to herself then gradually escalates to yelling. In turn, she wakes up Caroline! What do I do?????? All the books say to just leave the child in their crib and they'll get tired of waking up so early with nothing to do. All fine and dandy, except now I have TWO children who are up at hte crack! Any suggestions??? I've put soft toys in there for her to play with, etc. and it just doesn't work. She will not go back to sleep. Even if I go in and get her and bring her to bed with us, she is up to play. I am one tired momma! Thanks for any suggestions!

The girls' 9-month appt. is tomorrow. I know they are both well over 20lbs. I know they'll level off now that they are crawling, but sheesh! For being little things when they were born, they sure haven't wasted any time in putting on the pounds!

Have a great rest of the week!

[Journey]

NJMom - Your boys are getting so big!!

mitty - So glad everyone is doing so well. Not to worry about the BFing, you are doing an awesome job! Your boys are getting so big and strong!

pilotswife - Welcome!!!

cbiggers - I sure wish I could help, but unfortunately mine are always up early. They usually have me up by 6am. It is really hard to leave one when you know the other is going to wake up as well. I would say adjust how long she sleeps during the day, or maybe put them down at night a little later, but maybe it is just a phase. Natie was waking up at about 4:30 for a few weeks, and then he just started sleeping until closer to 6 again. I hope you are able to get some more sleep soon!

A few of the latest pictures...

http://www.shutterfly.com/jsp/proceserv.jsp?uid=8AbsWThy4aNs&rostate=67b0de21b8fa8223d47d&co=-1&js=1126040396170&rx=304&ry=304 http://www.shutterfly.com/jsp/proceserv.jsp?uid=8AbsWThy4aNs&rostate=67b0de21b8fa8399945f&co=-1&js=1126040316310&rx=304&ry=304
http://www.shutterfly.com/jsp/proceserv.jsp?uid=8AbsWThy4aNs&rostate=67b0de21b8fb7c1f7542&co=-1&js=1126040370240&rx=304&ry=304

[angelgirl8]

journey...love the difference in hair!

cbiggers...i am no help to you! but i will use the expertise you learn now in about a year!

____

2 quick questions:

1. was there a thread before this one that i should be reading through? actually, i guess a thread before the WC one we were on?

2. should i be looking for and joining a mothers of multiples group now? or should i wait until the babies are born?


things are good here. had an obgyn appt yesterday and everything looks good. have the big level II u/s on tuesday!

started a prenatal yoga and prenatal water aerobics class this week. i'm exhausted. i think my obgyn was fine with the classes, but is there a reason i should be taking it easy completely? there's a lot of jumping in the water class, but it's low impact.

[BooeyJ2]

Hi gals,

I started a thread looking for some tips, advice and/or reccommendations for parents of twins. If you have a few minutes, could you please check it out?

Thanks in advance! :)

http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=6271

[sunmoonstars75]

I joined a multiples group as soon as I found out I was having twins. It was pretty perfect timing, as they had their big fall resale not long after. I haven't been to any meetings (I didn't make any before I had the girls, and they aren't allowed at the meetings), but I have met a few of them, as my suburb has a mini group that get together. I love reading the advice and other fun info in our newsletter, and they have a great library I check books from, so I think it was worth it to join.

In other news, the girls are six months old today! Lord, how time flies!! They are getting closer and closer to sitting up, and always have a blast in the Jumperoo! Both girls are loving their cereal and peaches (the first fruit we have tried). I think squash is next. Still nursing and pumping at work, I am pretty proud of myself for making it this long, I didn't think I would. We are having lots of fun with them - Audra always has a smile for everyone, and Amelia is very into hanging out with mom lately.

I will be posting pics in my LJ today or tomorrow...

[mittyrd]

should i be looking for and joining a mothers of multiples group now? or should i wait until the babies are born?

I joined when I was 5 months pg. It was the last meeting of the year. The first meeting of this year was last night. There were 2 other new members who had their babies the same week as me. One of them also has a 2 year old and lives in my town. We took each other's numbers and hopefully will get together since we are in the same exact boat. I think it was great to join while pg b/c people give you great advice (and someone gave me a double stroller) :D

journey: The kids are beautiful. I love seeing their pictures.

Cbiggers: We have always had issues with early waking in my house so I can relate but am of no help. Jake was getting up as early as 4 am to start his day but has been really good lately and now sleeps to 5:30-6 am. I am ecstatic if he sleeps until 6 am. DH & I go to bed earlier than we used to in order to compensate for our early riser.

