Need advice from those who have had/are having multiples :)

[kimandkathess]

Congrats!! I am a mother of twins! 1 boy, 1 girl 16 1/2 months. They didn't see the twins right off, The tech only saw the boy and after about 20 mins saw another head. But, we knew there might be a possibility before hand because my Dr. said i was a little big and ordered the ultrasound. But I must say, to get prepared, I read Books. Can't remember the names now, but i checked them out of the library. But I pretty much learned everything on my own. You adapt to doing things your own way. And I must say, its not as hard as one might think. You adapt to it because you have to. And things naturally will work out. But as Sherry said...(in chat) you can ask me anything you need to know. Or just pm me. Again congrats!!!!

~~Katrina~~

[momofrsj]

Congrats!!!!! I have twin boys that just turned 8 ont the 14th.

Originally Posted by kimandkathess

But I pretty much learned everything on my own. You adapt to doing things your own way. And I must say, its not as hard as one might think. You adapt to it because you have to. And things naturally will work out.

I also learned everything on my own. I learned to open doors with my feet. It may seem hard when you first get them home, but it gets easier once you find your groove. Don't be afraid to ask for help. That is something I learned. When I first brought them home I didn't want anyones help. I wanted to show I could doi it on my own. But I learned fast that if someone offers help, accept it. (An eldery lady in the apartment complex I lived in at the time told me that. She said that people wouldn/t offer to help if they didn't want to. She absolutley loved my boys and wanted to help me as much as she could.)

I was glad I had the twins first because when i had my third son who is 2 1/2 he was a piece of cake, except now he is learning evrything from his older brothers and I can't keep up with him.

Good Luck and Congrats again.

[hotcouponmama]

Hey congrats! That's amazing! Heidi has several twin resources since she a set of them herself, and I think we have a gal on the site that runs a forum for twin parents.

[Bibit002]

Congrats on the twins! I have 5 year old twin girls. You learn on your own, believe me!

One thing I can tell you though is you do NOT need two of EVERYTHING. I learned this the hard way. You can adapt with a lot of only one thing. You will however, eventually need TWO cribs!

Congrats again. Any questions, feel free to PM me any time.

[boycrewof7]

Eat lots of protein, you really do need those extra calories.

I was very scheduled with my twins. I used the cry it out method to help with sleeping through the night. I regret it now. I wish I was more laid back. I am laid back with my singletons.

It gets better after 3months then 6months.

You'll be fine, you have a great sense of humor, I read some of your posts.

It is a very exciting time enjoy it.

[BigDog]

I don't know about real twins. But, if they are anything like my "Irish Twins" you need to start your arm workouts now!

[Devstar]

Congratulations! Children are a reward from God!

I have twin boys, fraternal, they are 5 yrs. old. It was really difficult for me when they were little babies because I didn't have help plus I have ongoing health problems and had a gruelling pregnancy but you do learn how to make things work and you tap into your creativity by necessity. My advice is stay in the hospital as long as you can even if they release you (sleep!), and take any help anyone offers! Prepare lots of meals ahead and freeze them before you deliver. Take opportunities to rest anytime you can. Be a SAHM if you can. Ask for all sizes of diapers as shower gifts!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everything else just comes. The diapers don't! Enlist friends/family/neighbors to just come over and hold & rock babies while you nap, grocery shop, do laundry, soak in the tub, etc. Breastfeeding is best but don't beat yourself up if you can't keep it up. It's double time nursing and/or pumping with twins. I did it for a month and gave up--I needed sleep!
Now that they are older we don't even think of them as twins. They are "the boys" and they are different in so many ways including looks. They just happen to have the same birthday! They are built-in playmates and best friends for life (my dad was a twin too) and it's an awesome thing! Now that they are in school we have seperated them into different classes because they get their own little thing going and the teacher can't get her job done! I think it's good to figure out ways to seperate them so they can get their individual time away from each other and be just themselves instead of part of a unit. Otherwise you do what you gotta do and don't worry about what other people think! In the meantime take care of your body, rest as much as you can, eat well and don't worry too much about the weight gain (I lost 50 lbs. leaving the hospital!) and listen to your body. You know it better than any doctor or anyone else. Best of all, know you are blessed! God knows you can do it and you're the best one for the job that's why he gave it to you!

