29 weeks tomorrow with twins. Hospitalised today because I'm starting to dilate and contract. Steroids and anti-contraction meds started. Anyone been through similar?

[thereistheball]

One other detail - I am in France. I live here an speak French but would appreciate hearing from people whi've been through similar in the UK.

Think this may have been triggered by 38 degree heat over the weekend and a bit too much walking. I'm taking insulin 4x a day for gestational diabetes (the steroids have sent the blood sugar levels sky high) and thyroxine for hypothyroidism.

My consultant said she hoped to have me home by the weekend, and then I expect it will be bed rest until delivery. What I really want to know is how long can I hold on til that happens, realistically? I'm also going to post this in multiple births. Thanks in advance for your replies!

Wow, thanks everyone for the lovely supportive messages.

Today I had my first cuddle with Twin1, while DH had some time with Twin2. I feel so much better for being able to hold them. Tomorrow we are going to swap. T1 is the smaller - 960g today. They have their first scan for brain haemorrhages on Monday, when I hope to be able to speak to their doctors about what our longer term expectations should be. For now we are enjoying being able to comfort them while they have their mouths cleaned, nappies changed etc.

I am expressing and my milk is coming in. Must go to sleep now or the 3am stint is going to be brutal.

Thanks again!

How lovely you have been able to have cuddles. Hopefully you'll be changing nappies and washing them yourself soon. Well done on the expressing, it's tough but so worth it.

Fingers crossed for good results tomorrow.

Congratulations. Hope everything goes well with the scans tomorow

Hey thereistheball, how are things today?

Going OK thanks. The bigger twin is doing well but the smaller one is having trouble digesting milk, so is only being fed it every other 3-hour feed. They had their first ultrasound to check for brain hemmorhages yesterday but I haven't had any results yet. I'll be with them all morning so hopefully will get to have a cuddle with them both together for the first time. Meanwhile we have registered their births and started telling people, which is lovely. I want to start asking the big viability questions to the doctors soon but they don't yet have their supervising doctor and the intern I spoke to yesterday seemed to want to talk in generalities. Meanwhile it feels like one of my biggest problems is going to be getting to and from the hospital: it's a 3 hour round trip by public transport or a ?100 cab to get there and back. People are being very kind with lifts this week and hopefully it will be easier once school starts up again.

thereis. It must be unbelievably stressful and having that long commute is not good either. Thinking of you and your boys during this difficult time.

I hope you get the results and all are ok. Do they have any 'parent rooms' to let you stay at the hospital. Would be easier and cheaper than going back and forth? X

Yes but I also have a 5 yr old DD so that will be tricky.

Anyway the boys are doing really well: they have both regained their birth weights and doubled the amount of milk they are taking. The bigger one has ditched the breathing mask and moved onto an oxygen tube so we can see his face properly - he is lovely. Friends have been driving me to and from the hospital and meanwhile I've found a new way of getting there by public transport which should be a bit quicker - going to test it out tomorrow.

sounds like they're doing really well!

Hey thereis how are your boys? How is the juggling act with your older DC (my blood pressure is rising just remembering having that with DD and her two year older big brother)? Hope things are going well.

Hello - just thought I'd check in. Yesterday the boys were transferred to a hospital much closer to us and the boys are doing really well. After 4 weeks (tomorrow) they are over 50% bigger than at birth and looking stronger by the day. We are over the shock of the birth and looking forward to getting them home. With luck this will be in a month or so. Thanks again for the reassurance on this thread.

Glad the twins are doing well and they'll be at a closer hospital. Hope they continue to make good progress.

Hello thereis we November ladies we're wondering how you were getting on with your lovely boys (as we've just had another birth on the thread - Daisy had a wee boy after early labour due to preeclampsia). It took me forever to find you as I'd remembered your name as whereis! I can't believe the boys are 50% bigger than birth already! That's amazing. Well done hon. Anyway we're all sending our love and if you want to pop in for a natter - we'd love to hear from you. Here's the latest thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/antenatal_clubs/1565312-November-2012-but-thats-the-month-after-next I'm glad my twin sister Poppet found you too - she's been through this roller coaster and come out with incredible ablomb. Her DD is just a delight xxxx

Hi YellowWellies - sorry it took me a while to get back. I just posted on the new November thread. Here is the update part for anyone here who's interested:

The boys are now 6 weeks old tomorrow, 35 weeks tomorrow corrected, and both well over 2kg (ie double their birth weights) and doing well. They are still in intensive care because they need help with their breathing, but they are being weaned off the machines and it seems to be going well. They also need to master their sucking/swallowing/breathing reflexes, which will allow them to breast feed. They are learning this by spending time on the boob and also by sucking from a tiny straw that ou put in their mouths with a finger. They are drinking my milk exclusively, plus some extra protein and vitamins. I am pumping away and spending as much time with them as possible, but I have an older daughter whose child are arrangements are a disaster at the moment, so I am trying to sort that out as well as do a million other things this week that frankly I could do without having to worry about. Hopefully next week will be calmer and I can dedicate a bit more time to the boys.

I am having a cuddle with the bigger one at the moment. He is strapped to me with a rather loose-fitting boob tube and is using his arm as a pillow. His tiny hand is starfished against my chest and his ear (which has no cartilage yet) is folded over. He had a bath this morning which he loves - getting his ears underwater must remind him of the womb as it makes him go all wide-eyed with wonder and happiness. They are both becoming more and more awake and responsive to me, which is lovely.

Apart from the unfortunate fact that I cannot be in 3 places at once, things are as good as we could hope, given the circumstances. So far there have been no serious problems that aren't entirely usual and overcome with time. There are lots of tests to come, and immunisations, an extra injections to help them ward off some of the nastier winter viruses. DH and I get our whooping cough jabs tomorrow.

Aww my love it sounds very much what my sister went through when her wee girl turned up early last year and she was torn in two between wanting to be at the hospital and wanting to be with her wee boy at home. Good luck with everything. They sound like wonderful wee boys. It sounds like they are getting the best of care. What have you called them?