MoM's of Multiples Weekly Check In 7/18

tmk0325

How far along are you? Those of you with twins are most likely more than halfway!  

Any appointments this week/last? How did it go?

GTKY: What is your biggest pet peeve?  Or has anything really ticked you off during pregnancy that normally wouldn't (darn hormones)?

What rants/raves/questions/advice?  

tmk0325

How far along are you? 18w4d with just one this time.

Any appointments this week/last? How did it go? None til the 28th.  Wish I had more, but I did start to feel flutters this week!  I have an anterior placenta and with the twins I also had one and didn't really know what to look for... so now knowing I'm definitely feeling this one move a bit more.  Probably wont get a kick though until like week 21 or 22!

GTKY: What is your biggest pet peeve?  Or has anything really ticked you off during pregnancy that normally wouldn't (darn hormones)? I feel like people are just annoying me more during pregnancy. So many stupid questions!! I don't feel like it's this bad normally... My biggest pet peeves are when my SO puts his clothes next to the hamper or the dishes next to the sink.  Makes me want to throat punch him!

What rants/raves/questions/advice?  @wabash15 or @KathrynJ088 I know you guys both have at least two other children at home, have you looked into triple strollers at all?  What are your thoughts? The boys will be 18 months when the baby comes and it'll be winter here, so I don't think we need one, although I'm not sure.  I created a small registry for myself to get the completion code, because I was thinking about getting a single stroller to go along with the double, since triples are ridiculously pricey... 

stella_700

How far along are you? Those of you with twins are most likely more than halfway!  I'm at 18+2 with boy/girl twins.

Any appointments this week/last? How did it go? one girl/one boy! We are pumped! I feel her more clearer than our boy as I've got his placenta in front and her in the back.Next appt is with the MFM next tuesday.

GTKY: What is your biggest pet peeve?  Or has anything really ticked you off during pregnancy that normally wouldn't (darn hormones)? I work at a community college, yesterday I helped someone locate the backslash on the keyboard.  So many eye rolls. Sometimes I just have to walk away my tolerance for dumb is at an all time low. I'm normally really good at making sure that my incredulousness doesn't reach my face, not so much anymore.

What rants/raves/questions/advice?  Some concern going forward as my blood pressure and heart rate have been creeping upwards. Monitoring it at work everyday. Also summer heat indexes above 110 this weekend. *u*k

wabash15

How far along are you? Those of you with twins are most likely more than halfway!  17+2 singleton

Any appointments this week/last? How did it go? I had a midwife appointment last week and everything was fine.It was weird getting used to a super fast exam after all the long ones with the twins.

GTKY: What is your biggest pet peeve?  Or has anything really ticked you off during pregnancy that normally wouldn't (darn hormones)? mmmI have a bunch, like not opening both doors to the bathroom at work when your done using it (we have to walk through the bathroom to get to some parts of the building. leaving lights on when you leave a room (unless your coming right back. Just little things. I don't think things have made me more ticked but I definitely am more weepy than usual.

What rants/raves/questions/advice?  The house got a deep clean this weekend because we were having people over. It was exhausting but so nice to have a clean house. less than 36 hrs later it took 2 swiffer pads to just get up the fur from the kitchen area... its a never ending battle!

@tmk0325 DH and I were just talking about this. It will be deep winter when this little one comes so we won't be going out much with the stroller. Once the weather gets better we will probably baby wear one child and have the other two in the stroller.... Our stroller you can also get a scooter attachment so one kid can stand and ride so we might to that... one other thing I have seen that we might consider is... the in front seat attachment. I have put some photos of options in a spoiler box.

clovelyone

@tmk0325 LOL @throat punching your SO! 

@stella700 I have zero patience right now. 

How far along are you? Those of you with twins are most likely more than halfway!  

18+3 and I can't believe I'm halfway there! 

Any appointments this week/last? How did it go?

No, but my anatomy scan is scheduled for Monday and I can't wait to see my babies! It's been so long. 

