Anybody else pregnant with twins – or more?

[nh101andhertwinbeans]

My twins are due in May and it would be nice to have other multiple-mums-to-be to chat to!

i am really sad, i know but i have bought a few buggies in the past in need of some TLC and i find it quite rewarding fixing them up. i obviously dont do it now as i dont have the time or energy and my back is really playing up. i feel like an old person.

i just bought my maxi-cosi cabriofix car seats £79.95 each with free delivery. i am not going to look on the john lewis website anymore as i will kick myself if they go to £70 again. but they are the black ones which OH likes and it will save me the time looking everyday probably worth the extra £20.
i also picked up the second fisherprice motorised swing today (they are a life saver and were a must buy this time around).
i also bought a tinylove symphony in motion cot mobile for £16 from tkmax, i had one for both my children and it cost £39 but i sold it on e-bay last year.
i have two activity gyms/play mats, two swings, four bouncers, two moses baskets, two sleeping bags, four snowsuits, sleepsuits, bodysuits, cardis, two sleep/movement monitors, bottles, steriliser, baby scales, and loads of newborn toys etc, i even have the newborn hats, just need a couple more sleepsuits and scratch mits, milk and nappies.
i now have everything major, except the bigger car.

the kids and i went to the beach today, made sandcastles and visited the sealife centre, it was a great day. i am really tired out now as they were late to bed. hopefully it will be a nice day again tomorrow as i have loads of washing to do. My mission is to clear the twins room of the stuff in storage there and put all the baby gear in there so i just need to unbox it when the time comes.
it does feel alot more real now.

Hi Mel. Thanks for the info. There's a couple of very nice looking buggies on ebay at the moment, and one is very close to me in Hackney. Am willing to pay more for better condition as I know I will not be faffing with fixing it!

Had appointment today. I do have gestational diabetes. Blood sugar was 6.8 before glucose (which is 'borderline') and 11.3 afterwards which is 'oh dear'! Doc said may need insulin, but got to go to a clinic on Tuesday without an appointment (another 'oh dear', I am sure they won't be impressed with me). Ds was crying throughout the appointment (he was tired) and my very camp consultant was not handling it well, so had no chance really to talk about the birth and what their procedure is. Don't have another appontment till 9th Sept. Accessorze, your babies will be nearly out by then! .

A friend visited me yesterday and gave me loads of stuff: a double maclaren in very good nick, highchair, cot, swing chair (already got one, so have one each now). Dh is going a bit mad with the amount of stuff we have to find room to store. We have a basement but it is damp and things go mouldy down there.

Still not got car, going for another look next Tuesday night.

Have good weekends one and all.

Hi everyone. Had an exhausting day looking after DD on my own, now I remember why I went back to work! She's adorable but my goodness it's exhausting looking after a sparky 3 yr old when you're pg with twins. She fell off my enormous birth ball onto my bump yesterday, took the wind right out of me - I burst into tears. Poor thing she was gutted, but I couldn't help myself. I hope the twins are OK, I think they must be since they're not very big yet and my belly's huge, there must be loads of room to move out the way? I'm going to make sure I dilute the day with some other people a bit more tomorrow, till DH gets home from his partying without us!

Hope you're all well and enjoying your purchases - Mel, you sound thoroughly prepared.

Hullo all

Merry, re: GD. Hope clinic is of help?

GBB, it is sometimes v.hard isn't it - they're so physical. Both my boys just seem to want to suffocate me, jumping all over me and hanging onto my clothes, drives me mad. Sooo much better when someone round or we're off somewhere. I took them to bday party for boy next door turning 4 & they had fab time whilst I stuffed myself on pizza slices. His mum 10 days away from due date so we're about the same size!

Have (I think) developed SPD this week. Never had it before, but pain in pelvis quite extreme at times and barely able to walk, bend, climb stairs for some of the day. Luckily staying at mum's has meant that she & stepdad have been around to help with picking up ds2 etc who I just can't manage up & down stairs either carrying or holding his hand. So a lot better today, I'm hoping I can manage it, have physio at hospital Monday.

