Mothers of Multiples, 2008 edition

[Twinmamas]

Previous thread: Twin Mamas (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1080)

AliMC
EDD: 3/13/08 (40 wks)

amychris03
DS: Sam 3/15/06
Birth day: 12/27/07 (3xwxd)
Molly, 4lbs 11 oz
Michael, 5 lbs 4 oz

AmyE
DC: DS, 4/05
birth date: 12/6/06 (37w0d)
Julia Grace, 6 lbs., 3:24 p.m.
Benjamin Luke, 5 lbs. 13 oz., 3:25 p.m.

angelgirl8
Birth date: 1/10/06 (35w5d)
Babygirl: 4lbs 14oz, 11:08 a.m.
Babyboy: 4lbs 2oz, 11:09 a.m.

Baby Lust
DS: Lucas 6/13/06
Twins birthdate: 4/29/08
Hailey Marie:
Madelyn Claire:

Brink
DC: DD, 9/05
Birth date: 1/31/07 (33w2d)
Katherine (Katie) Louise, 3 lbs. 15 oz., 17.5"
Kristi Anne, 4 lbs. 7 oz., 16.45"

catmom
DD: March, 2005
Twins EDD: 5/27/08
Birthdate: 5/12/08 @ 38weeks
DD: 6lbs 6oz & 19"
DS: 5lbs 13oz & 19"

Cath
triplet boys born 4/12/07 (34w1d)
W : 8:10 p.m., 4 lbs. 7 oz., 17 and 3/4"
J : 8:12 p.m., 4 lbs., 17"
E : 8:13 p.m., 3 lbs. 15 oz., 17"

Chelsea524
DC: Trystin, 9/29/99
Corbin, 8/13/04
Twins birthdate: March 15, 2008 (34 w)
Avery: 4 lbs 10oz
Harrison: 5 lbs 13oz


cbiggers
Caroline Louise and Isabel Jean
born: 12/04/04 (36w5d)

charmcitygirl
birth date: 8/14/05
Jake and Arizona (Zoe)

Ericka_Jarett
DD: Rebekah, born and passed 4/18/05 @ 24w 1d
DS: Easton, 9/5/06
EDD: November 24, 2007
twins birthdate: 10/23/07 (35w5d)
Julianna Grace: 5 lbs 10 oz, 17 3/4" @ 4:46pm
Katelyn Elizabeth: 5 lbs 3 oz, 18 1/2" @ 4:49pm

ez2luv
Isabelle: 9/18/04
Twins birthdate: 7/25/08
Katelyn:
Sopia:

Ferris
EDD: 3/23/08 (40 wks)
DS: Douglas 5/21/05

Firefly
DC: 2002
DC: 2005
EDD: 4/9/08 (40wks)
Birthdate:


Isobel
birth date: 2.7.07 (38w1d)
Jane Michael ~ 5 lbs. 8 oz, 19.5"
Evelyn Koss, "Evie" ~ 6 lbs. 5 oz, 20"

Jenean
birth date: 5/19/07 (36w4d)
Simon Aron 4:08 p.m., 5 lbs 2 oz, 17.5"
Miles Logan 4:09 p.m., 5 lbs 8 oz, 19"

jrsygirl
40w EDD: 4.28.06
birth date: April 5, 2006 (3XwXd)
Paige Kelly: 5lbs. 7 oz.
Cole Robert: 5lbs. 8 oz.

kat
birth day: 2/15/06 (37w5d)
Alexander, 8lbs1oz, 21.5", 2:27 p.m.
Audrey, 7lbs10oz, 20", 2:40 p.m.

khouse
Delaney Thea and Devon Wade
Born: 12/04/04

klm2klh
EDD: 03/26/06
birth date: 3/10/06
Nicholas: 5lbs 12oz, 6:12
Campbell: 5lbs 14oz, 6:22

LDS Angel 19
Allison, our angel, born and died 6/17/05
birth date: 6/18/07 (34w3d)
Megan Celeste, 8:04pm, 3lbs 14oz, 17"
Natalie Grace, 8:05pm, 4lbs 4oz, 17"

Lola9404
40W EDD: 9/19/07
birth day: 7/10/07 (XXwXd)
Elena Sofia and Ana Catherine

LoveBeingAMommy
DD 5/04
birth date: 6/6/07 (38w5d)
McKinley Claire, 10:03 AM, 6lb 6oz, 19 1/4"
Taylor Grace, 10:04 AM, 6lb 5oz, 19 1/4"

Lovin'it
40w EDD: 3/9/06
birth date: 2/15/06
Nina: 5 lbs. 13 oz
Ella: 5 lbs. 9 oz

marteneym
DD-Madison: 12/13/06
EDD: June 3rd, 2009

melandtim
Birthdate: 10/14/08
Emery Paige: 5lbs @ 8:14pm
Travis Aidan: 4lbs 8oz @ 8:15pm

miaclear
DS: 3/20/07
Twins EDD: 5/09

mittyrd
DS: Jake - 10/7/03
40w EDD 9/25/05
Birth day: 7/1/05
Matthew Ryan, 8:06 a.m.
Samuel Jay, 8:09 am

MtySheera
Frankie Thomas 10/15/04
Twins birthdate: 3/10/08
Zachary: 5lbs 12oz
Tyler:

natgirl
DD: Sophia, born 3/28/04
40w EDD 3/11/06
Birth date: 1/28/06
Mark: 4 lbs, 5 oz and 18.5", 1:48 a.m.
Isabelle: 5 lbs, 5 oz and 17", 1:51 a.m.

NJMom
birth day: 2/15/05 (33wks)
Jacob Michael 4lbs 10ozs
Brayden Matthew 4lbs 5ozs
#3, Joshua Adam, born 12/21/06

pelican75
birth day: 12/4/07 (33wXd)
Linus, 4 lbs 10 oz
Oliver, 4 lbs 10 oz
Miles, 4 lbs. 3 oz

Phen
Birthday: 7/13/04 (37w5d)
Thomas 3:31 a.m., 7 lbs 9 oz, 18"
Alexander 3:33 a.m., 6 lbs 3 oz, 19.5"

QPDoll
40w EDD: 8/14/05
Birth Date: 7/23/05
Peter Randall, 9:20 am, 7lbs 3 oz 20"
Nathaniel James, 10:30 am, 6 lbs 19"

Sadie
birth day: 12/15/07 (30w3d)
Cannon Charles @ 11:12 a.m.; 3lbs7oz, 16 1/4"
Ava Noelle @ 11:14 a.m.; 2lbs8oz, 14 3/4"


Sage
Children: Ashley, 8/18/05
birth date: 2/1/07
Aidan William, 5 lbs. 11 oz., 17 3/4 in.
Owen Scott, 5 lbs. 7.5 oz., 18 1/2 in.

Scooter
DD: 2006
Twins:

Sebski
[size=1]Di-Mo identicals, birth date: 5/27/07 (36w3d)
Samantha Corinne, 6 lbs., 19"
Ava Carolyn, 4 lbs. 9 oz, 18"

Sunmoonstars75
birth day: 3/8/05 (36w)
Audra Elizabeth 4:36 pm
Amelia Grace 4:37 pm

Tandis
birth date: 3/5/07 (36w4d)
Veronica Judith 1:01 p.m., 6 lbs 13 oz, 21"
Audrey Diann 1:15 pm, 6 lbs 9 oz, 19.5"

tree23
birthdate: 12/14/07
Connor Lawrence: 5lbs 4oz and 48cm
Quinton William: 5lbs 4oz and 47cm

In our hearts, Astro's Steven Alexander and Ryan Philip, Jad's sweet boys, and jenahdawn's darling girls.

[Twinmamas]

Inactive members
(we hope we'll see you again when the kids give you a spare minute! ;) )

Bernie
birth date: 2/24/06 (38w1d)
Amelia Sara, 12:30pm, 5lb 15oz, 19"
Maxwell Philip, 12:32pm, 5lb 8oz, 19"

blisswc
birth date: 11/4/04
Ania and Alex

cari2
fraternal twin girls: born 8/05 at 35 1/2 weeks

journey
DS - William Clark June 6, 2003
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"

kakirk
angel twins Tess & Sam, 5/6/04
Birth Date: 7/8/05 (37w3d)
Harrison Kirkpatrick, "Hank", 7.2 lbs.
Camilla Margaret, "Lily", 6.5 lbs.

morningdew
DS born 3/30/03
EDD: 4/30/07 (40w)


mrsblud
Emma and Brandon
birth day: 12/24/04 (36w1d)

MrsPuls
DS: 11/23/03
Birth date: 12/13/05 (33w3d)
Lucas: 4lbs 14oz
Aubrey: 4lbs 5oz.


PilotsWife
40 Week EDD: 12-24-05
Birth date: 11/25/05
Aidan Morgan - 10:02 p.m., 4 lbs. 9 oz.
Ryan David - 10:03 p.m., 5 lbs. 9 oz.

relly
birth date: 3/21/06 (35w)
Brycen Peter, 3 lbs. 14 oz.
Devon Elisabeth, 4 lbs. 7 oz.

Saathei
birth day: 4/24/05 (34w3d)
Thalia Barbara @ 10:26 a.m.; 4lbs 6ozs, 17"
Michaya Leita @ 10:27 p.m.; 4lbs 9ozs, 18"

2labradogs
Birth date: 2/20/2004 (37.5 wks)
Chase - 9:30am, 6lbs 14oz, 19.75"
Tyler - 9:31am, 6lbs 8oz, 19.75"

Tenille
Still prego at 39w4d
EDD April 23 (40W)

vancouvergirl
dd: 6
ds and dd: 9/18/03 (37w5d)

[Twinmamas]

Birthdays and Duedates

September 18, 2003: vancouvertwinboy and vancouvertwingirl (vancouvergirl)
February 20, 2004: Chase and Tyler (2labradogs)
July 13, 2004: Thomas and Alexander (Phen)
November 4, 2004: Ania and Alex (blisswc)
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)
January 10, 2006: Girlbaby and Boybaby (angelgirl8)
January 28, 2006: Mark and Isabelle (Natgirl)
February 15, 2006: Ella and Nina (lovin'it)
February 15, 2006: Alexander and Audrey (kat)
February 24, 2006: Amelia and Maxwell [Mia and Max] (Bernie)
March 10, 2006: Nicholas and Campbell (klm2klh)
March 21, 2006: Brycen Peter and Devon Elisabeth (relly)
April 5, 2006: Paige Kelly and Cole Robert (jrsygirl)
August 16, 2006: Kaliyah and Jazariah (MiamiBeachTwins)
December 6, 2006: Julia and Benjamin (AmyE)
January 31, 2007: Katherine [Katie] Louise and Kristi Anne (Brink)
February 1, 2007: Aidan William and Owen Scott (Sage)
February 7, 2007: Jane Michael and Evelyn "Evie" Koss (Isobel)
March 5, 2007: Veronica Judith and Audrey Diann (Tandis)
April 12, 2007: W, J, and E (Cath)
April (?) 2007: two girls (morningdew)
May 19, 2007: Simon Aron and Miles Logan (Jenean)
May 27, 2007: Samantha Corinne and Ava Carolyn (Sebski)
June 6, 2007: McKinley Claire and Taylor Grace (LoveBeingAMommy)
June 18, 2007: Megan Celeste and Natalie Grace (LDS Angel 19)
July 10, 2007: Elena Sofia and Ana Catherine (Lola9404)
October 23, 2007: Julianna Grace and Katelyn Elizabeth (Ericka_Jarett)
December 4, 2007: Linus, Oliver, and Miles (pelican75)
December 15, 2007: Cannon Charles and Ava Noelle (Sadie)
December 27, 2007: Michael and Molly (amychris03)

due January 3, 2008: two boys! (tree23)
due March 13, 2008: two babies! (AliMC)
due March 23, 2008: two babies! (Ferris)
due April 9, 2008: two boys! (firefly)
due April 12, 2008: two boys! (MtySheera)
due April 27, 2008: a boy and a girl! (Chelsea524)
due April 29, 2008: two babies! (WifeOf486)
due May (?) 2008: two babies! (catmom)
due June 9, 2008: two babies! (Baby Lust)

due dates are 40-week EDDs unless otherwise indicated

[Twinmamas]

For Your Reference: Best Books for Twinmamas

best twin pregnancy book (technical): When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060542683/sr=1-1/qid=1156444494/ref=sr_1_1/104-5495183-3136726?ie=UTF8&s=books) (a/k/a The Dr. Luke book)

best twin pregnancy book (semi-goofy but sorta helpful): Twinspiration (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1589792807/ref=sr_11_1/104-5495183-3136726?ie=UTF8)

best raising twins the first year book: Ready or Not: Here We Come! (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0974699004/ref=pd_bxgy_text_b/104-5495183-3136726?ie=UTF8)

best raising twins toddlers and beyond book: Ready or Not: There we go! (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0974699012/ref=pd_cp_b_title/104-5495183-3136726?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155)

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.

How long into my pregnancy will I be able to work?
The answers vary, but almost none of us were able to work up to delivery. Some were put on half-time work restrictions in the early second trimester and told to stop working altogether by the start of the third trimester, some were put on bedrest in the second trimester and were able to work from bed/home. We think it's wise to plan for the "worst" and prepare for an early departure from work.

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

Past Mothers of Multiples threads on CC:

2005 (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1080)
2006 (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13291)
2007 part 1 (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28379) and you're at part 2!

[Twinmamas]

Okay, y'all, the thread is open! Welcome to the 2008 edition of the CC Twinmamas thread. :)

[firefly]

just fyi Kakirk is on there twice.

[firefly]

Happy New Years. Well I made one goal of making it to 2008. Now I'm aiming for past Valentines day. (almost 33 weeks) My next Goals are March (35 weeks) and then my Personal goal is St. PAtricks day 37w 2 d. and the day my ob does scheduled surgeries.

my first dd was born at 37w 5 my 2nd dd was born at 35 w 6 d so we'll see.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Happy New Year

[Chelsea524]

Happy New Year! Thanks for the new thread!

Firefly, I hope you make it to your goal, a St Pat birthday would be fun, although? I'm sure they would have a little to much fun on their 21st birthday:p My personal goal is April 1st, April fools day, I'll be right between 36 and 37 weeks which is where my dr said he likes to deliver. Although I am going to be passing my first mini goal this Friday, I will make it to 24 weeks, I don't want them coming anytime soon but it makes me feel a little better that they would actually have the drs try to save them at that point.

[mittyrd]

Happy New Year's!!!!

[Sage]

AmyChris, the boards went down before I could tell you congratulations on Molly and Michael! What a scare they have given you. How are they doing now?

Everyone else, I started a LJ account during the CC outage. I've found many of you, but not all. I'd love to have more friends if any of you are interested. My user name is sage_77.

[klm2klh]

Well I don't really know anything about LJ, but I am khowdy.

[AmyE]

Happy new year everyone! How are all the babies? any word on the mystery mom?

Not much going on here. Ben and Julia have gotten over their colds,but oh-so-kindly passed it to me, and I feel pretty rotten. Normally I have an awesome immune system, but a cold in November turned into bronchitis, and I was sick for 6 weeks. Better for two weeks...and now this.

Still, at least Julia is back STTN. Ben is...well, just Ben. Back to his one wakeup at around 2am, then he wants to be up for the day before 6am. Sometimes I can fool him into going back to sleep though.:D

Julia is pulling up on everything and beginning to stand on her own. She ends up on her butt after just a few seconds, but clearly wants to walk. Ben is also pulling up, but not as strong as his sister. I've decided I'm sort of ready for toddlers - if they walk in the next couple of months, I won't stress about developmental delays. and the house is pretty well babyproofed, except the toilets. I never had an issue with toilets with DS1, but Ben seems fascinated. How we will manage toilet locks when DS1 just got potty trained..will be an adventure.

[relly]

Happy New Year!

I loved all the Christmas pics, too cute.

My twins will be 2 in March so we’re just now starting to figure out the date of their birthday party, it’s looking like its going to be Easter Day. I hope that doesn’t pose too much of a problem with our guests, which will be mostly close family members whom we would spend the day with anyways.

Amy – my son loves the toilet, he likes it with the cover closed so he can bang on it like a drum. It’s tough trying to get him away from it. The door is mostly closed at all times, but those few times it’s open, he runs as fast as he can to get to it.

[firefly]

mystery mom was AMYCHRIS I thought.