[khouse]

cbiggers: Devon has started waking a bit early (6:30) rather than their usually 7am and I just leave her in the nursery with Delaney. Although, Delaney has adjusted to Devon's outbursts and remains asleep (don't ask me how?). Tonight though, I am going to try a bigger diaper on Devon to see if the "wet feeling" is what is waking her, since this morning she was soaked through. If I think of any other ideas, I will let you know this afternoon when I see ya! :D

journey: adorable photos! thanks for sharing ...

angelgirl8: I actually wish I had joined my multiples group when I was pregnant (joined when the girls were 3 1/2 months). The group that I joined offers so much support in the first weeks after delivery (ie: meals, breastfeeding support, extra hands so you can sleep, etc) and since I waited, I wasn't able to take advantage of these great programs. In addition, so many of the Moms sell baby equipment/clothing that has barely been used. The DH and I could have saved a boat load of $$$, although it is always nice to have 'new' things for the kiddos. :)

The girls had their 9 month well baby visit yesterday! I was surprised when they were weighed. I guess I thought they'd be more ... Delaney 18 lbs & 11 ounces, Devon 18 lbs & 9 ounces. Delaney is half an inch taller/longer than Devon. Devon sure has caught up!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

[kat]

Drive-by to ask, along the lines of angelgirl's questions:

Does anyone have a link -- one that's handy -- for the old WC thread? Now that you're talking about joining the twin groups, I think I need to take a look at the list of links that I remember was there. I had the WC thread bookmarked until the Big Changeover, so now my link doesn't work anymore.

TIA!

[cbiggers]

See if this link works to the old thread WC Thread (http://boards.weddingchannel.com/thread.jspa?forumID=254&threadID=479784)

[natgirl]

Hi everyone,

I posted here at the end of July when I found out we are having twins. I was definitely in twinshock for a while and very sick with m/s...but now things are going well. I was really afraid to post here again until I hit the 2nd trimester because I have had a huge fear that this pregnancy would not stick. But, now I think I am officially ready to join in!

A little update on us: I'm currently almost 14 weeks along. My doctor says she will be happy if I make it to 35 weeks (which would be around Feb 5th). DD, Sophie, is 17 months old. I think she will enjoy having twin siblings! She loves to be with other children, so I think our house will be a constant party for her! :D I had CVS done in August and found out we are having a boy and a girl!! Chromosomes all look good! Very exciting. I have to figure out how to change DD's nursery into a more co-ed environment now.

I've had so many things on my mind, but my big worry is how we will get around town with 3 kids. I definitely need a new car in order to fit 3 carseats in the back. I'm also concerned about stroller issues. Sophie walks now, but, she still likes her stroller when we go out for more than 5 minutes. Do I need a triple stroller?? :eek: That thought scares the heck out of me! I know there are a couple of you mommas here that have an older child as well as your twins...any advice of these two issues...carseats and strollers?


I also want to say to Astro that I am very, very sorry to hear that you lost your boys. I hope you will take time to heal and take comfort in support from everyone here and in IRL.

~Natalie

[kat]

Thanks, cbiggers - the link worked just fine!!!

[Journey]

angelgirl8 - I took a water aerobics class until a few weeks before the babies were born, and I loved it. It was very relaxing to me. We were always told to take it easy and don't do anything that feels uncomfortable.

sunmoonstars - Happy 6 months to the girls...already!!!

natgirl - Congrats on your BOY and GIRL!!! That is wonderful news. As for having 3...my DS was almost 20 months when the twins were born. We definetely needed a bigger car and were very blessed to have both DH and my families get together and buy us a 93 grand caravan. It works great for all the carseats, and there is tons of room left over for groceries, strollers, toys, and whatever else we need on our trips out of the house. (Not to mention gas mileage is a little better than that of a SUV.) As for getting around when not in the car...I found that I have to wait for weekends or evenings to go shopping so DH can go with me. He usually pushes the twins in the stroller, and I have Will in the cart. If we go for a walk, DH and I both push a stroller. If I am by myself and out walking (and this is getting easier the older Will gets) I have Will on a wrist leash attached to the stroller. It is too hard to push and hold his hand, but he likes to take off after things. On our in-step jogging stroller, there is actually a foot rest at the front, but the twins can't reach it yet, and it is the perfect seat for Will, so he rides on their stroller, and holds onto the bar behind him by linking it in his elbows. Your DD will be a little older by the time you have your twins, so maybe she will be more into walking longer distances if needed. If not, you could always put a baby in a snugli and let her ride in the stroller (I did that a lot in the beginning and it worked out pretty well.) Hope some of this helps!

