Twins Club 3!! All welcome :-)

[dreamfeeder]

Hello to everyone expecting twins!
Join us here for some mutual reassurance

MrsStevo, #1 & 2, EDD 23/08/2011, Lincs, MCDA ID,
Tiggersreturn #2+3 EDD 26/09/11 NW London DCDA - not finding out
silverangel #1+2 Sophie, 3lb3 & Alice3lb1 born at 31+2 on 01/08/11 EMCS
PrincessScrumpy #2 & 3, girls
BB3, #2&3 (#1 DS) DCDA girls born 20.09.11 by EMCS at 37 weeks exactly - Edith-May 5lb 11.5oz and Ayse-Rose 6lb 1oz.

PeelingmyselfofftheCeiling #1+2 EDD, DCDA, Boy and Girl, Born 14 Sept
Twinnerves, DCDA, #2&3, girls Francesca and Isabella, born 18/11/11 EMCS 6lbs 6 oz and 6lbs 9.5oz
xkatyx , ID girls, DC 8,5,9months, EDD 21/12/11
Quempin #1&2 EDD 27/1/12, ID surprise
Ravenlocks DCDA, #1&2, EDD 28/01/12
Tabbycatt, DCDA, 2 boys, DC 2 & 3, EDD 30/1/12
Claireinmodena DCDA, Boy & Girl, DC 3 & 4 (!!), EDD 23/02/12
Dreamfeeder, DCDA, DC 2 & 3, EDD 12/4/12
BigBoobsAtLast, MCDA, DC 2&3 EDD
CarrieInAnotherTWOBabiTWINS DCDA DC 2&3, EDD 28/06/12
Caesnake, DCDA, DC 2&3, EDD

Hello ravenlocks
Huge congratulations and thanks for sharing the good news!!

Looking firward to hear all thd details when you are settled back at home!

buonasera, I am almost definitely getting a twin carrier. Even if its not for long, my DD used to howl in the buggy and only be happy held in a sling all day. She was refluxy. I actually found I could do everything with her in there, or people help you. There are some really comfy ones too- I borrowed and loved an Ergo baby, and may buy a Boba 3G as its so similar but doesn't need an infant insert from birth so would be able to change which child I carried in it without much faff, as I also hope to be able to carry one, push two a lot, or when DD is bigger, use my convenient, lightweight single and have DD walk and sling one and push one. But just in case one, or worse, both, twins are refluxy babies or colicky, I'm after a twin carrier. I have only seen two, and only one I can actually order thats in stock and takes them from birth- the Weego. Which have you seen??? I'm looking for one for sale on the TAMBA boards, hoping to get second hand as they're pricely new, but only one came up and sold really quickly... But for nipping to shop at end of road, postbox etc, I reckon I could do a twin carrier. After all, i carried DD til 10 months and only really stopped and became more a pushchair user as I was pg again.

hello stinking, lovely to see you back. 28+5, doing well! The rib flare pain is killing me too. We moved when DD was 5 weeks old to the day. We paid for packing. It was bliss. you don't even pack clothes, just have the house tidy. They literally move wardrobe things onto a rail and lift drawers out full, transport and slide back in as they were. Magic. And for us, moving from a 4 bed end-of-terrace, they charged £80!!!!! That was a super cheap price and if our friends hadn't used them I'd have thought they were just cowboys (they didn't have the same level of insurtance, we just crossed our fingers they wouldn't break anything!). The other quotes we had were around £250.

We're definitely getting a cleaner, just need to look at budget to see if we can afford any other help. I'm worried about little DD being left out and me being exhausted being up in te night with the babies and the day with Her Majesty, 'I require 25 hours attention a day'...

mw appointment was good actually. I heard their heartbeats for the first time, which was lovely. I asked her about whether I was less likely to have a prem labour as my pregnancy seems to be going 'smoothly' (partly because of this blooming scary dream). She said there's often no rhyme nor reason, and no 'complications' so far doesn't mean I won't have a prem labour, and it can happen to anyone if your uterus gives off the 'fully stretched' signals and triggers labour. I felt reassured anyway, probably just hearing a sensible person talk about it dispelled the unsettling dream ( which I know is just a dream, but pregnant ones are so vivid!). My bump is actually only measuring 29-30 weeks and I'm 25+5, so not half as bad/big as I was expecting. She said I was very neat so far for twins.

claire, I will cross everything for a head down little boy for you!!! Of course, no-one here ever counts down the hours til their scan . Let us know after it!! It must also constitute an exciting trip out for you, with the bedrest and all...

