Twins Club

[Amberc]

Here's the new thread!

Hey Hippy,
I'd recommend breastflow bottles, we found them brilliant with DS.
You can get by with very little to start with. Essentials cotton wool, nappies, vests (6 per baby), baby gros (6 per baby), cot, buggy, muslins. Lots of other stuff is useful. Bouncy chairs are great, baby bath, changing mat, changing bag, would probably be next on my list.

Jesse - the first weeks are scary. Just keeping thinking positively.

Jesse - your symptoms sound very normal - I'm usually strong willed - where I refuse to cry at silly things but that's gone out the window since I was about 8 weeks. I was on holiday with DP and DD and just because we didn't plan to go out one day I cried! But good luck with your pregnancy, hope it all goes well for you.

hippy3 - I've bought Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottles, apparently the teats are designed to mimic the feel of a breast, and they look like they do - so are good for breast and bottle feeding (without confusing baby).
I'm also going to buy a Spectra 3 electric breast pump. It's only £50 (eBay) but seems to have a lot of good reviews.

I haven't bought the cot yet, I'm going to get a cotbed from Kiddicare soon though.
Next big purchase will be the pram.

hippy I was reading up about breast pumps the other day (there's a sentence I never thought I'd write ) and it looks as though getting a 'hospital grade' pump could be a good idea with twins. Apparently the ones you can buy in Mothercare etc are all very well but we may well find they can't keep up and break down. The ones they use in hospitals are heavy duty and although they cost ££££s to buy, NCT and various other providers will hire them out (delivering and collecting them from your home). I think I will look into this when I get nearer the time as I don't want to be fiddling with something flimsy or inefficient when trying to cope with feeding two.

And FWIW I didn't feel the urge to have a 3D/4D scan. I may be less impatient than some but I am happy to wait until they're born to see how they look. Also not sure by this stage how clear a view they'll get on the scan, given they must be quite cramped in there? I would say there are many things that are more deserving of your cash.

MissyMolly sorry you are feeling so rubbish. And it can't be helping that people are telling you how tired you look...charming!

Jesse I was petrified of losing one or both as well, I think it is very natural especially given your experience. I found myself tensing every muscle in my will to keep them inside, it was stopping me sleeping and making me very tired - in the end I would repeat to myself like a mantra that my body knows what to do and my twins know what to do, you can't keep them going by willpower alone so try to let yourself trust nature to get it right. Ultimately, although it's difficult, you give them the best help if you let yourself relax and you are not helping if you get yourself too tense. Your symptoms sound very consistent with everything being healthy, so just try to make sure you eat well and rest and do all the good stuff that the books advise and that's all you can do. xx

Oh, and I would be cautious about the Doppler too - so easy for it either to worry you unnecessarily when you can't find a heartbeat but all is well, or lull you into thinking everything's fine when you should be getting checked out.

Excuse a slightly TMI question - does anyone else find that they have quite abundant cervical mucus? I seem to be producing it at a rate of knots at the moment.

Otherwise, feeling better in the Cerubina household today - think the babies have given me some respite by repositioning and I've actually made it into work for once...

The breast pump I used with DS was the medela swing - I can really recommend it. I breast fed DS till he was just over a year old (stopped when I got pregnant) and tried some others before this. Expressing is boring. I would really recommend just using your boobs to feed as much as you can! Although it sounds lovely letting your DP feed and being able to sleep I found it easier to feed DS myself. I only left bottles of expressed for when I had to be away from DS.

Jesse I feel like I have worried constantly during my pregnancy- I get so, so nervous before having a scan! I actually paid to have a private scan a couple of weeks before my 20 week one as I was convinced something had happened to one of my twins

With regards to a 4D scan, when I had a private scan they showed us the twins in 4D (as an a free 'preview') It was lovely seeing how close they were, their positions etc, and quite amazing to watch at the time. It is very different from a 2D scan, but, saying that, I don't think I would specifically pay for one. I know that as they get bigger there is less room to get round them and see them clearly, IYKWIM.

