Newborn twins - general advice

NotTotallySure

I'm expecting twins this summer and I was hoping for some general advice from parents who are more familiar with this.
These will be our first babies.

Was there any particular piece of equipment or advice that you found/find useful to help cope with two babies of the same age?

Did many of you find yourself able to tandem feed brestfeed?

Did you find expressing breastmilk to be useful, so your partner could do some feeds with expressed milk while you slept?

So far I am considering the Armsreach Universal Co-sleeper cot as it fits twins and I like the idea of having them both close by.

People who told me they found it difficult to leave the house with one baby (between feeds, changes, naps) are now reassuring me that it will be no problem to me getting two of them ready at the same time, and that I'll be out & about loads during the summer.

Any advice from those who have been there would be super.

shesty

I don't have twins but in general I will say you will find a way to get out and about.It takes a few weeks for things to settle but once you find your routine (and you will) it will work out.Give yourself time though.You will become super organised and will know everything you need and will have it ready for yourself.We have a 21mth age gap-while not the same as twins the first year was spent juggling feeds, meals and naps and you do learn to make it work. It won't be the same as getting out and about now in your own time and spending as long as you like anywhere, you make it work for you and you just remind yourself it's not forever. So try not to worry too much about that aspect of it but do be prepared (and prepare everyone else too!) to give yourself time to adjust.
Good luck :-)

s4uv3

If you're hoping to breastfeed, look up your local "La Leche League" group and start going to their coffee mornings now. The advice, support and help will really prepare you for those first few manic weeks when feeding.

catrionanic

Fits is a poster on here who is superwoman and currently BFing her 13 month old twins. I’m sure she will be along shortly to give you great advice!

I BF my singleton, and the early weeks just seemed to be constant feeding so prepare yourself for that. Just you give yourself the job of feeding them, and let husband/friends/family do everything else - and I mean EVERYTHING else! Your job is to feed and to sleep and just focus on that. Once they get to be a few weeks old, the frequency of feeds reduces quite a bit and you’ll be able to do more then.

Let someone else worry about dirty dishes and laundry!

fits

I’m on phone so this won’t be as long or detailed as I’d like. Yes it is possible to breastfeed. There are two amazing Facebook groups: One Irish, one UK and they are an invaluable source of information day and night. I also got out and about a lot. Car seats / travel system and morrck car seat blankets ( so I didn’t need to dress them). really helped this.

In general.

Get a good tandem feeding cushion. I had the breast friend and the San Diego. I loved the breast friend. There are other brands too. Be prepared to spend a lot of time under that cushion. I used let the babies doze away on it and read surfed and watched boxsets.

My babies slept in the tiny love napper rockers in early weeks. And I used to express so husband could take them from 9pm to 2am roughly. And I’d get a short sleep. I just fed them full time then from around week 10 as expressing is an awful pain. Finding a window etc. it’s far easier to just feed if you can.

I co sleep with them now as I hate getting out of bed and also I like sleeping with them. I’m fairly well rested most of the time.

Fire away with any questions you have. Having twins is amazing.

NotTotallySure

thanks Fits, the Tiny Love Napper Rocker looks great. When you say you babies slept in them in the early weeks, do you mean during the day or was that their beds? I really am ignorant of all things baby.

When you say you now co-sleep, do you mean in the bed or in a side cot? My interst in the Armsreach is definitely so I dont have to get up all the time and might feel more rested for it.

I've come across the twin breast feeding cushions and must read up more on them. They do seem like the only way to feed two at once. Did you find that both babies wanted to be fed at once, or was one wanting to sleep while the other fed?

Unfortunately I cant drive so I'll be confined to a buggy as my option for getting out of the house. Really wish I could drive but that's not going to happen in the short term for lots of other reasons. I've been offered a double buggy from a relative but I'm not sure if both seats are suitable from birth yet.

Did you find it difficult to bathe two babies, or is it just a case of do one at a time.

I was thinking about expressing just so I could get some rest some times and let my husband feed them. But I see your point about then having to make specific time to express! It's something to weigh up. That's if bf'ing goes okay in general of course.

