Mummies with Multiples - Lets Chat

[macca27975]

I have noticed in the other threads their are support groups going on so I thought why not here for those with multiples or who are expecting.

I thought it would be a great place to discuss your pregnancy/newborn/toddler or what ever. Offer advice on this such as feeding, sleeping, coping and all that fun stuff.

I don't think anything could of prepared me for parenthood, but two, it is true what they say it is so hard but also very rewarding and something I have been told recently, you can never understand what it is like until you are a multiple parent. DH & I wonder what we did with our time before the mini maccas, because now there is just never enough time in the day.

Tell me your story or things that have worked for you during those hard days or share a moment or two when they made you smile and melted your heart

My bubs Chelsea Paige & Haryson Cooper where born 8 weeks early on 23 September, they where in NICU until 4 October and been home with us now for 5 weeks. They are 10 weeks old and growing up so very fast, but I wouldn't change it for the world however at times they sure do now how to push my buttons

Looking forward to getting to know you all and talking about stuff

[twinmummee]

What a great idea!

Our girls were born by c/s at 37 weeks +3 days in May, no NICU or SCN for us luckily. Sammi (DD1) did need 24hrs of phototherapy for jaundice though. We stayed in hospital from the Friday to the Wednesday and OMG nothing could have prepared me for our first night home, I think I can honestly say it was the worst night of my life!! The girls hated their cots - even though they were sharing and we had no alternative other than in bed with us which we eventually gave into at 2am. Needless to say first thing next morning after an emergency call to mum DF went around and picked up her old bassinette and peace was restored!

Now almost 7 months on we have had our ups and downs, DF spent the first week at home with us and then mum had the next 6 weeks off to be with me which was amazing but made my first solo week very hard. Nic (DD2) spent 2 nights in hospital in August with Bronchiolitis which was quite scary but other than that both have been very healthy babies. They are currently rolling all over our bed as I type!

I have had my moments where all I can do is cry and my moments of exasperation because I can't even leave the room to go to the toilet as both are very clingy at the moment - teething, but then they will smile or laugh or just look at me or each other in a certain way and my heart melts. Before the girls came along I never knew it was possible to feel love this way...

Am currently getting ready to go back to work in January and the girls will start daycare and it is absolutely breaking my heart I can't bear to think about leaving them for whole days, the longest we have been apart is for me to go to the movies and even then they have been with their dad. I just know I am going to be a blubbering mess when the day arrives

Better leave it there for now...I could go on about them all day!!

Leanne

[Nomsie]

Well done on the idea, Macca! (Miss you in the Nov mummies chat, btw!!)

Twinmummee, very similar beginnings our stories have!

My boys were born 17/10/08 at 37 weeks + 2 days by c-sec. This was a friday and I discharged myself on the tuesday, because it was breaking my heart to have to send DP home every night at 8 o clock. I would cry all night and hardly get any sleep. And yes, that first night home was hell! I was so not prepared for it, and all I could do for days was to cry.

But yes, they do have their moments which make you think you wont leave them in a basket on the steps of the local church (joke!) Like Beau right now who I am holding is so full of energy and is throwing himself all over the place, full of smiles!

My choice to tandem BF has meant I am permanently attached to the boys, and thier disgust at the car and pram has meant home is my new prison for now! BF was meant to make things easier, but lately I have come to the realisation that their irritability and constant need to pass wind is due to my poor diet, so I made a resolve yesterday to turn that around.

DP goes back to work on Sun, and then I think I will really feel the pressure.

I'm still trying to find the secret of how to entertain two babies all day and find time for myself to keep my sanity!!!

[HelenHasTwins]

Great Idea Macca,

My twins are due in May.....so I am nearly 16 weeks now and loving every moment of it...I have had it pretty easy so far ...no morning sickness and I am not working at the moment...

I was working with animals at a boarding kennel but decided it was too risky and too much heavy lifting to work there anymore ( I am missing the animals but and the people I use to work with) I am actually going out there for morning tea today...

I have started feeling more definate movement the last couple of day ( have been feeling flutters for the last couple of weeks) so I don't think it will be long now before I get kicks...

How far along were you ladies when you got your first kick....