[Phen]

Here's a link to the original Twinmamas thread from The Other Site (http://boards.weddingchannel.com/thread.jspa?threadID=459467&tstart=75)

angel, I'd say join the group now. At the very least, the newsletters are very helpful. I did water aerobics (briefly, because the chlorine smell got to me) during my pregnancy, and the instructor just made sure to tell me when there were moves that a preggo (let alone a twinpreggo) shouldn't be doing.

Sorry to hear about the early waking, casey. We have a similar (but easier version) problem with afternoon naps. Thomas snoozes the afternoon away, but Alexander is up playing in his crib for most of afternoon naptime...we end up taking Alexander to the playroom while Thomas still sleeps. But that doesn't help you!

sunmoonstars, you SHOULD be proud of yourself for pumping for six months (and counting)!! That's fantastic. Go you!

Congratulations on your boy and girl, natgirl! There's a twinmama I used to work with who drove a minivan that has FOUR CARSEATS in the back (a four-year-old, two+ year old twins, and an infant).

Hi to everyone!

~ Phen

p.s. Hey Pilot's Wife, would you like to add your "twinfo" (thanks for that word, vancouvergirl) and I'll add you and your kiddos to the roster?

[blisswc]

Hi Phen! I saw your post on that other thread and decided to come look for this one.
Life is complete chaos at the moment. My father has small cell lung cancer and we are STILL waiting to find out definitively whether or not it has spread. My grandfather also just died of lung cancer this week, so I have spent the better part of the last two months in NYC taking people to doctors appointments. I am so glad I can do it, but it's overwhelming. I just wish I could make everything OK. In better news, Ania and Alex are the joy of my life and they have come to all appointments with me. I swear they are like crack! People can't get enough of them and it is a joy to distact people in the chemo suite with these beautiful happy babies.

I think of you often, Phen, and hope you are kickin cancer's sorry ass!

I miss everyone from the WC thread, but an hopelessly behind. I will try to keep up better and figure out who everyone is.

http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos1376/1/42/39/44/5/9/905443942106_0_ALB.jpg Ania
http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos1376/1/42/49/44/35/5/535444942106_0_ALB.jpg My son and my father.

[PilotsWife]

Thanks Phen - here's my info:

PilotsWife
Me: 37
DH: 35
Married: 4-30-04
BFP: 4-15-05
40 Week EDD: 12-24-05
Boy/Boy Twins
(Brit'sBride on WC)

[natgirl]

Hi everyone!

Thanks Journey and Phen on the advice about the carseat issue and the stroller issue. I really appreciate it!! I feel good about the idea of using a double stroller now. The triple stroller just seemed way too scary, so I am relieved. :) Now I just have to decide which kind of stroller. Side by side or front and back? (Sigh) Too much to think about!

So, I stayed up till 1 am reading through the first ¼ of the old WC thread. So much good info there for a newbie like me. I was most relieved to read that other twinmamas went through an initial period of ambivalence about twins. I felt like such a bad mom for feeling that way, but now I have hit the excitement period of the pregnancy. I love these babies so much already and I can’t imagine NOT having twins now!

I do, however, have some follow up questions for you ladies who were pregnant at the beginning of the old thread. Forgive me if you have answered these questions already. I just couldn’t stay up any longer last night to finish reading the old thread! My questions are:

-how much weight did you gain total?
-how long did it take to come off?
-do you have the dreaded twinskin?

I am nervous about the weight issue…have a bad body image to begin with and don’t need another reason to feel bad. With my daughter, I only gained 21 lbs, but I was heavier to begin with at that time. I am now 20 lbs lighter than I was pre-pregnancy the first time, so my hope is that I will not get too much more stretching action than I had before. Does that sound reasonable or is it just wishful thinking? I didn’t get stretch marks with DD. Am I doomed this time?

Sorry for all the worried sounding questions!