I have plenty of pregnancy related questions for the hospital this week. I'm not worrying, just trying to be informed.

fits

Yep we used the napper rocker as beds. They are officially just supposed to be for napping though. But newborns mostly nap anyway. One of my twins absolutely lived his.

Yep they sleep in the bed. Husband moved to another room and there are bed rails both sides. They weren’t in the bed in early weeks but it’s important to follow safe sleep practices. I found I could only truly relax when the babies were close. Some people swear by that co sleeper. So it’s probably worth investing in. We tried using a cot as co sleeper but the babies never settled in it. Something like a sleepyhead might have helped but I love the snuggles.

The babies are often hungry at the same time. I don’t use any pillow at all now. In the early days I found tandem feeding difficult but it soon became second nature.

I live in a rural area so the car was important. What buggy were you offered do you know? I think if I were buying now my first choice would be the mountain buggy duet. I have an out and about which is great for walks. And a babyjohger city select which is great for shopping.

You’ll have to bathe one st a time. Me and my husband do it together even still. ( it’s fun! )

NotTotallySure wrote: »

thanks Fits, the Tiny Love Napper Rocker looks great. When you say you babies slept in them in the early weeks, do you mean during the day or was that their beds? I really am ignorant of all things baby.

When you say you now co-sleep, do you mean in the bed or in a side cot? My interst in the Armsreach is definitely so I dont have to get up all the time and might feel more rested for it.

I've come across the twin breast feeding cushions and must read up more on them. They do seem like the only way to feed two at once. Did you find that both babies wanted to be fed at once, or was one wanting to sleep while the other fed?

Unfortunately I cant drive so I'll be confined to a buggy as my option for getting out of the house. Really wish I could drive but that's not going to happen in the short term for lots of other reasons. I've been offered a double buggy from a relative but I'm not sure if both seats are suitable from birth yet.

Did you find it difficult to bathe two babies, or is it just a case of do one at a time.

I was thinking about expressing just so I could get some rest some times and let my husband feed them. But I see your point about then having to make specific time to express! It's something to weigh up. That's if bf'ing goes okay in general of course.

I have plenty of pregnancy related questions for the hospital this week. I'm not worrying, just trying to be informed.

Cooperspale

Welcome to twin life! I’m not as super as fits...that is awesome work lady. I have 10mth old boys, haven’t been on these forums in yonks Bcoz twins happened.

I had problems breastfeeding, mostly with supply, it was a bit fraught, I endured for 5mths. I had to do combination of bf, expressing & formula & it took up a lot of time. I fed them both at same time regardless. Sometimes routine & schedule are a better option. I’m overseas in Oz & I have no family here, in laws either, they’re interstate. It was hard to express sometimes when you were being interrupted by crying baby or both & you’re the only one at home. I had twin Z pillow, gave it to a twin mum when she was pregnant & she regifted to me. I still use it mostly these days when boys lie in it for their morning bottle. It was handy to leave them in it on the sofa or floor when they were small.

We did bassinets, boys grew rapidly & we just got 12wks out of them. They were on wheels so handy in early days to move about but we have just 1level house. Then moved to cots. Had massive sleep regression at 4 & 8 mth with 1 in particular so did co sleep which I have almost gotten out of now, though some hot days here they nap better in bed with me. Just means I get nothing done that day.

Mountain buggy duet is awesome. Easy to push, narrow enough to fit through most doors. And folds well. It is bit heavy to lift into boot as I found when doing in a hurry to get to the ER & strained my wrist.

I got the baby tub bath (Looks like a bucket) easy to carry. Great for small baby did that for 3/4mth then husband's hand/arm got too big to do and we moved to sink. Then even they were comfortably sitting up moved to family bath with bath dam. Tried to bathe both together and it was too much work. Someone gave us a bath seat & we never used it once. So they both go separately in bath & tbh it's interesting to see how differently they approach things when alone because they are pretty much together all day long.

I didn't really go out for the first 3 mths, sad to admit.