I am starting to freak a bit about all the preparation this is to do before the twins come...I must write myself a list as it is very overwhelming

Thanks for starting this thread, I am sure I will be asking you ladies heaps of Q's and look forward to hearing everyones stories

Helen xxx

[macca27975]

Yay thanks ladies for joining, I am looking forward to getting to know you better and comparing our stories

Twinmummee - Hello, wow your jouney has had some bumps, but I know what you mean about childcare. I am due back at work in June 09, but to get a spot in childcare I have to have them in for 1 day as of Feb 09 and I am really not happy with this at all, I am thinking I will stay off work until Jan 10 and get a night time job to top up the pay and make sure everything is covered and that way I can be home with the kids during the day and do a few nights here and there. DH has returned to work a few days over the last few weeks and it is hard doing it on your own, they say it is meant to get easier

Nomsie - Hello hun congrats on the safe arrive of your beautiful boys, sorry I have been MIA from the November thread, I got lost in everything that was going on, however I did pop in from time to time to check on everyone just didn't post, sorry, but thanks for joining here and I am hoping this thread will be just as welcoming and kind and full of advice as the November thread was. With my bubs being in the NICU for 5 weeks I tried with the BF and really wanted to give it a go but couldn't keep up with them, so as soon as we got home it was straight on the bottle and they are now both drinking about 150mls per every 4 hrs. It is hard when the 4 walls are all that you see all day, but lucky for us the kids love the pram and also car, however we had some sick times early on with the car, and I have had to go for the odd drive to help settle the kids at night, worked a treat and I have done up a roster so I can schedule time to do the day to day things like the washing, this way I am keeping the kids to a routine and also myself, we will see how long this lasts i am off the movies tonight with the girls just to have some me time as I have been a little moody the last few days, lack of sleep doesn't help and DH does help heaps, he comes home and helps and then stays up until the midnight feed and then I get up from the 4am feed so we both are getting a good amount of sleep at anyone time as that broken sleep is a killer, but DH is on his own tonight so we will see how he goes, last night I popped out to the shops and both kids decided to screem for atleast 1/2 hour and there was nothing he could do to settle them expect pick one up and settle and down and then the other, his patients was tested lol Once you find the trick to getting some time to yourself please let me know cause I have the same problem lol Oh i did buy two of those baby carriers and that has helped with trying to do the house work with one unsettled baby, they help me vaccuum or hang the washing on the line

Helen - Hello hun nice to see you here and wow 16weeks that is so great and yes it is about now when you will feel little bubbles every now and then, it wasn't until about 20ish weeks when DH started to feel them too, sometimes I didn't even now was it was, but it does get stronger and lucky for me I wasn't woken during the night with a kick or punch but I did get it oneday when I was on a meeting and everyone was quite and all of a sudden you hear this ooo from me and of course everyone laughed except me I was too embarrassed lol You have so many fun things to look forward too, DH and I loved the shopping and doing up the nursery, we brought two cots and as soon as the kids where home they went straight into their own cots, however during the day we have to portacot set up and they go in that together. I also recommend the 3 in 1 fisher and price swing/seats they are great especially when you are on your own and need to feed them together, has helped me out in times of need. Sorry you are no longer at work, but you do need to take care of you and it is great that you pop in for morning tea. We have two small dogs (inside) and they have been great around the kids, everytime they cry you see these two dogs run outside, but they do come up for a smell and look see from time to time, but I really thought they would be jealous but nothing like that at all. Take care of you and soon you will be having your 20 weeks scan Yay, are you finding out their sex. It is so great that you haven't been sick I was sick from about 8-14 weeks, I had to have food next to my bed and everything. If I was to have a guess I would guess and I am tossing up between the idea of two boys or a boy and girl, we will see if I am right or not, do you remember their heat beats at your last scan?

Thanks again for joining and I am so keen to chat more and find out what works for people and what hasn't and comparing stories especially the firsts, we are getting smiles and they both are starting to hold their own heads up more and become so much more aware and we also had our first pic with Santa and I almost cried lol

[MrsPee]

Hi Ladies,

What a fantastic Idea. Thankyou

I am currently 12weeks pregnant with twins and like Helen () trying to come to terms with all the preparation needed. lol

I am told that full term for twins is 37-38 weeks so that makes me due between 29th may and 4th june.

I am looking forward to learning from some amazing woman and getting to know you all.

