If you had twins, what did you pack...

[SleepingStandingUp]

in your hospital bag?

Google is telling me 20 baby grows and 20 vests. Does this seem excessive?? Also did you get tiny baby or just new baby? Or do i wait til a bit closer and see what size they're predicted to be? I'm only 21 weeks so too early to call re size but they are mono di twins so expected to be no later than 36 weeks

I also left a bundle (I think about 12 sets) at home yeah this might be a good plan

Just on how long dh was allowed to stay we have a complex needs 4 yo, I'm not gonna see much of him 😕

Thank you everyone. OK so 20 is def excessive lol. I'll pack less but leave more easily accessible for DH as he'll have to come up anyway.
Will also note down the other recommendations for what to pack, thanks.

I don't want to leave it too late as midwife recommends it being packed by 28, and I'm conscious I didn't make it full term with my singleton. I never packed a hospital bag and Tbh our lack of planning was only not an issue because he was pooy and thus naked for so long. I want to prepare for this being for straight forward

I don't have twins but would recommend bringing a 2-3 outfits (each) in with you and then filling a suitcase with plenty of extras and leaving it in the boot of your DH's car. He can then pop in and out and grab whatever bits you need if you don't want to have that much stuff in with you as with 2 cots you might be right for space.

Pack what you think you'll need and then pack another bag with extra everything and you can leave that in the boot of the car or by the front door of your house so someone can nipvback and get it all for u

You're right to pack 20 babygros if you end up with pukers like my twins. I didn't pack enough and dp had to do a laundry run after 36 hours which involved me giving him a phone tutorial on how to use the washer dryer from my hospital bed. I'm never letting him hear the end of that one!

leaving it in the boot of your DH's car yeah, he doesn't drive and we have a 4 yo so trying to reduce too much carting back and forth

involved me giving him a phone tutorial on how to use the washer dryer from my hospital bed thankfully mine came fully house trained 😂😂😂

This was my list... we had our dcda twins at 37+6 - 7lbs5 and 6lbs4, so didn’t need premiere clothing thankfully. Good luck! Twins are awesome!!!

HOSPITAL BAGS
FOR MUM (& DAD)
YOUR NOTES
Granny pants (lots of), nursing bras, front-opening nighties, dressing gown, waterproof flip-flops (for standing in the hospital shower), a going-home outfit (you will still have a (massive) bump, so something loose and stretchy), socks, yoga bottoms, nursing/ maternity tops.
Maternity pads (you will need LOTS of these - twin pregnancy = twin placental site = lots of post-partum bleeding, I liked the boots ones. Don’t get normal sanitary pads, it you have to have stitches, the cover of them can get attached… Yeouch - sorry if that's TMI!), breast pads, lip balm (hospital air is really hot and dry) strepsils/throat sweeties (gas & air gives you a really dry sore throat), shower stuff, hair bobbles, hairdryer, toothbrush/toothpaste, glasses, flannels for cooling you down mid-labour (magicool mist is also very good), carrier bags for dirty washing, lansinoh cream, hair-band, peppermint tea t-bags.
Car seats (only need for the day you go home!) camera and charger, phones and chargers, cereal bars/ snacks. Money for vending machines / canteen. Headphones, eye-mask, change of clothes for Dad (he will get puked on, pooed on, plus it’s good for skin-to-skin contact for him), book/kindle, tissues, notepad and pen, moist loo roll, facial wipes, bump support belt.
FOR BABY
Nappies (SIZE1), Wipes. Nappy sacks. Travel change mat (you usually get one in your changing bag). Muslins. Sudocream. Vests x6, sleepsuits x6, hats x2, Pramsuit. Cuddly toy. Bibs. You don’t need to take in your own blankets (apart from one to go over the legs of baby in the carseat on day of departure. They’ll only get mixed up (and never seen again) with the hospital blankets.)

Why no later than 36 weeks? They’re not momo?

I was induced and had my ID boys at 36 weeks but this was due to pre-eclampsia. No special care or anything but they were little. I only had 3-4 babygros which was fine.

If you’re induced or c-section early then they’re unlikely to be too sicky as they physically won’t be able to ingest much milk. My midwife told me they have a stomach the size of a malteaser, however my milk didn’t come in and they solely had colostrum until I went home. I was in only for 4 days from the day after birth but they were my first.

I took a V shaped pillow which was brilliant for when I was sitting in bed trying to hold both of them as I could prop them up easily.

@doodlejump1980 did you really take all that? Why sudocrem and change mat?!

I had mine at 36+5. We were in transitional care for 13 nights after. Twin son actually outgrew the baby grows we brought with us so despatched a visitor to buy bigger ones in their way to see us 😆.

Anyway, I'd suggest packing a dozen between them but make sure the rest are easily accessible at home if you need more - including larger sizes.

This way dh can take dirty ones home to launder and bring clean in. This is what we ended up doing as being in for a while would have been a nightmare with trying to keep enough nappies etc in. There isn't a lot of space around beds and even less when you have two bassinets.