My main bit of advice is prepare as many freezer meals as you possibly can unless you will have a personal chef when they arrive. You’re so tired some days you can hardly put the food in the microwave & you need to try eat healthy to keep your strength up.
Don’t get a super amount of clothing as they grow through them so fast & you do so much more laundry every day. And sleep now while you can, before it gets uncomfortable later on in the pregnancy

NotTotallySure

Thanks for all the advice ☺️

Cooperspale, unfortunately I've already hit a phase of not sleeping comfortably so I'm off work for a few days due to being exhausted and aching everywhere. It's a bit early at just 18 weeks, and I'm under no illusion as I know it'll get worse. Bought myself a pregnancy pillow yesterday and I got a better nights sleep - still waking every hour but previosuly I was unable to get back asleep. At least last night I was going back asleep soon

fits

The pregnancy can be really hard. Pretty much all the way through I found it tough. Do whatever you need to to be comfortable. I actually miss being pregnant all the same.

Cooperspale

Oh good you got a pillow. Totally forgot to mention that. I had one that looks like a G, by the end of it i was wrapped around that thing & hubby had moved out of the bed. You'll need a tummy support too. I got one in mothercare initially but by 22-24 weeks i got a belly band. It literally held me up & helped ease the back pain & you turn it the other way around once you've delivered to keep you in. The joys! I did pregnancy massage the last 8 weeks i think & foot massage when i could because i had a lot of fluid & it was uncomfortable in the heat here. I think in that last 4 weeks i just got more n more uncomfortable, i went to the cinema & my memory of LaLa land is having to change position every 15mins. 20 weeks they do the big scan here. Not sure if they do with you but it's very informative & you see so much. I was borderline for incompetent cervix so was scanned every 2 weeks frm around 14-28wk. It held out, no one knows how & i put on close to 24kg. The boys were 2.8 & 3.1kg~6lb4 & 6lb 12oz at 36wk6. I was diagnosed with gestational at 28wks, which i thought was a bit late, i should have asked for the test sooner. Then i got a thing called polyhydramnios essentially too much fluid so half the time i didn't feel them move. I was like the michelin man going about. And the 3 middle fingers in my right hand went numb, the feeling only came back when the lads were 6mths old. The boys refused to engage and were transverse oblique so i had caesar, i remember the assistant dr saying he'd never seen so much fluid. So what I'm trying to get at is that with a twin pregnancy there are so many more variables so take it easy. And try and enjoy it. Sometimes i think ooh I'd love another set of twins then i get a flashback of some of it & yeah nah

NotTotallySure

Cooperspale wrote: »

You'll need a tummy support too. I got one in mothercare initially but by 22-24 weeks i got a belly band. It literally held me up & helped ease the back pain & you turn it the other way around once you've delivered to keep you in

Is there a particular style of belly band you'd recommend? One to help support bump and back.

Did you both manage to keep working far into your pregnancy? I'm meeting a midwife friend tomorrow and I'm really curious how big she thinks my bump is cos I feel absolutely bursting here. Anyway. This isn't meant to be the "Pregnant Woman's Moan Thread" lol :-)

Cooperspale

I got the belly bandit upsie. It's not cheap but worth it because you'll literally live in it. I couldn't walk around with ease without it. I see that mothercare stock it. I used to work 2 retail job (12hrs on feet with no breaks Australia is great spot altogether) until week 23 then dropped that to 8hrs until i stopped it at wk 29. I still worked a 9hr one day a week until week 34 but it was tiring & uncomfortable. The official line i think here is most twin mums stop around 28wk because anything can happen after that. I cycled to work until wk 25 when the husband confiscated the bike & put it in the shed (where it still is!) I quite enjoyed it but had started getting twinges usually on way home so was probably for the best.

fits

I used belly support earlier in pregnancy but after week 32 ish I just couldn’t stand much at all. The weight!

NotTotallySure

I'm only coming back to this thread now, my girls are 11wks old. Thanks for All the advice , it gave me a good start to figuring things out.

Due to lack of space we went with a single cot for the babies to share rather than a co-sleeper cot. It's working well so far.

The Rocker Nappers were great in the first few weeks but I find they are now taking their day time naps better in the twin feeding cushion (like the TwinZ cushion ). The cushion is a god send! They nap much longer in it than in anything else, think it's because it's nice and soft.

