Twins Club

[Amberc]

Here's the new thread!

Cantdrink - one of the things they say can increase the risk of not being breast fed is type 1 diabetes. I have type 1 diabetes and was exclusively breast fed. My mother is convinced it was her fault for putting me on solids too early. Feeling guilt is an unfortunate side effect of being a mother. Whatever you do there will be someone or something to make you feel guilty about it.

Whatever you do I'm sure it will be for the best.

At my booking in appt the mw said "well you won't be b-feeding with twins" I responded that while I would of course keep all options open given I had no idea when they'd be born, what condition etc I saw no reason why I couldn't try given I'd b-fed ds until he was 11 1/2 months. Response was "oh well then I suppose you might manage it". Not exactly helpful!

I had problems with rejection with ds and found the la leche hotline very useful. 0845 120 2918 - if you haven't tried them yet. They may well give you the reassurance that you're doing everything you can and allow you to feel better about whatever decision you do make.

Good luck! I'm sure you're doing a great job at being a mother which is the most important part.

in case anyone wanted to take a look at double pushchairs go to just4baby.co.uk, the cosatto you2 twin range are the cheapest on there. i've ordered the blue one for my boys, only £179.99 and comes with alot. :)

tiggers and restingkitten ignore the silly mw...of course you can bf twins..and if they are poorly it's even more important you do if you can! My twins are 5 months old and still exclusively bf (never had any formula). The hopsital were pushing formula top ups on day 1 which i refused.Be prepared to fight your corner, and do your research beforehand so you know when mw are talking rubbish as many are not properly trained on bf! I have to say you do need an iron will as its very difficult at first but gets much much easier! If you can avoid formula feeds untill your milk supply is esablished!

I know but owing to having type 1 diabetes any baby I carry is at risk of low blood sugar and although I fully read up on what counts as low blood sugar in a baby since ds had it and the alternative to a bit of formula was tubal feed it seemed the better choice. I did have nipple rejection with him and then jaundice but managed to get over it thankfully so am confident that providing I can get the hang of tandem feeding I can manage it again.

Thanks for your encouragement. It's good to know others have managed it.

Did anyone start feeling really awful around the 15-16 week mark? I've felt dire since saturday night and yesterday and this morning vomiting has returned with a vengeance together with occasional fainting. Dh thinks the twins are jumping on my internal parts....

Congratulations Hippy!
Glad it all went well MrsS fingers crossed for some serious weeing! xx
Waves to all else!

tigger at your midwife that really isn't the attitude! I am still bfing mine (with tops ups though).

MrsStevo how are you getting on? Is there any further news? I can only imagine how you must be feeling at the moment. I hope you are thinking as positively as possible; it sounds like you are in good hands. Take care.

Tigger that's not very good of your MW! Mine was the other way at my booking appt. I am vaguely intending to mix feed (or, rather, just see what works best for all of us) - she was horrified! Thanks for the support.....!

Tigger that sounds awful - i had quite an easy pregnancy so cant relate im afraid!

As for tandem feeding it's pretty easy, easier still if you have someone to pass the babies to you once youre seated and comfy. Then you get one latched on and then do the other - sit back and relax :)
Take full advantage of whoever is nearby for drinks and snacks because you'll be stuck to that chair for a while!

Thanks Holidays - I used to manage ds with a book in the other hand so hopefully it should be ok. I'm feeling a bit better now so hopefully I won't have a repeat tomorrow morning...

cantdrink this is so strange.... It is SUCH a drag expressing. I like you am expressing and formula feeding as well with bottles. Primarily as I knew it would get me out of the hospital with my boys quicker as they would not discharge us until they had put on weight so from the word go I expressed and combined formula. I like you am doing one bottle breast and one bottle formula....

However on saturday one of the boys latched onto my breast and managed to feed, but now I am beating myself up as the other one has difficulty. So i am in a tiz about that.

I was phoned by a breast feeding conuncillor the other day and my MW said not to get in touch with her if I was happy with what I was doing as she would only confuse me and make me feel bad.... which I do allready for not being able to Breast feed both.

I too am getting down about the expressing bit as it seems to be taking me all day to feed two, and express...... and then I am worried that if I dont keep up expressing then my boys wont have the best start....

I always said I would keep an open mind about feeding, but it seems that it is in built in us to feel guilty about how we are looking after our children, I honestly never thought I would feel bad about this before actually having them, how wrong could I be???

There was a lady in hospital with me who was in a right state as her baby would not latch on, she was crying about it every night and day. In the end her DP had to have a word with her and tell her she had to make a decision about what she wanted to do and not feel bad about it...dont people say happy mummy happy baby????? As did the MW in the hospital..... They told her that she was making her self ill about it all....... so I guess you need to do what feels right for you. And its not like we dont allready have neuf too worry about is it ?? lol......

and on that note I am off to express....... chat soon.