[Chelsea524]

mystery mom was AMYCHRIS I thought.

I was thinking it was tree, she was due 1/3/08, those babies must be here by now.

[Phen]

Yep, Amychris had Michael and Molly on 12/27. Tree's 40 week edd was 1/3, so I'm positive her babies must be here by now!

[AliMC]

I just wanted to drop in and say Happy New Year to all of you and Congratulations to AmyChris and (hopefully) Tree!

We've had a busy couple of weeks, closing on our new apartment, finding a contractor to refinish the floors before we move in next week, having a surprise baby shower at work, having doctors appointments and baby care classes... and being fatigued by the extra 40 lbs I'm toting around 24/7!

Any hoo, it hasn't left me much time to post, but I just wanted to check in and also let you know that (knock on wood) we are doing fine! Baby A is just over three pounds and measures right on track and Baby B is about 5 oz (give or take) smaller, but still doing just fine.

I'm on weekly OB appointments now, have finally kind of finished our registries, and bought some furniture for the babies' room in the new apartment. we have storage units from IKEA that we are using and will go that route with cribs as well, but we found a daybed at C&B that is awesome!

It's made out of this fabric that feels like a giant stuffed animal. Perfect for baby cuddling. And it could go in our family room, if the twins seem too skilled at misadventure, like Phen's boys... :rolleyes:

[catmom]

Hi everyone! I just found out a few days ago (at my 20 wk u/s) that we are expecting twins! I am a little less freaked out than I was, or but I freaked out again last night when I got on the scale and realized I have only gained 7 pounds so far. I was really sick during my first trimester. How worried should I be about this? Obviously I will do my best to eat more now, but is the damage already done (I have been reading that proper weight gain during the first half of pregnancy is associated with better outcomes for twins).

FWIW, I gained slowly in the beginning with my DD, too (though I'm pretty sure I was up more than 7 lbs by 20 weeks). I put on most of my weight during the last 2-3 months, and she was 9 lbs.

Anyone else not gain much weight and still have babies who were not low birthweight? I am really worried now.

[AliMC]

Catmom - Welcome!

I gained a lot pretty early on, but I think that there have been others here (Ericka?) who didn't gain very much overall.

Have you bought Dr. Barbara Luke's book? I totally recommend it. Her advice basically recommends a LOT of water consumption, higher caloric intake, high protein intake especially, and lots and lots of rest. There are a lot of very motivating bits of information (I especially like the baby foot chart, when I am feeling worn out or tired of all the eating/drinking) and she has lots of anecdotal information, so it's not just clinical.

Is your OB sending you to a maternal fetal evaluation unit for monitoring? Do they know what type of twins they are? I go in every two weeks to have the babies measured. At your 20 week, they should have been able to give you a sense of whether or not the babies' growth was on target and, if it is, I wouldn't worry too much about the weight gain.

Anyhoo, obviously the end of my story isn't written yet, so other twinmamas probably have better advice, but I just wanted to welcome you! Congratulations!

[Chelsea524]

Welcome Catmom, congrats!!! When are you due? I am 25 weeks right now and over all have only gained a total of 3-4 lbs, at my last appt baby girl was measuring right on target and baby boy was measuring over a week ahead so I'm not concerned. I can tell the weight is coming from other places, I was over weight to begin with and have dropped from XL pant sizes to M, but my belly sure is growing a ton. I second the DR Luke book, it has a lot of great info in there.

[LDS Angel 19]

Hi catmom! I lost a bunch of weight in my first tri- probably 10 pounds. Dr. was never concerned. Then from weeks 12ish to about 26 I did good with weight gain, and then it really slowed down since I ended up with GD and had a lot of trouble with the diet and didn't eat as much as I probably should have. I gained 20 pounds total. My girls were around 4 pounds each, but that couldn't really be helped since they were 6 weeks early. I guess my point is try not to worry about it.

[Chelsea524]

One more thing, Ericka also didn't gain much, I think it was around 15 lbs she gained and had very healthy babies, so don't worry yourself to much about it, the weight gain is more of a guideline, make sure you are getting plenty of calories, though I have never been able to eat the recommended 3500 that dr luke suggests, just make sure the calories you are eating are good ones, I figure I could make it to 3500 if I ate at McDonalds every meal but I think it would be healthier for me and the babies to not get to 3500 calories and eat healthy food instead, thats just my 2 cents though.

[pelican75]

congrats catmom! wow, i can't imagine finding out at 20 weeks, what a shocker!

can't say much about the weight gain - i um did pretty well in that department. :)

[charmcitygirl]

welcome catmom

[Ericka_Jarett]

Welcome and Congrats Catmom!!

As others have said I didn't gain much weight in my twin pregnancy. I gained by the time I delivered at 35w 5d a total of 15lbs. My girls came out weighing 5lbs 10oz and 5lbs 3oz and came home with me just 2 days after delivery. The hospital sent us home with apnea monitors (I heard they do that with all their twins really at that hospital) but the girls are thriving and we have their 2 month WBV (1 week shy of 3 months) next week and will find out their new weights. At 7 weeks they were: 8lbs 12oz (50%) & 21 1/2 in (25%) & 7lbs 10oz (25%) & 20 3/4 in (10%). They hadn't gained anything for week 1 and 2, but the doctor wasn't concerned and said we would check it at 4 weeks at which point they both gained over a lb each. Julianna is probably close to 10lbs now and Katelyn is still my peanut but weighs about 9lbs still.

You will do fine and the twins will be healthy. I have Dr. Luke's book and read through it, knew there was no way I could eat as many calories as she was suggesting, but it was still a good guideline, I would come close a few times but not all the time.

[Sage]

Congrats again and welcome Catmom!! The Dr. Luke book is a great resource, but I wouldn't sweat it if you haven't been able to meet her guidelines (and how could you have? you just found out!) I just tried to follow the spirit of her book, and eat well and eat often. It worked for me (the boys were 5 lb 7.5 oz, and 5 lb 11 oz).

[catmom]

Thanks, everyone!

I will admit that I have not been eating well so far. Between morning sickness and chasing a toddler, I have to constantly remind myself just to eat. Which probably isn't good since I was pretty thin to begin with (5'5" and 115). The babies were measuring right on at my ultrasound- I was 20 wks 1 day, and the girl measured exactly 20wks1d, the boy was very close at 19wks5d). I am sending DH to whole foods tonight to buy me a case of balance bars, so I can eat them quickly while running around.

I am more worried about the birthweight than going too early for some reason. Since DD hung on until 41 weeks and was so big, I feel like these babies should be able to stay inside as long as they need to. I just hope I'm able to make up for starving them for the last 4.5 months. I just wish I had known earlier, but there were never any indications of twins until the u/s (well, the bad m/s might have been a clue). I did manage to gain 45 lbs with my last pregnancy, and almost all of that was during my 3rd trimester. I carried DD extremely low, so I never had heartburn or lost my appetite. The longer I was pregnant the hungrier I got! Hopefully that will be the case this time, too.

I have my first OB appointment on Tuesday, up until now I've been seeing midwives, but they don't do twins. So I have absolutely no idea what to expect in terms of how frequently I'll need to go to the dr, what tests I have to have done, etc. It feels strange to be flying blind so late in the game.

[relly]

Catmom - welcome & congrats!
Gosh, what a sweet surprise you got. How did your DH react?

[Ericka_Jarett]

I was seeing a peri (I didn't bother with an ob this time) from the time I was 9 weeks until the end. I had a very normal pregnancy with the twins, much different from my pregnancy with Easton. I had u/s every 2 weeks since I had a cerclage. I had seen my peri just about 1 time a month since I had so many u/s and they would see me there and consider it an appt. I had NST starting 31 weeks and had 1 every week until the end.

Needed no special tests because it was twins, just normal pregnancy blood work. Just know that the OB may want to deliver early instead of going a full 40 (although I know some people who were allowed to go that long)

One thing I found helpful is my local multiples group. It gives me a chance to get out with other multiple moms and I can get info I need from them whenever. Playdates and gatherings are fun, you get double sometime triple the kids for you Toddler and one day twins to play with.

[Baby Lust]

Hi everyone! Guess I need to join you in here, as we just found out today that we are having twins! :eek: A little scary, but really exciting!

I am really looking for experiences and statistics here, as my OB gave me some information that makes me quite nervous.

It looks like they are identical, which means they are sharind one sac instead of each having their own. This opens them up to possible complications, such as cord accidents and twin to twin transfusion. One of the babies also looked like s/he may only have 2 vessels in the umb cord rather than 3, which could cause (minor?) birth defects. The good news is that both babies are measuring the same size, which means they are both getting the nutrients and such that they need.

We are scheduled for another ultrasound at Mayo Clinic on Monday. The physician will look at all of those things to determine if they are identical, if there is a cord defect, and any other things that may cause complications in the future. Right now we are praying for fraternal twins and for no cord defect. We are also hoping they will be able to identify the genders.

My head is just spinning right now. I am trying not to think of the worst, but it is hard! I guess we will know where we stand on Monday. Then I can either relax or start worrying more!




Does anyone have any experience similar to our situation? Whether good or bad, I just need some info!

Thanks in advance!

[Baby Lust]

Oh yeah, here are my stats!

Baby Lust
DS: Lucas 6/13/06
Twins Due: 6/9/08

[Ericka_Jarett]

Congrats Baby Lust

Sorry can't help. My girls are fraternal

[charmcitygirl]

welcome babylust

[Twinmamas]

Wow! Two in one day! :) Welcome everyone!

(babylust, check the 2007 thread(s); we had some identicals with cord/TTTS issues last year and there was a LOT of good discussion about that all. It might be faster to read through the threads to get information from there than to wait on twinmamas with newborns to find a "minute" to pop in here. ;) )

[Sage]

Baby Lust - Congratulations on your twin pregnancy! Wow, it sounds like they hit you with A LOT of information at your ultrasound. I know the feeling... ;)

Hmmm, some thoughts on what the OB said... Well, you actually can have identical twins that don't share the same sac. You can have diamniotic-dichorionic identicals (2 placentas, 2 sacs), diamniotic-monochorionic (1 placenta, 2 sacs), or monoamniotic-monochorionic (1 placenta, 1 sac). It all just depends on when the egg splits.

Diamniotic-Monochorionic twins are the most common type of identicals...this is what I had. Because there is only one placenta, there is a risk of twin to twin transfusion (TTTS) in this type of pregnancy. I believe the risk is somewhere around 15-20%. Unfortunately, my twins had TTTS but luckily we were able to stop it with fetal laser surgery. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about it. It is rare, but because it is a possibility you should be monitored at least bi-weekly with ultrasounds. Some perinatologists also believe that TTTS can be prevented or slowed by bedrest and drinking high protein drinks such as Ensure or Boost at least 3 times a day. You should definitely head to the TTTS Foundation's website at www.tttsfoundation.com for more information on TTTS and monitoring for di-mo pregnancies. The fact that your twins are the same size is a GREAT sign that your twins are doing just fine!!!

Monoamniotic-Monochorionic twins are extremely rare. However, we do have a twinmama in here, Brink, who had mo-mo twins. I think she's on vacation right now but I'm sure she'll pop in and give you more information and advice once she gets back. It's very possible that your OB simply wasn't able to find the membrane separating your twins during your ultrasound...identical twin membranes can be very thin and hard to find, and since you're a bit farther along in your pregnancy it may be harder to tell what starts and ends where, if you know what I mean. Hopefully they will be able to find the membrane on Monday at the Mayo clinic. I'm pretty sure Brink would suggest for you to go to the www.monoamniotic.org message board. Brink had to go inpatient at 24 weeks for continuous monitoring during her pregnancy...once she did that, the odds of survival for her twins shot way up. So that's something you may want to keep in the back of your mind when talking to the doctors at the Mayo Clinic.

You should also go and read the high risk pregnancy thread here on CC. Both Brink and I have our stories there, and another mom there (not a twinmom) had a successful outcome with a two vessel cord.

I'm sorry to throw all this information at you at once, and I certainly don't mean to scare you with any of it. But I found throughout my pregnancy that a lot of OBs and even some perinatologists are uninformed about the risks of identical twin pregnancies, so it's very important to arm yourself with information so you can advocate for yourself if necessary. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Good luck on Monday!!!

[Baby Lust]

Sage, I'm so glad you posted here! I actually read the entire High Risk thread last night and found it quite inspiring. It was hard to read about the losses, but they seemed to be a different situation than what I think mine is so it wasn't too discouraging. I also PM'd Brink looking for advice/information. I'm so glad that your boys did so well after the surgery! I had no idea they could even do something like that! I can't remember the name of the procedure off-hand, but would the cauterizing of the shared vessels be something that they would do for any TTTS diagnosis if they thought it would help? I know you said it wasn't all that common, but I'm wondering, if I do have MoMos, they wouldn't have to try to keep the fluid levels the same, like in your case, but it might be beneficial to cauterize the vessels, wouldn't it? (Sorry if this isn't making much sense, I haven't gotten much sleep yet!)

Oh, also, a regular u/s tech did my u/s yesterday so it's very possible that she wasn't seeing everything. That's why we have so many unanswered questions. She reported that we "may" have one sac, we "may" have one baby with only 2 vessels, we "maay" only have one placenta, etc. So I'm being optimistic about our appt on Monday! Maybe we are worrying a lot about nothing!!

I did pick up some Boost tonite so I can try that out until we know if we have 1 placenta or 2.

I am going to work on my list of questions for the peri. Is there anything you can think of that I should ask? Unfortunately my state does not have a peri, so this is my one chance to ask him everything, then my OB will do the bi-weekly monitoring.

Whew! This is a lot to digest! But I'm so glad I have such good resources here!!! Off to read and make up my list!!

[AmyE]

Catmom- welcome again! I have fraternal girl/boy twins, and they are tons of fun.


babylust - welcome to you too! I hope everything goes great for you on Monday and that you will find that all your weekend research was unnecessary. Still, it's great that you are "arming" yourself to ask all the right questions. How many weeks along are you? I see that you are due in June - I'm just way to lazy to do the math. That's what being a twin mom will do for ya! (Actually, I am just that lazy naturally, but having 3 under 3 is a good excuse for lots of things.)

[Sage]

BabyLust - I'm so glad my post was helpful!! About your questions... I *think* that with mo-mo twins, the risk of TTTS is reduced. Because the babies are sharing the same sac, they don't have to deal with unequal amounts of fluid and therefore they're not as stressed. But I'm not sure about this, so Brink may be a better person to answer this question. I am also going out on a limb here, but I don't think you can do the laser surgery for TTTS in a mo-mo pregnancy because of the risks. But I'm not sure about that either.

In any event, the laser surgery only becomes an option when TTTS gets pretty bad. The surgery is not without risks, so many surgeons refuse to do it until your fluid levels are very uneven, the donor baby no longer has a visible bladder on ultrasound and the recipient baby is starting to show signs of stress. Another treatment option that some perinatologists advocate instead of surgery is an amnioreduction, which involves removing some of the excess amniotic fluid from one of the twin's sacs.

I think you are so smart for making a list of questions for Monday! It can get very overwhelming, so it's really good to have everything written down so you won't forget anything. If they find that your twins are di-mo, I would definitely ask what their sizes are and what your fluid levels for each twin are. I think fluid levels are a much better indicator of TTTS than size, so you definitely want to keep an eye on that. If they find out your twins are mo-mo, I would definitely start exploring the option of going inpatient for continuous monitoring like Brink did.

I really hope that Monday goes well, that they find that membrane, and that fluid/sizes are equal! When it comes to this stuff, the odds are definitely on your side that nothing will be wrong, so try not to stress until you can get in on Monday and get some answers!! I'm sure I'll be checking this thread again this weekend, so if you have any other questions feel fee to ask! :)

[Chelsea524]

Welcome Babylust!! Sorry, I have no info on any of your questions because mine are fraternal but is sounds like Sage gave you some great info. Good luck on Monday.

[pelican75]

Babylust - welcome and congrats!

I ended up doing quite a bit of research on monoamniotic twins since it was thought for a while that two of ours were sharing an amniotic sac. It wasn't until I was 22-23 weeks (IIRC) along that a membrane was found. What a relief! A good reference is the monoamniotic.org (http://www.monoamniotic.org) message boards.

If I remember, TTTC is still a possibility with mo-mo twins, but v hard to diagnose because of the lack of membrane. I guess they diagnose it with the other symptoms that Sage mentioned.