Not twin-specific, but one other thing I've found great is a Gro-light thing that u put on your light fitting. It keeps the light low for night feeds/changes.

I'm still up in the air about buggies. I have a secondhand iCandy Apple/Pear which is a tonne weight to push, and to lift up our front steps. The steps are too steep though and do need changing . I've been considering a Joie Aire twin stroller because it's light, however it's a bit wide. The other option for me is an Out and About little nipper double. Money is an issue and some other great buggies are just too expensive.

Getting out of the house is difficult with a twin feeding schedule, but it does happen every so often :-)

bee06

Congrats on the twins! I don’t have twins but as an alternative to a double buggy have you thought about a single buggy and a wrap/sling/carrier?

NotTotallySure

bee06 wrote: »

Congrats on the twins! I don’t have twins but as an alternative to a double buggy have you thought about a single buggy and a wrap/sling/carrier?

Thanks Bee. I bought a cheap carrier a few weeks ago to see how I felt about them. It worked out okay so I've now contacted the National Sling Library to rent a few different slings/carriers before I commit to buying another one. The cheap one I bought isn't very comfortable on my back but the babies like it. Hopefully the rental ones will be more comfortable.

My iCandy converts to a single buggy so I could try it like that with a sling too.

bee06

Hope you find one you like! Any carrier you get from the sling library should be much more comfortable. I’ve tried a few so far. I rented an Isara which was very comfortable but they are expensive to buy new and not many come up for sale second hand, then I chanced my arm and bought a second hand Connecta which was great for holidays (nice and small) but as my little boy got bigger I was finding it uncomfortable on my neck because I think my shoulders are too narrow. I swapped that for an ergo baby 360 recently which I love. Very easy to put on and comfortable in my back too. Tempted to get one with a nice print though! They’re a bit addictive!

jlm29

I don’t have twins, but I have an out n about nipper, and it’s a great buggy. A sling and a single buggy is an option, but ultimately you will probably need a double that’s comfortable to push. Keep an eye on local selling sites, adverts.ie and done deal, and you might be lucky!
Be careful if you’re buying a nipper though to buy the newer model that will fit through standard sized doors

3DataModem

NotTotallySure wrote: »

I'm expecting twins this summer and I was hoping for some general advice from parents who are more familiar with this.
These will be our first babies.

Was there any particular piece of equipment or advice that you found/find useful to help cope with two babies of the same age?

Did many of you find yourself able to tandem feed brestfeed?

Did you find expressing breastmilk to be useful, so your partner could do some feeds with expressed milk while you slept?

So far I am considering the Armsreach Universal Co-sleeper cot as it fits twins and I like the idea of having them both close by.

People who told me they found it difficult to leave the house with one baby (between feeds, changes, naps) are now reassuring me that it will be no problem to me getting two of them ready at the same time, and that I'll be out & about loads during the summer.

Any advice from those who have been there would be super.

Get two kettles if you are bottle feeding, as you need constant supply of cooked boiled water.

Put them to bed awake.

Crying will be the norm as you cannot attend them both at all times. This won’t freak you out but it will other mothers.

You’ll want them to sleep together but if their patterns change be ready to split them up.

DON’T TAKE TOO MUCH ADVICE.

(My twins started third class today BTW. Ask me anything.)

scarepanda

I don't have twins, but there's a lady on YouTube that I watched when I was looking up getting a ring sling/wrap that gives tutorials on how to do up a wrap for wearing twins. Could be an option for you if your interested in baby wearing. Let me know if you want her channel name and I'll pm it to you.

NotTotallySure

scarepanda wrote: »

I don't have twins, but there's a lady on YouTube that I watched when I was looking up getting a ring sling/wrap that gives tutorials on how to do up a wrap for wearing twins. Could be an option for you if your interested in baby wearing. Let me know if you want her channel name and I'll pm it to you.

Thanks for the suggestion but I can't see myself being able to carry both babies in a sling..they're already so heavy. I'm hoping that we'll find some single carriers and can wear one baby each at times.

