General Discussion ~ Twins & More #5

Congratulations Kayla! That is wonderful news, your twins were good sizes, their birth weight was more than my two born at 37 weeks. Sounds like you're doing a fantastic job too. It never ceases to amaze me how I get so excited about hearing the birth of another set of twins, even from people I've never met :D

Azz, no I haven't done a trial run yet, I've just made some ginger bread, the dough is chilling in the fridge as we speak (or as I type). I'm doing ginger bread Tomliboos :lol: I don't think there will be a trial run, it's gonna be sink or swim, they take too long to do and I just don't have time to be farting about in the kitchen fashioning cakes into Pinky Ponks, so one it is! :lol:

And yes I do find that the girls take it in turns to be clingy, thank goodness, it would be a nightmare if they both decided to be clingy at the same time! I have also found that one is a mummy's girl and won't go to strangers, that is very odd, since they have both had the same experiences etc etc. It just goes to show you that no two kids are the same and parents aren't always the reason why kids are the way they are. (if that makes sense) Ok on that note of confusion I shall go and make myself a cup of tea, whilst the dough chills for a bit longer;)

:clap:kayla_b great to hear your news fantastic sizes. How is you DS going with your bubs im sorry if I missed it but what did you have? I had a 2 year old when I had my boys and she coped really well always wanted to cuddle and kiss them but now they are crawling around and touching her toys she does like it very much.:lol:

You go kezza :clap: we have all our fingers and toes crossed for you on their big day. whaooo can't believe they are 1 soon

Hi ladies - thought I'd say hi, I posted a few weeks back in the twins forum but thought I'd introduce myself here. We have identicals cooking which all going well will join us in late November / early December. Babes will be joining us via c-section (which was essentially the only choice other than travelling ages to Monash) so I'm working on preparing myself for a different birth than originally expected, but hopefully one with a good outcome!

I'm in the process of joining my local MBA and trying to get things organised before I get too massive :-)

Hi Sarah, congratulations on your twin pregnancy, I hope it all goes swimmingly for you. There are a few of us here, but as you can imagine we are all really quite busy with our twinnies, but we do pop in every now and then :) I also have identical twins they just turned one on Friday, the time has gone so quickly it's unbelievable!

The celebrations went really well and the cake turned out pretty good, considering I'm no expert an all that. I didn't bother with the ginger bread Tomliboos, but did normal gingerbread biscuits and guess what? I forgot to put them out at the party!!! LOL Oh well that means there were more for me, and my god they were scrummy :lol:
The girls have come on in leaps and bounds the last week or so, they are now pulling themselves up to standing position, Jennifer has started to say some words and can clap her hands and wave bye bye on demand. And forget commando crawling they are now getting up on all fours and crawling properly and are faster than the speed of light! :rolleyes: LOL they are so funny right now, they make me laugh all the time. I have started to take them to some mums groups now that their nap time is a bit later in the morning, they love it, and I love it too, I get to speak to adults....YEAH!!!!!

I hope everyone else to doing ok, much love to everyone.
xxxx

Thanks for the welcomes all.

Kezzabird - happy birthday to the girls. Glad the celebrations all went well. Sounds like they're really progressing too - how wonderful, you sound so happy.

Azzrenae - DS is generally pretty good with the twins, he adores them and always wants to kiss / cuddle - but sometimes he's too rough or is just in a silly mood and when i tell him off he'll often take his frustration out on them. We're also struggling to get him to bed at night, he stays awake for hours and plays up a fair bit before eventually falling asleep, not sure if it's just a way to try and get some attention... We had a boy and a girl this time, I was soo sooo soooo happy to get a girl as well, lol - wasn't sure how i'd handle 3 boys under 3.

Welcome Sarah, I hope you have a smooth pregnancy, look forward to sharing the journey with you!

I can't believe the twins are 2 months already, I can see i'll be typing about their 1st birthdays before I know it. They had their hip ultrasounds yesterday and DD now needs an x-ray, they suspect she may have hip dysplasia. I hope not but at least it's treatable if so. Has anyone had experience with this at all?