In any case, I hope that you don't have to deal with any of those issues! I hope Monday brings good news. :) Certainly sharing a placenta isn't a guarantee of problems. I had three boys sharing one, and they all did great. :)

[relly]

Babylust - welcome & congrats. Good luck today, I'll be thinking of you.

[firefly]

Today is an exhausted day. I move slower than a turtle I swear. maybe even slower than a sloth. I'll take it I"m 28 w 3 d i'm getting there. I am at weekly visits with the dr. I know that it's crazy to be happy about this, but I feel like I've made it to another goal. With my other 2 I never made it to bi monthly visits let alone weekly. so I"m very happy about this. I'll still have U/S every other week. The boys are doing great. a was 2lbs 4 oz and b was 2 lbs 12 oz (as of Friday) it's getting harder and harder to eat. I"m still trying.

[AmyE]

Firefly - hang in there - you're doing great. Slowing down is good for you, esp at this stage. When my stomach shrank to the size of a thimble I drank a lot of ensure and chocolate milkshakes, or fruitshakes. It was easier than "solid' foods.

Babylust - how'd it go?

[AmyE]

Firefly - hang in there - you're doing great. Slowing down is good for you, esp at this stage. When my stomach shrank to the size of a thimble I drank a lot of ensure and chocolate milkshakes, or fruitshakes. It was easier than "solid' foods.

Babylust - how'd it go?

[Brink]

Babt Lust - so sorry I wasn't on here over the weekend to respond. We just got back from a weekend away and just saw your posts. I'm so glad Sage was here - she told you all the right stuff. I haven't checked your PM yet, but I will. I know you have already had your appointment at the Mayo Clinic today, just wondering how it went? If you were diagnosed MoMo, did they outline a treatment plan? I'll wait to hear back before I give you too much more advice. Sage/Pelican were very right in directing you to www.monoamniotic.org it is the best place to get the right information. If you to go the bottom of the page, there is a spot that says "enter bbs page" - that is the chat room area. I'm Aimee over there if you are looking.

[AliMC]

Well, like Firefly I am at weekly appointments with the OB and bi-weekly with the MFM. At our last OB appointment (monday) I was measuring 43 weeks. Ugh - it is getting so hard to get around or to sleep.

This morning, at the insistence of DH, MIL and my mom, I tried to take a cab to work and basically wasted 15 minutes standing around in the cold until I decided it was total ridiculous and took the subway. So my commute was twice as exhausting as usual!

We closed on our apartment (can't remember if I mentioned that before...) and are having the floors refinished before we move. This Friday.

Did I mention that my baby shower is a week from Saturday - at the new apartment?

Needless to say, our current apartment is in total chaotic dissarray and I am completely frustrated by my physical limitations. DH has een pretty good for the packing but, for whatever reason, when I sit down for a break, he thinks he should sit down for a break!

Not terribly productive.

Any hoo, I think I am still working for at least another three weeks and things - in general - are going as well as they can. I think.

[Brink]

Just curious if anyone has heard from Babylust???? I'm just worried since we have not heard from her since her appointment yesterday.....

[firefly]

ah hah! it's freaking hot flashes! that's why I can't sleep. I"m having them often at least 2 times an hour. is there anything I can do for them?

[AmyE]

I'm with you Brink.

Babylust..and tree. Does anyone know if her babies are ok?

[Baby Lust]

Hi girls!! So sorry to worry you! Everything is fine with us! We got back at 1am this morning and I just got home and put DS to bed a bit ago so I haven't had a chance to update.

So here it is!

Things went so well!

We found out that the babies are each in their own sacs, so we don't have to worry about a cord accident any more than anyone with a singleton pregnancy would! So that was wonderful news!!

We also found out that one twin (Baby B for now but looks like it will turn into Baby A) does only have two vessels in the cord, but one is large enough to play the same role as two, and it is an output vessel that is missing, not an input, so no nutrients will be lost. The perinatologist was adamant that this would not cause any problems whatsoever for the baby, and though I am a tiny bit skeptical, I am so relieved to hear that!

Since the babies are identical (it was confirmed! :D), they run a much higher risk of being diagnosed with TTTS so we will be monitored by u/s every two weeks to watch for fluid increases around one of the babies, and growth changes. If we do notice changes in either and it is still too early, I will go back to Mayo for laser surgery where they will fuse the shared vessels. Or if we notice it and I am far enough along, the babies will be delivered. Sage, What exactly do they do during that surgery? The peri didn't explain it. I just asked him about it.

So all in all it was good news! I'm actually not too worried about the TTTS at this point. Hopefully we don't have to worry about it at all!

Let's see... the babies are measuring 1/2 oz apart so they are the perfect size and everything (and I mean everything) looks great with them! The hearts, the nuchal folds, the bladders, kidneys, everything! It was a very in-depth procedure!! Baby B is the troublemaker already!

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers! I really believe they helped in the outcome!!!


So is there anything I need to do differently with this pregnancy than my first? My next appt isn't for 2 weeks and I will ask then but you ladies must have been told certain things to do or avoid... any suggestions?

Hope you are all doing well! Sorry for those of you that are uncomfortable!

[firefly]

Baby Lust, Congrats on your healthy babies. There isn't a whole lot different than a singleton pregnancy, you need to eat MORE, drink MORE(water) and you'll be a lot more tired a lot quicker.

[Sage]

Baby Lust - Yay for two sacs!!!!!! That is WONDERFUL news! :) And it sounds like they are doing great size-wise, fluid-wise, and with everything else. That is awesome. It sounds like the peri/OB are right on top of things...bi-weekly ultrasounds are key, and they've got you covered on that. Yay!

With respect to your question, the laser surgery was a pretty easy procedure for me. It was much more emotionally jarring than physically, KWIM? We had to travel to the Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati to have it done. I had an epidural, and I chose to get a sedative b/c I was kind of a wreck about it. So I pretty much slept through it all. Another mom I met who had the surgery stayed awake through the whole thing and actually got to see her babies on camera!! Once I heard that, I wished I'd had the guts to stay awake for it!!

They made a pretty tiny incision near my belly button, and went in with an instrument about the size of a pen that acted as the camera and laser. For me, they cauterized 16 connecting blood vessels which is A LOT and kind of unusual to have that many. They also took out 4 liters of extra amniotic fluid from my recipient's sac...it was nuts! My stomach looked like it had been deflated. The surgery took a couple of hours. After the surgery, I stayed overnight in the hospital for one night. I had a ton of contractions following the surgery, which is normal, so they gave me magnesium sulfate to stop them. After I was released the next day, I had to stay in town for about a week to monitor the twins on an outpatient basis. I hope that answers your question, but if not, let me know and I'll explain more!

It sounds like your twins are doing wonderfully, so hopefully there is no need to worry about TTTS!! I'm so, so glad that your appointment went so well. :)

[Brink]

Baby Lust - I am sooooo relieved for you. That is terrific news. One thing you might consider is drinking protein shakes. Since you said they are watching for TTTS, you might want to add one to your diet. I know Sage was drinking several per day and so was I. I am really happy for you, I hope the rest of your pregnancy goes without a single scare or issue.

[Baby Lust]

Sage, Yes, that answers my question perfectly! I hope we don't have to worry about that, but if we do, I'm happy to know that you had great success with yours and it sounds like yours was an extreme case! I remember reading that you had an 8% difference in size, is that correct? I tried asking the peri what % difference they would consider a problem but he didn't give me numbers. Just looked at me like I was nuts! :o :rolleyes:

[pelican75]

Babylust - so glad to hear they're in their own sacs! Whew!

[AliMC]

Babylust - congratulations on the two sacs - I am in the same position (mono/di twins) and it has actually been pretty great getting to see the babies every two weeks. I feel kind of bad for people who only get one or two ultrasounds the whole pregnancy!

FYI about the protein shakes. I was pretty concerned about the high levels of sugar and chemical ingredients in the majority of prepared shakes... with the low-sugar ones I hated the aftertaste and the chemicals... with the natural ones I hated the high levels of sugar. Plus the cost really seemed to add up. So now I mix my own, using Designer Whey protein. I've gone through like 4 big barrels of the stuff, but I just mix it with milk and whatever fruit or, um, chocolate syrup I happen to have on hand.

[Sage]

Ali - I forgot to say congrats to you ealier on closing on your new apartment! I hope the move goes well! :)

BabyLust - As far as I can remember, the biggest size differential I had was 18% at one point, which basically meant that one twin was about a week behind in growth. I have heard from most perinatologists that they are not concerned until there is at least a 20% to 25% size differential. However, size is not always the best predictor of TTTS. Your fluid levels can be key in determining whether or not something is wrong. When you go in for each bi-weekly scan, they should measure each twin's deepest "vertical pocket" of fluid. You want that number to be somewhere between 3cm and 8 cm for each twin. When I had the surgery, Owen's vertical pocket was less than 1 cm and Aidan's was something like 15cm, so they were totally out of whack even though they weren't that different size-wise.

So, does anyone know the official word on Tree?? :confused: I hope her babies are here safe and sound!

[Cath]

Fly-by post

Welcome baby lust and congratulations on twins. Just wanted to warn you that sometimes a less experienced sonogram tech may not be able to see the membrane separating your identicals. I have triplets (a pair of identicals and a fraternal - I guess that makes them di/tri?) and sometimes the tech doing the ultrasound had a hard time finding the membrane since it is so thin, but the doctor was always able to find it quickly.

For anyone I haven't found on live journal (I haven't looked real hard) I am dcnatsfan over there.

Hope you are all doing well. I'm swamped at work right now, which is cutting into my online time. There are 7 people in my office, including me, with 2 other folks at my level. One of them is leaving at the end of the month and half of his work is going to fall in my lap until we can replace him.

On an amusing note, today is my husbands first day at home all day alone with the boys. He was very nervous this morning! I'll let everyone know how it goes. He has done a few hours, but never a full day by himself!

[Twylla]

de-lurking... (We're waiting for IVF and thinking of the possibilities of more than one)

I'm a friend of Tree's, and she and the boys are doing well. They were born Dec 14, and there were a few health problems, but I'll let her tell you about them. She's just a busy new twin momma, I'm sure she'll be back online soon!

...back to lurking... :o

[firefly]

Thank you Twylla for the update... fingrers crossed for you.

[Twylla]

Thank you Twylla for the update... fingrers crossed for you.

Your welcome... and thank you!

[AliMC]

Yay for Tree!

A (perhaps silly) question... We are trying to decide whether or not to get a private recovery room at the hospital... with twins, it seems like it would really be worth it, except that it could be $3k (vaginal delivery - 2 nights) to $6k (c-section - 4 nights) out-of-pocket. We do not have a ton of money, but we could probably swing it if it was worthwhile.

The rooms were so nice! and they had a place for DH to sleep and 24 hour food on demand and whatnot and a lot more space for keeping the babies in the room with us. I just keep thinking of the other things we could do with that money, and don't know if it's worth it.

Thoughts?

[relly]

Tree – congrats on your baby boys!

Twylla – good luck with IVF, that’s what we did

Baby lust - wonderful news

Cath – looking forward to reading about your DH’s day

Ali – I stayed at 2 different hospitals after my twins were born, and with both I had a private room with a bed for DH, so I don’t know what its like to share a room. I would think if you had twins that would be unfair to the other patient, so wouldn’t they put you in a private room anyways?!?

[Ericka_Jarett]

Ali - can't help you decide.

I was given the biggest room in the hospital (it was the only open one on the mom/baby floor.) It just happened to be a corner room in the new rehabbed wing of the hospital. They said since I had twins it was nice to get the biggest room. I didn't have to pay extra for it, it was just my normal copay. The girls were in the nursery and they nurses brought me Julianna after I was settled in my room, about 8 hours later I was brought Katelyn, after I had sent Julianna down to the nursery for the night. DH took Easton home to bed so he didn't stay with me at the hospital. The big room was more worth it when Easton came the next day and spend all day with us. He had plenty of room to play and run around in and we had the twins in my room all day long and we kept them close to the bed so he wouldn't run into them. Otherwise the big room was a waste.

When I had Easton I was put in a private room (they always do that at that hospital) and they had a pull out chair for DH to sleep in. When I had pre-term labor at one of the bigger hospital with Easton, they moved me to a shared room. My husband stayed overnight with me (I was just staying overnight) and he was able to ask for a pull out chair. My roommate had a few issues of her own and much drama throughout my stay in that room (it had nothing to do with me, she was in for 2 weeks already and in preterm labor and uncomfortable all around. Only issue she had that was associated with me was I was monitored for 30 min in the AM before getting to leave and they had tried the night before for 2 hours to get her on the monitor but the baby was not cooperating. She called a friend super early in the AM and complained about it and her friend must have asked if that was the baby's heartbeat, I heard her say no, that is my roommates baby and she is going home today) I had the bed closest to the bathroom, since roommate was on bedrest. Sine I was only staying overnight we didn't get a tv, I had my cell though. We kept my curtain closed all the way around while she had company, when thy left DH opened my curtain a little, until we were going to sleep then we closed it all the way. It wasn't as bad as I thought, but do wish I would have had a different roommate (since she had so many issues and I did feel sorry for her, but she had no idea what I went through with losing Rebekah and had been through already at that point with Easton)

Knowing I could possibly be facing putting out 3-6K I would pass it up. We don't have a bunch of money and I personally would rather spend the money on formula and diapers which are always needed. But that is my opinion. Have you checked with the hospital on their policy with twins, maybe you get a private room at no charge.

[Sage]

Yay for Tree!! And thanks Twylla, for letting us know. :)

Ali - Gosh, that's a hard one!! I had private rooms at no extra cost when I had DD and the twins, so I have no idea what it's like to share. I am a *really* private person, though, so I would probably fork over the extra dough if I could. I just can't imagine trying to nurse, go to the bathroom for the first time, etc. all with a stranger and their family members in the room. I would have also been really anxious and probably spend too much time worrying about upsetting my roommate if the babies were crying, or I couldn't get them latched on quickly, etc.

That all being said, 6K is a lot of money. So I'm not sure what to tell you! I'm sure you would be fine with a roommate, but if you have the means I would go for the private room.

[Brink]

Ali - personally - I wouldn't spend the money. If you have extra money to burn, then go ahead. But think about all that you could buy with that much money in trade for having a couple of private days. Depending on how busy the hospital is, even if you are not in a "private" room, you may be the only one in there. I had a private room with the girls, but only because I was in the hospital for so long before they were born. I know that they tried to put one person in each of the shared rooms until they got too full. You might want to ask about that before you just opt to pay out of pocket. Between my hospital stay and the girls NICU costs, I am paying out about $12,000 right now, a year after they were born. It really stinks to have those types of debts to pay when I would much rather buy them things or start a savings account. Just my opinion......

[angelgirl8]

ali...are you delivering in nyc? if so, i'd go for the private room if you could. we actually saved up for that exact purpose and i'm so happy we did. the floor was crowded when the babies were born and if i had to share a room with someone i'm not sure how that would have worked! i only had one baby in the room (ds was in the nicu) but with all the doctors coming in (i had a difficult delivery) and learning to nurse and family coming by, i couldn't imagine. also having to deal with a roommate's visitors and doctors and baby would have pushed me over the edge. i say go for it if you can...i know it's standard to have a private room in other places, but it's a luxury in nyc!

[Cath]

Ali I agree with Angel, if you can afford it, do it. I had a shared room at my hospital. If I had made it to my scheduled c-section date, I probably would have had a single room because of triplets, but since I delivered earlier than planned and in the evening, it was a challenge for them even to find a shared room for me. I was ready to go to a room by around 10:30 that evening, but they didn’t get me into a shared room until after 1:00 am, which is a whole other story in itself.

As for the shared room, I had two roommates and they were both experiences. The first one was a first time mother in her late 30s (I found out her baby girl was the result of IVF and that this was there only shot). She had a large family and constant visitors. She had problems breastfeeding and cried the entire night the night before she was released because she thought the baby was pooping too much and kept calling the nurse (who was loud as well) all night long. I know I slept, but that was probably more a percocet based fog than anything else.

She left on Saturday (the boys were born on Thursday). My second roommate was an even more interesting experience. This was her 7th child (and no, that’s not a typo), but her first c-section. She just didn’t understand why she couldn’t get up immediately and wanted them to take the catheter out so she could walk around – they did which was a huge mistake. Yes, I had to listen to them replace it later that same day as well as the nurses coming in very regularly to check on her. Then there were her tons of visitors, her talking over the curtain to me and my family when we were in the room and everything else. She also snored and was a fairly loud breather.