Sassy34264 #2&3 EDD 12/09/10, Lancs, Jacob and Isobel born 13/8/10
strawberrylace #2&3 EDD 1/12/10, Suffolk, surprise Zoey and Lucas born 23/10/10 by c section
jjkm #1&2 ADD 29/1/11, outside the UK, Girls born 25/10/10
Lavitabellissima #1&2 EDD 13/12/10, SW London, Identical girls Vivienne & Florence Born 04/11/10 c section (early 34&3)
smokeybacon #3&4 EDD 25th Nov, Nottingham, Freddie and Tobias born 06/11/10, natural birth after induction.
Jenzopos #1&2 EDD 23/11/10, Charlotte & Anna, Manchester 15/11/10 6lb 7oz and 7lb 5oz
Swazzee #1&2 EDD 02/12/10, South London, Adem 6lb 3oz and Rafi 5lb 13oz 21/11/10
Amberc #2&3, Madeleine (6.3lb) & Isabella (6.11lb) , delivered by C Section on 07/1/11 at 37 weeks, Kent

Tabbycat76 #1+2 Edd 21/02/11, Suffolk, surprise
Holidays2010 #2&3 EDD 18/03/11, SW London, surprise
Thingamajig #2&3 EDD 20/3/11, Cornwall, identical girls
Magic8ballhastheanswers #3&4 EDD 22/3/11 South London, ID, Surprise
CantDrinkAnyMoreMilk #1&2 EDD 11/04/11, Scotland, non-ID surprise
Cerubina #1&2, EDD 27/4/11, SW London, non-identical surprises
Hippy3 1&2 edd 26/04/2011 Poole, Dorset. ID twin boys.
Crazydayz #1&2, EDD 13/05/11 non-ID boy & girl
VictoriaSecrets #1&2, EDD 17/05/11, Basingstoke, too soon to tell, so surprises!
Snowfalls108 #2&3 EDD 29/05/2011, SW London,ID surprise
MissyMolly #1&2, EDD 29/05/2011, Midlands, boy and girl
RestingKitty #1&2 EDD 15/06/2011, South London, finding out soon!
Propercrimbo #2&3 EDD 16/07/11, North Lancs, not finding out
Brassicababe #1&2, 22/07/2011, Lincs, non-id, surprise
MorningsMadness #2&3 EDD 18/08/2011, SW London,ID too early to tell
MrsStevo, #1 & 2, EDD 27/08/2011, Lincs, Too early to tell

hey all, not been on for ages, been far too busy! I've updated the list above with correct dob and weights!

I have the medela swing and think its really good :) I also use closer to nature bottles. Feeling good my girls have had only breast milk so far.

starting to get some sort of routine but still have to swaddle the girls to get them to sleep at night. on a good night they can sleep5 hours in one go..come on girls do this more!

Hiya All

It's a while since I've posted. Thanks for the buggy tips. I've been looking at Mountain Buggy. Has anyone else looked at these?

I'm so with you on the scan nervousness. It seems so long to wait between the 12 and 20 week scan. And just when symptoms are getting less I'm also finding myself worrying about losing one or both.

My local private scan place would put the 4-D picture onto a t-shirt or a large wall canvas for you if you wanted

Cerubina yep, I'm with you in the CM thing Has anyone noticed it's more messy after sex too these days? I'm guessing it's because what was previously "open" is now "sealed" so to speak. Have I shared too much

I have the nipper 360 and am very happy with it.Its lightweight and easy to put up and down. the only bad points are that the shopping basket doesn't hold a lot and you cant put a lot of weight on the back when babies are small. The buggy gets through standard doors but not narrow ones..though will do if you remove the back wheels which is easy to do

I would LOVE to see someone walking down the street wearing a 4D pic of their unborn child on a T shirt!

Good tips re buggies and pumps...much appreciated.

I have my 20 wk scan next week and am with you all on the nervousness/worry. What keeps me going is the thought that it is much, much more likely that all will be fine than otherwise. And the tamba seminar - seeing 70ish women in the same place who are going through the same thing somehow made it all feel more normal (that's not really the right word...but my brain is fried at the mo!)

um...dont know what to do about the 4d scan now.....

DP really wants it but am worried he might be very dissapointed !

