Expecting twins in 2020?

[Passionfruit20]

Is anyone else expecting twins (or more!) in 2020? I just found out I am. They’ll be our first. Technically due in April, although reality means probably March. Would love to share with other mums in the same situation as I’m now reading a whole new set of baby books and articles!

Thank you so much for the advise ladies, it was quite a week building up to it. But all absolutely perfect, both babies 11 weeks yesterday, measuring that and strong heartbeats.

Only just over a week until my 12 week scan too now so finally enjoying and excepting the pregnancy now. I know that you are not garentee'd a baby until you are holding it in your arms, but I can really just leave it up to the universe, to biology now. And stop worrying.

Hope everyone is doing well their end. @Slinkerbell when are your two due again?

@ChampooPapi

That's good to hear! Did they tell you what kind of twins you're having?
I can't wait for the next scan- it's kind of addictive.

Mine are due officially 1st of Nov but midwife said we'll aim to deliver mid October.

@Slinkerbell we are actually really close as my due date is the 26th of November so we are only 3 weeks ish apart. I had natural labour's with my first two but I am definitely requesting a section this time. One baby I'd absolutely do another vaginal birth, but with two no way mate 😏. I am very funny about internal examinations and the like so even with my other tow I refused internal heart monitors and checking of the dilation, so I am very aware with two that could be a big issue, espe for the second baby as they often to intervene with turning or forceps ect.

They said non identical twins, different sacks and placentas. I have heard through the twin grapevine that there is still a 1 in three chance that they could be identical though.

How about you? Are you thinking of trying for a natural birth/epidural vaginal birth? Or are you hoping to have a c section? I'm in Devon so Torbay is my hospital.

@ChampooPapi
I'm hoping that with it being twins they'll be smaller than single babies and so vaginal birth shouldnt be too much more challenging? But I know nothing...These are my first. Would prefer vaginal over c-section as I can't imagine anything more debilitating than dealing with post-surgery vibes when trying to manage twins, but I imagine it's not me who will get to choose. More like the babies and the medical staff. One of mine is currently facing the wrong way so also depends on what she decides to do. Aiming for natural, but won't say no to meds if labour goes on for a long time/is horrendous. Looks like I'll be giving birth in Spain though (moving to family) so bricking it. At King's in London atm though.

I have the same kind of twins. DCDA seems to be the way to refer to them. Yup, NHS said around 1 in 3 chance of them being identical. I don't reckon mine are though just from looking at the scan. What do you think? Any guesses?

Hi all! Hope it's OK to join this thread?

Congrats to those that've given birth already and to those expecting twins later in the year! We're expecting non identical twins 20th Oct unless they make an early appearance! I'm a FTM so rather excited but a bit nervous too!! Been one of the lucky ones (so far!!) and not had any sickness but the exhaustion in the first trimester was ridiculous! X

Hi everyone hope it last ok for me to join? I have spent hours reading over every post in this thread. Congratulations to everyone who have had their beautiful babies. I’m currently 16weeks and 4 days with non identical twins in their own sacs and placentas. It was a result of fet where we were told we pretty much no hope, so we couldn’t be happier. Had my 16 week appointment the other day and got to hear the heartbeats 🥰. I have been prescribed 150g daily of aspirin and iron tablets, anyone else? I am completely full of nerves and convinced that something will go wrong at some stage. I can’t wait to have the 20 week scan. I’m due 25th of October but will obviously be earlier. X

Congratulations @littlemiss7 & @piglet11 what an exciting time for you both! How are you both feeling? Will you find out the sexes of your babies or do you want a surprise?

@piglet11 i was on the aspirin and iron tablets. I think it is quite common. Its completely normal to feel anxious. I remember worrying about getting pregnant and thinking once I was pregnant i would be calm but as soon as I got the positive a whole new set of worries came in which only got worse with twins. I felt better when I could feel them move around 18-19weeks. Enjoy it as much as you can as it will be October before you know it. Although that will be when the real fun starts!
Twins are so much fun. My girls are 15weeks and staying to laugh and are real chatterboxes. Seeing their relationship develop is amazing.

Hi @piglet11 and congratulations!! I'm also on 150mg aspirin due to my age (38) and the fact they're twins. I'm the same - always worrying something's wrong. I think the fact I keep hearing the words 'high risk' put the fear into you over every little thing! When's your 20wk scan? Ours is 1st June and it still feels ages away!! 😫 how are you feeling? Have you had any sickness etc?

Hi @Wishing56 and congrats on the birth of your daughters! Do you have them sleeping together at night or are they separate? How are they when they're together/apart?

xx

@LittleMiss7 thank you. They are seperate and have been since around 4 weeks. The girls like to starfish so kept waking each other up hitting each other - they hated being swaddled too.
I have one in a next to me crib and the other is in a travel cot at the end of the bed which has a bassinet part and i bought a proper mattress for it.
They wouldn't have fit together in the next to me now as they would have been too big. They have gone at opposite ends of the travel cot before (when we stayed at families before lockdown).