This was on top of the fact that I already felt like a freak with my three bracelets identifying my boys around my wrist. There were lots of whispered comments about me being the triplet mother. Privacy would have been so nice.

At the same time, my stay felt like it flew by (boys born Thursday night, I was discharged on Monday) and I do have some entertaining stories to tell!

Seriously, if that money won’t put you into any hardship financially, DO IT!

_____________

As for my husband's day as a stay at home dad, he was exhausted. He didn't shower until I got home, I don't think he had been able to sit down at all during the day because the boys were rather uncooperative with their naps and wouldn't all sleep at the same time like they usually do. There were toys everywhere, but I will admit that the kitchen was pretty clean since he had managed to stay on top of bottle cleaning! He has a whole new respect for our nanny.

[firefly]

I only have one more weekly appointment (putting me at 30 weeks) and I'll be doing bi-weekly visits, the Tuesday visit will be the nst and the friday will be the ob stuff. I'll also get to squeeze in weekly visits to the nutritionist as I failed the gtt (which is of no shock to me) So starting this Tuesday I'll be seeing the dr's at least 2 times a week (nutritionist is this coming Tuesday)

I'm doing good, up a total of 30 lbs at 29 weeks (I lost 2 lbs last week ) belly is 50" around at the 'biggest part' on breech baby(B) one vertex baby (A)

I need to get off my tooshie and order the babies bedding, I'm bidding on ebay but I think it'll go for what it is new at pbk soo... I should just order it but I'm waiting out my bids.

And FTR our hospital on has single post partum rooms so I've never had to worry about it. I think sharing would be a pita, personal, even with just one baby. everyone is on such a wonky schedule after ababy is born and you want to sleep when you want to sleep, and you're baby will be awake when he/she is awake you don't want to feel guilty keeping up another new mama at least I would, but I'd make a great Catholic grandma with all my guilt. lol

when did you all have you're bags packed, I'm thinking I should at least get the babies packed. soonish

[QPDoll]

Hi everyone! Wow, am I slow to realize we have a new '08 thread. LOL

I'm bluegingham on LJ.

[Tandis]

AmyChris - Congrats! Hope your babies are doing better!

Baby Lust - Congrats! LOL, not only did I not know you had one baby, I didn't know you were pregnant with two! :D That's fantastic and I'm so glad everything is looking good so far.

Tree - Congrats on your babies! Hope everyone is doing well!

Cath - Glad your DH's first day home with the boys went well. It helps so much to have a husband who is willing to stay home with the kids. :)

******************************

Separation anxiety has hit - big time! Can someone *please* give me some pointers to get through this? Especially for the nighttime. Audrey is pretty much refusing to sleep in her crib at all, and will only sleep if we're holding her - which means we haven't slept much at all lately. Veronica is still STTN, but she won't let me put her down during the day.

Do lovies really help? They don't have one, but I'm thinking if I can get them attach to a stuffed animal or blankie, maybe it will help for sleeping.

Arrgh! I so wasn't looking forward to this.

ETA: I'm Tandis1 on LJ. Not that I've posted much lately. We still getting over being mucus factories due to colds/sinus infections/ear infections.

[Baby Lust]

Hi everyone!

Does anyone have any experience/advice with twins and a toddler? My DS will be almost 2 when the girls are born. I bought a double stroller, and have resigned myself to the fact that I won't be taking all 3 out by myself for quite a while (unless I have to or unless someone here has some sanity advice!!!) but I'm wondering what you found to be the easiest when out with 3.

Thanks in advance!

[Brink]

Baby Lust - we got a triple stroller for our girls. It had a toddler seat in front and a place for the carseats behind that. I would go all types of places and it wasn't so bad.

[Ericka_Jarett]

I have actually been out quite a bit by myself with the 3 kids since they were about 3 weeks old (mine are only not quite 14 months apart, girls are just now 2 1/2 months and Easton is 16 months). I have taken all 3 to the doctor at one time (girls in their double and carrying Easton) Shopping: I have the girls in their double snap and go and Easton goes in a shopping cart which I just pull, by the basket part, behind me while pushing the stroller. Have done many Target and grocery trips this way. Even went to Kohl's that way back before Christmas.

We go to play dates (at others homes) with other multiple moms and will take Easton in and then go and get the girls in. This Thursday will be going to a play gym place for the 1st time with all the kids. I go to the multiples meeting, usually with just the girls now, but did take Easton once (he doesn't usually come now though since there are firehouse trophies on the floor he can get into)

Just be ready to hear "wow, you have your hands full" (thanks for telling me the obvious), "do you have any help" (why, are you volunteering?), "he's yours too?" (no I stole him from someone else in the store, he looks like me and calls me mama), "are they twins?" (this one gets me, I want to say "no, I like to have 2 babies the same age in infant seats and in a double stroller"), "are they girls?" (pink covers on their carseats, with bows in their hair and wearing pink, "no I like to dress my sons like they are girls so they can be confused later in life" duh!!!), "Are they identical?" (In our case they are fraternal and even look fraternal) Some of these are stupid questions, just gets to me sometimes.

As long as your don't make yourself crazy with worry about how you are going to do it, are calm and just expect your trip to take a bit longer than normal, you will do fine. For getting yourself out of the house without having to worry about feedings for a while, make sure that right before you want to go out, you feed the twins and then put them in their seats and leave right after. To get them in the car I usually take Easton out (he doesn't like walking outside too much for some reason) and get him and the diaper bag in the van. I then come in and get the girls and lock the door and get them in the van. I get the girls in their stroller at the destination and then get Easton in his stroller or carry him until we get a cart.

[Sage]

Ali - One other thing I thought of...since you're having twins, paying for the extra room is kinda like a two for one deal, ya know? ;) I do this kind of justifying all the time, LOL. It's a nice excuse for spending double on birthday parties, nursery decorations, etc. :D

Cath - I'm so glad your DH survived the day! And yay for a clean kitchen! Bonus. :)

Tandis - Our boys have lovies and LOVE them. It is a huge help to us for nighttime sleeping. They are always cuddled up to them when I go in to check on them. Are your girls crawling yet? I found that our separation anxiety issues improved immensely once the boys started crawling...before that, we literally could not leave their line of sight or they'd have a huge meltdown.

BabyLust - I must admit, I very rarely take all 3 out, and then only if there's someone at my destination to help me. But my DH, who is a SAHD, takes them out all the time. Usually only to Target or the grocery store, though. He puts DD in the cart and pushes her, and then pulls the double stroller behind him. There are also a few strollers that can handle a toddler + twins. The ones I know about are the one that Brink mentioned, the Valco Twin Runabout with Toddler Attachment (awesome but super expensive) and the Joovy Big Caboose.

[Ericka_Jarett]

FYI - That Joovy Big Caboose really is BIG. We looked at it, around Christmas time at BRU since someone had returned it they had it on the floor. It folds really long, we think even if we had it in the cargo area of our van it would have taken all the space and then some.

When the girls are able to sit in the shopping cart we will use the one with the car in the front for Easton and the girls can be in the seat, since it's made for 2 kids.

[Chelsea524]

Babylust My son is older so its not quite as big of an issue, he's 3 1/2, but he does ride in the stroller when we go on long walks or to the zoo or something so what I have been planning on doing is put one baby in the stroller along with ds and then put the other baby in a sling. I have a cousin that has twins that suggested this, its what she does with her 2yr old and twins and says it works great.

[Baby Lust]

Thanks for the input ladies!! I think if we try taking all 3 out when there are 2 of us, it will be easier to take 3 by myself once I "know what to do", you know?

Brink, What do the triple strollers look like? I've looked for one but haven't been able to find one.

Chelsea, That's what I'm thinking we will do for a while until DS gets a little better about sticking with us. He holds hands really well now, unless he really doesn't want to. Then it's a huge struggle! Maybe this won't be as hard as it sounds! :)

[firefly]

BabyLust, when I go out it'll be with 4 :eek: or more (I have 2 older daughters and I have 2 dneices (6, 2) that I care for regularly and 2 dnephews (2 1/2 and 1) (and another nephew due to be born in May)that I was taking care of once in a while when I got pg with the twins.

I'll tell you this, you just MAKE it work. You do whatever you can to stay sane;) I know my key to keeping ppd at bay is GETTING OUT of the house. So we have a double stroller, and my older ones (granted they are essentially 3, and 5 1/2 ) will listen to me, or they will have a time out or something equally as "bad" , bribery is a good thing:p, eventually it'll get easier. Grocery shopping I will not be doing with 4 There'd be no room for the groceries ykwim? So short trips to the store with the twin will be a hopefully non issue, target runs will happen with 4 (I imagine I'll just use the double stroller there, or sling and bucket the babies and have the older ones walk.


What would you be doing while you have the babies in the stoller, are you an avid jogger/walker? what about a boogie board or whatever they are called to attach to your double stroller? so when your older one wants to ride he/she can but your older one will probably be getting to the 'I am not a baby I can walk stage, pretty quickly) :o

phew that was a long winded answer.

[Baby Lust]

Holy cow, 4+ is very intimidating!! Good luck!! :p

I would be going to the store, or something like that I would guess. Once these twins come, I will be getting back on my weight loss kick so walking during the day or something like that would be good. That double stroller I bought is a little heavy, so that should give me a good workout!! :p :rolleyes:

[firefly]

Just realized I forgot to subscribe to the new thread:o

[AmyE]

Babylust - my toddler is 20 months older than the twins,and he LOVED his backpack. Twins in their double stroller and toddler in the backpack worked for about 1 year. Then DS1 got too heavy for me, at about 28 lbs just a few months ago. He's almost 3 now,so he will walk while the twins get strolled, or we put a baby in a Bjorn and the toddler goes into the stroller. (Infant twin in a Bjorn/sling with toddler and twin2 in the stroller is another good combination.)


GREAT night last night as far as sleep in our house. My oldest had to be resettled at about 10pm, but then the first baby wakeup was at 4:45 am. I can't remember the last time all 3 kids let us sleep for 6+ hours. It also means Ben slept 6:30pm-4:45am, which is no minor miracle. :)

[mittyrd]

Does anyone have any experience/advice with twins and a toddler? My DS will be almost 2 when the girls are born. I bought a double stroller, and have resigned myself to the fact that I won't be taking all 3 out by myself for quite a while (unless I have to or unless someone here has some sanity advice!!!) but I'm wondering what you found to be the easiest when out with 3.

Like Sage, I rarely take all 3 out alone. It's much easier now if I have to b/c DS will walk and be fairly compliant. When the babies first came home (DS was also 20 months old when they were born), forget it. Wouldn't do it. I never invested in a triple stroller b/c I didn't think I would get my money's worth out of it.


"wow, you have your hands full"

I seriously would be a millionairre if I had a quarter for every time I hear this.


Do lovies really help?

I don't know what we would do without ours. Jake has 4, Matt & Sam each have 2 and they are sooooo attached to them. I have even bought duplicates (and keep them hidden) in case someone gets sick on one in the middle night and I'm screwed.

Does anyone know why I can no longer post pictures? It just doesn't let me.

[Baby Lust]

Thanks for all the advice ladies! I'm feeling a little bit better about it all! Sounds like I need to invest in a good sling/carrier! We had a really cheapie one for DS but never used it. Maybe I will look for a Bjorn at OUAC tomorrow. They run a little high for me normally, but if I know I will get a lot of use out of it, maybe I'll splurge. The chocolate one is really catching my eye! ;)


Another question... do any of your twins share a room with your older child, or have a room nearby where the older child could easily be woken? We live in a 3br right now and we are trying to figure out the sleeping arrangements. DS has his own room, and the other br is right across the hall, which is currently our office/collection room. I would love to put all 3 in DS's room, but know none of us would ever get any sleep. I might have to convince DH to clean out the office and put the twins in there until we can find/afford a larger house. Ugh. This is the stuff that is really stressing me out! :o

[AmyE]

babylust: Ha ha. The first 10 weeks the twins often were with whichever parent was on duty that shift, snuggled on the pullout sofabed. The offduty parent was in the bedroom, and DS1 in his room or in bed with the offduty parent. Musical beds for a good 3 months in our house. Now, with the twins over a year, I'd like to move one baby into the room with DS. He gets very lonely at night, and doesn't think it's fair that the twins get to share a room, and mommy and daddy get to share, but he has to sleep by himself. It's sooooo sad. (but we don't want him in our bed all the time, either.) If Ben ever STTN regularly, I will move him in there. As it stands, I'm tempted to put Julia in with her older brother. She sleeps 12 hours most nights, and sleeps HARD.

But, Ben is pretty needy and that might make him sleep even less. And Julia and my oldest already have a hero-hero worshiper thing going on, and I am afraid Ben is already getting left out.

Just goes to show, if it's not one thing, it's something else. :rolleyes:

[Sage]

BabyLust - Our twins share a room, and our toddler is right next door so they share a wall. Our toddler is very, very rarely woken up by the twins. And, she is a *horrible* sleeper, so I am always shocked that she doesn't wake up when they start crying.

I have no idea why she doesn't hear them...sometimes I think kids are just able to tune certain stuff out. Whatever the reason, I am thankful for it. ;)

mitty - I have no idea why you can't post pictures?? Maybe something to do with the upgrade? I just posted some the other day in the 1st birthday thread and it worked fine. :confused:

[Ericka_Jarett]

Our kids will all share a room, we live in a 2 bedroom apartment right now. For now the girls are in our room, since they don't STTN yet. We kept Easton in our room until he was 6 months, not sure we will do that with the girls, but once they start STTN we will try it out. They will all have to go down at the same time, since once we open the door to Easton's room he usually wakes up

[firefly]

my older girls share a room, it made both of them better sleepers, They sleep through each other, well the older on 5 1/2 finally sleeps all the way through the night, 7pm to 7-7;30 am yes ladies their is a time when you will sleep again, of course we went and had more kids so it's a ways off for me. lol

the twins will also share a room we live in a 3br 2ba 1400 sq ft house.

[klm2klh]

This thread has been busy while I've been away!

Welcome: Catmom & Baby Lust

Congratulations Tree on the arrival of your boys!

Catmom - My situation was similar to yours - I didn't find out I was having twins until my 20 week ultrasound and at that point I had gained about 5 pounds. In the end I gained over 50! (I had high blood pressure and I think alot of it was fluid) My boys were full term & weighed 5 lb. 12 oz. and 5 lb. 14 oz. Don't worry too much about getting a late start!

DH and I just returned from a week in the Dominican Republic without the boys! It was a much needed vacation & was great despite the fact that DH broke his ankle 3 weeks before we left. He is still on crutches so we didn't do much other than lie in the sun, but that's really all I wanted to do anyway. The boys didn't seem to miss us until we were actually back - I don't think they even realized we were gone. They were super clingy the day we came back, but seem to be doing better now. We'll see what happens tomorrow when I try to leave them at the gym.

Unfortunately I think we are going to have to move the boys out of their cribs:eek: The week before we left Campbell started climbing onto the side rail where he get stuck and starts sreaming for help. He also has decided that morning arrives between 4:40 and 5:15 a.m. Normally I would probably just leave him, but now he can get up on the rail , but he can't get down. And of course he wakes Nicholas up too.

So since everything seems to be falling apart at the same time I figured maybe I should just suck it up and put their mattresses on the floor and get it done now. I really hoped they would sleep in their cribs forever!

[mittyrd]

do any of your twins share a room with your older child, or have a room nearby where the older child could easily be woken?

Since the twins have been in their own room (they were 9 month-ish) which is right across the hall from DS room, he has only been woken up a few times by the others. More recently though, DS wants to go to sleep with them (probably for the same reason AmyE had although he doesn't say that). He'll ask me if I want him to lay down with them until they go to sleep. I'll let him lay down on the floor between them. Sometimes, he'll eventually get up and go to his room but occasionally he'll sleep there all night. I'm considering at some some point of putting all 3 beds in 1 room and the bureaus in the other. I'm just not sure if that could cause some serious mischievous-ness that I will soon regret.

[mittyrd]

Yay, I finally figures out how to do it. Here's the picture of the boys I used for our holiday cards.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2340/2177833359_1477563433.jpg?v=0


And here's brotherly love:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2234/2210343983_38cdd5ed70_m.jpg

[Baby Lust]

Awww!! What cute little guys!!