Well mum has taken DS for a couple of hours and twins are sleeping so I should probably go and do some washing or something. Or maybe even have a sleep!!

Chat soon xx

Kayla, my girls didn't have hip displaysia, but I know a little girl that did. She had to have a plaster cast for a while for her hips, then she had a plastic thing - sorry don't really know what it's called that she had to wear 23 hours a day to splay her legs, but could take it off for baths etc, then she only had to wear it at night for a while, I couldn't tell you how long each of these stages were though. But would you believe this little girl managed to walk with this plastic gadget on her, totally amazing.

Jennifer how ever was born with a foot condition, commonly known as Club Foot. She had to have a similar thing, only plaster cast on her leg from her foot to over her knee for 6 weeks, then she got put into what is called a Boots n Bar, which is a little pair or boots bolted to a metal bar to keep her foot in the correct position for 6 months 23 hours a day. Now she just has to wear the boots n bar at night time. I think that is a very similar time frame to the hip thingy (sorry I wish I knew what it is called:shakehead:) But anyway what ever treatment DD will be ok afterwards, it takes a lot to get your head around the fact that your precious baby has to be plastered up and not to mention the stares you get in public, it's all a bit upsetting, but it's all for the best.

Kezza happy to hear your party went well how funny you forgot your tomliboo's you did that on purpose so you could have them hmmmmm:lol: girls sound like they are ready to get going watch out they will be running before you know it.

kayla is DS still having avo naps? My DD would stay up late too I spoke to one of the mums at playgroup and she said she might be growing out of her avo naps so I would let her have her avo sleep every 2 days or when she would have playgroup and swimming because she was stuffed when we got home and it worked a treat she is in bed by 8.00pm every night now. She does go longer with out her avo sleeps now only because she is nearly 3. She was 2 and a half when I started that.
Is DS potty trained?

Sarah Welcome and congrats can't wait to hear all about your pg journey I to have Identical boys. Are they monoamnionic or diamnionic. Mine were Diamnionic but shearing a placenta.

Cody is crawling all over the house and Harper is moving a round on his tummy not quite the commando but at least he is moving around a bit he does gets up on his knees.
well best be off Cody sounds like he needs my attention :rolleyes::lol:

Hi lovely twin mummies,
Excuse my typing and any typos, I have almost polished off a bottle of champers and am on the iPad, so that is my excuse. I have been officially weaned for almost a week now. It all kind of went really quick and as I was planning on stopping at six months anyway, I stopped a feed when I thought I didn't have enough. So I had my last bf last Sat, dh took some beautiful pics, I had the girls undressed and have some lovely 'last feed' shots. But am now suffering from engorgement and hoping my boobs realized soon they are meant to stop producing lol.

Azz and Kezza ao exciting to hear your bubs are on the move. What fun! Aria has just rolled over for the first time and we are super excited for her, though she doesn't know how to roll back and just cry instead on her tummy when she has had enough. Kezza hope the girls 1st Bday was wonderful.

Sarahrach, I have to say my c section was amazing, the girls were great and I hand skin to skin and bf within 30 mins. I was so totally afraid it would be so clinical, but it was amazing. I guess I am saying you really can have the best of both. So a sheduled c section can be almost as good.

Kayla, glad all is going well

My girls are great, they are constantly surprising me and making me laugh, and we have enjoyed for the last two nights 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep ie no crying in the middle of the night, I just hear them start chatting sbout 6:30am, so am very happy with that. I am planning their christening next month, will be sure to post some of their pics, they will look like little princesses in their dresses.

Hi to everyone else. Traveller, i hope all is well.

Xx

Hi ladies! Thanks for the warm welcome!!!

Baby Dream: funny about the champers, hope you did not have too many after effects!!! Congrats on weaning - I too am hoping that I'll make BF to the six month mark, awesome job!!! I've actually booked in with ABA for a twins BF class, so am very excited about getting that part organised.