Very of being given stuff like pushchairs! I have bought the MB at least but can't get it until end of August as my stepdad kindly picking it up for us. Still need something easy to unfold etc for car - Mel, any suggestions based on your v.wide knowledge? I wondered whether a tandem would be better for shops etc? If I ever get to any again, sigh.

Mel, I too saw the tiny love mobile in TKMaxx and nearly bought one (as ours used with ds1 & 2 broke last year) but it wasn't the same colourway as before & I got all sentimental about them having the same animals waving over their heads! One of the best ever baby buys for me, so I guess I'll have to splash out again! I'm also trying to buy another Baby Bjorn Baby sitter chair as the one we have is brilliant and I want matching! They're so pricey even 2nd hand though.

Given I am due first (eeek) really not as organised as I should be. Nursery still waiting on curtains (being made by mum), pole (picked up today), chests of drawers (requires visit to ikea), boy clothes (in loft waiting for chest!) and cot-bed waiting to be put up (but no mattress). But I have a lovely green car seat in the garage (it's the lemonade colour, Mel, stepdad called it bile juice!! £80 a good price, don't worry about JL they just need to be bought! I think I might move the sheepskin to the car seat to cover up the green...)

Looked up Voyager and apparently bad safety record, very very bad. Hmmm, was v.keen until then so back to galaxy I guess. I would so love sliding doors but DP& I just found driving the C8/807 too difficult.

MM - so sorry, I'm so selfish. Bad news about the GD and hope it gets under control asap.

AQ - sorry about the pelvic pain. Mine was terrible a few weeks ago but seems to have subsided along with the first trimester hormones (I think they can have an impact), and as I've been more careful about how I move. You probably feel this already but try not to move with split legs, if that makes sense - so if you're going from standing to kneeling, put both knees down together, 'swing' (ha ha) both legs out with your knees together when you get out of bed - it feels a bit like practising deportment!

What's so special about the baby bjorn sitter, by the way - a lovely lady offered me two for £50 along with the MB carrycot I'm hoping to buy, but I can't get over how much that seems. Is it worth it?

Thanks, GBB, I did read up a little & perhaps the fact that I've been trying to move better has helped it in the last day or so?

The bb seats are v.good (Imo, of course) because they bounce when the baby moves so they're happy, they look really nice compared to majority of bouncy chairs & they can be used for quite a long time as they'll take the weight. DS2 was still in his at 14 months! Also found it great as it folds flat & we took it on holiday last year, incredibly useful. Much easier to clean than all the others I have had as the cover just whips off and goes in the machine. Two for £50 is a bargain!

If you don't like them, sell them on ebay for £30 each and make a profit!

i am having trouble with my active children as well. i will sit down and give them a nice cuddle and next thing i now they are play fighting on my bump!!! mine are 2.5y and 4y (in a couple of weeks).
i did something really naughty yesterday. i usually have all the jobs around the house and garden inc the traditional mens jobs as OH is so busy at work (he works 7 days, 14+hr days). he decided that he would cut the grass for me a couple of weeks ago because of my sciatica but it never happened and we developed a wildlife area on one side of the garden knee deep. a couple of months ago i bought a lightweight flymo because the other one (which i have used in the last two pregnancies) was just too heavy now and we have a big garden.
anyway i decided yesterday to cut the grass but OH had locked the new mower in the shed and had taken the key to work. so i used the really heavy old one that had been sitting outside. then i decided to re-arrange the childrens garden things. so i moved the 8ft trampoline, two TP climbing frames and TP tripple swing frame to opposite sides of the garden on my own. it is the only day my back hasnt been stiff or painful in the last two weeks.
i was worried i had done too much but all i have this morning is a headache (i probably slept on my back last night).
i had plans of planting a border today but its raining.