Thanks for all the comments on the sleeping situation! I think we will move one of our dressers into Lucas's room for the girls' clothes, then set up a little PNP in our room for the first few months. Then we'll see what the house situation is like. Once they get a little better about sleeping (all 3 of them!) we can move them to Lucas's room if we are still in this house. I guess I'm overanalyzing, but I'm just trying to think of all the possible problems I might run into. See, my DH works overnights, so I will be all alone with my 3 babies and I am simply dreading it! LOL! :o



My next question is just a general question, I guess. I am planning on BFing them, and am wondering how easy/difficult it was for you. The nurse at Mayo said to feed them at the same time, on the same schedule or I'll be BFing all day every day. Is that the best way? Is it hard to BF them both at once? FTR, I have rather large breasts, so it was difficult to maneuver DS while supporting my breast until he was strong enough to "help me out". I'm just wondering if I will have the same problem x2 with the girls. Granted, I was new to BFing with DS so maybe it won't be as hard this time around, but I suspect there will be some challenges!

Thanks again! Sorry for all the questions! :o I'm so glad there are a group of you here to help me out!!

[AmyE]

Babylust - my twins are 13.5 months, and we are still nursing. (Only mornings and evenings though - I WOH.) I also pumped at work until they hit 12 months. Ben gets whole milk in bottles at home now, Julia recently decided she can't stand milk, so she's off bottles and we feed her lots of cheese and yogurt.

They did get some formula here and there, but not as much as I thought they would need. I found that having BFing experience with DS1 made it MUCH easier. I knew more or less what to expect, and how to troubleshoot. Ben was a lazy, lazy baby and wouldn't suck strongly when he was teeny, so he was nursed then would get a bottle. Eventually he figured it out. Julia was a champ from Day 1.

On schedules: The tandem nursing worked ok for me for a very short time, then I found it easier to nurse one twin, then the other. It was easier to wake a sleeping baby (ackkk!!) and feed her than to have each waking up every 2 hours...but on opposite hours. The first 8-10 weeks weren't so much fun, but we managed. Eventually I figured out that Julia would sleep for longer stretches than Ben, so I quit waking her up when I'd feed Ben.

Some moms tandem nurse with no problem. The EZ2nurse twins nursing pillow was ok, but others swear buy it. I think it would be worth checking it out on eBay and seeing if you can get a good deal.

OTOH - stuff happens. It's harder for preemies, or if the babies end up in the NICU. Sometimes it doesn't work out, and you shouldn't beat yourself up about it. Most twins are FF, I think, and they do just fine. Do you have a breastpump? If not, I highly recommend getting one before the kids arrive. That way you can pump some bottles if you can't nurse them right away, and later DH or anyone else can help you feed them.

PS: there are several Twinmoms on the BFing thread, so head over there with questions too.

[Brink]

Mittyrd - Wow, your boys have gotten so big! I guess I haven't seen a picture of them in a long time - they (all three) are so handsome!

[amychris03]

Babylust My twins are only 3 weeks old right now and we are nursing. The hardest challenge for us currently is that they require a lot of prompting just to keep them awake enough to feed. Also- both babies were pretty sick when born so my daughter didn't even get to try breastfeeding for the first 2.5 weeks of her life, so she's still getting the hang of it. That said- it's coming along. We currently have to breastfeed and then supplement with a bottle afterwards to make sure they are gaining weight ok. So it's a lot of work currently since I have to breastfeed, bottle feed, and pump. But it's starting to come together and I think our son will be ok without the supplementation soon. We have not done tandem nursing because they both need so much support right now, but we may try it as they improve. They are pretty efficient little eaters and only take about 15 minutes so if they keep that up, I may just end up doing them back to back.

Oh, and I rented a hospital grade pump to help with my supply. It's done awesome considering I couldn't hold/feed either baby for the first week and only got to start nursing the second week. We rented the Medela Symphony which the lactation consultant at the NICU said was the best.

AmyE How long did you have to supplement with the bottle after nursing? Gosh I hope I can quit that soon, at least for Michael.

[AmyE]

AmyE How long did you have to supplement with the bottle after nursing? Gosh I hope I can quit that soon, at least for Michael.[/QUOTE]

I think we did it for about 5 weeks, then he was back to his birthweight and gaining, and seemed to nurse better. At that stage he would get some feedings with a bottle of pumped BM, or I would nurse him...but not nurse/bottle in one feeding. It makes life SOOOO Much easier when you get to that stage.

[Baby Lust]

Thanks AmyE for your experience!! I figured the first few months would be really really hard, and I'm glad that I have accepted that because I think it will help me in the long run! I can't even imagine how much formula for twins would cost if I chose not to BF!! :eek: So that's part of my motivation! And my DS (19 months old now) was BF'd for 13 months with very little supplementing and he has only ever gotten colds. Never the flu, never EIs, nothing. I try to attribute that to BFing in my mind, even if it's not true! :o

amychris, You sound like you are doing awesome!! I hope I'm as calm and collected as you seem when I'm in your shoes! :p I hope you are able to get a really good schedule down so it is like clockwork! I bet your boys are growing like crazy from your Mommy Milk already!!! Keep it up!! I'll be around to ask tons of questions (I'm sure) once my girls arrive! Thanks for sharing your experience so far!!

Did anyone's insurance cover a breast pump because of twins or twins in NICU? I'm planning on buying a new one anyway, but if BCBS will pay for it, awesome! :D

[angelgirl8]

babylust...i nursed my two for 21 months. it was definitely tough in the beginning. when they were really little, i nursed them one after the other so i could really latch them and wake them and everything. when they were older and better at latching i was able to nurse them at at the same time. the twins nursing pillow was a must!

our insurance didn't cover the pump even with a prescription (preemie in the nicu) but we have bcbs now and i'm pretty sure they do cover it. can't hurt to submit it. i'd definitely get a prescription from your doctor if you can.

[relly]

mittyrd - I agree with Brink, they have gotten so big and are a good looking bunch of boys.

babylust - my insurance, BCBS, did cover it for about 2 months, my babies were preemies in the NICU, the lactation consultant at the hospital took care of everything immediately, I had my rental delivered to me on my 2nd day in the hospital. I didn't use it until we got home, the hospital provides one in each room.

[EJH]

cross posting with FYI sale thread

Albee Baby is having a huge sale, especially on Peg Perego stuff. Their Aria twin is listed at $169.99 down from $329.

Worth a look.

http://www.albeebaby.com/peg-perego-aria-twin-2007-toffee.html

[firefly]

just a quick question. How long (on average) did you nst take (for twins) I'm just wondering how long (on average of course) I should plan for, I start next tuesday.

[Tandis]

If the girls cooperated, it was about a 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. If they didn't, then it was over an hour. All depends upon if your babies are sleeping or not, and if they're in a good position to record their heartbeat. :)

[Sage]

mitty - Ack, your boys are so adorable! I agree, they have grown SO much!

firefly - It really just depends on how cooperative your twins are. If they find them both really quick and they stay on the monitor, then you could be done in a 1/2 hour. If it takes awhile to find them or they keep popping off, you could be there 1 1/2 hour +. Twins make the whole thing much more complicated! :D

[Ericka_Jarett]

My twins were scheduled up to 1 hour. But they were always read within the first 10 mins. So I only had to go 1/2 hour a session.

[firefly]

the dr said he wanted 30 minutes on each baby is that the norm? can I bring a book to read or something?

[Phen]

Firefly, that's what my OB said, too (30 min. per baby). And I was so busy with the little Jeopardy! clicker (buzzing in whenever i felt a kick so they could see if I was feeling all the movement, i guess?) that I never really had time to do more than glance through a magazine. If it was a full biophysical profile, it would take 2 hours (b/c of the ultrasound); if it was just the NST, little over an hour.

Baby Lust, take this with a grain of salt (b/c I never managed to successfully BF), but I really would only take BF-with-multiples advice from someone who has either nursed multiples themselves or who has worked with a lot of multiplesmamas. I stupidly assumed that the "LC" at my hospital would be helpful because she said she'd "heard of" a woman an hour away who'd nursed triplets, but when it came right down to it, no one was very helpful for me except for other multiplesmamas.

Y'all, I am totally jinxing myself here, but I thiiiink maybe my boys are daytime potty-trained!! Glory be! It took just about ten months.

~ phen

[Ericka_Jarett]

I never had to do the buzzer in my NST. The nurses were always able to just get the right position with both and since they both got the info out in the first 10 mins, DH was always with me so we would be chatting or the nurse and I would be chatting.

[firefly]

well apparently my nst started today. ;) I only have to do 15 mintues, both babies were co-operative, we had some nice accels and no major decels, I did have to use the clicker but it wasn't bad, the clicker was to see if the rises corresponded with accels or decels.

[Baby Lust]

Phen, Thank you! I am definitely going to ask for a LC with experience in multiples! We don't have a local LLL meeting around here so that's about all I have for support IRL, but I know the BFing thread was a lifesaver with DS so hopefully I can get through it painlessly!! :p

[catmom]

Has anyone here bfed twins while caring for an older child? I remember what it was like to nurse DD in the early months, and I've read some of the descriptions here, and I just can't see how I will be able to manage. I would really like to nurse these twins as much as I can, but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around how it will work. I still remember nursing DD 8-10 hours a day, and there's no way I could have done that and cared for another kid. I am hoping maybe these babies won't be so into comfort nursing!

[firefly]

catmom, I didn't nurse twins (yet) but I bf my second, it was um... interesting, my older dd (2 1/2 at the time) was obsessed with watching my bf I was home ft with both of the kidlets, dh worked/(works) long long hours, usually 6-6 but some nights later (10/11:30) there were times when I thought I'd loose my mind but it all worked out. I can't say how twins will impact me, but I'm planning on nursing them, while having my 2 older children around, and dh still working long hours. Just be prepared that your older child may watch a lot more t.v and get away with a lot more sass, and you will learn to bf standing up walking around, while washing dishes. (seriously, I could bathe dd#1 and nurse dd#2 at the same time, wasn't pretty or easy but it's what had to be done.

[AmyE]

Julia took her first step on Sunday. (Daddy's knee was a bit farther away from the coffee table than she expected....) :eek: I'm going to have twin toddlers soon!

[klm2klh]

Yeah for Julia! I'm sure Ben won't be far behind! You are going to be a much busier momma soon!

[firefly]

Yeah Julia!!


I got the carseats this week, and I have both cribs set up (I only plan on using one in the beginning) how long were your twins in the same crib if you had them in the same crib.

I've packed the diaper bag for the hospital, is there anything special you need for a mulitple birth v.s a singleton birth?

[Chelsea524]

Yeah Julia, now you're going to be a busy momma

I can't believe you are already thinking about packing for the hospital, is it getting that close already? Scary!

Am I insane for not getting a second crib? I know eventually we will need one but I am hoping for at least 6 months of them sleeping together, should I just bite the bullet and get a second one now?

[klm2klh]

Firefly & Chelsea - My boys shared a crib until they were almost 6 months old. We had two set up from the beginning, but only used one - the other one was just there to hold whatever we threw in it :). By 6 months they were both starting to move around alot, they didn't really seem to be disturbing each other, but it seemed like a good time to separate them.

[firefly]

Chels~ I"m 30 1/2 weeks. I had my dd#2 at 35w 5d so Hopefully I have at least the next 5 weeks.. but whos to say if I'm going to be able to get out of bed in another week ykwim?

klm I was figuring a good 6 months..good. :)

[Tandis]

Yay Julia!

Cribs - My girls moved to two separate cribs at 10 weeks. Mainly because Veronica moved around so much, I frequently found her with her feet in her sisiter's face, but also because they were just too big to share one crib. As for buying now vs. buying later, if you buy them together you probably will get a twins' discount, as opposed to buying them later, you won't. I got mine at Baby Depot and saved 20% off of both.

[amychris03]

Chelsea

I second the twin discount thing- it saved us tons of money! We got the cribs on sale at USA Baby and got a twin discount on top of the sale, so when all was said and done- the furniture for the twins room was actually cheaper that our sons room. Craziness. I'm not to that point yet because mine are still in the pack and play- but SIL's twins had to go separate pretty early because one had pretty bad reflux and needed the matress elevated.

[Ericka_Jarett]

We just got 1 new crib for Easton (converts) stationary side and the girls have his old crib (so old, less than a year old) because it has a drop side. I think we will probably just get a cheaper crib that doesn't convert for when we need to split the girls, unless we can move Easton to a toddler bed before then.

[Chelsea524]

Unfortunately I can't get the twin discount for cribs because I already have one I am reusing from my previous kids. I think I'll just stick to the plan of buying one when I need it, their room isn't all that big so it would be a tight fit with another crib so I will hold out as long as possible.

[firefly]

Chelsea probably has 1 crib from her boys, I didn't buy either of my cribs, I'm so greatful for that.

[Phen]

The twin discount never really worked for us. I couldn't track down the formula rep until the boys were nearly done with formula, they didn't like any TinyLove stuff, etc. etc. Blah. But you know, we did get $10/month off the second boy's Mothers' Morning Out tuition -- I think a lot of places offer sibling discounts anyhow.

our boys shared a crib/packNplay (for naps) until about eight or ten weeks of age. We separated them then because they had colds. Also because they were always smackin' eachother in the head. Also, Chelsea, we only bought one crib, too. We were given a barely used Jenny Lind crib and so it wasn't very expensive at all to match it.

[klm2klh]

Well we bought the boys their "big boy" beds this weekend:eek: They're not even 2 yet - how can already be moving into beds?

We ended up getting them each a twin bed, which eventually can be joined into bunk beds. Unfortuantely, the ones I really wanted to get for them had to be ordered and were going to take up to 4 months to arrive. Even our second choice are still going to take a month to be delivered!

And in other good news - my days of early morning wakings seemed to have passed! I don't know if I mentioned it earlier or not, but just after Christmas the boys (mainly Campbell) started waking up at around 5 a.m. (give or take 15 mins) and would not go back to sleep. This was a big difference from their usual pattern of waking up between 7-7:30. We had to go back to 2 naps, with the first one about 9:30 and most days they wouldn't even go down for a second nap which led to some pretty rough afternoons & evenings.

My mom & dad came to watch them while DH & I went on vacation and the pattern continued. But once DH & I got back and my parents left things got better. The boys were also back into most of their regularly scheduled activities which helped and they have now gone back to their old waking schedule.

I really think it had to do with all the disruptions of Christmas, DH breaking his ankle, grandparents visiting and the fact that their normal activities stopped over the holidays. But of course all bets are out the window when those new beds get here!:)

[relly]

One crib to 2 cribs - we moved them a few days after they were 6 months old, they were starting to run out of room. I was a little teary that first night. They're still in their cribs right next to each other. No plans for big kid beds. We've put a 2nd floor addition onto our house and it is no where near completion, right now we all sleep on the first floor which is an open floor plan.

[AliMC]

I have been a terrible poster! Actually, I think that I am always a terrible poster, so I suppose that there is nothing new about that!

We've moved into our new place and mostly unpacked. My MIL threw my shower there over the weekend (40+ ladies! Yikes!) and my DH flew my Mom, Dad, Step-mom, Sister and BF (and her baby boy) in for the weekend. It was so awesome! I haven't seen any of them (except sis) during the pregnancy, so it meant a lot to me to have them here.

We got so much stuff, but I still think that there is quite a bit for us to purchase. It's scary!

Of course, now I am wiped out!

Had an OB appointment Monday and all is good. I think the babies are dropping a bit (is it bad to say that I hope they are?) and I am measuring 46 weeks. But no dilation or anything.

I am still at work and hoping to work right up until the end, but each day is harder and harder. The subway sucks - even if people are really nice about giving up seats!

We have MFM appointment and OB appointment Monday and a meeting with a prospective pediatrician on Thursday.

Does anyone have any thoughts regarding specific pediatrician needs for twins?

firefly - I am impressed you've packed your bag already! I suppose I should take care of that soon. Maybe this weekend, as we make sense of the chaos that is the babies' room...

cribs - we plan to have them share a loaner crib while they are in the room with us and then perhaps separate them when they move to their own room. that will be a fun transition!

