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Multiple births

When do you start showing with twins? What is life with twins like? Join the conversation on our Multiple Births forum.

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Original poster

PFB multiples - how did that work for you?

20 replies

instantfamily · 11/04/2011 10:56

Just read the PFB thread and was wondering what PFB syndromes multiples' mums managed?

We had charts for feedings, poos, medicines but I feel kind of justified because we had a lot of "staff" (MIL, DH, I, alternating nannies, etc) rotating, so this was sort of communication more than anything.

OP posts:

neenz · 11/04/2011 12:45

I was too tired and busy to have PFB syndrome and I think we were all the better for it! I kept a little record of their feeds (time and length) for a few weeks till things clicked with BFing. No records of poos or wees! .

They didn;t wear anything other than babygros for the first 9m either. I pretty much just sat on the sofa feeding for the whole of the first year [bliss]. Now they are nearly 3 and I still don't PFB them at all (I don't think!)

How old are yours now? I have just had no.3 (8mo) - he will probably be much more spoiled actually

WassaAxolotl · 11/04/2011 13:00

I wouldn't let them even lick tomato puree off my fingers to taste it until they were six months old. At 5.5 months old, I was snatching away the slices of pepper and bread they'd misappropriated from my plate because "suppose they develop coelic disease?"

I put a rattle in the steam steriliser (which wrecked it) because it had been dropped on the floor and might have "germs".

Original poster

instantfamily · 11/04/2011 13:17

Mine are 5 now. I let them eat crumbs off the floor, must not be precious, I thought, but on the other hand, woe, if anyone tried to touch them in the first 6 months! no logic whatsoever.

and my dad looked at me kind of funny when I sent him to wash his hands upon entering the house. and even funnier when I said upon his very quick return from the bathroom - "but did you wash them with SOAP??"

OP posts:

chutneypig · 12/04/2011 07:50

Too tired here too. I did keep records of feeds/poos etc but mostly because I was tired and liable to get confused. I was pretty paranoid about feed sterility, partly my background and partly I didn't want two babies being sick.

Other than that there was no point being quiet at night, not when they'd sleep through their twin shrieking in their ear. We have a 'dump and run' approach to bedtime. I'm shocking if they fall over - barely break stride to tell them it wouldn't have happened if they'd not been messing around. Ditto fighting - mine are nearly 4.

I did have cause to wonder if I have a slightly different take than others. When they were about 4 months a baby massage class came up and as MIL was around I decided to take one of them (whoever had a poo first) because I couldn't get the double buggy in the place. At the end the instructor told us to cuddle our little ones and I was the only one thinking 'but she's covered in olive oil'. I did cuddle, just took a little time to wrap her in a towel first .

WassaAxolotl · 12/04/2011 10:07

I read that peanut allergy might be linked to breastfeeding mothers eating peanuts, so I carefully avoided peanuts as much as possible. For 18 months.

Yesterday I ate a nut cutlet, and I'm feeling guilty!

londonlottie · 12/04/2011 10:33

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givemeaclue · 13/04/2011 20:57

writing absolutely everything down, poos, feeds, medicines (one was on a lot of different meds), even weaning, sleep times. but it is interesting to read back on and see the crazeee 3am writing of being up every 45 mins. It reads like a survival manual - if you can get through this you can get through anything.

sterilising my hands so much the skin peeled off (that was in NICU though!)

sterilising ice cube trays when weaning and wondering whether to sterilise the pans

not giving cows milk till 2 years old

not giving unboiled tap water till 18 months

not letting them off the reins

not going to park on my own as they would run off in opposite directions (who do you save, the one who is going to be hit by a swing or the one who's going to fall off the slide?)

Mine are 3.5 and I still have 3 stair gates in the house

I don't know if its pfb or just coping with twins. or possibly both.

PrincessScrumpy · 14/04/2011 17:35

People keep logs of baby's feeds and poos?!? I didn't do that with my dd1 (singleton) - there would have to be a medical reason for me to do it with twins.

We took off stairgates when dd turned 3 so we could have a year without them before dts can crawl (due Sept).

