31+4 with DCDA twins and just looking for a bit of companionship during the countdown...

[legallyblond]

.... That's it really!

I have an almost 3 yo DD (she'll be 2.11 if they arrive when anticipated) and am still working full time (10 hour days as a lawyer) and, just this week, the exhaustion has hit. I'm planning to work until 34 weeks and have an elcs booked for 37+3.... It feels a long way away!

I am starting to get nervous about it all (I have been nervous throughout though!):

• nervous about bf - I ebf DD until we did baby led weaning and then carried on bf until she was 2, but a bit scared it won't work with 2, also becasue no sign of leaking colostrum and much smaller boobs than last time... and I never pumped or gave DD a bottle (of either my milk or formula - she was a total boittle refuser), so will be clueless (and disappointed that I'm not giving them the same as DD) if bf doesn't work or they're in NICU...

• nervous they'll be permature - I really, really want to make it to 36 weeks at least and would LOVE for them to just wait until the elcs date (for practical reasons like childcare too!). I had a "scare" at 23/24 weeks when my cervix was v short so I had a cervical stitch to prevent them coming. It did the job (my cervix doubled in length and has stayed long) so I am VERY grateful for getting this far, but stilll.... I dread the thought of NICU...

• nervous about the elcs and the recovery - I had a natural birth last time (albeit with an episiotomy, so recovery wasn't a bed of roses) so have no idea really... plus there's DD.. eek! I have chosen elcs becasue (a) they're transvers and breech now; and (b) in any event, I am uncomfortable about the potentially avoidable risks of an induction gone wrong... (that is despite being induced with DD at 40+12 and it being ok - G&A only and episiotomy the only real complication)..

• nervous about life with a toddler and twins. Need I say more? Still, I keep telling myself, I know what to do with one, so worst case, I just do everything twice, right??? In a sense, I feel pretty confident about my mothering ways (basically the opposite of Gina Ford I'm afraid!), but do keep hearing everyone saying how awful it will be with twins and how I MUST get a routine. I actually loved the newborn stage with DD and found it pretty easy (bf was great for me), so I am nervous that my bubble is about to be burst...

I guess all this is normal but just wanted to vent / share! Plus share the ride with those in a similar position....

Congratulations andadietcoke :)

Lovely names! It is hard being away from your babies. Visit them often and try get as much skin to skin as you can.

Enjoy your lovely girls :)

I had my last growth scan yesterday (36 weeks today) - thankfully it was with my normal consultant who has seen me loads throughout and who scans me himself. He thinks they're both doing well - twin one is about 5lb10 and twin two about 5lb1! Yay!

Somehow, from both being breech 14 days ago, they're now both head down..... So natural delivery is now an option.... Argh! Choices! At the moment, I'm still thinking c section. Consultant has said it's entirely my choice. He also said that if it were him, he would say c section every time and that c section does eliminate some risks to twin 2.... So I've stuck with c section, but, especially having given birth naturally once, it stems like a though choice. My body def knows how to give birth, but recovery wasn't a total walk in the park (had episiotomy and ached for weeks...). Stuck!

Yay, Legally, well done on those excellent weights! I know the dilemma - I have been offered a section but now the babies seem to be well, a vaginal delivery is again an option, which at present I am going for ... but having had a scare about them I'm not particularly comfortable in that choice either ...

Lingua, think its your induction tomorrow (Monday) unless the sweep did more than you bargained for over the weekend! Very best of luck, thinking of you, update us when you can x

Ah, many congratulations Anda! Lovely names. :) Bet you're enjoying every minute with those sweet little girls!

Well done on getting them to those weights, Legally! Choices are indeed hard.... I'm thinking of opting for a c-section if the induction doesn't work as I definitely don't want one of those 4-day labours that ends in an EMCS anyway. Doctor is keen for natural delivery, so fingers crossed it all goes really smoothly on the first attempt with the pessary.

You're right, Cheery, today is the day for me! Meant to call at 8 to make sure they've got space. They weren't actually able to do a sweep on Friday because I was still closed, but the midwife said she was still really happy with how things were looking as I was softening and the presenting twin's head was very, very low. Been doing lots of walking this weekend to help things along, so hoping it all works and I don't need syntocin to get things moving! Will update as I can.