Right, DD awake from her nap (walked in pushchair- given up entirely? me?!) must go!

oooh, missed your post ravenlocks! Massive congratulations! did you have your section in the end? Looking forward to more details, enjoy your new born snuggles and well done you! xxx

Yay raven yay!

Happy homecoming x

Dreaming, the weego is actually the only one I've seen that can be used from birth - there's one called TwinTrexx but it's for 7lb or heavier (i.e. each, not combined weight!) I guess that's going to be a bit big for newborns...

Oh well, it makes the shopping decision easier if there's only the one I suppose :)

Yes buona, those were the two I'd seen. Though if you have 6+ lbs babies they'd be in the twintrexx so fast. On the TAMBA board I saw someone asking about the Weego that sold really quickly and she said her Dh had taken the boys out in it in the colicky evening time for a walk outdoors to calm them and give her a break. Struck a cord- I was just like that with dd!!! She said they used it til her boys were 5 months. Can't see where the twintrexx is actually in stick though?? Being thick?

In stick? In stock...

Hey ladies - huge congratulations raven - such good news x loving the babies arriving so promptly this year! And yay for homecoming - don't worry about catching up, just yell us EVERYTHING! well done on getting them here safe and sound xx

Oooh very brave to consider twin carriers - the girls are 12'12 and 12'5 now at 16 weeks and I wouldn't be able to carry them together for any length of time (I can't carry both car seats together anymore!! )

Dream - so glad mw was good x

Claire - hope scan goes well!

My advice is get as much help as you can from wherever you can - we decided to keep my sister (our nanny) on through my mat leave and it's been a godsend! Her and my mother have been invaluable x

Hello to everyone else - we are still struggling through sickness - ds is picking up slowly but girls have had real leaps in development now and will not stop jabbering away it's lovely but my goodness it's a noise when they're both competing to be heard with their individual coos and shouts! lord knows what i'm in for when they're older!!! Lots of smiles and giggles too which is lovely!

Dh took my car to work today as I didn't need it - then ended up having to go to my sisters. Two adults, two babies and a toddler make for a tight squeeze in a battered old peugout 206 !!

Xx

huge congrats Raven - and must be great to be able to bring them home. Pleased to hear DS is getting better BB, your girls sound like their personalities are really developing.

I had a MW appt today as well and all ok. Two heart beats, bp ok etc etc. However, got a quick question for you all - she asked if I can feel them both move. Well, I THINK I can but how do you tell that you are feeling both and not just one? I am not sure I am that tuned in to them and do they still swap sides? I am feeling in the dark on this one!

bigboobs, really central type movements (which is a lot of mine) I really don't know which it is- certainly not that I'd put money on. Far left/ far right and I'm more confident its whichever one tends to be on that side. But the twin who was head down on my 20 week scan was breech and vice versa for his brother- so clearly they can wriggle around a lot still. Twin A, on my left, frightens me by going super quiet, no movements on my left at all. Had a panic-scan on one of those occasions after 3 days, nothing definite from him and he was behind his brother. I find the which-is-which a big worry. Reading this thread it seems really common to struggle to identify who's who- I know Katy found it hard, I think most did!!!

I am so excited about the new twins here, and looking forward to hearing all the details!!!

bigboobs having the same problem here! I lnow t1 is breech and t2 head down, but never sure if the movements I can feel are one's feet or the other's hands (or elbows or knees...) am nearly 34 weeks. I gave a scan tomorrow anc will ask to point out exactly how they are positioned and hopefully should be able to tell which is which from now on!

raven - congratulations! Well done you and can't wait to hear all about it.

claire, I'm crossing everything for you that twin 1 has turned. Don't despair if they haven't, there's still (a small) amount of time. Also, I went to a multiples antenatal class here and it was a bit useless tbh. I'm sure you know everything you need to already.