AmyChris - Congrats on the walking... I think... :rolleyes:

[angelgirl8]

cribs...they shared the cosleeper for 4ish months and then i think we moved to one crib until they were about 6 months old. now they're in their own cribs, which are really close together!

pediatricians...our pediatrician happens to have twins, but that's really just lucky. i mean, it helped our decision but it wasn't that critical. besides for having to deal with 2 kids at the same time at appointments, i would imagine there isn't that much difference from a doctor's perspective between seeing twins or seeing singletons.

it is helpful to have our ped, though, because she's really sympathetic when i complain how hard it is to take them to the park on my own!

[Chelsea524]

Had a fun dr appt yesterday. We had a growth u/s first because at my last u/s baby boy was messuring a week ahead of baby girl. Well, now baby boy is messuring 3 weeks ahead of baby girl, he is messuring at 30w3 days baby girl at 27w3d, so girl is a little behind my EDD but not to far, but dr is getting a little concerned and I now have to go in once a week for a NST (non stress test) to make sure baby girl is handling everything ok and not in distress. I am basically going to be living at the dr already, once a week for NST and dr wants to start weekly appts at my next appt in two weeks. Oh and I had the fun of him checking my cervix because the u/s tech couldn't get a good pic of it, that was a fun surprise, especially since I was unshaven and we had DTD an hour before

Anyone else have the problem with babies messuring quite a bit off? They were about a lb different in size, boy just over 3 and girl just over 2. They said they both have plenty of fluid and placentas are far apart so they havent fuzed together(not sure if they could have anyways or not)

[AliMC]

Chelsea - our Baby B is about a week off from baby A, but they say that there is about a half pound leeway, so it could be more or less than they think.

I am impressed that you're still DTD - my OB had us on pelvic rest from like week 24 because apparently there is some hormone in sperm that causes the cervix to thin and can bring on pre-term labor. But maybe that's an old wives tale and my OB is just super conservative.

I don't worry so much about cleaning up down there (I mean it's CLEAN, but not umm... you know what I mean) I can barely reach around my belly for basic cleaning, I'm not risking any blades in the vicinity. I have considered waxing - I just don't want to freak out the salon technician!

[Ericka_Jarett]

Ali - I was pelvic rest since 13 weeks. And it's definitely true about the sperm. That's why so many people say to have sex to bring on labor when you are full term.

[firefly]

chelsea, our baby a (as of 3 hours ago) was measurning aprox 3lbs 3oz and baby b was 4lbs 4 oz. we're not dtd (at least to ahem completion) because of the super sprem) that's what I believe brought me into labor both other times, sperm has a prostaglandin (which is what dr use to ripen the cervix)

Ali is right though the u/s measurment is about 6-8oz +/- and my ob doesn't belive in weekly growth u/s becuase there isn't enough time to show growth so we're doing growth u/s every other week, I'm on weekly nst, and weekly vists, PLUS the weekly diabetic appointment. (so that means at least 3 days a week at the dr. ) it's all for good though.

[Chelsea524]

Thanks for the replies. My dr hasn't said anything about not DTD, maybe I will have to ask about it at my next appt, its not an often thing for us anyways but I guess I should ask. I'm not too concerned about the growth difference because baby girl is still messuring pretty close to where she should be, its just baby boy is bigger than avarage, so its not like she is hurting from it. Dr just wants to keep an eye on it to make sure he isn't getting to big to fast for any reason. Firefly I'm not getting a growth u/s each week, just an NST, next growth u/s will probably be in 2-3 weeks.

[Baby Lust]

Hi girls! Just checking in! I had my first OB appt since we found out about the twins. Everything seems fine with them. H/Bs are within 10 bpm. My BP was high though (148/64) so my dr is concerned about that. Hopefully it will be lower on Tuesday when I go back for my u/s follow-up appt. I really don't want to go on bedrest this early!! :(

Hope everyone is doing well!

[firefly]

baby lust, mostly they worry about the diastolic(bottom) number being over 90
Chelsea, since we're so close on dd I understand not dtd very often. lol. lugging the belly out of the way, carpal tunnel syndrome, not squishing the babies being able to breathe. lol it's just so much damn work to get the deed done.

[Baby Lust]

lugging the belly out of the way, carpal tunnel syndrome, not squishing the babies being able to breathe. lol it's just so much damn work to get the deed done.

LMAO!! This is my problem too! :p Hee hee!! :o

[Chelsea524]

LOL Firefly, that is so true, it is almost more work than it's worth

BabyLust, do you work? I was taken off of work just before 20 weeks due to high BP but not put on strict bedrest, just trying to take it easy and lie down when I am feeling tired. Since then my BP has dropped each appt and is doing great now so maybe talk to your dr about being taken off work before put on full bedrest.

[Baby Lust]

Chelsea, Yes, I do work FT. Normally no OT but once in a while. I would say I sit about 55% of my day and stand/walk the rest. Do you remember what your BP was when they decided it was too high?

[Chelsea524]

BP had been creeping up for a little while but was 140/95 (I think) when they took me off work.

[Baby Lust]

Ok, so it seems that firefly is right in that the bottom number has to be close to 90 for it to be a worry... I wonder if that varies by OB or if it's pretty standard??

[firefly]

from what I hear the diastolic is the worry some number, both of course are important but even my gp worries more about diastolic. I worry about mine because I'm chronically low (not pregnant) so the fact that my diastolic has been in the upper 80s' the last two visits (um both times this week), whoops wasn't the last 2 consecutive times just the last 2 fridays, concerns me but not my ob or nurses.

[Baby Lust]

Thanks firefly!! Is there an easy way to help lower it? Less salt and more water should help, right? Anything else?

[firefly]

Honestly I have no idea how to lower it I know oatmeal helps with cholesterol.:confused:;)

[AliMC]

BabyLust - I wish I had any advice about lowering BP but, aside from lowering sodium intake, i'm not sure what you can do...

We had our first NST this morning - SURPRISE! We were having a regular MFM measuring u/s when the Doctor said 'hmmm... you need to have one already, let's do it today!' Baby A was cooperative, but Baby B seemed to think that it was a good time for a nap.

Oh, and Baby B has suddenly gone from being head down for ages to breach.

Has anyone had a successful vaginal delivery with a breach 2nd Baby?

Otherwise, my BP is 100/60, I'm still working (though I could murder for a nap around now) and, now that the NST is done, the babies are kicking like mad.

we also picked up our Double Decker stroller from another twinmom yesterday and I love it! It's exactly what I had hoped it would be. So hopefully I will be out and about with the babies a lot this spring.

Hope uou all are doing well!

[Tandis]

Ali - My Baby B went from head down to breech at around 24 weeks. She stayed that way through my 36th week. Both of my doctors agreed that I would have to have a C/S though my OB said that we could wait until I went into labor to do so. Some time in the four days between my last u/s and when my water broke, Baby B flipped back to head down so I was able to give birth vaginally.

While it is possible to give birth vaginally to a breech twin, most doctors refuse to do so for fear of possible complications. However, it is never too late for the baby to flip. :)

[Phen]

My OB said that, for his patients, a breech baby A is an automatic csection, but he's willing to try for a vaginal delivery if only baby B is breech.

~ phen

[Sage]

My OB said that, for his patients, a breech baby A is an automatic csection, but he's willing to try for a vaginal delivery if only baby B is breech.

Ditto this.

[Chelsea524]

I do believe Ericka delivered her baby B breech. My dr refuses to do vaginally unless both are head down especially since baby B is much larger than baby A, although baby B is the one that is head down and baby A is the one who is breech for me.

[catmom]

My OB said that, for his patients, a breech baby A is an automatic csection, but he's willing to try for a vaginal delivery if only baby B is breech.

This is what I have been told, providing that B is not significantly larger than A. I was also told that B can do a lot of moving around after A comes out, and that an external version is possible after the birth of the first twin. I also know someone who delivered twins vaginally- the first twin was vertex, and then the dr reached in and pulled the second twin out by the feet. I think this is fairly standard practice for twins.

FWIW, A (the girl) is still switching back and forth between vertex and breech, but B has always been transverse. So I guess I know who to blame for my heartburn! And who keeps kicking me in the bladder.

[Chelsea524]

Catmom, I just noticed your sig, I never realized we were so close on due dates! I guess it will be a toss up on who goes first, my due date based on O was 4/27 but dr stuck with 4/25 so I did too. Yours are boy/girl too right?

[Baby Lust]

My OB said that, for his patients, a breech baby A is an automatic csection, but he's willing to try for a vaginal delivery if only baby B is breech.
Same here! That's what I am hoping for!

I have my u/s followup appt tomorrow so I am praying my BP is down!!!!

Did anyone have to do the GTT early? Or was there anything else different with a twin pgcy than a singleton?

[Ericka_Jarett]

I gave birth to a breech Baby B.

My Baby A (Julianna) was head down and Baby B (Katelyn) was head up as of 4 months and stayed that way until I delivered. My OB said A is breech it was automatic section as well. But since A was head down and B was breech they would deliver vaginally and breech. They prefer not to turn the brech baby as there is too much chance of a prolapsed cord and thus an emergency c-section following the A vaginal birth.

Julianna came out in 1 push and Katelyn was 3 pushes, was more pushes because the doctor had to reach in and make sure her legs were closed and guide her down. She had to have a hip ultrasound since she was breech birth to make sure her hips were not dislocated at all. She got the all clear at that, which was around 6-8 weeks old.

[Chelsea524]

Back from my first NST. Babies were being little stinkers so I was there for 90 mins, baby boy just wanted to sleep so they couldn't get the accelerations they needed and had to buzz him a few times to get him to wake up, baby girl just kept moving all over the place and wouldn't stay on the monitor. Baby boy is now breech as well, he was moving like crazy a couple days ago and I hadn't really felt much from him since, I guess he moved head down at that point and the movement down low I was thinking was just baby girl. I also had quit a few small contractions while on the monitor, kind of funny to watch, none very stronge though.

[catmom]

Chelsea- woops! I just looked at my sig and realized I entered the date wrong. These kids are actually due at the end of May, not April. Gotta fix that!

[Phen]

Is that their 40 week EDD, catmom? Has your OB said what goal you're shooting for (delivery after 35w, 38w, etc.)? The average, I think, is 36w for twins, but I don't precisely remember.

Well, it's official: JLo is having twins (reportedly boy/girl). And she insists she's not going to dress them alike...don't we all say that before they're born and then find out how much easier it makes life? ;)

[Sage]

Well, it's official: JLo is having twins (reportedly boy/girl). And she insists she's not going to dress them alike...don't we all say that before they're born and then find out how much easier it makes life? ;)

Yes, but J.Lo will probably have a nanny for each twin so they won't be dressed alike unless Twin A's people call Twin B's people to schedule in advance. :p

[Sage]

Aidan and Owen turned one year old last Friday!! I can't believe my little babies are entering the toddler stage...crazy.

I posted a whole mess of photo's of their first birthday party in the first birthday thread. We did a western theme and I think it turned out pretty cute!! Here's a pic of them eating their cupcakes...Owen downed the whole thing in no time. Aidan was a little pickier about it, but somehow ended up messier. :p

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u49/mcpeter77/Picture047.jpg?t=1202400870

They are both doing so great. They're pulling up on everything, and Owen just stood by himself not holding on to anything for a few seconds yesterday!! So that was pretty exciting. Owen says mama (me) and baba (bottle) with purpose, but Aidan doesn't really seem to have any meaning behind his babbling so far. They are both eating table food like champs, but we still don't have them on a sippy. I'm off to investigate sippy cups this weekend. Ashley didn't give us any trouble on the sippy, so I'm not quite sure how to go about convincing them to use it... I've heard good things about the Nuby cup and then ones with straws?? You think I wouldn't be so clueless about this, but I am.

Hope everyone else is doing well!

[Baby Lust]

Congrats Sage! They are SO CUTE!!!! Owen must be on the right, huh? :p Such little cuties!!! You must be so proud of them! :)

[mittyrd]

Happy Birthday, Owen & Aidan!! So cute!!

[AmyE]

Happy birthday Aidan and Owen! Great job on that party Sage!!


Weeelll, I have b/g twins, and they are rarely if ever dressed alike. They have a set of PJs that is identical, but they are handed down from their big brother. Most of their stuff is handed down from DS1, actually, except some pink stuff that Grandma buys for Julia so that she's not in boy clothes all the time.Sometimes they end up in the same pjs because DH and just pull that particular one out of the drawer.

(We bought two of the same because we thought for a few nights that it was a set of magic pajamas, since DS1 STTN a couple of times when we first got them. Alas, turns out they weren't magic pjs. I"m still searching for magic pjs....)

[catmom]

How many ultrasounds did you have?

The perinatologist I was referred to does 1/month until 32 weeks, and then 1/week thereafter. Is this standard (it seems like a lot to me!)? Also, did anyone *not* see a perinatologist, or do all OBs consider this to be a requirement?

Just trying to figure out what's standard these days! I have been trying to look thigs up, but I'm not turning anything up. I'm also surprised that my regular OB doesn't want to see me any more frequently than she would with a singleton pregnancy.

Amy- DD has magic pajamas! Actually they were custom-made by Marisa on these boards, to fit over DD's cloth diapers. I subsequently stopped using cloth at night, but these are really roomy in the crotch which is nice because the wet diaper isn't smashed against DD's skin. Not that they've been helping us lately, but that's another story.

[Sage]

Catmom - I had about a bajillion ultrasounds because I was high risk, so I'm not the best example. I think 1x a month is totally reasonable with fraternal twins. The 1x a week after 32 weeks...is that in conjunction with an NST? If so, that makes a lot of sense to me too. As for seeing a peri at all, my original OB would have kept me under her care if I was pregnant with fraternals. But since they were identical, I got referred to the peri.

AmyE - LOL about the magic pj's.... If you find them, can you please send a pair to my toddler? ;)

[firefly]

catmom i have di-di twins i've gotten u/s every 2 weeks since week 5. i've been seeing a reg ob he is "faccog" every 2 weeeks since week 5 (twins were detected at 6 weeks) at week 24/25 I went to weekly at 28 weeks i started bi-weekly with nst I'm currently 31w 2d '(although my edd was based off lmp, and the babies measured that the edd was 4 days earlier but since it was NOT more than a week off we didn't officially cange edd's ....*whew that was long)

[Chelsea524]

Catmom I am just seeing a regular OB but seeing a peri is very normal too. I get an u/s at each appt mainly just to check the HBs because its hard to make sure your hearing two separate ones with a doppler. My appts were once a month until about 22 weeks, then went to every 2-3 weeks at 26 weeks and at my appt next week (30 weeks) I'll start weekly, I also now have weekly NSTs but that is just because of a size difference in the babies. I'm now going to be getting a growth u/s every 2-3 weeks as well I think.

[Ericka_Jarett]

I saw only a peri in my twin pregnancy.I got u/s every 2-3 weeks, but that was due to my cerclage.

[Phen]

I didn't see a peri. I saw an RE periodically, but my OB was the primary medical monitor. I had an ultrasound maybe 3-4 times, total, during the first and second trimester, but had an ultrasound once a week for the last 5-6 weeks, as part of the biophysical profile.

[klm2klh]

Well I don't even know what a peri is so obviously I didn't see one. I didn't even see and OB until 26 weeks. I was going to a low risk clinic where the doctors were mainly family doctors who delivered babies. After finding out at 20 weeks that we were having twins I was referred to an OB, but didn't see her until I was 26 weeks. Up to that point I had only had the 1 ultrasound. At 28 weeks, I started having potential BP issues and eventually pre-term labour issues. I had another ultrasound around that time, plus one while I was in the hospital. Then at around 32 weeks they started to be concerned that one of the boys wasn't growing so I had weekly ultrasounds & OB visits. Oh yeah, plus I had a nurse come to my house to do NST 3x a week from about 28 weeks.

[firefly]

x posted everywhere..

ftr I'm 31 w 3 days according to 'official edd' I"m loosing my plug, should I call the dr? yes I trully am that dense. It's all clear at this point, not pink or blood tinged. It was while I was in the shower, right after I went to the bathroom (in the toilet) I had a bm.

so call yes or no?


and ftr my hubby is on his way to school, He left before I hit the shower, He's about 90 minutes away.
With dd#1 I never lost it, my water just broke(37 weeks)
With dd#2 I lost my plug around noon and she was born (via c-section) (at 35w 5d) around 8 (I had gone from long closed to 3 and fully effaced in that amount of time, I had been checked the day before)

[amychris03]

Firefly
I'd call- I think that was one of the things on my list to call my OB for. Because you are only 31 weeks, they'd probably want you to get checked out.
Let us know what happens. Even if they don't want you to come in, it's better safe than sorry.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Since you delivered your #2 was born the same day you lost your plug, I would call. You can start to loss the plug and not go into labor, but with your past history of #2 I would call just to be safe.