MM - i have to have the GD test as well at 28 weeks as my mother has diabetes and i had a few diabetes scares when a child, so i am preparing myself for it this time. angelina jole had it as well with her twins.
hopefully you will get some good support from the doctors and they get it under control.

accessorize - i really like the green. i wouldnt bother with the maxi-cosi footmuffs though as i had one last time and it wouldnt stay on. it also made the seat so small (and my little girl was tiny). liners are much better
also try sleeping with a pillow between your knees. i get sciatica because i twist my pelivs when i sleep and i have a blooming marvellous v shaped pillow between my legs and under my bump. i does help. also sitting on a ball instead of a chair works.
also once you start using the MB no other buggy will be better. i will be keeping mine in the car and i dont have to worry about i being stored in the house. with my single babies i always had two buggies, one in the car and one in the house for naps etc. but i cant find another buggy this time. the mclarren type buggies are useless walking in the woods/beach/muddy farm tracks so i havent had much experience of them except the m&p aira.

OH cant believe how big i am, he thinks i am the same size i was full term with my second. i dont think i am quite that big yet but getting there.

mel, what does OH stand for? Hope your GTT is fine, I'll be able to share all my knowledge with you for once!!!

it's definitely hard to keep up with the kids, ds wants me to "play sports" all the time! Ummmm...no thanks. Ds got told off for something the other day, can't even remember what for, and in the middle of being told off he whispered to me very slyly "I'm going to kick the babies"! . He knows what buttons to push at the age of 2yrs 9 months.

The MB near me has gone from 100 to 250.00 and it has a day to go still!!! There's a few bits wrong with it as well, which the lady has kindly shown in the pics so is not in perfect nick, (eg. tear in raincover) - I can't believe how much it's gonna go for. Am starting to resent the second hand prices!!!

I will put a pic on my profile one of these days and get some sympathy, esp. from my singleton antenatal thread who are all moaning about being huge!

sorry OH (other half - husband)
i would keep your eyes open for newly listed BIN mountain buggies. thats where the bargains often are. also look on the adtrader website.

also this one is the newest version and she will accept someone sending a courier (senditnow costs £10.50 48hr parcelforce or £11.99 24 hr parcelforce)
cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mountain-Buggy-Urban-Double-Buggy-2007-Model-in-Black_W0QQitemZ180276695003QQihZ008QQ categoryZ66700QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
also this one is the MB urban elite double, i have the single elite and its fantastic. it has rear suspension and canvas covers. but it is not that much different from the normal urban.
cgi.ebay.co.uk/MOUNTAIN-BUGGY-ELITE-DOUBLE-RAINCOVER-SUNCOVER-MINT_W0QQitemZ330262673777QQihZ014QQca tegoryZ66700QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Oh, now I get it. I thought OH was 'ordinary husband' or something!

More abbreviations - what is BIN? I have looked on gumtree and there are some MB's on there at times, so will keep looking as at least they are close by. Will try adtrader too. I am watching the Sandhurst buggy. Looked up where it is, much cheaper to get a courier to pick it up. This elite one, can you use the carrycots on it? Is it like a more luxury version of the normal MB?

I've added pics to my profile now, so you can see my bump and my boy.

Sleep well...

MM- BIN - buy it now
the elite is basically the same as the urban but it has rear suspension and canvas covers with little pockets on each side of the hood not that good for beakers but good for a few baby wipes/packet of sweets etc, it does take the same carrycots. the sandhurst one is newer than the elite, you can tell by the black bars on the sides of the footrest and the extra supporting hinges on the outside of the handle. the elite hasnt been out longer than a year in this country but there were quite a few imported by people so it could be older.
cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mountain-Buggy-Urban-Twin-Pram-used-less-than-10-times_W0QQitemZ330260455430QQihZ014Q QcategoryZ53681QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
this one looks a good deal at the moment but i think it might be a recall one so it might have to be sent back for a new handle.(not really a problem if you have the time to do it)
cgi.ebay.co.uk/Double-Urban-Mountain-Buggy_W0QQitemZ160271570766QQihZ006QQcategoryZ66700QQssPageName ZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
i have just e-mailed the seller on this one to see if it has the adjustable handle, it could be a bargain if it has.
also this website has a sale on some new MBs
double soft blue £469 + £10 del.
i must be the saddest buggynut on this website but i have to admit i was also bugaboo mad as well and have lost count of the number of bugaboos i have had in the last 4 years.

gosh MM!!! i have just had a look at your bump, its huge compared to mine and i am only 8 weeks behind.
your little boy is lovely, what a sweetie!!!!