buonasera - you can get carry cots for the duet and they are lovely and very neat. We haven't got them as they were a bit pricey and I was hoping to work something else out. Apparently the Bugaboo Cocoon's fit in them and the Phil and Ted soft carry cots as well which is helpful as you can definitely get those on ebay for a lot cheaper. Also, I think they'd probably last longer. There's also this company which makes bespoke carry cots (not as expensive as that sounds): Snunkie This was a mumsnet find!

stinkingbishop - I found this template birth plan: Birth Plan It is American so watch for different terminology, but it's like a massive multiple choice thing which helps you work out what you'd want in different scenarios. I found the mw's were very respectful of my birth plan last time round - almost to a fault! Once DD was born I was so besotted with her I couldn't care less whether I had a physiological birth of the placenta and when asked about it I just told them they could do what they liked. Very funny in hindsight.

Right, everyone else, glad the mw appointments are going well. dream, nice you heard their heartbeats and don't get too hung up on what the mw said, they have to say that to cover themselves. You're doing great. bigboobs, I can tell mine apart, but that's because they're sitting in very definite positions, one on each hip as it were. This has meant I've heard their heartbeats everytime I've seen the mw's which is a treat. I think if they're not like that it's really hard to tell apart. Don't worry about it. They'll be fine.

And in terms of help, well, we can't afford it. Vancouver is soooo expensive. My mum's coming out in February and staying for at least a month after the birth, but if my MIL came I think I'd actually end up doing violence!! . She's very lovely, but old school and Egyptian and going slightly senile. She has offered to help which I have politely and gently refused - have booked her into a bnb down the road for May - I reckon I should be able to deal with her by then.

Phew, that was a long post....

Congratulations raven and good luck! Make sure to keep your little one well wrapped the whole time as at that weight it can be hard to regulate body temp as there's little fat. When we were released the 2nd time after being re-admitted for hypothermia we were told to keep hats and cardis on at all time including in bed . Ask the dts before you get discharged

Should have read drs silly phone

hi all

so i'm officially terrible at keeping up with this thread! sorry not to spend time catching up - don't think i have been on since end dec so am wildly out of touch - hope everyone doing ok.

my boys are here!! arrived 9 days ago on the 2nd. went into labour on ny eve but it stopped by 1am and just had erratic contractions throughout ny day. then they ramped up again that night and we went into hospital the following morning. The boys were born naturally, just with TENS (still not entirely sure how I managed that) at lunchtime on the 2nd. Was 7cm when I got into hospital and 2 hours later was still 7cm so they broke T1s waters, and omg did that move things along!! 5 minutes later I was desperate to push!

I ended up finding a fantastic doula who helped us take on the consultant on the day and as a result I ended up with a really wonderful natural birth, midwife led with minimal people in the room. Both babies came out crying so were delivered on to me. I only had continuous monitoring for second stage and delivered in the room I laboured in, in position of my choice (hospital policy is to move you to operating theatre when you get to 9cm and deliver you on your back in stirrups, preferably with an epidural). Both babies latched on well shortly after birth and fed. all in all I couldn't have asked for better. They were both cephalic which massively helped and T2 didn't mess around at all once T1 was out - no issues with his heartrate or him trying to turn. He came out 20 mins after T1. I did get very lucky as everything fell into place but am so pleased that it happened as perfectly as it did!

T1 was 5lb 5oz and T2 was 5lb 11oz. They were born on the dot of 36 weeks so were technically prem so we were kept in for a couple of days - went home on the evening of the 4th and have been trying to figure out which way is up ever since!! Am exclusively bfeeding at the mo, which is tough, especially at night. Both twins had tongue ties which only got cut yesterday so getting feeding established has been hard work. Massive improvement in their latches already today and T2 is tanking milk whereas he was pretty fussy previously (his tongue tie was worse than his brothers) so am feeling pretty positive about that. To be honest it's all going ok, except am finding the nights really tough going - not uncommon for me to only get an hour or 2's sleep at night. Am having a day in bed today to catch up a bit.

We're still working on names - think we have almost decided but it may well change again so won't tell you all yet!

Congrats to Quempin and Raven - have scanned this page of the thread and seen that you have both had your babes too. Hope all going well.

And hi to everyone else!! Will try to stay more in touch going forward!!

x

Wow tabbycat huge congrats to you too, its getting really exciting on this thread!!!

So happy you got the birth you wanted and all going well with breastfeeding! (despite sleepless nights)

Big hugs to you and the boys too!

