Unexpected twins

[pitterpatterbaby]

I found out yesterday at my dating scan that I'm having twins. Identical, sharing placenta but separate sacs.

Help! There are so many questions now.

How can I stay healthy? I need to work as long as possible as I'm the major wage earner.

What do I need to buy? Do I really need 2 of everything?

I've always ebf my children but can't even begin to imagine how it would work with 2!

Hosp told me about checking for blood flow 2 weekly from 16 weeks, even growth etc. That's panicked me now as one is already smaller than the other. Only 2mm but it's still early days.

What size clothes do I buy??? Aghhhh

Congratulations! My youngest 2 dds are twins and while it is scary, its also really rewarding.

this is really useful to read about breastfeeding twins

you don't need 2 of everything. whilst you will need 2 carseats, 2 cribs and 2 mattresses, you don't need 2 baby swings etc, because each baby will have their own preference so whilst one may love the swing, the other may prefer the bouncer chair. you can alternate between them. you also don't need 2 baths, because you most likely will be bathing them one by one.

in terms of clothes, you will likely get loads of matching outfits as gifts from family members and friends. I would recommend not buying any more, just getting some basics. you will be changing them so often that its hard to keep up with the washing and trying to keep them matching all the time is near impossible.

all the best x

Thank you very much @sleepismysuperpower1 xxx

2 earplugs??
Congratulations!

Ha ha thanks @Walkamileinmyshoesbeforeujudge I'll add them to the list

Congratulations ! My twins are mono/di, we had a scan at 7 weeks after a bleed and our twins were not picked up. You can imagine our surprise when we went for our 12 week scan and were told there was two ! I'm now 22 + 2. One of my twins is smaller by a tiny bit, with one just under an lb and one just over an lb, things seem to change very quickly with twins and it's obviously very daunting learning about TTTS but I've learnt to take each day and each scan as it comes !

As for the two of everything I'm not doing that, I've got a double pram and one sling as I have a daughter who will be two when they arrive so she may need to go in the pram at some points which means one twin will need to be in the sling. I've doubled the amount of bottles, although I plan to breastfeed it may not go to plan if they arrive early, I've bought two bouncer chairs but only one swing chair that we have from when my daughter was small, we have two side sleeping cots also and obviously double the amount of clothes. I've bought a few packs of tiny baby, first size, and 0-3 months as we obviously don't know how much they will weigh !

For staying healthy I found it became pretty hard to go to the gym after my bleed as I was put on bed rest, by the time I was able to go again I found out it was twins and that I was only able to do things like walking according to my doc,'especially after my added risk from the bleed. I stay mostly active during the day but I'm so tired that's all I mange to do, I try and eat well but cravings get the best sometimes. Again congratulations on your twins ! X

Also from my research a double BF pillow is a must if you are BF twins. I found my on amazonx

Ah congratulations OP! I have dtwins. They are now 4. They were lazy little buggers and I had to be induced at 38 weeks !

Definitely no need for two of everything! I struggled to bf. so if you don't then don't feel upset or pressurised. Some people were horrible to me about it !!

I worked up to 37 weeks in an office . I was huge

Thank you all, it's so helpful to have your insight. I'm starting to feel a bit more settled now. Just hoping this nausea lifts soon. 30 minutes after I eat it hits and the only way to sort it is to lay down until it passes. Not good when you have an active 3 1/2 year old!

My 3rd turned out to be mono/di twins. If you've already had children you do at least know one end of a baby from the other, and I think that really helped me when things seemed a bit overwhelming in the early days. I ebf mine, like my older dc, and again I think the fact I'd already done it helped me with twins. Managed to breastfeed mine till they were 18 months. What helped were lots of pillows and co-sleeping (they started night in cot but once they woke they spent rest of night in bed, which enabled me to get enough sleep to survive) Also, not being ashamed of baring my breasts in public (it's really not possible to feed two of them discreetly!)
I worked till about 33 weeks, but it was a struggle and within two days of finishing work I succumbed to a horrible virus and chest infection. If I had my time again Id have finished earlier.
Mine shared a cot for early weeks, and we had two bouncy chairs. Later on, two high chairs. Most other things we managed with just one of.
Good luck !

Definitely a twin z breastfeeding cushion. Even if you don't breastfeed it's v useful to support them both while you feed them bottles at same time. Congrats!

How many other children do you have op?

At least you'll still have some hand me downs and baby equipment at home and won't be starting from scratch like first time Mums having twins.

I have 1yo twins and a nearly 4yo DS. You'd be surprised how bf is no harder than with a single. Also you can bf v discreetly in public if you just feed one at a time. My top tip is to start taking industrial amounts of iron now. Anaemia really spoiled what was otherwise a fairly easy pregnancy for me until I had an iron infusion late on. So far, our twins are great fun.