NotTotallySure

Thanks 3DataModem. We've gone for a bottle making machine rather than a kettle, it's made bottle-making so much easier. I'd recommend it to anyone. If we didn't have it a 2nd kettle would be essential!

Already we have people wondering why we arent worried by the second baby crying. They're just not used to it. But I really only have one set of hands, and the babies usually quiet down after a while. I must seem a bit heartless! Bottle feeding all the way here, breastfeeding didn't work out for personal reasons

scarepanda

That's fair enough!

If your looking for a soft structures carrier, I can't recommend the lilebaby complete enough. Iv had 3 SSCs and it's by far my favourite and most comfy. It can also be used from newborn right up to toddler hood which is handy.

Cooperspale

Congratulations, i did wonder how you fared. Well done so far! We endured boiling water ahead of time and did a mix of fresh boiling and using it in bottles. Prams, get one that is light enough and maneuvers well, still using mountain buggy duet here though the lads are getting big in it now at 17mth. Slings, don't invest too much. My husband wasn't into wearing one, i got one of those fabric types on Amazon, handy around the house at times if one was awake and other asleep (a rare event) It's a juggle with two & as they get older and heavier, it's more of a job. I know someone who had the duel sling but tbh you need light babies. Saying that i invested in one ergobaby for getting through airports and let himself carry the other. I have used it out shopping with them a few times but it's very hard work, (the one in the sling kicks constantly and grabs at everything, meanwhile the other one is jealous) honestly for me rather have both in stroller. Those first weeks just blurred for us, it was case of head down and get through it. Again well done, any questions just ask

shesty

Don't worry, generally people with more than one child are not wondering why you aren't bothered by one baby crying.Especially those of us still in the trenches with more than one small small child.
There is always someone crying here, but I am only one person.

NotTotallySure

scarepanda wrote: »

That's fair enough!

If your looking for a soft structures carrier, I can't recommend the lilebaby complete enough. Iv had 3 SSCs and it's by far my favourite and most comfy. It can also be used from newborn right up to toddler hood which is handy.

I must look up the lilebaby, thanks! I was looking at three SSC's - boba 4g, Tula Free to Grow and an ergobaby. Just waiting to try them out. The carrier we have is already useful for walking around the house with whichever girl of the moment has decided not to sleep! I've walked around my garden with baby in a sling and a sandwich for me in one hand...it's one way to get lunch.

scarepanda

I have an ergo (original I think?) (It was given to us when madam was born so I don't actually know for definite which one it is), and I hated it, nearly broke my back any time I had to wear it and could never get it on on my own, a complete pain in the ass. The lilebaby has pretty much the exact same design in term of putting it on and stuff, but I find it so easy to put on and take off and sooo comfy.

One thing I've noticed with my girl, she hates the carriers that make her face inwards, unless she's due a nap. For general out and about though she'd be awake and has always been much happier in the front world facing position, which is one of the reasons I got the lilebaby. I could be mistaken, but I don't think the newer ergos have the world facing option, I know the one I have doesnt and not many of the ones I looked for for a toddler had that option. When she can face outwards, she will stay in the carrier all day long! Just something to take into consideration if your babies love taking everything in!

bee06

The ergobaby 360 faces outwards. They are only supposed to be outward facing for short lengths of time though.

shesty

Yeah, I have an ergobaby orbit and it's the same.
I had the older version too (borrowed) and the fact that I couldn't put them outwards in it annoyed me.

brokensoul

I would love to give advice but I genuinely can't remember what it was like!!!

I do remember that it got a lot easier about about 15/16 weeks, but not sure if that was just our two or is generally true.

My twins are just gone 2. Twins are the best craic ever, and it only gets better the older they get. I absolutely love having twins (apart from the fact that I have no long term memory it seems!!!)

Feel free to ask me any questions.

I never mastered slings with my two. I have a mountain buggy duet that I swear by. It is the narrowest buggy in the market and it fits in nearly everywhere. They are pricey though so only worth it if you walk a lot. We live in the city centre, so I walk to shops, doctors apts and all those things with mine.

As they get older, if your back is any way dodgy, I highly recommend swivel car seats. They are a lifesaver.