Yay tabby!!! Huge congratulations! Well done on getting the birth you wanted, can't wait to find out the names once you've decided!

Quemp I'll pm you as soon as I can get to a computer! Re feeding I prefer one at a time - in the early days when they woke lots I fed one passed to dh to wind and settle then did the other - when they were little I woke them every 2-3 hours but now I never wake them I wait for them to tell me they're hungry but they are that much bigger!

Tabby - night times are hard I did one at a time so was a never ending cycle every 3 hours with just 30-60 mina sleep between each one! Try and get as much rest in the day as you can xxx

Congratulations again ladies - what a great start to the year xxx

Just back from my scan

Babies are fine and growing well: 2,100jg for the boy and just over 2kg for thr girl. The sonographer spent a lot of time explaining everything on the screen, which was lovely and he said that tg'abdomen was a bit squashed by tb so probably bigger than came out from measurements! He is being a big naughty and has nit shifted but sitting comfortably on my pelvis

I still cant stop grinning though because I feel we've gone over the panicky bit and if they were to be born now, it wouldnt be a big issue!

I am currently celebrating with bread snd nutella

Good news on the scan Claire x

claire, glad the scan went well and has give you reassurance. Really good news. And always nice when the sonographer actually explains what you're seeing!

tabbycat - Wow, what a great birth story and congratulations on your twins. How exciting, I love hearing all the details and you sound like you're all doing brilliantly.

I sometimes think with antenatal groups its a bit like being a larvae under water and then when you hatch into dragonflies (i.e. give birth) you can't come back under water to tell us all about it. I remember in my antenatal yoga class last time people would get bigger and bigger and then disappear...So it's lovely to hear how everyone's doing and what lies ahead.

More stories please!!!

thanks all... just to reassure anyone out there who is finding it tough... we are too!!! (from your comments it sounds like I have implied it's all going swimmingly and is a complete breeze!) it's easy to make it sound like it's easy but I am constantly exhausted and there have been lots of times when I have nearly jacked in the bfeeding thing! I have loads and loads of support (mum is living with us at the moment) and otherwise i wouldn't have managed to get this far. Still not sure how long I will ebf for. Hugs to all new mummies out there!

Oh wow tabbycatt, congratulations! I'm so impressed with you having such a natural birth, and resisting the epidural and flat on your back in stirrups (good lord, if that is common hospital policy I definitely don't want to try for a VB in case I end up like that!!!). Your birth story makes me feel a bit embarrassed about how scared of trying for a VB I am... Good weights for your boys, can't wait to hear their names! I think with the ebf you just need to keep doing one day at a time. I remember reading a thread by princessScrumpy after her twins were born saying she was going to jack in the bf, it was too hard, but think she persevered and saw a later thread saying she never thought she'd do it, but it gradually, gradually got easier... You've still done wonderfully so far, even if you stopped tomorrow. I hope the kitchen is sorted!

Also really looking forward to your next update on your babies ravenlocks . So lovely you'll be taking them home today. Good luck with the nights an the feeding. Looking forward to hearing about the feeding, the birth and all the other bits!

2-3 hour feeds went on for a long-ish time for me quempin with one, til about 8 weeks.... But then we had a sudden huge improvement, just from abandoning the moses basket. So I'm maybe not the one to listen to. I'm off to pm you right now

claire, so glad the scan was good! Are you allowed to move around a bit more yet? Are you 34 weeks now? or 33? I'm sorry, I'm sure I should know that... So lovely they're doing so well, I love a good scan, it's such a great feeling. You're clearly doing everything right growing those babies, and you've already made big lifestyle sacrifices to keep them safe.

I think DD finally just dropped off to sleep. She has her MMR tomorrow and I'm just dreading it. I'm so tired from not sleeping well with rib pain and reflux, the evenings are hard enough with her antics without her having a reaction to it. I know she might not, and this dread might be misplaced but.... I'm going to the cinema with a couple of friends tomorrow. For the first time since DD was born and she's now just turned 16 months, but I can't look forward to it as I'm worried she'll be grotty after her jab and need me and I'll be out. There's no hope for me ever going out with 3 is there?!

Quemp I think they stretched to 4 ish hours around 6-8 weeks and then longer when I introduced formula at 12 weeks x