Ttc first baby catch up with our babies!

[Fivebyfive2]

Just putting this on in case anyone wants to catch up? We're all at different stages, so might be able to help each other out?

@Delilah7 @RanchoRelaxo @MrsR16 @thumper59 @trashkitten10 @Bostonfern @crossfitgirl sorry I know I'm missing people, I'm blaming newborn brain!

I'll leave the link on the 'pregnancy' catching up thread xxx

@Fivebyfive2 Thanks lovely! I’ve tried to stagger their feeds - as soon as I notice one of them starting to wake I get him up and fed right away but they are so in sync with each other that the other will wake within 15 mins! The nights bugger it all up too as I tend to sleep fairly soundly when they do so I only wake up once someone is crying for a feed, which undoubtedly wakes up his brother too!!
We have got bouncer/swing chairs which they love and these have been the best bet so far - I’ve tried feeding them at the same time while in the chairs (serious test of the arms!) or popping one in to wait. It’s not perfect and there’s still some crying but not as much!
We use dummies - I honestly couldn’t get through a day without them. They just pacify them when needed. If they’re hungry they just spit them out!

@TrashKitten10 I hadn’t heard of Homestart! Thanks for the link. We’ve been considering a doula for some evening support for a few weeks to help me manage them both. Tandem feeding has just been so difficult as they are both very windy/colic-y so they’re always coming off the bottle to be burped - which just throws everything!
Centre Parcs will be fab - enjoy! When are you going?

@purplefig So glad you’re out of hospital! What an ordeal. That’s amazing M is already over birth weight too - mine were 3 weeks old before that happened!

@stormtrooperjulian DH is self employed so luckily on really bad days/nights he can just call it a day and come home and help. He’s been an amazing help during night feeds too - I can’t possibly do that all alone so he gets up and helps with every one, even though he has to function at work the next morning!

Thanks for everyone’s lovely words :) I feel I am managing the PND fairly well. My GP and health visitor have been amazing.
We had the boys weighed again this week - Ruairí is really chunking out at 7lb 15 now but Conor is still teeny at 6lb 8 - he is on the 0.4th centile. So they want to keep doing weekly weigh ins. I’m a bit frustrated by it as he is gaining weight, and the stupid charts don’t take in to account he was born at 37 weeks either - but they keep comparing him to his brother, which I also don’t think is fair. But what can you do.
They also both have hip scans on Saturday as they are high risk for hip issues being breech twins. But hoping the scans will all be fine! It’s just one worry after the next isn’t it.
Pic attached - survived the ‘witching hour’ alone with the these two tonight and got them both to nap not lay on me! Successful evening all round. Might crack the wine open!

@MrsEG, don't worry about the hip scan, it's usually just a precaution. Joe literally slept through the whole thing 😂 I'd call your evening a definite win and you absolutely deserve the wine!! Love the pic 😍

Joe is 12 weeks today!! He appears to be celebrating with a spurt, he was on me feeding from 2 till 6 almost constantly, so tea tonight was Indian takeaway 😋

Omg full on parental rite of passage today.. Dh accidentally cut Joe's finger a tiny bit while trying to clip his finger nails.. The screaming 😳😥

@MrsEG sounds like you definitely deserve some wine after that successful evening! I'm glad you're coping OK with the PND, it's great that your DH is being so supportive too

@Fivebyfive2 oh no poor Joe! I've never clipped Dex's fingernails, seems way too scary for me. I file his nails instead, seems to work.

We've been to a couple of lovely sensory classes this week. I really recommend Heartbeeps if anyone is looking for a baby class!

Hey ladies! Sorry I've been awol... Ethan's keeping me busier than ever! 😂 I really can't believe he was 3 months old yesterday!

@Fivebyfive2 I've caught Ethan's skin around his nails before - he's been sound asleep and has just retracted his hand thankfully but I've still felt horribly guilty! Although not as guilty as DH yesterday... made Ethan jump while playing and he then cried inconsolably for the next 10 mins!

@MrsEG sounds like you are smashing this twin mummy thing! You're doing amazingly well 😊 I still have days where Ethan's so unhappy that I'm sat on the floor crying with him, so I'm so in awe of you dealing with two!

@stormtrooperjulian aw, that sounds great fun!