MM - your bump looks fab but I know what you mean, I think I'm only about 4 weeks off the size I was at full term last time. And don't even talk about how much bigger I got in the extra 2 weeks overdue bit, but at least that shouldn't happen this time. I'm about 5 weeks behind you and not far off the same size - but luckily being so tall (6'3) helps disguise the size to some extent.

Mel, I don't know where you're finding the energy, I just haven't had any energy throughout my pregnancy so far - and at 22 weeks along I'm not holding my breath now. I think I'm going to have to negotiate some more time working from home, the commute is easy but still exhausting as I just seem to be so breathless.

I feel suitably shamed about finding my DD hard to cope with when you remind me some of you have 2 DCs to contend with.

GBB - yeah, wish I was 6'3! I was huge with ds but only as huge as I am now. I have Gest Diabetes, so also may mean babies are large, although on scans they are showing 50-75 centile. I can sympathise on the energy front. My parents are coming down 4 days a week to help me! And I have a friend coming over to help me clean tonight - very sweet, I don't know her that well. I also have CFS (Fatigue) so it's a bit hard to tell what is that and what is pregnancy tbh. I have also put on nearly 20kgs so that's a lot of extra weight to be carrying. I don't know how you commute - do people actually give you a seat?

mel, thanks for all the links...I saw the soft blue one too, they also have chocolate, a bit more expensive but also on sale...have been considering it!

yes chocolate is a better colour than the blue.
my next order just arrived so i now have a few more pairs of jeans and some new tops. i also got some lovely little white bodysuits for the twins a pack of five for £7 in the sale.
i wish i was 6'3, i am only 5'5.
i am tired some days but i am just trying to sort things out before i get too big to do anything. once i get something in my head i have to do it or it will bug me all day. i am just about to clear out the twins room and rearange the furniture so i can put all the baby bits in there. the car seats should be here today. i need to stay off e-bay as i have spent a small fortune the last month on there.
i do feel a bit bad that we will not be having a big party this year for my little boys fourth birthday. the last three years we have had 25+ kids at a huge party in the garden. it took me two days to make the bob the builder cake last year. all the children had buildres hats and tools and i turned the garden into a building site. this year with the extra nursery children and siblings, it would be 40 children and i wouldnt be able to manage it, i wouldnt be able to do 20 this year. some of the mothers dont react well if their children are not invited so it is a case of invite one, invite them all or none at all. so this year we will just have a small family party with loads of trips out to funparks and a few more pressies to make up for it.
My husband is so busy at work he just doesnt have the time or energy to help me. i cant complain though as at least he has work, some people are not so lucky in this financial climate.

MM, my commute is out of town, from Hackney to Harlow (how exotic ), so there's always a seat on both trains. It's the walk to the station that's really taking it out of me, I'm already waddling. Parental help 4 days a week sounds great, if you get on well with them? I'm going to my mum and dad's for 10 days on Friday to let DH get on with some major home improvements, and am really looking forward to the help though a bit apprehensive about how I'll cope with them for that long. I still seem to turn into a sulky teenager when I'm there [.

hee hee, GBB, i know what you mean. i always turn into mrs lazybones at parents' place and get waited on hand and foot. not to mention mum still has ability to 'push my buttons' and we still fight (rather she makes 'comments', i have a go at her and she goes all tight lipped). but it is better in my house, she seems better behaved and so do i!

i have a book that says you need to stop work at 24 weeks. not sure how you do that if you have a toddler!

i feel very sick today. it's weird. not felt nauseous since about 11weeks. guess i should be grateful but still feel a bit worried. still am at hospital this pm for diabetic appointment.