They love being together during the day. In the morning i pop them next to each other in the travel cot so they can 'chat' to each other. They love to go on the playmat together and take turns stroking each others heads its very cute.

@Wishing56 ahh! That sounds adorable 😍 I can't wait to find out the sex of ours! Dare I ask but how hard were the first few weeks of trying to get them into a routine?! Also, when one wakes in the night for feeding, do you wake the other so you can feed both or do you wait until the other then wakes and get up again? Sorry for all the questions! Ooh! Sorry, one more! What pram configuration did you go for - side by side or tandem? It's stressing me out wondering which to get but I don't want to buy online - I want to try them out in the shops before committing which obvs isn't possible at the mo 🙈 xx

@littlemiss7 i am not going to lie the first 6 weeks were very tough. I just fed on demand which was the same time 95% of the time. They got into their own natural routine at 7weeks (they also started sleeping from 11pm-5am at 7weeks).
I didn't wake them up and still don't which may not be the recommended way to do things but I have been happy with that. I formula feed the babies so ...
For the first 6 weeks my husband and I would work in shifts. I would go to bed at 9pm. My OH would do all feeds up to 1am, then I would do all feeds after 1am, we would work together for feeding after 5am. This gave us a block of 4hours undisrupted sleep.

If they wake up at different times now then I feed the first baby whilst my husband sleeps then go back to sleep and then my husband feeds the second one whilst i stayed asleep. Although they sleep from 10.30-6.30/7 now.

I think if you want a strict routine then they recommend you wake them up at the same time.

I went for a side by side as I preferred it in terms of getting to the babies. I have the Bugaboo donkey 2, although it is an absolute beast and doesn't fit through all doorways and can be a bit awkward in restaurants, shop aisles etc.
I have since seen a lot of people recommend the out n about nipper double which is a side by side but is more compact and fits through all standard doorways.
It is a lot of money to spend without testing them out so maybe hold off for a while yet. I think i was 24weeks when I ordered mine.

Feel free to ask all the questions. I am happy to answer anything.
We have a facebook group which a few of us are on if you want to join us (the link should be a bit further up the thread).

@Wishing56 wow! They've been sleeping really well then from 7wks?! I can only hope we get lucky like that too! Haha!

Possibly a bit of a personal question so please feel free not to answer if you'd prefer, but have you breastfed them at all since they were born? This is another area that stresses me out as I know the hospitals, experts etc always promote breastfeeding etc but with 2 of them to feed, that sounds like flipping hard work and exhausting!! I've already pre warned by husband that if I can't get on with breastfeeding both, then it's quite likely we'll be going down the formula route as it could end up being a full time job to produce enough for both of them! Don't get me wrong, I want to try but I feel like there's so much pressure for women to breastfeed however most women only have 1 newborn to contend with at a time - not us special ones that have 2 lol!

I love the routine you and your husband have with the feeding shifts. I think we may end up doing something similar 😊

Awesome!! The bugaboo donkey is one of the ones I've been looking at. I'm tied between that and the iCandy Orange twin but yeah... I get stressed out about it all. My concern is I'd like to see them both so obvs that swings me towards the bugaboo, but then the extra width of it worries me. I don't want to block the aisle in a Tesco express or not be able to fit through doorways etc. I think the whole worry of will I or won't we fit all the time would get to me so then I swing back to the iCandy... but then I can't see them both! Aaarrrrggghhh!! 😂 I've looked at poss getting a cheap 2nd hand out n about nipper for when I want to go for a run - they seem highly rated for running and going off road which'd be fab. I didn't realise it was smaller than the bugaboo width wise though?! I keep hearing bugaboo talk about it fitting through all standard doorways etc so I'm really pleased you were able to tell me otherwise - could be embarrassing 😂🙈

Ah ha! Just spotted the link - thank you! I've sent a request over to join 😘

Thank you so so much for your help - you've been so kind xx

Hi everyone. Welcome to those newly joining. @BristolBones and @Ladybug84, hope you had a customised growth chart as that will differ from what you see on google.
@Wishing56 that sounds so cute. Hoping I won't be too knackered with mine to notice the adorable stuffs.
Currently 31 weeks and just counting down everyday- due 15th of July.
@ChampooPapi that's great news. I was also anxious at the start and I've had 2 "normal" pregnancies before.
My 2 toddlers are more excited about baby things than me. Covid has thrown so much of my plans away as my mum was meant to come help with the other 2 children and now she is stuck abroad as can't get a visa or even flights
But still optimistic and hoping for the best now.

@LittleMiss7 Out n About Nipper and Mountain Buggy Duet are similar size, both 10cm less width than the Donkey. Apparently you also have to disassemble Donkey to fit in boot of car.
I have cared for twins previously and used the Mountain Buggy & loved it! So I think I'll be getting that. It's easy to push, has a brake (for the downhill!), fits on the bus with another buggy next to it and fits through all doors I've tried.