GTKY: What is your biggest pet peeve?  Or has anything really ticked you off during pregnancy that normally wouldn't (darn hormones)?

Everything pisses me off LOL. I just have no patience right now. 

What rants/raves/questions/advice?  
Rant: I'm tired of being gassy, constipated and nauseated. I think the nausea may be getting better though since I haven't taken Zofran in 2 days (I guess that would be a rave).

Rave: I had a great weekend with my SO. We always have a great time together though. I just feel like I'm getting everything I've always wanted.

Question: Does anyone have any comments/thoughts on this pack n play for twins? It's called the Circle Tech Twin Nursery Center. It's on the expensive side (found it for $200, but I've seen it for $250. I like the detachable bassinets, but wondering if the extra features would be worth the cost. 

https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Trend-Nursery-Center-Circle/dp/B01LZFK54W

wabash15

@stella_700 try to stay cool in the heat!!
@clovelyone my twins wanted to sleep together. They slept way better in the same area. actually we would start them off on their own sides and even at a few days old would some how find each other and they were always in the middle touching when we woke up. I can't remember if it was last week or the week before but I posted some picutes of a pack-n-play (i put them in a spoiler box) of one that has a larger bassinet side and then a changing pad station. It worked really well for us. the twins fit in the larger bassinet side till ~5 months then we had to move them down to the next level on the PNP so they had more room. At 6 months we moved them to a crib in their room (mostly because we were ready to have them in their own room) but the twins did not sleep separate till 9-10 months.
 LSS: it would probably work but my twins slept better together so I might look for a different version of the PNP, see post in previous MOM thread...

tmk0325

@clovelyone I have not personally used that one, but I believe it's part of Zulily's twin event that is going on right now! You should double check the price on there!! I have to say it does look much sturdier than the Graco twin one. The comments I've heard on that one is the babies tend to roll towards the middle. This one looks nice. I'd just double check all the reviews on amazon!  I'm also the opposite of @wabash15 on the sleeping issue, mine never really slept next to each other. We tried it for a few weeks but it didn't go to well. So they worked better separate. The good thing with that is you'd still have the pack n play to put them in or the separate bassinets if that worked better. 

@wabash15 I have seen those stroller attachments but I haven't looked too much into it. I wonder if they work with all strollers or certain brands. I may have to dig deeper into this... 

@stella_700 I also work at a technical college. I can totally relate. The other day a student called and said I need to drop the class that I have in the afternoons. Uhm ok. He says can you tell me what class this is. 1. who are you and 2. did you check your schedule online?? Seriously. Stupid people these days.  

clovelyone

@wabash15 I did see your other post on the PNP, but still wanted opinions on this one. Thanks for your input! I forgot like the fact that as @tmk0325 said, we could take the bassinets out if they'd rather sleep together. @tmk0325 I saw this on the Zulily site for $200, but I wonder if it will be a great deal once shipping is added. Thanks for your input as well 

breezybee

How far along are you? Those of you with twins are most likely more than halfway!  
16 + 3 with mo/di twins 

Any appointments this week/last? How did it go?
Ive got my 16 week Appt this Thursday. I'm excited to see them - I've been having some weird unexplained anxiety lately, and I just want to see them and make sure they're ok. 

GTKY: What is your biggest pet peeve?  Or has anything really ticked you off during pregnancy that normally wouldn't (darn hormones)?
Ive got to say, I've been pretty even keeled so far. I get annoyed by stupid shit all the time, but nothing during this pregnancy that's been out of the ordinary lol 

What rants/raves/questions/advice?  
Like I said above, I've been having anxiety about the twins. Just what if thoughts running through my head a lot more than usual. I'm at the point where if anything happened to them, I would just absolutely be devastated, so of course it's been on my mind a lot more. It doesn't help that I've been getting itchy palms and nausea the kastcfew days, which Dr Google says is cholestasis and nownim freaking out. I emailed my doc, and we'll talk about it at my next Appt. I just have to breath and stay calm. Sorry for the DD. Today is kind of a wierd day. 
STM's: did you exclusively breast feed your twins?  If so, for how long?  I'm trying to get a feel for what's normal and doable. I know everyone's different, but it seems overwhelming. 