I'd packed one bag for my stuff and one for the twins which was a lot easier as well.

@ElizaPancakes yup 🤦🏻‍♀️ It was just the travel mat from the changing bag so not a huge mat. First time mum took everything ha ha!
Ended up in for 5 days as I had complications following emcs, so did need lots. It’s all a bit of a blur now!

MCDA still have a high risk of placenta problems in late pregnancy because of the shared placenta. Just before I had mine TAMBA released new guidance saying DCDA twins should be born in the 37th week, and I believe MCDA was 36 weeks but can’t remember what they said for MCMA (think it was also 36 weeks and 35 for triplets)

My twins were born at 36 weeks and were in for nearly 3 weeks. I took clothes in for them and still had to get my husband to wash and bring stuff back in. It was a but if a pain so it would have been better to take extra in. They were in premie clothes for a while. 5lb 5 and 4lb exactly. Good luck!

@ElizaPancakes
Why no later than 36 weeks? They’re not momo?
No, just MCDA, but that's what i've been told by the midwife, assuming they play nice and share the food source and stay in that long.

Nothing. Went in for a routine scan and came home two weeks later with two babies.

DH brought in 2 sets each . DT1 was in SCBU for a week and wore just a nappy. Just as well as DT2 had sicked up on all of them by the end of the first day.

Mine were 4lbers so in tiny baby size. My mum bought up all the stock on Mothercare the day after.

Also newborn nappies were too big and they leaked. So think about small nappies too.

Ah ok cool 👍🏻. Has changed quite a lot since I had mine (nearly 11 years ago - how did that happen?!)

It’s good to make plans for a longer stay just in case - I just popped in for a check up as I didn’t feel well, left bags in the car. Within an hour of being hooked up to a monitor I was in theatre, I went home two days later, twin 1 came home at 17 days and twin 2 briefly came home at 2 months but was back in within 10 days. It was all quite crazy but I had a lot of stuff sorted at home which was good as it meant I wasn’t scrambling.

Like I said, we didn’t need clothes right away as they were in incubators so I had time to order the things I needed (like a double breast pump and the smallest baby clothes I could find.

I hope everything goes smoothly for you

We found Asda and Tesco good for tiny baby clothes. Mothercare pretty good as well and they now do a preemie range in conjunction with Bliss too. We had nothing for DD as she came unexpectedly at 35+5 and was loads smaller than anticipated at 4lb15 so DH had to do a mad dash for suitable clothes when she was a couple of days old. She just wore hospital clothes before that. If you don't mind them hospital clothes have the benefit of making life easier because you don't have to take them home and wash them, you just check them in for hospital laundry.

OP if your DH will not be able to get to you I would pack more rather than less.

I had my twins during the snowstorms of 2018 and my older DD got chickenpox so couldn't visit - between those things, I didn't have much contact with the outside world for the 2 w they were in! I had packed 4ish outfits each in tiny baby and in newborn - so 16 outfits in total.

The newborn outfits were laughably big as DS was 1.6kg and DD also small. Asda are a good shout for premie clothes. Also lots of size 0 nappies - Pampers - although they came up almost to DS armpits!!

Let's face it, titchy baby clothes don't take up much room so go for more I say!!

If you have the time I would browse charity shops and car boots and get a stockpile of early/tiny baby, then some first size/newborn bit mostly the tiny. Get some prem things if you can, either keep tags on and receipt sellotaped to them or get them second hand cheaply. Maybe get a set of those plastic drawers and label each drawer per size. That way you can ask DH/any friend or relative to grab some tiny baby suits from the labelled drawer in the spare room as and when. DH can wash them and put them in the relevant drawers without having to get them dry and back every day. It's very likely you will need tiny baby at least. 2 of my full term singleton babies have fitted in it.

I got several Next tiny baby sleepsuits in immaculate condition for 50p each in a charity shop today for dd's doll. If you can find anything like that it is worth stock piling.

Second the need for lots of sanitary towels....my bleeding afterwards was horrendous compared to after having my first.
Also take snacks!

@SinkGirl thank you

@zebrapigno issue with hospital clothes, DS wore his share

I have some cube cupboards so size and type per box and labelled is a good call, or sets in sandwich bags in there so he can just grab Xbags of size Y

I barely bled after CS with DS so I Wil pack way more pads than I imagine I could need!

I'm looking at bundles of tiny and new baby on FB twin selling sites as its infinately cheaper so I can buy more

If you can find them, buy Always Infinity night time sanitary towels - they’re thin and just like normal pads but have a foam core and absorb an insane amount. So much more comfortable than maternity pads, and the surface doesn’t rub your skin off. I use them for periods anyway, and I didn’t need anything different for after my section

OK thanks

The things I didn't have and would have been useful were a twin feeding pillow and a few cartons of formula. My milk was v slow to come in and DS in particular was wailing with hunger by day 2 and 3. I got tiny bits of formula doled out in the cap of a bottle in 20ml doses by an unwilling nurse and I had to sign it out. Then half of it got dribbled away... I ended up bf both for 14 months but it was needed at the time.