Take it no one watched 'is breat best' on bbc3 last night?
It explored the guilt womem feel when they dont bf and looked at some mums and their choices for feeding.

All you can do is try and if it doesnt work out then there's nothing you can do. I used to hate giving my boys formula but had no choice as they wouldnt latch on and id rather they have formula then starve!

Hippy is right - we have enough to worry about especially with twins so put that guilt away - you can only try afterall. And its the love you give your child that matters in the end anyhow.

Hi all,

Thanks very much again for all your messages.

We have had some good news at our scan today!! Both babies are alive, looking healthy and the little one's measurements have picked up. Very clever little babies have beaten the 40% chance of surviving the surgery!!! The consultant still wants to keep a close eye on them though so I'll be scanned every week until 24 weeks and then every 2 weeks after that until they arrive. Still at risk of early labour though so FINGERS CROSSED they'll stay in there until at least 34 weeks so they stand as good a chance as possible.

Feel like an enormous weight has been lifted from my shoulders today - such an emotional experience all in all. Bet I will sleep for a week now - sleep hasn't been something I've had much off since the scan last week!

Hope you're all really well and enjoying the sunshine :)

MrsS thats great news! Now just take it easy, eat well and drink plenty water. Best of luck to you!

I might go for a little stroll soon with DD & DTs for the first time - just got my double buggy yesterday! :)
Unfortunately the sunshine hasnt made an appearance today..

mrsstevo thats great news..... sounds like your growing two strong ones there !!

mrsstevo that's fantastic news!!! Now make sure you look after yourself and get lots of rest.

I am so uncomfortable.... over 33 weeks and finding it pretty tough now. Thank goodness I've left work now!

Hope everyone is ok x

MissMolly are you booked for a section or v-birth?

holidays I don't know yet for sure. My first twin is head down, second is breech so consultant said could try for a v birth but will decide for sure at my next scan at 36 weeks. Was originally told they'd book me in for 37 weeks but could now be 38 weeks so guess I will have to wait and see!

Can I ask those who have had their twins how long you stayed in hospital after giving birth? I know everyone is different but trying to get a rough idea!

i stayed in for 6 days......after a csec. I wa son a transitionla cxare unit, so I could stay in iwth the boys for as long as I wanted.

I wanted out....!!! They were both feeding fine, although they had lost weight. They would have kept me in longer but I pushed to be discharged....as did my MW she said I could look after them at home and she would visit me in the community.... I was starting to get a bit claustrophobic in there. And one of the girls opposite me, god love herr was really struggling, and it was a difficult environemnt to be in...but thats a different story...

6 days, and that was long enuf although the staff were all amazing. The recovery from the csec was fine, and I only took paracetemol...I dont like taking medication..and I was up and about the next day..although everyone is different. I think it will dpend on the helath of yur babies, and on yourself.... etc....

Missmolly I had the same thing as you, one breach one head down....my first babies, ..mine were ID. I ended up having a csec.... They had to come out due to growth issues at the end...but to be honest I was gald of it...I feel fine now, it went realy smoothly.... If I was to ever have have another bay I would try for vb without a doubt..... good luck with everything.....xx x

Hi all. Dont forget if you have questions for twin mums check out the multiple births section, we're all over there in the twins club 2.

I was in hospital from friday til tuesday night. gave birth on sunday. i would have stayed another day tbh but DP was stressing looking after DD so had to come home. i didnt mind being in hospital, but i had my own room on request (due to needing to be close to the loo). if id been on the ward with others id have been v.unhappy!

Morning everyone

Thought I'd check in quickly to update you on progress with us - the twins came home nearly 2 weeks ago after being in hospital for 5 weeks! We had a really hard time getting exclusive b/f established once they came off their feeding tubes because they weren't latching on properly - both of them would take a good mouthful but then pull back so they were only sucking (or grinding) on my nipple. They'd get furious, weren't getting enough to eat and I was tearing my hair out and spending a lot of time crying. In the end one of the nurses sanctioned the use of nipple shields (Satan's work if you believe the b/f propaganda) and the difference they made was enormous.

Since we came home, though, it's just not been possible for me to keep up with demand (I'd had mastitis in hospital, and it seems to have really affected supply), and I found it very difficult to feed them without really knowing how much they were taking. They'd feed for 15-20 minutes and then start rooting again in 5 minutes, and I'd know there wasn't much else for them to have, so I was getting very anxious with it but equally was very keen to try and keep b/f if at all possible. We are now doing part b/f, part bottle feeding with EBM and part formula. We've got the services of a maternity nurse until next week which is a huge help, thanks to my parents, so we'll have to see how it goes after she leaves - the expressing is hard enough to fit in now, let alone when I'm in sole charge. Plus they are still small (only taking about 60mls at each feed, which I know is going to get a lot more soon!).