Wassa latest research shows no link between eating peanuts when pg and peanut allergies in babies. With dd1 (3) it was an absolute no no, but now it's apparently fine. I'm not stuffing myself with them but I did enjoy some chocolate covered ones the other day (17 weeks pg with ID twins).

chutneypig · 14/04/2011 18:31

The hospital told us to monitor output, if you like, but I found it pretty invaluable in a sleep deprived haze at 2 am to work out which one I'd fed last. My two were on very different schedules because of an extreme weight difference. Besides, I'm a scientist, it's second nature to keep lab books .

londonlottie · 14/04/2011 19:03

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HappyAsASandboy · 14/04/2011 20:46

I agree with the note keeping. I wrote down who fed and who had a wet/dirty nappy and when I'd taken pain meds for about a month. Exertions the midwife/HV came round they'd ask about these things, and I wouldn't have had a clue if I hadn't written it down. They eventually went straight to the notebook as the questions were asked.

PFB .... not sure I had time. I didn't like putting them in the travel cots that don't have the bassinet thingy, but I think that was mostly down to my post-CS bending and lifting considerations ...

HappyAsASandboy · 14/04/2011 20:47

That should be 'every time', not 'exertions'!

WassaAxolotlEgg · 15/04/2011 09:23

PrincessScrumpy
No link!??! All that for nothing! Ah well- you have to follow advice as it is.

Yeah, I kept records of which baby I'd fed (and what with: formula, EBM, and millilitres taken or left breast, right breast and time on breast) and what substances had been in the nappies afterwards. Less to do with preciousness, and more with making sure I knew whom to wake up and feed when the alarm went off at 3am, 5am, etc. Although there was a teensy-weensy element, as I was terrified of underfeeding them and lifelong effects on brain development.

I also didn't want the community nurse to tell me I had to switch to formula because they weren't putting enough weight on!

PrincessScrumpy · 15/04/2011 19:14

I breast fed on demand and had a hair band round the wrist so I knew which boob I'd used. DD fed very regularly and I could tell if it was feed time by the tingling feeling in my boobs - there really wan't any need to keep a record. Didn't do it in hospital either. Probably would if I ff. As for poos and wees - I was constantly changing newborn nappies and did it before each feed (they were always wet) and in between for poos or if they felt wet, so I wasn't concerned. If I felt there were more dry ones than usual then I'd start keeping a note, but otherwise didn't worry.

PrincessScrumpy · 15/04/2011 19:16

With twins I may need to keep a note so one doesn't get lots and the other sleep through regarding feeding. Still won't worry with wee and poo logging unless something feels a bit wrong.

londonlottie · 15/04/2011 20:58

This reply has been deleted

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schmee · 16/04/2011 12:09

I liked the charts. Reassuring to know that each was feeding and helped me learn about their individual routines. Would sometimes get confused as to who I had just fed before I had time to write it down though - so probably best to keep a pen and paper handy!

I used to sterilise the toys in between them playing with them when they were about five months

WassaAxolotlEgg · 18/04/2011 15:18

My twins are also my first babies, so yeah.

Having twins can be very different from a single baby. I'd never breastfed one baby before, whereas you have, so you won't be as lacking confidence in your ability to breastfeed, as I was.

I also didn't feel let-down, or generally get a tingly feeling. Something which people were quick to worry me about.

"Maybe you aren't producing milk, then.

"Oh, you are."

I had so many subtle "you can't breastfeed twins- you won't make enough milk" hints from various people, that recording poos and wees was very reassuring. It proved stuff must be going in. Every time I saw a midwife, HV, or community SCBU nurse, they would ask, searchingly, "are there plenty of pooey nappies and wet nappies?"

Showing my records of poos and wees shut them up reassured them.

The twins were a little bit premature and small, so they were too tired to wake up and ask for milk. They weren't strong enough to respond to being hungry, and of course, if they were allowed to sleep, they would have just got weaker, and slept more. A vicious circle.

LowestofttoNZ · 07/05/2011 10:30

I was strongly advised to keep records as it was expected that the girls would end up back in hospital at some stage - having been so premature - and they would then need the record as evidence of what went on.

Turned out that we didn't need it, but it was really worth it for just being able to keep a check on nappies etc to see who hadn't pooed for a few days - I defy you to remember it after a day or two!

Friends with singletons thought that we were mad - but our situation was totally different to theirs.

kathryn2804 · 08/05/2011 23:41

I had twins first and didn't write much down. I did occasionally write a routine out of what they were naturally doing, but it changed about 3 days later so gave up with that!

Mine were full term and breastfeeding well, gaining weight etc and I tended to tandem feed so didn't need to keep note of who was fed wehn, so there wasn't any need

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