[firefly]

I called. The nurse said as long as there are no other labor signs that I don't need to come in. So I"m not (I am however sitting stilll, feet up drinking lots of water to keep anything 'else' from starting.

[Chelsea524]

Take it easy Firefly, tell those babies to stay put.

[Phen]

firefly posted this on LJ last night:


admitted mag sulfate, tributeline , steroids , positive ffn probably here until delivery

I probably don't have to translate for y'all, but following regular contractions and loss of her mucus plug, she was admitted to the hospital last night and is on 28 kinds of meds, and her FFN test was positive (meaning delivery is likely in the next 2 weeks, I think? please correct me if I'm wrong on this). Hang in there, firefly and your boys! Good thoughts good thoughts...

~ phen

[LDS Angel 19]

Yipe! I'm sorry, firefly! I'm thinking of you and hoping those babies (and you) can hang in there for a few more weeks!

[Sage]

Hang in there, firefly! Thinking of you and hoping those babies stay put...

[Baby Lust]

Hang in there firefly!!! Hope those babies stay put for a while yet!!

[amychris03]

Yikes, hang in there firefly! Hope those babies stay put for a while and you are doing ok. I remember when my dr did my FFN, he said that a negative was pretty certainly a negative, but if you get a positive there were lots of possible reasons for a false positive, so I'm hoping that's the case with you. Take care!

[firefly]

Hi multiple mama's. My babies are still on the inside. I"m still at the hospital. Trib and Mag sulfate didn't work, I'm on another one now. Mag sulfate did work for about 24 hours, but we have yet to stop my contrax. No one is doing any internals on me*(since the first 8 hours, I went from a 1 at admission to 1 1/2-2 8 hours later. ) they are afraid to 'excite' my uterus. LOL My girly parts haven't been excited in quites some time.

I don't know how many of you have been on mag but man that's a killer.

I am so thankful for all your p&pt for me and the boys. We're all doing great except for the contrax. my ob is great, he's been by 2-3 times a day and the nurses are all awesome. I need to do something for them.
God Bless my husband he's working so hard to stay sane. his finals are coming up in 3 weeks, his work deadlines are February 18 and like March 5.

Since I've been here I"ve been in the 'slow' bed (remember friends?) The room next to me (Since Sunday night has had 5 deliveries. one lady came in 'crampy' found out she was complete and was holding her baby with 30 minutes. i'm on a ft nst. I love that I can just look over and see the boys hr just thumping away. well I need to get off the computer my eyes are still not over the mag.

ttyl.

[klm2klh]

firefly - glad to hear that the boys are "still on the inside":) It sounds like you are in good hands, hopefully they will get the contractions under control. Your comment about exctiting your uterus gave me a good laugh! At least you still have a sense of humor! Good luck to you.

[relly]

Firefly – your OB sounds fantastic, I’m glad he’s keeping such close tabs on you and your boys. And it helps to have such great nurses, too. Hope you’re able to rest comfortably. Sending good “keep’em baking” thoughts and prayers your way.

My little sweeties will be 2 years old in 5 weeks, I can’t believe it. Here’s a pic from the other day, my son now poses whenever we try to take his picture. I have no idea where he picked that up from, but it cracks me up. Then Devon starts to ham it up. They can be so silly sometimes.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd40/DERELLY/JAN%20FEB%202008/fetwins.jpg?t=1202911012

[Chelsea524]

Firefly I'm so glad to hear the babies are staying put, sounds lik eyou are in great care

relly they are so cute!!

[Sage]

firefly - glad the babies are staying put! I was on mag sulfate for a night and it was just plain awful. I feel for you!!! Hang in there!

Relly - Adorable picture!!

[firefly]

Reilly _Happy Early Birthday to your little ones.

I get to go home soon. (Today soon, as soon as I meet with the neo natologist) I had a growth u/s baby a (smaller vertex) measures about 3lbs 13 oz baby b (bigger breech) weighs about 4 lbs 9 oz baby a is 'locked and loaded' very low in the canal, baby b is still shoving his head up in my ribcage. but that's great.

[Chelsea524]

I'm so glad babies are staying put and you get to go home. Please take care of yourself!

[Baby Lust]

Glad the babies are doing well and you get to go home firefly!! What a scary experience!! Hope they stick around in there for quite a while yet!!

[mittyrd]

Firefly: I am glad to hear that they are sending you home and that those babies are staying put for now. I was only on the MG for a night and it was HORRIBLE.

Relly: So cute!!

[AliMC]

I'm totally behind as usual!

Firefly - Glad to hear that you get to go home soon! At least the NST is a nice reassurance even if the drugs suck. :o

Relly - cute kids!

Us - Babies are staying put for the time being. They were both head down for the longest time, but Baby B is all mixed up now and keeps changing position. First it was breach, now it is transverse! My Doctor is the only one in her practice who will perform a vaginal delivery in that scenario, so we have to hold out until the 25th, when she'll be back from vacation.

I'm still working, but taking Wednesdays off to break up the week. Hopefully, I will make it through the end of the week next week! Otherwise, I am just taking things easy at home. The couch is my friend and the remote is my BFF.

[Phen]

Firefly has good (baby) news....I'm holding off posting to let her post the news first, if she wants, though.

But it's happy news!

~ phen

[firefly]

Just thought I'd let you know. The boys are here.

My water broke on my ride home. (Discharged at 3:00p water broke at 3:30p) Boys were born via c-section at 10:02 and 10:03 pm. we had a great surgical team 2 neonatologists, 2 rt's, a level 3 nicu nurse and an assistant nurse for each baby. They came out crying which was the biggest relief ever.

Baby A is
Christopher Jeffrey Robert (Chrisy or CJ)
3lbs 14 oz 17 3/4 oz
and he is doing great! (Well they both are)
He was on room air from the beginning, they do have an i.v in him for nutrition but he nippled his first feed tonight and was able to co-ordinate everything. He is a teeny bit jaundiced (like 3-5) but they may billi him tonight jic.

Baby B is
Nicholas Even Curtis (Nikki)
He was the 'big' baby weighing in at 4lbs 8 oz and 17" long (everyone thinks he may be longer though,they haven't been 'bathed' yet. so no real remeasuing yet
He was our 'raspy' breather. They did some cpap with a vaporizer started at 6lit or air and by 12 hours old he was off the vapor air. they tried just doing a cannula but Nikki wanted no part of that he just kept ripping it off so Tom (our nicu nurse super wonderful man) said fine, and took it off And Nikki's been doing great on room air ever since.
Because they are 32 weekers they get all sorts of medical following We'll be doing a head u/s next week they have no cause for concern except age.
Nikki also nippled his first feed tonight and did awesome. I got to hold him for that.

I"ve held my babies they are so tiny, and I wish I could have held them in longer, but for now I'm greatful for how healthy they areand how strong they are. oh and we were the third set of twins since sunday. yeah crazy. The other twins were all term or days from term.

I"m just trying to get my milk supply established We'll go see the boys later tonight after I sleep. I've pretty much gotten no sleep since Sunday so that's probably tanking my supply too.

feel free to cross post. Just wanted to let the other twin mama's know and I know dh posted in my lj.

ttys.

[Chelsea524]

Congrats Firefly!!! They sound like they are doing wonderfully, I can't believe they are able to nipple feed already, that is so great. I hope everything continues to go so well and you can all go home very soon. Will they make they boys stay until at least 34 weeks or if they continue doing so well can they go home sooner?

[mittyrd]

Congratulations, Firefly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[relly]

Firefly – congrats on the birth of your twin boys, CJ and Nkki !! !!
I am so happy to hear how well they are doing, that is wonderful.
They’re the same size as mine were, yours are actually 1 oz. more and a bit taller, good job.

[Sage]

Congrats Firefly!!! They are doing AMAZING for 32 weeks, hats off to you, mama! Here's hoping they get to come home with you soon!

[Ericka_Jarett]

Congrats Firefly. that is great they are doing so well, they will be home in no time.

[charmcitygirl]

congrats firefly! glad to hear everyone is doing well.

[klm2klh]

Congratuations Firefly! It sounds like they are doing well, hopefully you will be able to bring them home soon!

[Brink]

Firefly - wow, such a huge congratulations to you. By the time they are a year old, you will never know they were preemie. Keep up the good work mama!

[Tandis]

Congratulations Firefly! Glad your boys are doing so great :D

[amychris03]

Congrats Firefly!:) I'm so glad they are doing well! Try to get as much rest as you can, as someone who just went through it, I can say that when I started making myself get more sleep, it really did help with my supply. Take care!

[angelgirl8]

firefly...congratulations!!

[AmyE]

Yeah! More babies! Congratulations firefly!! Sounds like everyone is doing great. Rest while you can....

[Tandis]

*Pictures removed*

[AliMC]

A belated congratulations for Firefly!

My twins show no sign of running out of space or being ready to meet us! They have been moving around like mad and flipping from head down, to breach, to sideways. We have an OB appointment tonight, so it will be interesting to see where they are at.

I am going to try to finish out this week at work, though the subway is killing me in the mornings! Unfortunately, cabs are even worse, so the subway is the easiest form of transport.

We've managed to get some nursery stuff together though I think it won't really come together until the babies are born and we know what they are! In the meantime, I have the baby clothes to wash and I still need to pack my hospital bag.

I want to go buy some nursing tanks for the hospital, but am having a really tough time motivating to go to a store that would sell them. I may just go for an online purchase from Gap maternity to tide me over.

Hope you all are doing well!

Tandis - the girls are adorable!

[kemorr]

Well, I'm going to hold off on "officially" joining until we see the heartbeats, but I had my first ultrasound at 5w4d and we saw two sacs, each with a yolk sac, so I think I'm going to be a twin momma! My EDD (40w) is Oct 20th, which is only 6 days before my DD turns 2. DD was from IVF #1 and the twins were from IVF #3.

I have one question for you girls. Today one of the sacs measured smaller than the other. The ultrasound tech said it probably just meant that one embryo implanted later than the other. This would make sense since we transferred one blast and one morula. It probably took the morula a few extra days to implant. However, I am a little worried about it. Have any of you had sacs measure smaller than the other one and it's not been a problem?

Hoping to be in this thread for the long haul! :)

[Sage]

Tandis - Such cute pics!! Love the tutu's!!!

Ali - Oh my gosh, I can't believe you are almost 37 weeks!!! Wow!!! You are a trooper for still working...and taking the subway, no less!

kemorr - CONGRATS!! There are quite a few of us in here with a toddler plus twins...it is a crazy ride but tons of fun too. My oldest was 17.5 months when the twins were born. I don't know the answer to your question, but try not to worry...I'm sure everything will be fine! :)

[Ericka_Jarett]

Congrats Kemorr. I am a toddler and twin mommy. My Easton had just turned 13 months about 3 weeks before I had the twins.

[Chelsea524]

Kemorr one of my twins was measuring a few days behind the other one and both are doing fine. I'm honestly not sure which one was measuring behind at first either but I am sure that it is just when they implanted plus each baby develops at a different rate. Right now my baby boy is actually measuring 3 weeks ahead of my baby girl but both are doing great.

[Phen]

Kemorr, I was just saying the other day to someone that at my first few ultrasounds, baby A was measuring ahead of Baby B by so many days that technically Baby A was due in late July and baby B was due in early August! ;) Seriously, at the first ultrasound at 7w1d, there was a difference of 4-5 days between the babies and now they are 3 and a half and raising hell!

[Baby Lust]

kemorr, Congrats!!! I too am a toddler/twin mama (well I will be in a few months!) DS will be almost 24 months (4 days after official EDD) so it will be quite the ride, but I'm sure it will be fine! :)

[kemorr]

Thanks for the congrats and re-assuring stories everyone!

It hasn't really sunk in yet. Actually, it hasn't really sunk in that I'm pregnant yet, let alone with two. I'm waiting to actually believe it!

For those of you who have toddlers + twins, how did your older DC adapt? The one thing I feel most guilty about is how it's going to change DDs life. Currently she is the center of my attention almost all day. I kind of feel guilty that I won't be able to give her 100% of myself anymore. I keep telling myself that the benefit to her of having siblings will far outweigh losing a little bit of me, but it's hard not to feel guilt.

[Ericka_Jarett]

I would say it took Easton about a month to realize that the babies were here to stay. At first, I wouldn't dare leave them all alone together, especially in the bouncer. Easton found the bouncers to be his toys and would try sitting in them with one of the babies in it still. He's gotten better in not trying to sit in the bouncer at the same time, so now I can leave them alone and know he won't sit in the bouncer with one of the girls there, he won't pull on them. He just recently started to put his head on them, his way of hugging them.

About 2 weeks or so ago we had Easton/Mommy/Daddy day at the aquarium. We took the girls to my mom's to watch them while we spent several hours with just Easton. Sometimes if I go shopping after Jarett comes home I will take just Easton. We don't go out as much as we use to and we haven't traveled at all. By the girls age (4 months in a few days), Easton had already been to VA and on a plane to Vegas and Grand Canyon and again back to VA. The girls have only been to NJ and back a couple of times. Think their first big trip will be in August for Twins Day in Twinsburg, OH

[Chelsea524]

Kemorr, I can't really answer your question since my twins aren't here yet but I completely understand your feelings. I am trying to already make little changes so its not a huge shock when they come, DH has taken over a lot of what I normally do for my 3yo and I also have his older brother play with him more. I still make sure to give him plenty of loves and kisses just like I will when the twins come but I just want him to get used to the fact that it won't be mommy all the time.

[AliMC]

Kemorr - Congratulations! Our twins are identical and one has still always measured a bit behind the other - so I wouldn't worry too much, so long as you've seen the heartbeats. We don't have any other DC, so I have no words of wisdom on that front. My advice - drink lots of water, get lots of protein and give your body a fair amount of rest!

Us - The babies are measuring 5lbs 9z and 5lbs 4oz and, aside from moving like crazy, show no inclination to go anywhere anytime soon! I may end up delivering on my induction date (3/5) which I always thought seemed so crazy far away!

We finally found a pediatrician that we like. I was feeling like a terrible parent! Now I just have to get DH to help me set up the nursery. I think he's in a bit of denial that this is happening SOON!

I'm still working and doing alright. I lost half a pound, but I'm thinking that it was just water weight. I had gotten all puffy last week bu when I upped my water intake it went away.

Any hoo, hope you all are doing well. Chelsea? Baby Lust? What's going on??

[Sage]

Kemorr - Honestly, we didn't have too many adjustment issues at all. DD was 17.5 months, so I think she was still too little to really *get* how much life was changing. She wasn't really at the "mine" stage yet, and was so much of a baby herself there wasn't really any way to regress, KWIM? She wasn't potty-trained, still slept in a crib, etc. Now that she's a bit older (30 months), I definitely see more issues with sibling rivalry, trying to get our attention, and a little bit of regression (the other day she asked me to hold her sippy like a bottle). But seeing them all play together and make each other laugh...it's beyond awesome. That totally outweighs all the minor little issues that have cropped up lately.

[Baby Lust]

Chelsea? Baby Lust? What's going on??

Sorry! :o I have been reading along! Just taking it all in I guess! :p Found out I have a bladder infection so I'm on antibiotics for it, but otherwise both girls are measuring right on target (24w and 24w a few days). They are one oz apart in weight so they are doing awesome!! :D I am just so relieved!! My bp was a tiny bit high (just the top #) at my appt Tues so of course we are watching that, but otherwise things are going great! :) Thanks for thinking about me! I'll try to post more!!

[AmyE]

kemorr- DS was 19 months old when the twins arrived, so like Sage, I found that he adjusted very quickly and well. You can't leave the toddler and babies alone together for awhile, since the toddler will try to sit on a baby (like Erika's Easton!), or feed the infant an apple, or throw a toy at their heads to "share." I also make sure I never made a big deal - or any deal - about DS1 being "big" now and "not a baby." I always said I had 3 babies, that DS was the first baby, and so on. I do tell him that one day the little babies will be big like he is and be able to do the things he does, but I never said "you're grown up now, you can't do that." He sometimes likes to pretend he's a little baby, and we'd humor him. Right now they get along great. Julia worships her older brother, and calls for him whenever she hears his voice. Both Ben and Julia said "JT" as their first word. (FWIW - I don't expect this lovefest to last, but I'm sure enjoying it while I can!)

