After being particularly grouchy and rude to my sweet husband on Mother’s Day, I happened to look at a calendar and decided to take a pregnancy test. Immediately, my grouchiness was explained with two little pink lines.
Excited and surprised, we started to rearrange our mindset, chatted about names, told our families, and started to budget.
Around 7 or 8 weeks, my clothes were getting tight and I was nauseated from about noon on. Even though I experienced one day of nausea with each of my older girls, I thought nothing of this near constant desire to gag, attributing it all to “third pregnancy” and my age (35).
Until . . .
Two seconds before my sonographer walked in at 8 weeks and 4 days, I thought, “She’s going to tell me this is twins.” She walked in and IMMEDIATELY looked at my 4 year old and said, “What if mommy had two babies in her tummy?” She handed me a wad of tissues without skipping a beat.
And our world changed. Everything after that was a blur. A complete blur. For about three days while I asked endless questions in my head like: But what about our car? AHHHH, my job . . . two double strollers? What about our bungalowwwwww?
But now . . . I can’t imagine my world without these two inside of me. Isn’t it crazy, how motherhood does that to us, no matter how many babies we have?
A while back (coincidentally, unbeknownst to me, with twins already growing in my belly), I read this post about what not to say to moms of multiples, closed my iPhone and thought, “Well, dang! I’ve asked a lot of those!”
Knowing how hard just one child is, I think the idea of two or three or more(!!!) is fascinating to those of us with singletons. We want to know how you did it, what your nights were like, how you delivered, and how you carried, etc. I STILL want to know. I need you!
Since I’ve asked a lot of these, in penance against MOMs, I will answer some myself.
Do twins run in my family? My husband has a ton of twins in his family, but none of that matters, because twins are found in the maternal line (news to me!). They have everything to do with the egg or eggs, in my case. This is apparently much more common over 35. I had no idea. If our ovaries could talk, I think they’d be saying, “Let’s make this lady have as many kids as possible before it’s too late. Get me two eggs over here, STAT!” And you know what, my stats just went UP for more twins . . . by 50 percent!
I’m sorry?* Don’t be! I’m a little scared and overwhelmed. But I’m more grateful than anything. SO grateful. More than I can say.
I bet you are huge? Well, folks, I’m getting there. I’m getting there fast. I’m 5’3″ and 18 weeks now and by my calculations, I will reach elephant status by November or maybe October. I’ll keep you posted!
So, you’re done? Heaven’s yes. YES! Probably. Lord willing? You know, it’s never really over ’til the fat menopause lady sings. Let’s be honest.
*I’ve never said that; that’s just RUDE!MOMS: What’s your experience? Singleton moms, you never know . . . you could be next; what are your questions?
Welcome to the club! I love being a mom of twins. So rewarding, so challenging. As a first time mom it was exponentially harder than I ever imagined. And yet if we could have kids again I wouldn’t hesitate to tell you that I want another set of twins.
Some advice :
If you do formula get Dr Browns formula pitcher. Its a life saver and a time saver. Especially if you end up on any of the tummy sensitive formulas for reflux.
Tandem nursing is scary at first. But doable. I used lots of individual small pillows. I never could make the breast friend twin work for me. While my friend with triplets used it 2 at a time and had no problems.
If your babies are in the nicu they will be on schedule when they come home. Stick to it. They are used to noise in the nicu. Have some at the house. They won’t sleep well if its quiet.
There is only one of you. Inevitably one of them will be unhappy and there may not be anything you can do.
Invedt
Some more helpful info:
Try multiple diff bottles and packs. I stuck with the same bottles from the nicu and they were not the best choice for my reflux babies.
Invest in a double stroller. One that will hold your car seats. We had chicco stroller. Make sure you get seats that can hold 4 lbers. You never know.
Mine hated the bouncer and swing.
Halo sleep sacks! Can’t say enough. Those were the only ones our nicu would allow. No swaddling because of how tiny their lungs were.
Each phase has its ups and downs. Once you get through you look back and it doesn’t seem as hard as it once did.
Good luck and God bless.
Oh and if you have a choice deliver at Harris downtown. They have a stellar nicu and also have access to Cook’s. You never know. Always be prepared.
I had a c-section at 34 weeks. We left the Nicu at 36 weeks. Mine were 4lb 5 oz and 4 lb 10 oz. Fraternal.
And remember just because there are 2 sacs doesn’t mean they have to be fraternal. They could be identical. The only way to know for sure is blood work.
Congratulations! I have 8 month old twins and couldn’t imagine one of them not being here!
I had a smoother twin pregnancy than when I carried my singleton. I had zero complications and carried them full term! Both babies were almost 7 pounds.
You will get stopped everywhere and asked 1,000 questions. People are so fascinated by twins. I get asked all the time “how do you do it?” I don’t even know how to answer that! You are their mother and they are your babies. You just know how.
My only advice: if someone offers to help, take it! And again, congratulations! Twins are such a wonderful double blessing!
Yea Anna! Congrats and welcome to the mom of 4 club! We don’t have twins but a house full of little ones. It’s always a riot! So happy for you guys.
So exciting! Twins are such a blessing! And yes, people are so intrigued with them… so get ready for the stops, stares and questions. I never minded though… Who minds talking about their children? It has been almost 9 years since we had our twin (identical) boys. Yes, they are identical, but I was told they were fraternal… I finally had them tested when they were 3. Obviously if the babies are opposite sex then you know they are fraternal… if they are the same sex and have the same blood type, then the only true way of knowing is having them tested.
I only have 3 kiddos, not 4… so I don’t have anything to offer on that, although the twins came 16 weeks after my daughter which was challenging. Looking back now I know things seemed harder in the moment than they actually were. They are babies and they will need you (sometimes all at once), but this also teaches them patience and a sense of unity. You’ve got this! Best of luck to you and your pregnancy!
Welcome to the ranks of MoMs! It’s an adventure no doubt, but you’ll find your way. By the grace of God, a supportive pack of family/ friends, a network of MoMs, and OCD organization, we’ve survived two years of raising quads. It seems as though every MoM wants to know when it gets easier. I’ve settled with the fact that certain things are easier, but new challenges always come so savor the best stuff at each season. Ps – join a MoMs group, they’ll support you the whole way!