It is a lot to get used to for a first time mum and I am quite nervous about what happens when I'm on my own all day. I think it's about the confidence to judge when to feed, how much to give, what to do if they are crying etc - I'm still learning. But if this sounds like gloom and doom it shouldn't - they are amazing, I love them so much and it is just brilliant to have them home with us. We're having to live with the heating on all day as they get cold so easily and can't keep themselves warm. Hopefully they will crack that soon!

MrsStevo so pleased to see that your two seem to have responded so well to their treatment and that things look very positive for them. I can't imagine how worrying it is to have to have a procedure on them while they're still inside, you just want to protect them and keep them safe inside. Take it very easy so they can stay in as long as possible!

Hi to everyone else, hope you're all well [waves]

Great to hear from you Cerubina! Dont forget to pop into the multiple births section and join the twins club there!

As for crying - do not drop everything and run to them, i did that with my fb and never got a chance to eat or wash! The most important thing is that you eat, even if its just a bowl of cereal! Because if you dont eat how will you produce more milk for them? And keep a glass of water with you always. Drink plenty.

Invest in a (vibrating) rocker to help soothe them for days when they just wont sleep unless rocked etc, because my boys love me to cuddle them to sleep but sometimes i need my hands free!

Hello all - Hippy3 and Cerubina, how are you getting on with the feeding? I'm sticking at it with the expressing, so mine get roughly 50/50 EBM and formula, all through bottles. The guilt over not breastfeeding is crazy though - I keep telling myself I'm doing the best I can for them... Mine were 6 weeks early, in Special Care for 5 weeks including time in intensive care for serious Strep B infections. No wonder we never got the hang of it! Expressing is a pain but once my supply was properly established I stopped doing the middle of the night one and it's still sustaining nicely. If it drops a bit or I miss one, I just express more frequently for the next day or so and that seems to keep it up. What pump do you use?

Anyway, they are lovely, and great feeders - they have huge appetites and love their grub. They both struggle a bit with windy tummies, but I've found the Dr Browns bottles better than the Avent, and Infacol seems to help them get it out...

HI ladies....so here we are 19 days in. I am totally besotted...

we are havng a few feeding issues as well.... I am still expressing and giving them bottles of EBM and aptamil, every 3 and a half hours. How much they take depends on what time of day it is... Am trying not to stress aboyt food too much keep reminding myself as long as they are putting on weight.

Elijah the bigger one feeds like a dream he eats as much as he likes, burps nearly straight away and hen sleeps with more awake time in the evening. Finn the smaller one is REALLY struggling with feeding. He is taking sometimes 50 mils sometimes 90 mils, but finds it REALLY hard to get up any wind. we are literally burping him for about 45 mins to an hour afterwards but no joy. then the second we put him don on his back to vomits.... it is REALLY upsetting me. He doesnt cry but goes bright red in the face and looks like he is struggling and in pain, and its hard to see.

somone suggested getting infacol for him, but i am unsure about giving them any medication..... but then i also HATE seeing him in any pain or discomfort...

my DP oes back to work tomorrow so this is going to be a challenge, trying to look after the 2, express, burp, manage to eat...he has been doing all the cooking... and cleaning and taking on half the work with the twins so i really cant complain.

we have been putting them into their cot at night at about 7, and trying to get them use to being in there as opposed to our bed, where they seem to fall asleep strait away.... so we have been putting them in at 7...then waking them, or more recently them waking us every 3 to 3 and a half hours for food. we go to bed at around 10, and its the first feed at around which is the hardest.....

i am going to keep up expressing for as long as i can..... but am really TRYING not to stress myself out about everything.... they still go on the breast but get in a right tiz a lot of the time.... so i put them on as much as i can...usually during the night to settle them, but like everyone else..i am not sure how much they are getting..... it seems non stop at the moment.... will let you know how i get on when my DP goes back to work...mite not have time to u[date for a few days....

cerub glad your ok......... x if any of you have tips for a windy baby let me know.....

Hippy - forget the housework, eat when you're hungry even if the twins start crying, you have to eat or you simply will not have the energy to look after them.
i would get the infacol - sounds like the little one needs it. Ask your HV if unsure?
And count yourself lucky you dont have another child to look after - having DD here and DP being away at work means i cant nap during the day, i can only sleep at night which is 3 hrs because my boys feed on and off for at least 3 hours before they go down to sleep.

As for feeding the midwife told me that as long as they feed on the breast for about 20-30mins they've got enough food because the first 15mins or so of milk is less fattening/filling. Are you keeping them to one breast each? I was told not to swap them so now twin 1 is always on the left and T.2 on right.

good luck! And dont stress!