[puakinikini]

I am mother to 2.5 y.o. boy/girl twins - it is wonderful.

I just have a couple more things to add to what others have said:

If there is a twin club in your area - chech out the Mothers of Multiples national organization - they will be able to provide lots of information, as well as local support.

The first year is VERY hard (especially the first 3 months) but it gets better! By the time they are 6 months old, you will be an old pro at multitasking. Just remember when it gets hard, that you can do it - one step at a time. I was a single mom the first year of my twins life - it was not easy - but it can be done.

Prematurity is a big risk factor for twins - so be sure to take care of yourself during your pregnancy - eat well, take a prenatal, light exercise (walking is good), rest, and try to minimize stress. The March of Dimes website has some good info on trying to reduce the risk of prematurity.

To me, the best thing about having twins is their relationship with each other. All parents want their kids to be close to each other - with twins you get to see the special bond from a totally new perspective. I love to watch how they interact and take care of each other. I love listenting to them talk and play when they do not know I am listening. There is nothing more precious than twin bath time, and two babies laughing at each other. It makes every early sleepless night worth it (a hundred times over).

[jennlynnmahan]

You have received some GREAT advice! I have 13 month old boy/girl twins. Mine have just started giving each other kisses and I swear it is the sweetest thing ever. It was hard at first, but thankfully I had a very supportive husband that was up to help me during the night. Also I am very big on schedules. I know people like it both ways, but both of mine started sleeping through the night at 9 weeks old. I firmly believe it was due to the night time routine that we started so early. Plus I loved being able to go somewhere and know exactly what time they ate again and if they were crying because they were sleepy or hungry or needed a diaper change. It really is SO much fun - I love having twins!

[queenofthehivemomof5]

Congrats on the news of your twins! I have 3 year old boy/girl twins, Liam and Carly (AKA Trick and Treat as they were Halloween babies....lots of fun for birthdays!)

We do have some great multiple offers posted in our In The Family Way forum. So go get signed up for what you can now and when your bundles arrive some of the offers you will have send copies of birth certificates in for. But they are way cool!

What to expect is hard because everyone is so different. I am a tall gal with hips meant for breeding and carried my twins to full term (38 weeks is considered term for twins) but of course many multiples are premies, even just abit. Mine were 6 lbs 4 oz and 5 lbs 11 oz....tiny compared to my other kids.

As far as pregnancy about the only thing different for me was that the morning sickness lasted pretty much throughout the pregnancy. It was not bad nor every day but I did "pray to the poreclain god" at least once a week the entire time.

Eat smaller meals, take your prenatals (my doc put me on extra calcium and iron), and get rest whenever you can.

I also agree that you do not need two of everything. We started out with the twins sleeping in thier carseats, then moved them to 1 bassinet, then to 1 crib and then at about 6 months old they moved to thier own cribs. Double strollers that let you attach the car seats are nice I thought. We used a Graco Duo Gilder and still use ours. Grandma bought us 2 highchairs which were in the way so we just used booster seats at the kitchen table that have trays on the front. The twins still use thier seats. Those were cheap too at 15 bucks each at Walmart.

When my twins were born my DH was recovering from a major accident and both of his hands were in bandages. He was not really able to pick up the babies. And in Dec when they were just over a month old I broke my ankle. So I could not walk. Somehow between me in a wheelchair and my DH with 2 bum hands we managed! Its a testament that where there is a will there is way. LOL

Parker our now 5 year old is 18 months older than the twins so for us it is almost like having triplets....YIKES.

As toddlers...baby gates and every child proofing device you can think of! Twins can help each other into mischief better than a single baby. My twins are creative. Carly tells Laim "Lay down" and then she stands on him and climbs over the gate then pulls him over it. She devised this method at about 18 months old. LOL