@TrashKitten10 I hate the term failure to progress! It's not failure at all, it just means things aren't going as easily as the professionals would like... frustrates me. Fortunately, I didn't have that issue and I'm very grateful for it!

@purplefig I'm glad you're doing better! That can't have been much fun at all 😔

@Fivebyfive2 Thanks - yeah the hip scans were absolutely fine! No issues. Such hard work getting us all up and out for the 9am appt though - but hey ho!
12 weeks! Gosh where has that gone. Do they give him an adjusted/corrected age with him being a bit prem? The twins are 37 weekers but the midwives give him an adjusted age whereas the HV doesn't?!
Oh you’re brave - I haven’t gone near their fingernails yet!!

@stormtrooperjulian There’s a heart beeps near me. Not sure I’m brave enough with two of them though...! Would it be manageable do you think?

@MrsR16 3 months old already! How is he getting on? Ha oh I have so many days where they are both crying, I’m crying, the dog doesn’t understand so he’s crying..!

Happy Saturday everyone - DH has taken the boys out today so I can go and get my hair done. I can’t tell you how stressed i am - even though genuinely DH handles them both better than I do! They’d both been fed before he left and were asleep in the pram before he was out the door and yet I feel like I’ve lost limbs. Hopefully once I get to the hairdressers it’ll take my mind off it!
We also tried our twin sling/carrier out today and it’s fab. I’m so pleased - lots of big walks for us all next week I think! My homework from the GP this week is just a bit of fresh air everyday so that will really help :)

Hope everyone and all babies are doing great!

Totally forgot to ask my question in my post too - to all bottle feeding mums, do you find your babies have some greedy days and some less so?
Yesterday Conor was draining every bottle we gave him - one in just 10 mins which is unheard of for him. But today he’s taking less, and taking his time on the bottle. I don’t know whether he just doesn’t have as much of an appetite today? I find it really hard to find info on bottle feeding online!

@MrsEG he's doing really well, thank you! We had our first sleep giggle last night and then he managed to giggle this morning while awake! Just the most precious thing! I hope you enjoy your hair appt!

As far as bottle feeding, yeah, they're just like us in that some days we can't eat enough and others we don't fancy very much at all! Ethan was on 6oz solidly until this morning. He took 8oz at his 10am feed and has just finished 7oz now. Don't worry - you can't over feed a baby! Xx

@MrsEG, hope you're feeling fab after your hair appointment! We're the same with Joe's dates, the health visitor says not to bother correcting as he was only 4 weeks early, but gp, midwife and all the books etc say to correct and go by due date?! Confused dot com indeed!

@MrsR16, lovely to hear from you! Aaahhh how fantastic that Ethan is giggling 😀 Not quite there with Joe yet, but he become much more vocal the last day or so, always ooing and aaahing!!

Omfg I need to rant! We had lunch with dh's mum, bro, sis, partners and kids. Infuriating!! In the space of an hour, I was told I 'should be' doing the following...
Giving up breastfeeding because he's feeding too much, putting rusks in bottles /weaning him early, leaving him to self soothe/cry it out and move him into his own room 🙄 Grrrrrr!! He's not even 3 full months yet and anyway, he's My Sodding Baby!!! Butt out 🤯

Anyway! Hope everyone has had a nice weekend?? Xx

@MrsR16 Thanks, I thought as much! Ruairí also has a cold at the moment and I think it is affecting his feeding slightly - might pop to the pharmacy tomorrow but to be honest as his age I think we’re stuck with the nasal drops!
Baby giggles are adorable - I absolutely cannot wait for those! I melted the first time my niece laughed at me!

@Fivebyfive2 yeah I really don’t get it - I keep getting told ‘37 weeks is classed as term’ but surely they’ve still missed out on those extra three weeks of growth in the womb? Especially if we’re discussing weight etc! I’m gonna mention it again to the HV this week!
Oh I’d have been so annoyed if that was me. I can’t stand stuff like that - luckily I’ve not had much of it but I did have an aunt tell me off for popping the boys in their travel cot after a feed when they were still awake - apparently I should spend more time cuddling them. Or maybe they get plenty of cuddles in the day and I know my babies well enough that they’ll settle for a nap after certain feeds! I really couldn’t bite my tongue at it and told her where to go.
My mum also keeps banging on about me ‘getting out more’ - really not as easy as you think with two babies! Apparently I spend too much time indoors. They’re a month old for crying out loud. Honestly - families. Who’d have them!