Azz: same as yours babes - diamnionic but shearing a placenta. OB has not gone into too much detail other than looking out for twin transfusion and has suggested getting US at a specailst centre and doing the csection at 37 weeks due to the one placenta running out of goodness. Do you think there is anything else I should be aware of? I sort of feel that I'm being drip fed bit by bit at my OB, he's great, don't get me wrong, but I really like to know everything up front if that makes sense.

Kayla: wow - 2 month old babies - I've been told the first few months is like being in a fog. How have you coped? I hope all goes ok with the x-ray, wishing you guys well.

Kezz: Congrats on the one year celebration - sounds like you guys had a blast!!! Adult conversation is key I recon - keep you sane!!! So enjoy those coffee mornings.

I've got my morph scan in a week, I'm excited but nervous about it if you know what I mean. All going well we are then ready to start laybuying nursery stuff - got a nice list of things we want without going overboard. I've also started doing preggie yoga, feels nice and relaxing which is good cause I feel big already :-) Hope everyone has a lovely week! Speak soon!!!

Hi Sararach, good to see you in this forum too :) I have my morph scan a few days after yours, and I, too, am planning on starting to buy/layby things (all going well FX) after the scan.

BabyDreamtime, LOL at your post about enjoying a bottle of champers. Good for you; you certainly deserve it. Hope you didn't feel too poorly the following morning :) Well done on having your girls sleep through at 5 months.

Azzrenae, Your boys must be keeping you on your toes now that they're mobile! When did you have to baby-proof your house?

Kezza, I had a look at some celebratory pics of your twins' 1-year-old birthday party on Facebook. Adorable!

So I have a question for any of the twin mums who used a breast pump...

I am going to join the Australian Breastfeeding Association as I am going to do a BF class with them. I have been looking into hiring or buying a double electric breast pump. ABA hires at discounted prices hospital-grade double breast pumps, but at $30 per week this could still be an expensive option, esp if wanting or able to use it for say 6 months.

Has anyone bought a double electric breast pump, or perhaps even a single (which might have a double in the same product range) which you highly recommend? Any other tips/advice re BF pumps? Thanks in advance! I really appreciate it.

Hey Brunette - good to see you too :-) GL at your scan - I'm sure we'll both go swimmingly!!!!

I've been doing the pump research and I think I'm going toward the Medela Freestyle which is a double electric pump, its got a hands free attachment that allows you to pump without being plugged in. Its a bit $$$ around $600. My plan is to establish BF at the hospital, if that works and all seems to be good then I'll get DH to do a Baby Bunting trip and grab it then. The hospital should have a breast pump too that you can use during your stay - my hossie recommend Medela, but said the hospital grade pump they use is pretty big and heavy so for home use they suggested having a look at the Freestyle.

I've actually got a question to twin mummies (and daddies) what is the best nappy bag you've purchased that both him and her are happy to carry around that fits everything? Did anyone go for the backpack style so you could carry both twins and your bag together - not even sure if that's possible??? Would love to hear your thoughts...

Hi ladies,

Sarahrach the problems I had with the boys was one was smaller then the other so they first thought TTTTS I had to have 2 scans a week at 20 weeks. We found out at about 25wks it was irregulaur growth my little one had positioned himself in a not so good part of the placenta and on top of that my cervix was funneling/opening and had to go on hospital bedrest from 25wks till 33wks thats when they were born so make sure you rest when you can and get a good book to read.
I ended up buying a big hand bag from strands bags its great it fits everything in it including their blue books it cost me about $18.
As for Breast pumps I hired one from the hospital MBA and it is abit big but I was so use to using it in hospital I didn't mind. You have to buy the connections that go with the pump I think it cost me around $75 I can't rememeber the price to hire it but I had it for 3 months.
Good luck for your Morph scan.

Hi Brunette yes they do keep me on my toes but they are more independant now instead of crying whenever they wanted a toy they can just go and get it. I had my house proofed already because of my DD but I have moved some furniture around proberly when Cody started to hop up on his knees Hope everything is going well for you and good luck with you scan also.

BD yep I feel like a glass of wine or 2 or 3 every now and then hehe Im going out with the twin playgroup mummies on friday night can't wait, just to get out of my mummy clothes it will be great.