Anda, huge congratulations on the birth of your lovely girls. Hope you have them with you very soon.

Lingua good luck for your induction!

Sorry I have not been around much. A and C are 18 days old now and keeping me on my toes - being a twin mum is lovely but ridiculously hard work! DH has gone back to work today so I had to do the night feeds on my own, mayor humour bypass at 5am. But all is well this morning. MIL arrives tonight for two weeks.

Lingua, thinking of you, hope all going well.
Cornwall, great to hear from you now you are on the "other side" and clearly surviving! Hope MIL is lovely and makes you rest as much as is feasible.

Lingua, hope all ok. Thinking of you.
I had a scan today, all OK, hoping for vaginal birth but elective section booked for 37+1 on 17th if nothing doing. They'll do a sweep +/- pessary next week if it looks favourable. So our countdown is on.

Yes, Lingua, hope all ok. I'm guessing with an induction (I've had one - went in in Sat morning, DD arrived on Min, so I know they can drag) you'll be heading for a c section now if they're big here already....

Cheery!! Yay! Countdown is on! I'm really going now to hold out to the planned c section on Tues 10th....

Anda how are you and the girls doing? Are you all back together now? X x

Sorry, caught up in my own little world. The babies were discharged from NICU on Saturday morning, so were there for 48 hours really. I on the other hand, didn't get discharged until Wednesday night - my BP was high and they wouldn't let me go home until it stabilised. Catch 22 because I knew my BP would be lower at home (and it has been). Ended up asking to self discharge and lo and behold a doctor turned up to discharge me within 30 minutes (I'd been waiting 6 hours at that point after a few good readings when the stress and late medication meant it started to creep up again).

So we've been home two days now. DH has been at school so I've done the nights on my own and my mum's been here in the day. With them being in NICU I struggled to BF and have been expressing and mixing with formula. I'm struggling to find time to express though, and am worried it's starting to dry up, even though I tried really hard yesterday and everything was fine, as was this morning - tonight I've really struggled to get much out.

DH off on paternity leave now for 9 days. He's also taking the girls out tonight so I can sleep for a couple of hours. Not sure what I feel about that though!!

Feel like I'm cutting corners all the time - not expressing enough, seem to only change nappies at feeding time, not bathed them since we left hospital etc etc. just completely overwhelmed.

Anda it sounds like you are doing fine!! Some twin parent friends of ours advised a massive lowering of expectations. They said if you are all still alive at the end of a day that is a great result! So I really wouldn't worry about some corner cutting. Get whatever rest and help you can. Thinking of you.
Legally, only a few days to go now. Must be excited!
Lingua, still hoping for news whenever you feel up to it.

Anda - I cut corners all the time with DD (classic, and a top tip, is never ever change anything but a poorly nappy st night - if it's just wee, leave if and let you and them get back to sleep quicker)! And DD didn't have a bath for a week post hospital... They're hardly dirty! Also re expressing, do you feel you need to express on top of feeding? Its a HUGE hassle and I gave up within 24 hours and just fed with no expressing. Is the problem that they won't bf? Will they only take from a bottle? If you and they are vaguely getting sleep and not in tears all the time, you're doing great. Try maybe putting one in a sling and holding the other to give you one hand free for pottering and drinking tea / eating cake...?

Cheery - I know! And you must be thrilled as each day progresses into Sept... I know 1st Sept felt like a milestone for both of us!

Anda - I can't stress enough - cut as many corners as you can to keep you sane!!!!!

And I meant to say only ever change a pooey nappy at night. Leave anything else and leave the light off... You'll all get back to sleep better x

Yy Anda to only changing nappies at night if they are pooey!! That isn't even corner cutting! Though you SHOULD be doing all the actual corner cutting you can - I certainly plan to.

You're all brilliant, thank you. legally, not breastfeeding. Have tried several times since they came out of NICU but it's not happening, and actually, expressing suits me because DH can 'do' one baby (or whichever willing participant is around). Expressed a couple of times in the night and it seems to be going a bit better - setting reminders on my phone now.