@Fivebyfive2 oh god, I'd have flipped my lid if anyone would have said those things to me! Did you bite back or were you well behaved? 😂

@MrsEG oh, poor little one!! It's not nice when they're not well and being so little, there's not much we can do for them! As for comments from others... my feeling is the same as yours! Your babies, you know best! People can offer advice or ideas, but ultimately mummy knows what's best for her babies! There's days where I don't manage to get out with Ethan because it's too much, so I don't blame you for not getting out with two of them!!

@MrsR16, I kept quiet, didn't trust myself to speak!! Luckily, with the exception of his mum, we don't see them very often so doesn't seem worth rising to it. I wouldn't mind, but all their kids are awful so why they think they can give advice is, beyond me 🙄

I saw an article on my bounty ap this morning that I almost sent to them; apparently loads of new parents are doing unsafe sleep because they're getting so hung up with babies sleeping through the night, because of marketing and pressure from other people etc. They're focusing too much on how much sleep and not enough on if it is following the guidelines.

@MrsEG I would have thought that it would be manageable with twins. Do you have any NCT friends who could sign up with you for some moral support?

@Fivebyfive2 that sounds so annoying, they all need to shut up and mind their own business! Particularly with the outdated and potentially dangerous early weaning / rusks in bottles advice. Theres no such thing as feeding 'too much' for a breastfed baby anyway, it's supposed to be offered on demand!

Hi all, happy Friday!!

Anyone got weekend plans? It's our NCT meet up on Sunday, can't wait 😀

Hope everyone is getting on OK amid all the panic buying, loo roll shortage chaos!!

Joe is 3 months now, had his 2nd jabs yesterday but wasn't too bad. The last few nights He's been sleeping 6 hour stretches at night, feels like a miracle, so just hoping it continues.... In the, day he's so much more alert too, really looking at things (he follows me and his dad around the room!) and has favourite toys 😀 I thiiiink we might hear a proper giggle from him soon 🤞

@Fivebyfive2 6 hour stretches is great!

How is everyone doing? Are people feeling OK with this Covid-19 situation?

Morning all hope your well!

@fivebyfive2 urgh hate unwanted advice! Luckily we don't get it very often!!

@MrsEG hope the boys are doing well! I can imagine getting out with 2 is hard, 1 is a military mission!!

@MrsR16 hope Ethan and yourself are well!

Little (or not so!) Freddie is 19 weeks on Thursday! He's ace. Loves his jumper roo, very nearly rolling over! He was 16lb 2 last week when he got weighed 😌 he's a right giggle bum and he LOVES the dogs. I've just got his passport done which is so cute but don't know if we will be going anywhere yet 😡

This is right right now as I'm gonna try and have a hot cuppa!! Hope your all well!

@MrsR16 I so agree - mum knows best. Also, no two babies are the same! Mine even shared a womb and yet what works for one doesnt for the other. It’s why I hate the ‘advice’ from family as just because it worked for you doesn’t mean it will for me! Hope Ethan is doing great!

@Fivebyfive2 I saw that bounty article about sleep. Every baby will sleep differently there really isn’t a one size fits all. I just let all this ‘advice’ wash over me! 6 hour stretches is amazing - we had one fluke 10-4:30 last week but even on a normal night they’ll sleep 10-2:30 and then again til 6:30 so we’re not doing too badly!

@stormtrooperjulian My NCT pals all booked on for a sensory course but it’s now been cancelled due to all this virus uncertainty. I’m feeling okay about it all - I know babies don’t tend to get sick from it, myself and my family are all in good health etc, but I am keeping myself away from very crowded areas just to keep other people safe really! Annoyed at all the ridiculous stock piling - took three shops yesterday to find anywhere with formula. But otherwise we’re still getting out and about on walks and things!

@thumper59 Freddie is so gorgeous - I can’t believe he’s 19 weeks already! That’s so fab he loves the dogs!