Hope everyones having a good Tuesday!

tmk0325

@breezybee It'll all be ok! Have you started meeting with MFM yet?  As for exclusively breastfeeding. I did not.  In fact because mine were so early (31 weeks), they actually had to learn how to eat first. They could kind of breast feed by the time we went home with the use of a shield and we did it a few times, but they took the bottle so well that it was just so much easier to pump and bottle feed them. I exclusively pumped for the first 11 weeks then we switched to formula.  I do know a few twin mom's that EBF and it is doable! 

breezybee

@tmk0325 I have started meeting with my MFM doc. I actually have one of those and my regular OB. I'm seeing the MFM Thursday, so I'll be able to talk to him then.  
I feel like I'm going to have to supplement with formula sometimes. I mean, to be the sole food source for 2 babies is just crazy to me!  Of course it can be done, but will I want to?  We'll see...

KathrynJ088

How far along are you? Those of you with twins are most likely more than halfway!  
20+2 according to my doc, but it's Tuesday, so 20+3 according to how I've been tracking it

Any appointments this week/last? How did it go?

MFM today, all went good! More details on the ultrasound thread. 

GTKY: What is your biggest pet peeve?  Or has anything really ticked you off during pregnancy that normally wouldn't (darn hormones)?
Nothing really that I can think of. Traffic, but that's always. I'm also not a very patient person, so it all seems like pretty normal dumbness.

What rants/raves/questions/advice? 
Rant/Rave: I'm totally nesting already. I want to clean everything, set up everything, buy all the stuff we need (it's been very tough waiting for the baby shower). This also makes me exhausted and weepy. I did order an upholstered  rocking chair and matching ottoman, and DH and I finally agreed on a bed and nightstands for our bed. We've been using just a mattress and bed frame for far too long, so I'm excited to have real bedroom furniture!

Question: when should I book maternity pictures for? I want a good solid bump, but not an "omg she's enormous" type belly. 

Rant: health problems suck. Really hoping this boob lump is just a lump and nothing more. 

Rave: my DH has been amazing lately and I'm really excited he can feel the babies kick now! We're going to his Grammie's house this weekend to pick up the crib she bought us last year when we were expecting, so I'm pretty excited about that too.

@tmk0325 my older 2 are 8 and 10, so no strollers for them anymore! When they were little, I did one of those sit & stand ones. My DS hated sitting in it and there really wasn't a good way to strap him in, so I'd fight with a 2 year old running around, plus this train of a stroller when we went anywhere. Let's just say I didn't use it for very long. 

tmk0325

@KathrynJ088 I would do showers and maternity pictures before 30 weeks for sure! I think my maternity pics were actually around 27 weeks and I was plenty big by then! 

elev2017

How far along are you? Those of you with twins are most likely more than halfway!  

17+3, I'll be halfway in a week!

Any appointments this week/last? How did it go?

I had one yesterday and it was great! Got to hear the heartbeats for the first time and my OB did a quick US. One was sort of hiding, but the other one was moving all over the place doing flips and stuff! @clovelyone  We both have our anatomy scan on Monday! I am so excited to find out the genders!

GTKY: What is your biggest pet peeve?  Or has anything really ticked you off during pregnancy that normally wouldn't (darn hormones)?

I think my biggest pet peeves (both currently and pre-pregnancy) are people who drive slowly in the left lane and people at work who are f-ing morons but somehow have higher level positions / make more money than I do when they're clearly incompetent. 