Hope everyone is going well x

Hi peeps

I just used a normal change bag that I used for my son, it was a backpack one, but to be honest any bag will do. Since the girls are now bigger and I need to carry toys and drinks and food, I now use a sports bag, it is much bigger and can accommodate all the bulky bits I need to carry. I wouldn't go out and spend big money on a change bag, I reckon most are rip offs anyhow, just a large bag that is comfortable to throw over your shoulder or the stroller handle will suffice. You can buy separate change mats etc that hold wipes and spare nappies, I've seen them in Big W or K-Mart I think.

I'm afraid I didn't hire a breast pump, I just had a hand held Avent breast pump, it was bought for me when I had my son. An electric one would have been far better, but I had so much on my plate, I didn't bother to go to the trouble of getting one, so you ladies are doing great by thinking about these things now. I think I went through my pregnancy with my head in the sand most of the time, hoping everything would just fall into place!

Azz, have fun friday night! I've forgotten what's it's like to have a night out, I think I'd be hard pressed finding going out clothes to be honest!

My girls continue to keep me smiling, Jennifer is now breaking a molar through her little gums bless her cotton socks. And I'm sure Suzanna's will come through soon enough, she's been clingy as today, so maybe it will appear by morning.

Hi ladies!

Sararach, Seeing as how you seem to have done your research on a number of things .... Have you decided on what pram you are going to buy? I thought I was going to buy a Babyhood SW Twinner which is Spanish and doesn't arrive in Brisbane until about another month. But I got its closed dimensions from a store that will be stocking it, and it looks as if it might be a squeeze to fit into my car. I think I'll have to wait until it arrives to see if it fits.

Can I ask the ladies in this forum what twin prams you all bought?

Some that look okay (only from looking online so far) are the Baby Jogger Citi Mini Double, Peg Perego Twin, Peg Perego Duette, a Mountain Buggy one ..........

I would prefer a tandem pram (as I don't think a side-by-side one will fit between the two cars in the garage) and whilst I obviously will want to use it shopping I really want to regularly use it for walking.

Any suggestions ladies?

Hi lovelies,
Brunette, I have the baby jogger city mini and I just looooove it. The seats fold down, plenty of room, it has a great sunshade that goes right over to make it nice and dark, which is what you need if you plan on walking or having your bubs in the pram a lot. My girls sleep great in the pram. I am walking about an hour a day, and it is perfect. It is also quite light weight compared to others. I got mine from pram warehouse, they matched their online price of $720 I think it was. And it fits through most doorways.

Sarahrach, I agree with Kezza re nappy bags, I have a bugaboo in tan, but it just hangs mostly from the pram, I haven't see dh actually carry it in public. I am now thinking of getting a smaller bag just for a couple of nappies wipes etc, but will need to do something about keeping bottles warm now the girls are on formula. Your ideas re breast pumps sounds good, though maybe look on ebay you might save some money on the pump and just buy your own attachments. I used the cherub baby double electric, my sil gave it to me, not the most $ but it did the trick for the 6 months I expressed.

Hi to everyone else. We are going great, the girls are almost 6 months, I love them more every day. They are rolling and sitting up and every day is something new, it is such a fun time. But busy :). I am off to the movies with the girls tomorrow with my mothers group, wish me luck lol.

Xx

Thanks BD for your feedback on prams. It's good to hear that your girls fall asleep while you're out walking. That is exactly the result I'm hoping for - as well as sleeping babies when we return home from the walk, though that's probably asking too much! It's nice to hear you're enjoying your girls so much.

Hi to all other twin mummies!

Hi all!

Brunette, I have two prams, one for at home (an off roader as we have acreage) and a light weight for the car. The one for at home is a big chunky 3 wheeler, great if you aren't getting it in and out of the car, otherwise very heavy and cumbersome putting up and lifting in to the car, but fantastic to push and will go any where. My lightweight one is the Valco twin Ion, it was an absolute godsend in the beginning being so light. It get's through most doors and is really easy to push while bubs are small. But as the girls are getting bigger I am finding it increasingly difficult to push, the front swivel wheels tend to get stuck in one direction making it hard to push straight ahead. I think it might be time to invest in another twin stroller for the car, but I'm not spending big bucks this time, I'm just gonna go with one that is cheap and cheerful and easy to put up and take down. Good luck in your quest for the all important search for a stroller, make sure you go and view them for your self and give it a test drive in the shop and have a go at putting it down and lifting it etc.