~Nat

[vancouvergirl]

natalie,
i was reading through the thread and very much relating with you. i have a 6 yr old girl and boy/girl twins who will be 2 on the 18th. congratulations!! what fun! it has been a crazy, wild, and fun adventure for sure. and yes, i couldn't imagine it any other way even though the thought of it can be overwhelming at times.

try to respond to some of your thoughts....
we bought a used volvo station wagon and love it. it is one of the few cars (not minivans or suvs) that can fit 3 carseats in the back. they are also very safe cars.

i gained approximately the same weight with my twin pregnancy as my single one, just as the docotr predicted. your body basically does what it will...just treat it well. i am currently 1 pound less than high school, so yes, i loss all the weight both times. (i'm just shaped a bit differently....) it did take longer to get back to normal the 2nd time. be patient.

as for strollers, i strongly suggest the side by side for interaction and fairness. get one that can fit through a regulation doorway, basically the size of a wheelchair. we have a maclaren and love that brand. they are more expensive but totally worth it because you will depend on it everyday. and it will last without needing to replace it. you have a different situation becuase your kids will be closer in age. look into a buggy board to attach to the stroller for your daughter to ride.

did i miss anything? keep me updated.

[mittyrd]

I gained 21 pounds with my first pg and only 18 with my twin pg but I did go 13 weeks early so I obviously would have gained more. I was back to my pre-pg weight in 8 weeks this time but still have a little tummy roll from the extra skin. Yuk.

I did not buy a triple stroller b/c Jake hates his stroller anyway and I can't imagine ever taking all 3 out by myself. I got the double snap-n-go and we will put Jake in his stroller, provided there are 2 of us taking them all out. 2 people gave me side-by-side strollers for later use.

I bought a used minivan 2 months ago and really like it. I put the 2 babies in the way back and Jake in the middle. So far so good.

[Phen]

-how much weight did you gain total?
65+ lbs. (I had a 65 lb. total gain at the last OB appointment, five days before the boys were born, so I figure another pound or so might've snuck in there at the end.)

-how long did it take to come off?
I hit my pre-pregnancy weight two days shy of the boys' 8-month birthday. That's with minimal exercise and hardly any BFing.

-do you have the dreaded twinskin?
Yes ma'am, I do. I had been planning on working on the twinskin once I got back to pre-pregnancy weight (with Pilates), but then my cancer happened and I had a bunch of surgeries and chemo. Anyhow, once I get the go-ahead from the doctors for exercise, I'm REALLY going to work on it. Although I must admit that every time I have an appointment with my plastic surgeon (for the reconstructive surgery from cancer), I not-so-jokingly ask if he'll do a tummy tuck on me when he next does surgery on me. But he won't do a tummy tuck until I am done having children, and I'm not sure we are.

Wow, that was a long answer.

And as for stretchmarks, I didn't get any until extremely late in the pregnancy, and they were mainly on the underside of my belly. However, I can't find them now (probably lost in the twinskin :p ). I also can barely see my c-section scar.

~ Phen

p.s. we have both a side-by-side and a tandem double stroller. I like them both for different reasons. It is super easy to go grocery shopping with the tandem one (big bin underneath), or to take the boys into a casual restaurant in their SnugRides, but it is really quite a circus parade, too. The side-by-side is great for walks, whether around the neighborhood or at the mall or whatever. We've been taking the tandem to pediatrician appointments, but the boys are much bigger nowand I bet we'll start using the side-by-side more. BTW, we have the Combi TwinSavvy and the Graco DuoGlider.

[Journey]

natgirl - I gained 55 lbs with the twins. I had 12 more to lose at my 2 week post check. I think it probably took a couple months total to lose it all (I figured I gained a few back after that 2 week check when baby blues hit and I went on an Oreo diet for a few days. :) ) I didn't get any stretch marks with my son, but did get some late in the twin preg. I can't really even see them now. I do however, still have a little tummy roll with loose skin. I am hoping to get that to go away.

mitty - We put the twins in the way back and Will in the middle, too. It works great! Most people don't seem to understand why we would do that, but it really is so much easier. So how are all your boys doing?

Phen - How are your cute little one year old's doing??

Natie decided to start talking on Saturday. He had always groaned and squealed, but now he's du du du du DA DU DU da! It is very cute. I think both Catie and Natie are working on more teeth. They were both up a dozen times last night, and when they weren't actually up, they ere really restless. Maybe the top ones are on the way.

For some reason, the babies have run out of medical benefits for the year. I almost had their ped payed off from their birth, and now I have to pay full price for their 6 month check because they have exceeded their maximum calendar year allowance. They wanted to see them at 9 months, but I think I am going to wait until they are 1, because that will put us in the beginning of next year. I thought well baby checks are supposed to be covered. They don't need any shots at 9 mo anyway. It is kind of frustrating. :confused: