Anyone else pregnant with twins - or more? Or anyone who has twins - or more - who wants to hold our hands...

[GettingBiggerBird]

Hoping to drag my fellow pregnant mums and those whose bodies have been recently or not-so-recently liberated over from our ante-natal thread. We're not as experienced as those on the d'y ever ones but a lot slower . And any new ladies please join us, here's the list so far:

PazzaPlusTwo: twin girls born April 28th 2008 - Anais and Carmen
Neenztwinz: twins born May 6 2008, Esther and Theo
Accessorizequeen: twins born Sept 27, Felix and Bridget - East Yorkshire
Merrymarigold: non id twins (girl and boy) born 22 Oct, Jude and Mirissa - Forest Gate, East London
jennyroper: id girl twins due dec 15th - New Zealand (but am proudly British)
Anjlix: id twin girls due 24 dec (37 weeks) - London, booked at St Thomas.
GBB: b/g twins due Dec 25 - Hackney, London
PBH: twin girls due 9 Jan 2009
MEL2005: twins due(40w)10th jan 2009, Norfolk
Pheonixnights:Non ID twins due 17th Jan
Ewemoo: id twins due end Jan 08
Tallulahbelle: twins due Jan 08
Nellstar: id twins due 18 Feb 2009 (well, that's 40 weeks)
Balamorybaby: twins due 11th March - East Sussex
Barbarella: triplets due 9th April 2009
Swerve: twins due 28 May 2009

AQ yes i had the switch done and it cost about £100. DS1 sits in the front all the time when DH isnt with us. i can then put the icandy pear whole in the boot and the MB is easier to get in with both back seats down, in fact they both fit in together with loads of room to spare.

my two are 11 weeks tomorrow and oscar on wednesday was 9lb4oz and alice was 10lb so the gap between them is getting smaller. i have my own baby scales but limit myself to weighing once a week or i would be doing it everyday and worrying loads.

i have had a whole week of the twins sleeping through from 10pm to 7am. they have now decided to have 5 feeds a day 6-7oz every 3.5to4 hrs.

i am going to try to get to twins club this week (i do say that everyweek and end up shopping instead!! )

Thanks, Mel. I know you've got the same car seat setup as me so wondered how you were doing it. I've been really struggling lifting ds2 (2.3 and about 30lb) into the middle seat as the dt's were on either side of him in maxi cosi's with the isofix bases. And poor ds1 in the boot! We'd like to be able to take a friend for him out with us so I'm looking at getting a p&t now that they're older (about 15lb each I would guess, haven't had them weighed for a month) which apparently can fit in the back with both seats up.
Feeds and sleep sound great, my two have been going through mostly this week which is great but my so called routine doesn't seem to exist most of the time. Still, they're happy and lovely to spend time with right now.

hi AQ, i have the twins one behind the drivers seat and one in the middle and harriet in her stage 1 car seat behind the passenger seat and my little boy in the front or in the back if DH is with us.
if i am not putting the car seats on the pear chassis i can get both twins out of the car seats easily if i put the handle back on the one by the door to get the middle one out.
my mb does sit behind the seats with them all up if the seats are pushed forward a bit or if i take the wheels off. the icandy pear fits behind the seats as well.

by the way i got some new covers for my MB from
www.mijnwinkel.nl/data/v10618/objects/
they were just over £100 inc delivery.
they say 'one tree hill' on them as thats the name for MB over there. they are cheaper now as there is a newer 2008 version.

Thanks, Mel, that's all really helpful. I'm yet to take the double carrycot off and refit the seats, but good to know it will fit in the back with seats all up.
How would I know which MB I have (2006/2008?) as the replacement covers look really good! What colour did you go for?
Hope all well with the dt's and they're growing fast. Mine are 6 months next week and they're so gorgeous!

Ladies with babies, I am reading about your experiences with awe and admiration! You are an inspiration to us pregnant twin mummies to be. So I have some questions if you have a moment to jot a few answers to any or all and pass on your newly acquired wisdom:

Have you used moses baskets? If you co-sleep the babies, how long did they last in one basket? Did you then move to both in a cot, or in separate moses baskets? Have you had the babies in your room or the nursery?

What things have been the most useful/can't you live without?

Best piece of advice you can give us?

What advice should we ignore?

Thank you!

Hi 1st. My twins are now 11 weeks old. They are still exclusively bf which I am amazed about. I never thought I would still be bf them at all at 11 weeks! I also have 2 other ds's so it can be done!! I didn't bother with a moses basket. Luckily I can fit a cotbed in my bedroom so mt 2 still sleep together in that and will do for a while yet. My best items are the baby swings. I have borrowed 2 of them and they have made my life so much easier!!! I no longer have to cuddle them off to sleep during the day. It is fab!! I also have my nipper up in the hallway so the twins nap in there during the day. It means I can put blankets over them when I need to nip out to do the school run.

How much longer do you have to go?? It is hard work but having twins is fab!!!

Hi all - I popped in a couple of weeks ago, determined to catch up & keep in touch. Never quite managed it. Is anyone finding time for themselves & if so, how?

MrsF My girls are almost 12 weeks now. I used Moses baskets in the first few weeks as they slept a lot in the day so I had them in the living room. Used the cot in our room at night. Have just got rid of baskets now as they are awake longer & will lie happily on the activity mat for a while. They now take a nap in the cot or fall asleep in their baby chairs or sleep in the pram if we go out (rare occurance). They co sleep in the cot but could never have shared a Moses basket - too big. Baskets are useful but short-lived, if you can borrow a couple then do so, but don't waste your money buying 2 new ones. Buy a Nipper 360 instead .

Phoenix Just wanted to ask you about the b/f. Are you tandem feeding? Any tips? I am b/f during the day, DH gives top up f/f before bed & through the night I b/feed whoever wakes first & DH gives EBM to next one. Anyhoo - DH going awol for next few months (long story) so will be managing completely on my tod & need to drop the bottle feeds. Thought tandem feeding might get me more sleep (hopeful) & a bit of time back in the day but I find it really difficult to latch both on (& keep them there) or extract myself from the tangle when they're finished - LOL.

MrsF, yes how long do you have to go?? I remember how excited/nervous/etc I felt, so much better in reality.

Hmmm, best piece of baby equipment were 2 bouncy chairs (I have baby bjorn babysitter ones, ds sends himself into a bouncing frenzy now and also the tiny love mobile which plays for 15 mins and kept them happy whilst I had a shower! I also thought the maxi cosi isofix car seats with the bases made getting them in and out of the car an absolute doddle and were worth every penny.

I never used moses baskets, they slept in their room from day 1 in a cotbed together and still do, 6 months this week bless em'. They hold hands sometimes. Yet still look surprised when they see each other in the morning!

Best piece of advice is have some help if you can afford it/beg for it/makes all the difference. I have a p/t nanny, homestart volunteer and very helpful gp's so I am surviving quite well with my 4 to date I would ignore anyone who tells you how horrible it's going to be and focus on having 2 babies to love as it's taken me a while to realise that.

I tandem fed for a long time tallulah, best tip I had was to settle the hard to latch baby first. I always did it on a sofa so there was somewhere to put the baby that finished first (or when they're older use a bouncy chair near your feet). If they're both not latching well it might not be the time yet, but yes saved me lots of time & stress so worth persevering with. Happy to describe in detail the way I did it if it will help (logistics really the most difficult thing about it). Congrats both you and Pheonix for ebf your dt's, it is quite an achievement (I used far too much formula from the get go, but they were 90% until 5 months which I'm proud of).

Hi Tallulah. I am really lucky and found tandem feeding not too difficult. I use normal pillows to get the dts to the right height and do the rugby hold. I do prefer feeding them seperatly though so I can play with their hair and hold their hands and stuff! I always do their last feed at night tandem and used to feed them during the night tandem. However as they are going longer and feed so much quicker I now feed seperatly at night. I no longer wake the other twin up as my little girl goes quite long between feeds and might be sleeping through soon (hopefully!!) I do often fall asleep when feeding them though so the nights are quite a daze! I only get up to pick a baby up and put them back to bed, no nappy changes or bottles or anything which all help in getting the most sleep!!

My trouble is eating!! I am bf twins and I am putting on weight!! Trying to eat a bit better now and stop eating crap!

Oh yeah the isofix bases on the car seats are a must!!! They save loads of time!

AQ I think bf my twins is something I am really proud of! I only fed my 2 ds s for 8 weeks, I can't beleive I have been bfing the twins for so long. To be honest part of it is laziness! Making up and sterilising bottles will be another chore to do and having 4 dcs means like you, I have enough stuff to do!

Yup, I kept on partly due to laziness too . Glad I waited until ds was 5 months before giving up with him as it's only 6 bottles a day now to make up which isn't that much of a chore.
I know what you mean about the weight front, I could have lost several stone if I had just stopped stuffing my face a bit. And putting it on now that only feeding one!

Thanks for feeding advice. Both latch & feed really well seperately -it's me that can't get the hang of tandem feeding. I have tried rugby hold with babies raised on pillows. Once first baby in position I find it really hard to pick up the other, it's awkward & I'm grabbing one-handed under an armpit, meanwhile first baby is being suffocated or loses latch. When I finally get both on it still feels uncomfortable & if one comes off I don't have enough hands to fix it. I don't think they feed as efficiently cos of all the faffing around so it ends up taking longer or they are hungry again sooner. Does that make sense? I realise I have rambled somewhat.

No, absolutely know what you mean! FWIW, I used a v-pillow with an extra pillow under each baby, but found that double rugby didn't always work so well. When they were small, I had one on right rugby and the other cradle hold so his/her feet were near the other's head. I think ds relaxed more in this position & dd wasn't fussy. I would always position them both before trying to latch, because yes then the latch would come off! Tis always awkward grabbing them though, I gave up doing it when they got too big on my own, only did it when someone else around to hand them over to me but obviously that's not going to be the case for you. What about in bed, would that be easier? There are photos of various tandem feeding positions in the laleche league book on twins, do you have it?

I have one of those twin bf pillows, but didn't work for me (felt imprisoned!).

Thanks A/Q. Don't have the book but will google for illustrations. Probably not the positions as such, it's the getting them there by myself. Don't know why I didn't think of positioning both then latching, seems obvious now, will try that tomorrow. LOL at 'imprisoned', I was stuck on the couch for ages, when DH left me feeding & went for a shower. Pinned in by V pillow, piles of cushions, 2 sleeping babies & a toddler standing on my feet. Tis the stuff nightmares are made of.

MrsF, I used moses baskets for about 6 weeks until the cots arrived. they are not together as i cant use the movement monitors if they are together and twins are more at risk from sids and one report said it could be linked to sleeping together.
i must say that the things that i couldnt live without are the angelcare sleep and movement monitors, the big fisherprice battery swings, doomoos for the first weeks for naps and tandem bottle feeding, a babydan playpen so i can put the twins somewhere safe where the older children cant get them. the maxi-cosi car seats with click on bases are fab. i have an icandy pear for the nursery runs and popping to the shops as i can click both car seats on. the mountain buggy has been fantastic as well on the beach and i have two buggyboards for my 4 and 3 year olds. also tots bots reusable nappies are great, its saving me a fortune and they wash on 40 deg and tumble really well. I use my baby bjorn active carrier almost every day around the house when one twin needs a cuddle i can still do other things like wash-up. i have a twin carrier but i have only used it once so far.
there is a huge sale in blooming marvellous at the moment and alot of my baby bits have come from e-bay or TKMAX.

AQ the newest version of the MB has black bits on the sides of the footplate like this one
cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mountain-Buggy-Double-Urban-Black_W0QQitemZ140308802100QQihZ004QQcategoryZ66700QQssPa geNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
this is the older adjustable handle one
cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mountain-Buggy-Urban-Double_W0QQitemZ130294560051QQihZ003QQcategoryZ53681QQssPageName ZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Hi everyone
It's been ages since there was much activity on here, nice to hear from you all. My two are 14 weeks now, and getting more adorable each day - as AQ says, don't listen to all the gloom, it can be great too!
With tandem feeding, I found I couldn't get the hang of it at all with the twin feeding pillow, I use the sofa cushions which are much firmer than pillows and they seem to keep the babies in the right place much more effectively - get them in position first, then latch them. I put a pillow behind my back, so I'm further away from the back of the sofa so there's more leg room for the babies in rugby hold. I rarely bother to do it now, though - they feed so much quicker than they used to, and much better when on their own.

1st, I had my two in their double MB carrycot on my bed (DH relegated to spare room) for the first couple of weeks - all I had to do was reach over for them but they were safe from me squashing them in my sleep. Then they went into their own room in a shared cot. Then at about 8 weeks, I split them up into separate cots, but same room.

Best piece of kit - baby bjorn bouncy chairs, as AQ mentioned. And the MB with the carrycot.

Best piece of advice: don't beat yourself up about making some compromises with twins - 'whatever gets you through' is the mantra.

How are you feeling, excited?

Hi all

Thanks for your fantastic replies. I am 33 weeks tomorrow so it's all getting quite close. I am partly excited and partly still can't quite believe it is really happening. I'm getting quite uncomfortable now so I'm a bit distracted by how I'm feeling physically IYSWIM - can't drive, can't breathe too well, can't eat much... I don't have to tell you about it!

You have justified several of my purchases - Nipper 360 and maxi cosi seats. Plus, it's great to hear of so much bf success. I know from your earlier posts that it has taken much hard work to keep it up, but it gives me confidence that I can do it too.

Thanks for all the support, I'll keep you posted and keep reading your posts too, they are really helpful.

ahhh 1st I remember those days well!! Don't worry they will soon be a distant memory! It is so hard towards the end but all worth it!

I think NQSBB sums up life with twins, "whatever gets you through!". I have absolutly no routine at the moment and just wing it every day. I have 2 ds so have to do school run and playschool run 3 times a day so it is almost impossible to do a 3 hour routine round these times, hopefully I can get sorted when they are weaned!

AQ are yours in a routine now they are older or will my chaotic life continue for a while yet??

Mel I hadn't heard that about twins being at risk of sids. Wouldn't that be due to the fact that twins are often premature? I prefer to have them in my room for a bit longer yet and they look so sweet together!

That is getting close, MrsF, shall keep a look out for your announcement!
Um, pheonix, depends how you define routine. I guess, kind of. They nap at the same time every morning, the rest of the naps happen as they will (yesterday, perfect had 2 hours together yay!), the feeds as well. BUT loads easier now they're older, got better at 3 months, then 5 for me anyway. I have school/nursery run too and think I would have been stricter with nap had I not a p/t nanny and v.helpful dp/gm. I do write absolutely everything down though, very helpful for seeing patterns and then running with it! Erm weaning, I spose I ought to do it, am just sticking my head in the sand about it really. Have it on my to do list to printout some stuff about BLW (I only part did it with ds2) but tbh I cannot be arsed at the moment!

Well done you gorgeous ladies. You're doing so well.

GBB...tell your DH that I was very very bad!

mars, did you get my email?

Haven't checked yet. Will look now but to be safe you can resend it to lovelymarslady at aol dot com.

oh no, i sent it a good few days ago, it wasn't recent.