B.D. Have fun at the cinema! :D

Hi there, just a quick one from me re: prams

We got the Peg Perego Duette and bought the viaggio car capsules to go with it - I am so in love with it! The fact the 2 capsules click straight from the car into the pram makes it soooo easy to take the twins out and about. I did not want a side by side pram and my research showed this one was the only "front & back" pram that was suitable from birth for both seats (although I believe there are a couple out there now, including the icandy...)

It is nice sturdy and easy to manouvre (although you need a bit of practice in the first couple of weeks...) and isnt too heavy to lift into the car. The pram folded down is on the largish size though, it fits fine in our '04 falcon wagon no worries but you'd have to look into the dimensions of the pram if you have a smaller car...

I have even had my 2 year old son in one of the pram seats, one of the twins in a capsule in the pram, the other twin on me in a baby bjorn and a shopping basket on one arm, and have been able to manouvre the pram one handed - it even has a steering wheel!

As the twins get bigger and outgrow the capsules there are standard pram seats that click in (what my 2 year old uses when I am out with him) and I'm worried the pram might get a bit heavy to lift up steps etc but I'll wait and see. For now it has been fantastic and well worth the price. I managed to get our pram second hand (and half price) and bought the capsules from baby bunting when they were on special.

Oh, the other cool thing about the pram is that you can change the direction of the seats/capsules to be either facing eachother, facing you, or facing forwards - pretty cool! You do get stopped a lot by people with comments on the pram but my theory is people stop you when you have twins anyway... and I've just learnt to avoid eye contact so that a 5 minute shopping job doesn't take you an hour!

Hope that helps!

We are all going good, and although our household has all had gastro we're now happy and healthy again. DS's hip x-rays came back fine so that was great news.

Chat soon x

Hi ladies - just a quick post with some sad news. I lost my twins late last week. I've posted in the miscarriage section with more info, but thought you'd appreciate the update.

Sararach, I posted in the buddies forum. I am so very sorry for your loss. I have been sitting here crying about how unfair it is. Liam and Dale are beautiful names. I am sending you strength for tommorrow xo.

Sararach - I am so so sorry to hear of your loss. I am devastated for you and your DH. May you find the strength to keep going - I'm sure Liam and Dale will forever be looking out for you.

Xx

:grouphug:Sarahrach - So so sorry to hear your news my heart goes out to you. Liam and dale are beautiful names

Hi Twin Mummies,
Twins are great, I'm great,Life is great.
cathie

Sarahrach, I am heartbroken for you, so very very sorry to hear your news, you are in my prayers xx

Sarahrach - Big hugs for you :hug:

Hi everyone,
Just dropping in to say hi. Hope everyone is going well.

Brunette I will have to check the paltttc thread to see how you are going. I can't remember if you said if you were going to find out what you are having? Hope your health has been well. Done anymore shopping recently? One thing I have to say is don't go too crazy with the clothes, they grow so fast, I have some outfits my girls only wore once. I have a basket full already to put on ebay.

Kezza, your girls are too cute, I love your pics, so nice to see how they are growing.

My girls are doing well too, really into their solids I am struggling to get them to drink their milk though.

Love to everyone xx

Oh Sarahrach I am so sorry for your loss, I have no words that can comfort you in this sad sad time, there are no words I am sure. I am heartbroken for you and your family. I only hope you can find the strength to carry on, mother nature can be very cruel. :cry: xxxxxxxxxx

Hi twin mums!

Happy belated birthday, Kezza. Hope you had a great day and were spoilt rotten.