Jesus there is so much to think about. !! and I cant get any rest as there is most deffinately a party going on in my stomach... its so funny one day I worry that they dont move enough and now I am thinking can they be moving too much?? demented.
I think I will get in touch with my local twins club and ask them if they have any breast pumps to hire. Also a friend mentioned Miltons for sterilising?? I was going to invest in an electric steriliser... I think ? why are there so many choices...?

I am started to get excited now about buying things... and we are going on Saturday to buy lots of necesitites...just incase !

Sorry one last thing where can you buy tiny newborn baby clothes from? All i can seem to find is 0-3 months and if theye are tiny will they be swamped? jesse its totally normal to be worried at the start, I feel I have had nothing but worry throughout and now i am a bit further on I am starting to relax... just stay positive and be excited about the next scan...

Oh and I have reduced my hours from full time to five days a week. Was really starting to struggle. so am looking forward to that ! ..hope everyone is good. x

hello all
loving to hear how you are all feeling - it seems sooooo long since i was pregnant now. and i have completely forgotten what it was like, so i can't provide much reassurance on what the newbies amongst us are feeling - sorry!

The twins are growing well (now weighing 8lb 12 and 9lb 9), and are also managing the odd 4/5 hour stint at night - feeding them at midnight-ish and again at 5-ish is so much nicer than being woken at 3am. I am still breastfeeding them both, and that seems to be going well, though they both will take bottles of expressed milk. which means I could finally get my hair cut for the first time since before they were born!

For those of you planning purchases, i have a tommee tippee manual breast pump which I love (easy to use and only 3 pieces to separate out for sterilising). I also have tommee tippee closer to nature bottles, which fit directly on the breast pump, and a tommee tippee steriliser which can be used in the microwave, but also with milton for cold water sterilising (which is how i use it most often, as I have to use nipple shields for feeding and milton is the easiest way to keep them sterilized)

My pushchair is an Icandy pear, which I got second hand, and I love it. The best thing for me is you can put the car seats directly on the frame, which is great when I have to pop out on the school run, or when i want to pop into the supermarket with the twins. Plus it has carrycots as well as seats for when they are older. As a tandem it's easyto get through doors - though of course i will have to deal with the 'who sits in front' question when the twins are older!

My top tip on buying small clothes is tesco - they do tiny/early baby things (size smaller than newborn) and they're cheap, which is what you need when they start off small. I know that mothercare, boots and next also do smaller sizes. Tesco and sainsbury also do own-brand size 0 premature nappies, so you don't have to spend lots on the pampers micro ones if you don't want to. I wish I'd realised this earlier as I would've saved a fortune!

Right, must go and get sorted out in anticipation of two hungry people waking in a moment. They sleep next to each other in their cot, and they look so cute cuddled up together

similar story to me strawberrylace, seems and age since pregnancy now!

Mt girls are also growing well...weighed in at a whopping 9lb 13oz and 10lb 5oz 2 weeks ago! Charlotte is catching up on Anna and is getting really chubby in the cheeks!

The girls take expressed bottles (my husband had to pretend to breastfeed by sitting in my feeding chair and lifting his top up to get them to open their mouths..then putting the bottle in...after a few time doing this they now take it straight away :) )

Hi all, glad to hear you're doing well Jenzopos and strawberrylace.

How are you two finding it?
I worry I'll find it really hard to cope with 5yr old + twins - my DD's teacher is putting pressure on me about her missing school when the twins are born which to be blunt is pissing me off (sorry for the language). Just because she teaches 30 kids 9-3 doesn't mean she's an expert, yet she thinks I'll be able to have these twins, look after them AND ferry my 5yr old to school everyday without missing a single trip by bus!
She said she was going to ask the other mums/dads if they can help if they live near me, well I don't even know more than half of them and feel really uncomfortable with the whole thing. Plus why should I be pressured into leaving my child with someone I don't know - taking her to/from school?

I don't want my DD to miss school but she is 5, not 15, not like she'll fail her GCSE's by missing a couple weeks, and I have to ask - Am I being completely out of order here?
I know my DP will help out as much as possible but even with his help, taking DD to school everyday is going to be very difficult.