Hope everyone is doing fab! I saw the GP again today re: my PND and she has prescribed a low dose antidepressant to try and help me out. I picked them up but not sure how I feel about taking them really. DH is going to try and sort some of his longer/later shifts out too to help out more in the evenings as I find them so so much harder and notice that where my anxiety really peaks. But I actually do feel like I’m feeling better recently; I’m not chastising myself nearly as much or feeling like the worlds worst mother anymore!

Hey ladies!

@thumper59 we're doing ok! I think we're about in the first stages of the 4 month sleep regression... 🤦‍♀️ he stirs about 3 in the morning and then doesn't stop till he wakes up properly at 6! 😂 I'm very tired... Freddie looks bloody gorgeous and looks like he's having a great time in his jumperoo!

@MrsEG great to hear from you lovely! We're doing alright, still have days where I'm really struggling but DH is wfh at the moment, which makes me life a little easier! The boys sound as though they're doing fantastically well! Please don't beat yourself up about taking the meds - they're there to help and the doctor wouldn't have let you have them unless they'd actually help. I know it's a big step, but you're doing amazingly!

@stormtrooperjulian I'm tending to stay in at the moment anyway! Heard rumours that martial law's coming into practice, but I'll believe that when it happens... how are you doing?

@Fivebyfive2 have you had a giggle from Joe yet? It's the most precious thing ever 😍😍

Updated picture of Ethan just because! Hehe! We had a wedding to go to on Saturday and I couldn't resist this!

@MrsR16, hiya! Not had a proper giggle yet, he makes a 'laugh face' as we call it, but no sound! He smiles loads though and is very 'chatty' always ooing and gaahing at us 😀 He's really lifting his head up properly and turning to look at things too, it's awesome!

Sleep wise, it's still up and down. After a few great nights of 5ish hours in one block, he went back to being up every 2-4 hours again for a bit. But, the last 2 nights he's done 7 hours, awake for an hour and then asleep for 3 hours, which is amazing 😀 Trying to not get too excited though as it could all go to pot at any time, especially as he's 14 weeks today, so probably just getting the hang of sleep in time for the 4 month regression 😂☹️

How's everyone getting on? Are you guys OK for getting what you need in terms of shopping etc? Baby groups round by us are being cancelled, but some are online which is an interesting way to do it! We're really worried about my nan as her home is lockdown now and not sure how she'll cope. They look after her wonderfully, but she refuses to mix there and relies on my mum and me to visit to get any real company. Maybe this will force her to mix a bit more?? Optimism!!

Happy Mothers day ladies, stay safe 💜

Happy Mother’s Day ladies! I am actually awake next to two still sleeping babas - they’re giving me a lie in for a change!

I have a question about social distancing - are you all still seeing your immediate family? We are all not symptomatic and neither are my sister, mum and dad. Parents are both under 70 and in excellent health. We’re all practicing social distancing, but are still seeing each other at our homes - but during our NCT Zoom catch up today (oh the joys of having technology!) half the girls said they were no longer seeing their parents. I’ve looked it up and the advice seems a bit conflicting to be honest. Just wondered what you guys are doing?

@MrsEG we're not seeing families... I thought the advice was to not socialise with anyone outside of the household? We were supposed to be seeing my in laws yesterday and that was cancelled - MIL is a nurse so I assume she knows what she's doing!

So how was everyone's mother's day? DH got me a lovely card and flowers and cooked pancakes for breakfast. I'm loving that the weather is finally nice too!

@stormtrooperjulian Yeah we found it all really confusing as my mum is my nieces childminder two days a week and had also been helping me with the twins three mornings a week around DH work patterns, and I still don’t know how I’ll cope without the support to be honest. But we all had a chat yesterday and have decided to go no contact outside of our households until this all blows over. Neither are over 70 or have any health issues but it just isn’t worth it. I thought they’d be so upset to not see their grandkids as they are so much of us but they completely understand. We had a nice Zoom catch up yesterday! And I’ve sent a postcard via Free Prints from the boys.
Mother’s Day was lovely but surreal - first time ever it hasn’t been a huge gathering in the pub over Sunday lunch! I got no breakfast in bed - the downside of twins, we both have to look after/feed one each during the night so we’re both as knackered as each other come breakfast time!! Pancakes sound absolutely lovely. Hope you had a fab day! Ugh I know this weather is beautiful isn’t it - what a time to be isolating!!