What rants/raves/questions/advice? 
Rant: Now I'm just all riled up thinking about my stupid coworkers lol
Rave: I'm finally starting to get a bump that makes me look pregnant rather than chubby! I think in another couple of weeks it will be pretty obvious to most people that I'm preggo if it's not already. 

clovelyone

@leilagphillips That's great! I hope we both get what we want from the anatomy scans. 

wabash15

@breezybee I breast fed both twins till 21 months when I had to stop to start fertility treatments again. It was hard in the beginning. We  had a lot of latch issues and DD did not transfer from me till she was 7 weeks old. For the first 8-10 weeks I had to supplement some with formula but then was able to build production enough that we EBF from about 10 weeks till 6 months when we began offering solids. In the beginning because of our latch issues I would feed DS, practice with DD then bottle her with pumped milk, then pump and start the process all over again. Also because I was not a super producer I pumped every 3 hours around the clock (literally) for the first 10 months then I had to drop one of my over night extra pumping sessions. The twins were sleeping but I was getting up twice a night to pump and by the end was so exhausted. At a year we began to wean down to morning and night during the week and on demand on the weekends.There is so much mommy guilt around feeding weather your BF or formula feeding. I think looking back I would have tried to cut myself more slack and supplement a bit more. Fed is best weather thats formula or breast.I was so proud to be able to EBF but for me it was soooo much work.  When we first started BF I never thought I would love it with all the challenges we had, but we got to an amazing place and I loved it. My first goal was 6 months, then it became 12 then it was when they were done. I think in the end weaning was harder on me than them. The biggest advice I can give you is see an LC early and often, see if there are any BF support groups in your area and remember fed is best. you'll  have twins, cut yourself some slack because you can only do so much. So if its breast feeding awesome, if its breast feeding with formula supplementation thats awesome, and if its formula  that is cool too. Oh and if you are pumping go straight for a hospital grade pump they make a big difference for production.  Sorry that go so long, but if you ever have any questions I'm happy to try to help. 

beary67

How far along are you? Those of you with twins are most likely more than halfway!  19w5d with di/di twins

Any appointments this week/last? How did it go?  We have our anatomy scan on Friday.  We did a mini scan at 17 weeks and all looked good at that time except my placenta previa and a possible concern about Baby Bs weight.  

GTKY: What is your biggest pet peeve?  Or has anything really ticked you off during pregnancy that normally wouldn't (darn hormones)?  I wouldn't say I get ticked off much, but I do cry a lot over random stuff.  Little videos on Facebook or commercials make me lose it! 

What rants/raves/questions/advice?  We have made it to the half way point!  I know I need to go register since my shower is at 28 weeks, but I've just been putting it off for some reason because it seems overwhelming.  My husband and mom are painting the nursery and the play room on Saturday!  And we are finalizing our decision for new carpet, which makes me very happy! 

breezybee

Thanks @wabash15. That's super informative. Yeah, I'm in the ed is best camp, but I'll TRY to do as much BFing as possible early on. I know it can be tricky for some mom's, so we'll see. I'm signing up for a couple of twin specific classes - BFing and parenting - so hopefully they'll be able to pump as much info into me as possible. 

tmk0325

@wabash15 that is super impressive with twins!! I couldn't imagine!  I pumped every 3 hours and then every 4 and every time I turned that pump on I just cringed. Now I hear it and I seriously get anxiety about it. So much so I might just go straight to formula with this baby. I haven't decided yet.  

For all new moms out there, BF may come super easy to you and your baby or one or both of you may have issues. As Wabash said, fed is truly best and try not to beat yourself up if it doesn't work.  With twins its so much more challenging than with just one! 

KathrynJ088

@wabash15 I agree, very impressive! That is a ton of dedication!

 I didn't have any issues BFing with my older 2, but only made it through for 4-6 weeks bc I was young and honestly quite a bit selfish (18 with my first). I hope to have the same luck with these two (the no issues part, not the selfishness lol).

KathrynJ088

You guys!!! We're having (or had) TWO BABIES!! TWO!!! Still hard to wrap my head around sometimes and my family is getting sick of me telling them lol

wabash15

@KathrynJ088 you can tell us over and over! twins are amazing!
@tmk0325 if you do try pumping with this little one maybe try a hospital grade pump... mine made no noise and was super comfortable. I have heard from several women that it made a big difference in their pumping experiences.