The DTs here are piling on the weight too. Both are over the 12lb mark now and on the 25th percentile. They have put on 3lb since Christmas. Sleep wise they are settling into a once a night wake at about 3am and then, if I'm lucky they will go till 6/6.30am. Most mornings we end up with all 6 of us in our bed watching Peppa Pig with me and DH trying to feed the DTs. Chaos. But lovely.

holidays I think you'll probably be glad with your DD at school to give you one on two time with the twins. I know the school run is a hassle though. However,I read something in a twin book about never saying no to help so if the teacher does manage to rope in some other parents to help with the school run, then I think thats a good thing. Your DD won't miss school, and you could find that more help comes your way too! My DS1 is 5 and at school and any playdates/offer of tea after school are very gratefully accepted.

HELP.................!
We are going baby shopping today and I am TOTALLY undecided on what ram to buy. we were given the jane twin pro...but I have found its quite heavy and v. long....

so am now eyeing the I candy pear.... but have read reviews and they werent all good. Dont want a pram thats side by side if I can help it...what to do !

Dont even spend this long deciding what shoes to buy!

Will log on again later to let you know what I bought..am going to try to restrain myself not to go beserk !

Ladies..its seems like all your twins are growing VERY nicely... ! am so impatient to meet mine now! chat later...x

Was wondering if we need to make a follow on thread that isn't in the antenatal section?

hippy just quickly, will log back on later to catch up properly, we got the baby jogger city select (tandem), didn't bother with carrycots will just use car seats with the adapters and then the pushchair seat. It's not too long either like some tandems as it's a single buggy with adapters for the second seat. What did you get today or are you still pondering?

Jenz could put the postnatal thread in Multiple Births? Hope yo are all well!

done. new chat thread at www.mumsnet.com/Talk/multiple_births/1137679-twins-club for those who have had thier twins.
:)
hope to see you there.

hippy - i have a pear, and i really like it. i do have the carrycots, as they were part of the package that i bought (got mine second hand), but i probably don't use them as much as i use it with the car seats attached - great for the school run and transporting the twins quickly in and out of the car. i find it really easy to steer, and fold once you have the knack. it's quite bulky, but i think all twins are...
i was going to get the city select, but both seats didn't recline quite as far as i would've liked (we spend quite a few evenings out and about at friends, pub etc, and i wanted twins to be able to sleep easily in it - the pear seats reclined a little bit further). plus it was a great second hand bargain in the end!

hope you had a successful shopping trip

New twins club chat in multiple births here

Hi ...ok so we went to get the pram and I ended up trying out both the pear and the baby city jogger....

I really like the jogger. It was SO EASY to put up and down and attach the seats... also its SLIGHTLY cheaper than the I Candy... although not by much with all the attachments. I to am thinking of not bothering with the carrycots and im going to go for the car seats as then at least we have the car seats as well.

Bought an electric steriliser (Just incase I cant breast feed) bought 2 changing mats as we were given a changing table, only wanted to buy one but DP wanted to buy two as he actually said "if we have two I will be able to change one the same time as you !!" made me smile.. bought a coupld of avent bottles, but decided not to get to many as figured it might be a trial and error with bottles.

Not much else..still didnt get the pram. Am going to decide this week. Have been looking on ebay for a second hand pram but from what I have seen they are nearly as expensive as buying them new!

Woke up this morning quite tearful for no reason ?? must be the hormones....

Hi ladies,

Well I'm getting very excited now as spent 4 hours in Kiddicare yesterday - imagine a child in a sweet shop! And I have also realised that in less than 13 weeks I will be a mum to twins!!!
Quick question about nappies - is anyone using/ going to use reusables?

hippy agree the buggy purchase is tricky - such a lot of money! We were in John Lewis yesterday and had a bit of a detour to look at buggies - I'm pretty keen on getting the icandy peach (not sure how that is different to the pear?). We tried for a while to speak to a shop asst, but there was a long waiting list to speak to anyone about buying £1000 worth of baby-kit so we decided to have lunch instead!

With reusable nappies - perhaps I have very low expectations of myself/ourselves - but I see this as a "nice to have" rather than as a necessity...and as such I'm just planning to buy disposables from the start, in a bid to make life as easy as poss.

Hormones also a bit crazy - we are in the process of buying a house, and I've been prone to a bit of lip wobble/full on tears everyday this week (my poor husband!)