BD, I'm here. No need to check the other thread. Thanks for the tip about clothing. Might be a little late, however ... We haven't gone crazy but bought quite a few onesies in a recent Big W sale. Because we don't obviously know their size, we bought some quad 0s and some 000s. Plus we haven't been to antenatal classes yet (they start in two weeks time) so we were unsure how warmly to dress the babies. So I'm already thinking we may have some clothes that won't even be worn! And I can't even take them back because I've washed them and removed their tags! Oh well.

Yesterday we laybied a lot of major furniture items such as a pram, two cots, change table, portacot etc and even decided on the theme for the nursery, a neutral ABC theme. The decal is soooo cute. So now I'm onto hubby about when we can get everything off layby and start setting up the nursery :redface:

I am going pretty well, 22 weeks. I've had pretty sore feet since about week 20, some minor swelling and a sore back - oh, plus raging PG hormones! Ha ha. Went for a swim in an outside heated 50-metre pool on the weekend and still just fitting into my one-piece. It was heavenly to feel almost weightless and I'd been advised by my OB that water acts as a compression to help reduce swelling and sore feet.

Good to hear your girls are getting stuck into their solids. Time certainly flies, doesn't it? Can't believe I'm over the halfway mark. Being positive and telling myself (and the babies) that they're not coming out till 36 or 37 weeks!

Hi ladies! I hope everyone is well.

I am looking for some reassurance from twin mums who may have had the same thing with one of their babies or perhaps knows someone who had a baby with the same issue.

We had our 27 week growth scan last Friday. Both babies are in the normal range for weight. T1 is estimated to be 1034 grams or 2 lbs 4 ozs, and T2 is estimated to be 941 grams or 2 lbs 1 oz. Both their hearts and cords are functioning well.

What I'm worried about is T2's head shape, described as `dolicocephalic head shape’. I spoke to my OB who told me there's nothing to be worried about. He said the BPD measurement (ear to ear) is small as T2's head shape is long and narrow, but the head circumference is within normal range (it's actually smaller than the mean too from memory). I asked him about possible brain development, Downs, premature fusing of the sagittal suture and he said not to stress and to have a gin-less tonic.

I've also heard that this head shape is common in other cultures, Nordic I think, and common in premmie babies or breech babies. T2 was positioned horizontally, superiorly on the maternal left, so the head was underneath the belly button and the feet under the ribs. Has anyone had a baby with this head shape while in utero? If so, were there any problems? Will baby's head shape change after birth? I'd love to hear some reassuring words from anyone who has experienced this or knows about this. Thanks very much!

Hi twin mummies, just a quick post to say hello to you all. Not long to go now for me. My OB is hoping I'll make it to 38 weeks, in which case he'll schedule me for a caesar, but as you all know it could happen any time ... scary but also exciting. Hope you are all well. I'll post with a birth announcement soon!!!!

Honey, I'm waiting to hear this too. Good luck :-)

Hi Brunette,
How time flies! My little ones are 6 months old already, I can't believe it. This forum has been on the quiet side hey. Did you find out any more about the dolicocephalic head shape? Sorry no-one has been around to answer your questions. i myself know nothing about it.
I hope you've had a good pregnancy and have had enough support throughout. Good luck with the upcoming birth, how exciting :)
All the best x

Sararach, thinking of you often and hoping you're getting stronger day by day xo

KaylaB, time flies all right. Wow, can't believe yours are six months already. Dolicocephalic head shape just means the head is narrower and longer, usually associated with breech babies. My OB is not at all concerned about it so that's good enough for me.

Be back here soon-ish with an announcement :)

Hi,

Any tips on toilet training?

Ta cathie

Hi everyone
Cathie sorry I can't help my girls are too young and I haven't even looked in to it.