Anda - expressing sounds good then. Have you got a tip top double pump? I veivrvyhry save loads of time. I agree re phone reminders, sounds like a

Sorry! I believe they save loads of time and phone reminders sounds like a plan! You're doing great! A friend of mine couldn't get to grips with bf either and have her baby exclusively pumped milk for six months! It is do able, but equally, if formula suits better in the end, do that! You sound like you're managing really well x x

Am I too late to join? Never thought I would end up being a mum of three under 3 (and for two weeks 3 under 2)! DD1 has just turned 2 and the twins (DCDA) girls are just over 4 weeks old. LegallyB I'm also a lawyer.

I had the twins by ELCS having had DD1 naturally (albeit epiduraled up to the eyeballs ). It was a very odd experience to turn up at hospital, walk to the operating theatre and a few minutes later be handed two babies. Up until that point a part of me was still thinking that there was no way there could be two in there (even though I had put on 4 stone in weight and was the size of a large bus).

I'm mixed feeding after a crisis of confidence and energy even though I exclusively bfed my DD1 until she was 14 months old. The HV came round to weigh the twins on Tuesday and said that they had only put on 2 oz each in 2 weeks so advised me to up the formula She came back yesterday to reweigh and it seems like her scales must have been wrong as they have put on 1 1/2 lb each in 3 days so I am feeling a bit more confident about my norks ability to produce now.

I have no idea how to get them to both feed at the same time or why they can go for three days without poo and then squirt it all over the bedroom curtains. I was also wondering whether you are all planning on keeping them in your bedroom for 6 months - my two are incredibly noisy in their sleep - constantly grunting and groaning to each other.

Yep, hired one from the hospital - apparently they retail at £1,200

Hello Naice, fellow lawyer. I feel the same, except I'll have three under three for a month only....

Nothing helpful to add as I've got it all to come in Tues (also elcs despite having DD naturally).

Am a bit worried about your crisis if confidence re bf - I ebf DD (stopped when she turned 2) and really want to bf again, mainly because I have never given a bottle to a baby in my life so would be clueless!!!! I have bought a "my breast friend" twin feeding pillow from eBay as apparently ghat helps with feeding both together.... Eeek!

Oh and you are not too late.... Welcome welcome! I think we could all do with sympathetic ears over the coming weeks..... I remember v clearly how overwhelming a newborn is - I still cannot believe I'll have two.....

Thank you! I ebf my first after a rocky start (she was tongue tied) for 14 months, stopped and then conceived. I found bfeeding this time round tricky at first because I tried too much too soon. I was determined to tandem feed and that I had to feed them at the same time to get them into the same routine.

FWIW my advice would be to practice tandem feeding but mainly feed one at a time initially until they know what they are doing and it feels more comfortable. It's lovely now as they both feed looking at each other but I had bad cracks etc from getting the latch wrong but having to put up with it for that feed as I didn't have a spare hand to delatch.

I didn't use a pillow with my DD1 but this time one is invaluable (I've got the harmony duo). You just look like a bit of a crazy milk machine with it strapped on, feeding two.

We decided from the start to mixed feed (but with formula as little as poss) and apart from the recent HV weight debacle it has been going OK - not easy but definitely possible.

Good luck for Tuesday. An ELCS is a very surreal experience but pain wise after the first four days I felt in better shape than I had after giving birth naturally.

Thanks - I found bf DD relatively easy and was definitely planning on getting them sorted one at a time before really going for tandem feeding... I know how to latch and feed one so will focus on that, if I can, before anything else. Obviously, totally different ball game if they're in NICU or something like that as Anda's have been (and they were a later gestation than mine will be.. My elcs is just 37+3, which seems v early given DD was induced at 42 weeks!!).

I am really hoping for a good recovery from the elcs, mainly because of DD! After my natural birth, I was in pain (although not terrible) for weeks as I had an episiotomy. It ached beyond my 6 week check up.... Eek... 2 days to go!!!

legally don't worry about NICU too much - I didn't have the steroids remember. We'll never know what difference that would have made...

naice thanks for the poo story, it's made me feel loads better - Sophie hasn't had a dirty nappy since Friday evening. She doesn't seem to be in any discomfort and is winding and eating normally, and we're getting plenty of wet nappies, but am still worried. Have switched her to 100% bm to see if that helps but nothing so far, and meant that we had a restless night with both of them as they seem to settle better when their feeds are topped up with formula.

MW coming to weigh them today and check on us, so I can ask her, and we'll also be able to check they're getting enough food - will check when her scales were last calibrated