MM if you are around there is the red MB finishing in about 20mins
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160271570766&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=006
it looks like it might have an adjustable handle but when the seller mailed me back it came back without a response. i have remailed them, i hope they are around.
it looks like it has a single basket underneath and the bar that goes across the top behind the seat, i have not seen an older version with one, it must have the bar as the seat rods would be reaching the handle in the middle it it didnt have one. it would be a bargain if it is the newer version with two footmuffs, suncover and a raincover.

just got an e-mail back to say it did have the adjustable handles.
darn!! it sold at £200

thanks mel - yeah it was a bargain! I was out! I know what to look out for now! The sandhurst one is over 300.00 now but the elite is still affordable. is it any bigger when folded? i still don't understand the difference between it and the normal one. is it heavier? does it have shopping baskets?

the elite is exactly the same but it has the rear suspension and canvas fabrics instead of the man-made fabrics. its not any bigger/heavier and does the same job. oh and it has the lovely MB black liners as you can see in the photo. i have two elite liners for my normal urban double as i have two sets of fabrics for my single urban elite and therefore two liners. when i sell the single i will keep the liners for my double as they are really nice. the older versions of the adjustable handle urban have canvas fabrics as well (mine does) i do prefer the canvas to the man-made fabric but there is not really much difference.
the adjustable handle urbans and the urban elite have the same baskets/wheels etc.

i had my fingers crossed it was you that won the red one, i didnt find out it was definately adjustable handle until after the listing ended as i would have been tempted to bid and then pass it on to you. it was a bargain as the two p&t footmuffs are worth about £50-£60 secondhand on e-bay in the autumn/winter and the sunshade £20.

you just need to keep you eyes out for listings like that one or the BIN ones. i was lucky to get mine at £90 BIN but it did need a bit of stitching on the corners of the hood (5 mins work which now you cant even see as its black) and a couple of clips. its not perfect but i wouldnt want a perfect one going down the beach and muddy farm tracks.

Thanks very much, mel, the resident MB guru! I will try out this elite then and see what it's going for...£90 is amazing for your one!

I had my first 'baby' dream last night which was reassuring and 'cool'. The babies were home and I put them to sleep (in another room ) and then woke in a panic in the morning as they hadn't woken in the night and I hadn't put any covers on them!!! Anyway, they were ok, so I tried to feed them and one wouldn't latch on, so milk started spraying everywhere from that breast while I was trying to latch the other baby to the other breast (that baby seemed to manage better!). Oh, the realities of tandem feeding are already hitting!

sounds like you had a better night than i did. i couldnt sleep and was really thirsty even though i kept drinking water. then i started feeling tightenings in my belly. i started to panic that i was having painless contractions but they were every now and again. worried myself silly and got no sleep. now i just feel sore and tired. i have my scan next tuesday so i cant wait to see if they are both ok. i am going to take it easy and not move any furniture/boxes of books/climbing frames etc, i have learnt my lesson. finding it a bit hard to sit down as i then cant get up but i am going to make a real effort today.
i have felt some movement today but no more tightenings. might call the hospital if i get anymore. i am only 19+4 weeks.

Mel, hope everything's OK - I think it's really common to get these kind of tightenings and it's not a problem. All my discomfort comes when I move around so that's a very good incentive to put my feet up.

My sleep's been a bit better over the last couple of weeks, I seem to go through phases. Lots of waking up but too tired to worry about anything so I just drop right off again.

I have my MB carrycot! A nice lady in Scotland has sold it to me with an E-Z2 feeding pillow and the 2 baby bjorn chairs I mentioned before - the lot including postage for £170. Is that a good deal? I hope so. Still feeling a bit weird about buying stuff so early.

mel, thirsty may be gestational diabetes...worth having a prick test at next MW appointment...my blood sugar never showed up in urine.

hope accessorize is ok...if you're lurking, girl, then get on here and reassure us...

i think we have a girl and boy's name now. i am convinced anyway (dh not convinced on boy). the girl's name is unusual, the boy's name is probably no. 1 or 2 in the 'charts'!