@LittleMiss7 i breastfed for 3/4 days whilst in hospital. I went in not really having a preference and i said that to the midwife when she asked me. I took formula with me but they do have some there normally incase you dont get on breastfeeding. My girls latched really well but i just didnt get the supply. My milk never came in but that is very much a personal issue and not common. I did try with expressing on a hospital grade pump but barely got a drop. In the end I was just too exhausted and it wasnt something i was 100% that I would continue with as i liked knowing how much they were getting. I do know twin mums that breastfeed though so it is totally possible.
I didnt have any pressure from the midwives and they just asked me. When i said i am switching to formula that was absolutely fine and they even took the girls one night and feed them twice so i got a full nights sleep.

The donkey doesn't fit through my frontdoor or at the door at my doctors surgery and its a lot of money to leave sitting outside somewhere. I think some of the other twin mums have the icandy so they may be able to give advice on that one. Xx

@Slinkerbell oh hell yes to the mountain buggy. Had one for both my daughters and getting the duet for my twins for sure. I'm going second hand though as they are about 250 pounds for the whole system rather then 💰💰💰

@Ummusomebody thank you for the welcome, was so good to see a message of a mention on here. I've just had my harmony test back and all low risk, plus we found out we are having twin girls 👯

I'm twelve weeks today and my NHS scan is Monday. I have two girls already so we are going to be 5 woman household including me. My partner was laughing his head off.

There definitely was a 'manic' quality about it though 😂

@Slinkerbell I've just read another review online about the bugaboo... I can't believe they don't have brakes?! How's that possible on a pram?! Lol! X

@Wishing56 I'm pleased to hear they didn't pressure you into breastfeeding and it's so nice they fed the girls one night for you too ❤️ I had my 16wk appt last week and birthing preference was touched on (not a proper convo yet) and I said I'd pretty much got in my head that I wanted a c section at the mo and she almost made me feel bad for not choosing a natural birth! I know we're still to have a proper conversation about but still... 🤷‍♀️ dread to think of the breastfeeding convos we'll babe soon 😂

Hmm... not such great news on the width of the bugaboo then? It's disappointing as they advertise it that it can fit through standard doorways yet you can't fit it through your own doorway. And like you say, you don't really wanna leave it outside, given what you've spent on it either 😞 I'll do some asking around on the iCandy to get a good comparison. Thanks so much again for answering all my questions xx

@ChampooPapi congratulations! Twin girls! ❤️ Your OH is thinking about the growing queue for the bathroom in a few years time 😂 When are you due? X

@LittleMiss7 too right he is. He is obsessed with the mirror in there himself so he needs his 'me time' in there 😏

@ChampooPapi
Glad to hear everything went well! Twin girls- amazing! I didn't think to ask for the gender at my 13 wk scan. Think I was too shocked by the twins news 🙉

@LittleMiss7
Bugaboo will have a footbrake to make sure it doesn't roll away, but the MB has a an actual brake like a bicycle brake. I didnt see the point in it... until I tried going down a steep hill with the twins in tow 😂

All of a sudden I'm just starting to pop a little this week (15) after having a mostly normal looking tummy so far. Exciting and scary!

Also mad back pain/pelvis pain this week. Anyone else had that? Any advice?

@LittleMiss7 the bugaboo has a foot brake down near one of the wheels.

In terms of birth preferences my hospital kept saying to me about a vaginal birth but I had done lots of research and decided on a section. They didnt really discuss it until my 32week appointment. At which point I said that I had looked at the pros and cons and want to have a csection and they basically said thats fine. Got my date at 34weeks for 2 weeks later. Had the girls at 36+4. I could choose either then or 37+2 and I was so fed up that i chose the earlier date. Xx

@Slinkerbell it was the nipt/harmony so it was a dna blood test and finding out the gender was one of the options. Amazing at 11 weeks they can do that! I'm over twelve now and obviously the anxiety is slowing growing for the 12 week scan Monday. It's going to be like this all the way through isn't it 🤦

@Slinkerbell I have sadly had PGP since I was 20 weeks ish and gotten worse lately but I'm still not taking any medications other than occasional paracetamol. Advice on pelvic partnership website. Also seen a physio who advised a few exercises couldn't remember them lol as well as pelvic floor muscles. Try not to stand on 1 leg, take lifts instead of stairs (if only). Keep your knees together getting into and out of cars, bed , etc ...
To be honest I think I have worse days when I have forgotten my advice etc...

Ahhh was just looking at the bugaboo and how you mention doors - to be honest for now any buggy I get will live in the car as I live on a top floor maisonette with no lifts. Was supposed to be moving but decided to wait till a bit after babies arrive due to covid.

@Wishing56 good to know re the section. I've done two natural births, there's no way I'm not having a section with these two if I can!