Cheers

[macca27975]

Welcome MrsPee and congrats on your twin pregnancy. My OB told me that he was going to induce me no later then 38 weeks and it is very rare for twin pregnancies to make it to 40 weeks, he said that at about 28 weeks I would feel like I am full term and I sure did, everything was great up to that point, DH was trying to get me to finish work sooner rather then later but I really wanted to get to 35weeks, but with the swelling and feeling huge I finshed work at 32 weeks and I guess bubs where in a hurry to arrive and came 8 weeks early at 32.5weeks, I had one day of mat leave. DH & I kept saying we wanted to play with them but never thought it was really going to happen and I was happy to say that I delievered them naturally with all the drugs possible

I think it sunk into me that we where having twins wasn't until now, when they are home with us. Seeing them at every scan and listening to there heart beats at every OB appointment was amazing. Everyone kept telling me that life was going to change, but I didn't know what to expect so didn't expect anything, even with the whole labour thing, didn't know what to expect didn't even get any classes, thank god for drugs I guess that is the best advice I can offer, don't listen to what people say yes it is hard but not something you are not prepared for and keep family and friends around you for a chat or an outing, a vent you will need it from time to time and don't put pressure on yourself, enjoy it, it really does fly by and before you know it you will be holding your beautiful babies, and the lack of sleep and crying is all worth it, want feel like it at the time, but when the time passes you do look back and wonder how you made it this far.

I am so happy, I wonder how many mummies there are on here with multiples or expecting

[Nomsie]

Hey MrsPee

I found that really with twins, there is no "due date" as such until they arrive. I went to 37+2, but that was an elective c-sec... I could have gone on longer if I didn't have a foot literally jammed up into my ribs. Too painful to contemplate, esp for 4 months

We had our 6 week check up yesterday. It is such a circus trying to get ready to leave the house, isn't it? No more just picking up the keys and going!

Macca, know how your DP felt when both your babies were crying at once- seems to happen to me all the time lol- maybe one goes out in sympathy? I have found a vibrating rocker sometimes help calm things down but it's 50/50 as to whether it works or not.

How does everyone deal with the frustration? I feel awful that sometimes I think I wish I only had one! I don't want to wish a son away or anything like that, but I am accutely aware of how easy life would actually be if I only had one baby... It still seems surreal to me- I always catch myself thinking "twins? How did i end up with twins?" Every little girl says as a kid that when they grow up they want twins (it's an appealling idea when you're 13- one pregnancy= two babies!) but I never for once in my life think it would actually become a reality!

Anyway, L and B are thriving, and turning into real little chubbas. They are smiling and have had very strong necks from day 1. It is awesome when they gurgle, coo or grunt to communicate- I love hearing the new noises they come up with. Anything is better than crying as a form of communication, as that tears my heart apart. (Esp before a feed- I change the 1st boys nappy, put him down and have to endure his screams of protest/hunger whilst I change the second nappy)

Oh and today, I decided to put them into their own cots for the first time. I started out having them sleep side by side, but they were getting their arms out of thier wraps and hitting each other on the head. So a couple of weeks ago I put one up each end of the same cot. This worked for a little bit, but now they wriggle towards each other. I was woken this morning by B crying- I went in to see that they had both done the wriggle, and L was sucking on the back of B's head! Whoops! So own cots as of today!

Anyway, I have muddled through enough for now, off to change bums and have a feed and then (HOPEFULLY ) put them both down for a good sleep- been having wind issues which is making them wake up in pain.

[bel84]

Hi Ladies

Firstly just wana say Congratulations to all of you who have just had your twins and to all who are pregnant

Im Belinda, i have 2.5 y/o identical twin boys and a 7mth old boy. . Twins are great but really are a handful

My twin boys were born naturally at 38wks weighing 5pd 6 and 7pd 4.

Feel free to ask any questions

Look forward to chatting to you all!!

Belinda

[kimmymonster]

Hi ladies

I'm Kim and I have an 11 year old son Liam and twins Amelia and Dean who are 19 months old.

I had a natural drug free birth at 37 weeks+1 day. A was 6pounds D was 6pounds 3 oz.

We did IVF after trying for a baby for 5 years and were lucky it worked first round.

I am still breastfeeding which I am proud of.
They have only just started sleeping thru the night again they did for a while when younger then stopped around 6 months old. It nice getting a full nights sleep again.

It will be nice to talk to other multiple mums

Kimmy.