And yes, there are times when all 3 want to be picked up, and I basically deal with whomever is crying loudest, or who cried first. :rolleyes:

[Chelsea524]

I'm doing good. Feeling huge, everything is uncomfortable now, but still doing good. I don't know why but I feel like these babies are going to be here anytime now, I had an NST yesterday and the night before I had dreams all night that the babies wouldn't pass and they would take them right then(they did great though). So I have been doing everything to get ready for them, all clothes and blankets have now been washed and put away, I went to BRU and bought everything we needed that we didn't get from the shower and I have got the house clean and now I am just trying to stay on top of it to keep it that way. I am in full nesting mode right now. I have my next dr appt on Monday and I am hoping the dr will still be fine with me not on bed rest, he mentioned it about a month or so ago to expect it soon but it hasn't happened yet. I can't make up my mind if I am hoping for these babies to come a little early(35-36 weeks) or if I want them to stay put as long as possible, I feel so done but I know that once they get here it will be so much harder.

[Brink]

Toddler + Twins - Aimee was 16 months when the twins were born. TV becomes more of a friend than we like, but that can't be helped sometimes. I usually never said "not now, I'm feeding/changing the baby). I would stop what I was doing with the baby, help Aimee and then continue with the baby. If I was feeding a baby, she wanted to be in my lap too, so I just picked her up and put her in my lap. There were times when I had a baby in each arm and her plopped right between them. Crowded yes, but definitely worth it. As she got a little older, we included her in their care. When I would change diapers, she would get up next to them and "help" me. She would also "help" me give them a bath. Of course she ended up soaking wet, but who really cares - she was involved. Now the babies are older and she can interact with them, it's great. If they are fussy I'll ask her to go sing to them and she does and they love it. It can be challenging, but you just have to remember that not everything you do for each child needs to be 100% or perfect - just as long as they know you care.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Chelsea - my peri never said you are going on bedrest, things were going well and I felt good so he let me decide. As long as I took it easy, things were good. I delivered at 35w 6d and all was good

[mittyrd]

Toddler & Twins: Jake was 20 months old when the babies were born and 22 months when they came home from the hospital. The adjustment period was relatively easy although it could never have been as bad as I had imagined. I learned how to feed a baby while doing a puzzle with Jake with the other hand. At least once or twice a week, either DH or I would do something alone with Jake (go to the mall, a friend's house, etc.). A couple of times, DH and I left the twins in daycare and took Jake out to an amusement park or something similar so he would have some alone time with us. I honestly think now that he believes that they were all born together. I don't think he remembers a time before them. I feel like they are such a gift to each other. And, yeah, we watched way too much tv...

Sam has a hernia and needs to have surgery which is scheduled for the end of March :( Poor Sam.

[firefly]

Poor Sam. I hope the surgery goes well.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Thought you ladies would appreciate this (just click the image for the video):

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n96/erickakulm/th_MOV03128.jpg (http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n96/erickakulm/?action=view&current=MOV03128.flv)

[Chelsea524]

Missy, Sorry about Sam, poor baby

Ericka, very cute video, they are so adorable

[AliMC]

Still here... still working... So much for the bed rest I thought I would be on ages ago.

Sometimes I think that this pregnancy has just been so freakishly smooth that it freaks me out a bit. We have an OB appointment tonight and hopefully everything is okay with the little critters!

We have slowly been getting the nursery stuff together and organized. I had one of my friends who is a mom come over and help me figure out what we are missing (you know - the stuff that is not so cute, so nobody buys it from the registry!)

Our induction date is the 5th, so - no matter what - we'll have these babies in the next ten days.

Wow.

Mittyrd - sorry about Sam - poor baby!

Ericka - Agh! So cute! My eyes hurt!

[Phen]

AliMC, if you make it another two or three days before delivery, I think you'll be the record-holder in this thread! Wooohoo!! I delivered at 37w5d (was scheduled for delivery at 37w6d, but my water broke on its own) and also had a fairly smooth pregnancy. I know what you mean about feeling weird about having a freakishly smooth multiples pregnancy -- most of the pregnant twinmamas I knew (from both online and IRL) had issues galore and I kept wondering when the boom would fall on me, but it didn't! I like to think of it as we were very fortunate to be so issue-free. :)

Chelsea, I remember very well the "I'M DONE NOW THANKS" feeling! I went to an OB appointment somewhere around 34 weeks expecting the OB to set the date for my csection right then and there and when he instead said he wanted to wait another 3 weeks before setting the date, I burst into tears. I cried for, no joke, two or so days at the thought of going another 3 weeks. But I did make it! And I didn't kill anyone! ;)

Okay, my boys are wanting me to play Wii Tennis with them now, so I'd better go. Three and a half is turning out to be an awfully fun age, in a lot of ways! :)

~ Phen

[Chelsea524]

Phen, thanks, I FEEL like I'm just done but I don't at the same time, I think I'm going to ask my dr at my next appt if its possible to not even schedule a date and just wait til I go into labor to do the c/s, not sure if he'll go for that or not but I have never actually went into labor on my own, both times I've been induce. My youngest is just a month younger than your boys I think, it is a very fun age right now, I am loving it

[firefly]

we just found out today that the boys are identical. that's kinda neat because I told dr a and dh that they were id boys at 7 wks and dr said that he thought they were frat.

[MtySheera]

firefly: That is funny that you knew they were identical and the doctor didn't! How do they tell if they are identical or fraternal...is it a DNA test? Are you able to tell them apart?

[firefly]

They automatically test the placentas (chorion) Christopher is the smaller twin. 4lbs 5 oz right now and Nicholas is the bigger twin 5lbs even today. We are able to tell them apart but we were noticing how much alike they look every day they look more alike. we're going to do the paint a toenail trick I think.

[Chelsea524]

How neat they are identical, I was always terrified I would mix them up but thought it would be fun anyways, guess I don't have to worry either way. How are they doing? Any time frame of when they might get to come home?

[AliMC]

Still here ladies! Phen - do I get a door prize?:rolleyes:

The babies are still moving a lot and boy am I feeling it! It seems that they may have made up their minds to stay in until forced out, so we may go all the way to their induction next wednesday.

Today is my last day at work, so I am busy trying to wrap up projects, but it is hard with people stopping by regularly to marvel at the fact that I am here and actually have arms long enough to reach my keyboard!

I am going to try to motivate more around the apartment this weekend to get as much cleaned up/baby ready as possible, but I mostly just want to nap. Is that so wrong? Unfortunately, if I am napping DH takes it as a sign that he should nap too...

firefly - that's neat that they checked the placentas - I don't think that they do that everywhere. I saw the picture in the March Mommies thread - so cute!!!!

Can't wait to go home. I've been having some funk back pain, and I keep wondering if it's the beginning of something, or just the morning's subway ride catching up with me...

[Baby Lust]

Congrats Ali!!! What an awesome accomplishment!! Those babies are going to be baked perfectly by the time they make their entrance!! How exciting!! I hope you are able to get some rest this weekend!!

[mittyrd]

Ali: I'm so impressed! 38 weeks, working full time, taking the subway...Wow! Very impressive. I'm wondering if your back pain is the start of something too..........

[Chelsea524]

Ali you are my hero, I can't believe you are still baking those babies! I am hoping to go to at least 38 weeks as well and everyone says how impossible that is, but you are my hope!

[Phen]

DEFINITELY win a prize, for sure!

[AliMC]

Well, we had a check up yesterday and it looks like I will be checking into the hospital Wednesday night to be induced... with the idea that the twins will be born thursday (39 weeks).

A is measuring about 7 lbs and B is about 5 lbs 11 oz - which is good since they will attempt to deliver B breech. So hopefully, everyone will be healthy and able to go home from the hospital quickly.

Of course, now I am trying to get all my reading done about how to care for them and whatnot - hahahaha... and I am trying to get our apartment ready, since my MIL and her husband will be staying here while I am in the hospital.

I've already told them that I don't want anyone at the hospital but Dh, which I think may seem mean - but it's what I am comfortable with I guess. I also don't really want them staying here when we get home (they have other family options in the city) because I feel like with the breast feeding and scheduling and 24-hour cycles that babies are on, having inlaws to trip over would not work well with my very type A personality.

Also, MIL is very quick to point out how nervous she is about handling/dealing with newborns and she sends out a lot of chaotic energy. If I have to have someone here 24/7 I want it to be someone confident in their ability to actually provide help.

My mom is coming out in a week, when I feel like we will be more settled, and she is more confident/mellow about handling babies... plus she isn't loud and chaotic like MIL and her husband.

Am I being overly harsh? What were your first couple of days home like?

[Ericka_Jarett]

Ali - Congrats, here's to a quick and safe delivery

The first few days for us was not really too bad, more getting Easton adjusted to the babies and dealing with false alarms of the apnea monitors. My mom stayed over the first night since she had been over all day watching our son and it was late when we got home. She stayed for a while the next day and then late in the afternoon. My husband had the rest of the week off to help me if needed. The hardest thing is getting the feeding down of 2 babies. I bottle fed so tried to fed at the same time so that I could get some sleep. Took getting use to, but it worked, boppys became our best friends

[Phen]

Our first couple days home were....not ideal. Maybe because we had such a lovely hospital experience, I don't know. But somehow, things got way out of hand and it went from just my mom being home with us that first week to my mom AND my DH's stepbrother, stepfather, and great-aunt all home with us for the first two-three days. It was pretty miserable because pretty much no one but my mom understood that this was not "just a visit" but the first few days of our sons' lives! Things got tons better after everyone but my mom left, though. She stayed for two weeks, then my father's twin sister (the boys' honorary grandmother) came for two weeks, then DH's aunt stayed for a week. They actually did a fantastic job at getting us all (babies and adults) into a routine that worked, and we'd all trade off night duty (I was pumping, not directly BFing) so that everyone could get some sleep, rather than just Mama getting no sleep. ;)

Get a notebook and keep track of who ate (and how much) when. Plus track the wet & dirties (diapers) there, too. I had one page per day and it SO helped when it was 4 a.m. and you couldn't remember which one ate two hours ago and which one ate four hours ago...just check the notebook!

~ phen

[Baby Lust]

Get a notebook and keep track of who ate (and how much) when. Plus track the wet & dirties (diapers) there, too. I had one page per day and it SO helped when it was 4 a.m. and you couldn't remember which one ate two hours ago and which one ate four hours ago...just check the notebook!
That brings up a question in my mind... was anyone able to successfully get the twins to eat at the same time/intervals? Or were you constantly feeding one or the other? I am hoping to get them as close to the same time as possible (and will BF for as long as I can!) so I'm curious...

Ali, Good luck!!! Hope no one is offended by your decision (b/c they shouldn't be)!!!

[Sage]

Good luck, Ali!! I didn't want anyone but my DH at the hospital either, so I totally don't think you're being harsh. We had my MIL here for a couple of days when we first came home, and then my mom came down for a couple weeks. But we also had my toddler to worry about, so we definitely needed an extra set of hands. Don't feel bad at all for drawing boundaries...those first few days (weeks? months?) are totally chaotic and you shouldn't have to worry about having houseguests on top of everything else.

[firefly]

Ali Holy Moly woman you win more than the door prize you win the house prize!!! In re: to your question. you need to do what you need to do. Who cares if it's harsh or mean or whatever.. We're being "mean" right now because we won't let family come and visit becuse they've been exposed to or been sick for the last week. They are offended but oh well.

As for feeding schedules we're living on the hospital schedule right now they are fed every 3 hours I can bf 4 times a day (every other feed basically ) and I feed Christopher (Baby A) first and Nicholas (Baby B) second. Nick is very contented to wait whild C eats even if it's a 45 minute nursing session that 'cut's into N's turn" (N get's to eat as long as he wants just fyi)

which leads me To my question I know we will be fully explained this at discharge but I'd like a heads up /personal experience to understand. The boys are on hmf (human milk fortifier) we're giving them 24 cal/oz and they will be weaned to 22 cal/oz this week. I'd like to bf full time but I don't know how to do that with the hmf. :o and the dr. said he wants to keep them on the hmf for 9 months. I know it may be a pumping question, or a bf question but I was wondering if any other multiple mama's had to use hmf.

[Phen]

Baby Lust, during the day, I very often fed my boys (EBM in bottles at first, then formula) at the same time. It was too hard at night to do that, though.

Firefly, I don't know how to answer your question! I'm not familiar with fortifier.

Phen

[relly]

AliMC – Good Luck tonight! My Mom and Dad were there when we brought the babies home at 7 pm, but they didn’t stay too long. We put the twins into their crib, we all had dinner, then my parents went home. My Mom came over the next day and spent the night. My DH did not go back to work for quite some time and he was very helpful. I remember those first few days as blissful. It was a bit more difficult after a week and exhaustion set in. Friends and family did stop by but none stayed too long. Like Phen said, keep a pen and paper handy, because it is tough to remember who had what/did what in the middle of the night and during the day, too. My DH and I would take turns feeding each of them, making sure that we each had a different baby at the next feeding. Sometimes I’d forget if I had just fed Devon at the last feeding or was it Brycen?

Firefly – My babies had either formula, a bottle of breast milk, or were bf. However it worked out at the time. I’ve never heard of hmf. Hope they're discharged soon.

[Tandis]

AliMC - Good luck tonight! As for the first few days home, um, I can barely remember them. DH was off for two weeks, which helped during the day, but I still had night duty. My parents are retired and only live a few miles away, so they came over during the day a few times, but for the most part it was just myself and DH. My ILs only came over once or twice, but just to visit the babies, not help out. So yeah, those first few days were a blur.

Baby Lust - I started my girls on a feeding routine pretty much immediately because I *didn't* want to be up numerous times during the night. Usually they were hungry at about the same time anyway, but until I figured out how to feed them simultaneously, I would wake one up to feed after the other one was finished. That way I was feeding for an hour (half hour each baby), and got two straight hours of sleep, rather than feed one and be back up in an hour feeding the other.

[klm2klh]

AliMC - Good luck!

Firefly - Sorry, I don't know anything about hmf

Baby Lust - I formula fed my boys and they were both on the same 3-hour schedule when we came home. I tried pretty hard to keep their schedule the same & it wasn't really that difficult because they were always similar in size & gained weight at a similar rate. I used boppy pillows to prop them up and pretty much fed them that way until they could hold their own bottles. Also, I remember reading that you should never wake a sleeping baby, but there were lots of times that I woke one to eat in order to keep them on the same schedule.

Nicholas & Campbell are going to be 2 on Monday :eek: - I can't believe how quickly time passes! We are having a party for them on Sunday, so I am franticly trying to plan what to serve & figure out when I am going to bake cakes and clean my house (DH is out of town until Satruday). Also, their big boy beds did not arrive last week as scheduled, but hopefully they will be here on Friday (yet another thing to add to the chaos).

[myangelsvw]

babylust - I think everyone has different experiences with tandem nursing, but I'm happy to share what we did. I started tandem nursing when the babies were two or three weeks old, adjusted age. Before that, when they were learning how to nurse, they really needed the individual attention, so I had to nurse them one at a time. Then, we went through a stage where night feeds were all tandem, but day feeds were individual because they were on opposite nap schedules. Now, I feed them individually at night, but we're all tandem during the day because they fuss if they see the other one nursing.

firefly - I responded in the preemies thread. Hope it was helpful.

[Baby Lust]

Thank you so much for the feeding advice everyone!! It really helps to know that it can be done! I also know not to wake a sleeping baby, but this cause seems worth it! :)

Good luck Ali!!!!!

[Chelsea524]

Good luck tonight Ali!!!

[Tandis]

So my girls turned one yesterday. Their official party is Saturday, but of course we had to do something for them on their actual day. It was my parents, us and my niece, but my girls got to experience cake and really, that's all that matters, right?

Here are some pictures. And Phen, the shirts came in yesterday afternoon, so they got to wear them (not that my Dad took a good picture of them in their shirts, but I'll get better ones on Saturday). They are so adorable, I wish my girls would stay small so they could wear them every year. :D

<Pictures removed>

[Phen]

Yay!!!!! :d