Just wanted to send best wishes to Brunette, not long to go now and the fun will being. Don't be scared of your cs, I didn't really do too much research either and didnt really feel prepared. Just go with to flow and it will be fine. You are lucky to be so far along so chances are they may not even need time in special care. make sure you tell them what you want though, I has skin to skin in recovery and they were on the breast within 20 minutes or so. Fingers crossed for you you have good sleepers. Yes you will be sleep deprived and the 3 hourly feeds are a killer, especially if you are expressing on top of that, but if you can sleep in between you will be fine. Just make sure you sleep any chance you get, and no housework or anything like that. Eat lots of protein and drink lots of water for your milk supply, and stay away from sugary foods to avoid getting nipple thrush as that is the killer. Make the midwives help you every time you put them to the breast to make sure you are getting it right, and if you are going to bf get a twin bf pillow, it was a life saver for me. I can't think of anything else lol. Can't wait to hear your news.

Hi to everyone else. My girls are going great, I am more in love with them every day.

Xx

Hi BD, thanks heaps for your tips. I saw my OB this morning and was told that 3 out of 5 babies born by CS go into special care - maybe only for an hour, maybe for a few days. I was also told there's a good chance the paediatrician will try to feed them formula - 20 mls a feed instead of about 1-2 mls of colustrum they would normally receive when BFing. They'll come out of special care potentially wanting 20 mls each feed before my milk has even come in! The midwife at our OB clinic said to be assertive, that I need to give my consent for them to formula feed my babies, and to hand express diligently every two hours into a syringe and get the midwives to give this to the babies. So I'll just be very clear about my wishes to BF and hope they don't have to go into special care at all, and if they do that they're out as soon as possible. I've got a twin BFing pillow. Hope I get a chance to use it! You did so well not having your twins go into special care, having skin to skin and BFing so quickly after birth. So sweet when you say you're more in love with your daughters every day!

I'll be back with my birth announcement! OB said it might be sooner than the 8th as when he pushed on T1's head he said the uterus was irritable and he felt small contractions. Yikes. As long as they don't come this weekend because he's not on call!

Hi Brunette, I hope all is well. Will cross my fingers for a few days more for you. Just wanted to say that I did formula feed as well as hand express every 3hours as well as practice bf and attachment with the girls the first few days. I personally think that supplementing with formula in the early stages is fine, especially if you have low weight bubs that need to gain weight, and the effort they expend bf uses more energy than they are getting in milk. My milk came in the morning of the 4 th day, and maybe because I had been so diligent with 3 hourly expressing, my volume built up really quickly, so by about 5 days old they were on exclusively breast milk, still supplemented by breast milk in the bottle, so with formula and early bottle feeding, I was still able to successfully establish breast feeding so they were exclusively breastfeed by 3weeks old, I used to drop a bottle feed every other day until I got there. So my advice is dont be too strict on yourself and know that if they they need formula in the short term you will be able to bf in the end, I hope that makes sense. Wishing you the best of luck xx

No one on this thread with older twins?

Cathie

I have news! Jack Caillan made his foray into the world by CS on 30 November at 8.45 pm weighing 5 lb 3 oz, followed one minute later by his little sister Zara Belle, weighing 5 lb 1 oz. Both were born healthy and crying and within an hour were on the breast. Initially they went into the well baby nursery but by the morning were admitted into special care. Their blood sugar levels had dropped below 3 and they couldn't keep their temperature constant. They had to have a gastro tube inserted into their nose to feed. I expressed regularly and made sure they got my colostrum. They have improved from alternate tube feeds and express feeds to three breast/bottle/express feeds to one tube feed. We are running back and forth to special care twice a day and spending multiple hours at the hospital each time. They were just weighed a second time and Jack put on 100 grams and Zara lost 30g. But this is normal apparently to lose weight initially and even at the second weigh in. So they're healthy and making good progress but it's hard not having them home with us. Hopefully all going well we can take them home this Friday, but I suspect it may be a few more days than that. My milk supply is going well, but I'm not fussed any longer about formula or breast milk as all I want is for them to come home and I don't care if they have bottle feeds of formula as well as my milk in order to do so. Fingers crossed they keep gettting stronger and graduate quickly to feeding at each feed so the tube can be taken out and they can come home!

Oh how exciting Brunette! Congratulations and welcome Jack & Zara. Beautiful names. Hoping they can be home with you soon! Sounds like you're doing an awesome job! Good on you :) Look forward to hearing an update when you're all settled at home! Congrats again xx