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I have a million questions

soxfan812soxfan812
in Multiples

Now that my boys are here, I have a million questions for you girls- I'd love to hear your thoughts on a couple!  TIA!

1- if one twin came home before the other, how did you balance your time between the two?  I HATE being away from Ben, who will probably be there another week, but Jack and Mairead (my DD) are at home- how much time do I spend at the hospital?

2- Did anyone have to give their babies iron/vitamins?  I have to add Poly-vita sure (or something) to EBM once a day.  It is AWFUL.  Just opening the bottle makes my house smell, and the babies HATE it.  Jack keeps spitting it out and won't eat when it is in the bottle.  Any suggestions/tricks for getting him to take it?

3- The nurses/pediatricians keep telling me to put them in separate cribs, but I was planning to put them in the same one for a while at least.  What did you do?  I think it's good for them to be together, right?

Those are my top three- I am sure I will have a million more as I adjust to this MoM thing.  NICU time is not new to us since DD was there, but it still sucks and I still hate it.  Now that I have one in the NICU and two at home, I am really having a hard time with all of this.  I'd love to hear your advice/suggestions, girls.  Thank you so much!

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Re: I have a million questions

  • goldengracegoldengrace

    1. Our boys came home a day apart, so can't really answer this question. Sorry!

    2. Yes, we mixed it in a bottle with like .5 ounce of ebm at the beginning of the feeding, they didn't like it but, usually by the time they sucked it down it was gone and they were ready for their real bottle.

    3. We always did?separate?cribs since they were?separated?in the nicu. ?Other Moms on here co-bed with?success, I am sure they will help you. :)

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  • Zeidy01Zeidy01 member

    Congrats and I'm sorry your LO is in the NICU. Both my boys spent a month there. Hoping and praying he comes home soon!

    1. Chris came home before Gaven. I split the day w/ DH. I always went to the NICU at nite (11pm-1am), there is always less people and you have more private time. DH always went in the mornings (9am-11am).

    2. Gaven was on Iron for 6 months. I don't remember the name, but it didn't smell that bad (if did have an oder but it was that strong). I always added the iron to the formula. He was on it from day 1 so I don't think he knew the difference.

    3. They slept in the bassinet for 2 months (together). Then they stated to get out of the swaddle and hit eachother. I got a 2nd bassinet then a few weeks later they were sleeping in each of their cribs. Now they cant stand sleeping together. I guess is sad, but for me is better to have them used to it now than later.

    Page me if you have any questions, again Congrats!!!!


    Zeidy ?

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  • lajolla09.30.06lajolla09.30.06

    1. Ours came home one day apart.  I was worried about the same thing (we originally thought it might be more than one day) and I don't know what to tell you other than maybe alternating you and your DH going to the hospital?

    2. We used poly-vi-sol for the first few months too.  We would add it to a tiny bottle so that we made sure they drank it, then make another bigger bottle with the rest of their milk  or formula.  It was definitely icky smelling and stained if they spit up but we had to do it so we did.

    3. Ours were going to sleep together in a cosleeper but actually ended up sleeping in bouncy seats instead because of their reflux.  I don't know what to tell you about this one either.

    So I guess I ended up not being all that useful after all Smile sorry.... good luck and congrats on the new arrivals!

    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
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  • EmpwrEmpwr

    I cant answerthe first ome, but my boys take the polyvita stuff and i just put it in their bottle. but they ony take a 1/2ml in 5oz milk. my experience is to get it deeper in their mouth and plug their nose for a second it makes them swollow instantly.

    My babies are 3.5 months and still sleep together so i say if you want to go for it. Is their a medical reason for seperating them?

     

    anywho i had a million questions myself, so ask away:) good luck

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  • macchiattomacchiatto member
    I can't answer the first two, but at our hospital, they put the boys in the same bassinet and they still share a crib. They sleep swaddled so there's no question at this point of them hurting each other; they seem comforted by being close to each other. I'm curious why your hospital said to separate them? I've heard some advise that b/c there can be a slightly increased SIDS risk, but my understanding is that's only if they are SO close to each other that they're breathing each others' carbon dioxide.
    fraternal twin boys born january 2009
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  • tripletmomtripletmom

    congrats on your babies.

    1 all my babies came home a day a part. we spent more time up in the nicu , then at home, since we had 2 babies there and one at home. the last day when we going to pick up aidan it had been almost 24 hours since we had seen him, since we knew he was going to be coming home and we were trying to settle the other 2 at home.

    2  i did not have to give my babies vitamins, but i would put it in a syringe with some bm and feed it to him that way. this way you know that he is getting the full dose and not leaving some in the bottle that he refuses to finish.

    3 all 3 of mine slept in the same crib till they were around 4 months old. we did have blankets to make make shift postioners to separtate each baby, at least at the beginning.  

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  • #6#6 member

    I cant answer the first one. 

    2.  We didnt have to do the poly stuff until they were off formula.  Once they were we put it in reg milk and I think they could tell it was in there.  It does have a nasty taste (yes I tried it) and the smell is enough just opening the bottle.  I have no idea how to get them to take it.  Maybe ask if you could do half in one bottle and half in the next bottle so there is less in each bottle.  Maybe then they couldnt taste it.

    3. I had the girls sleep in the same crib until they were around 1yr old.  They never bothered each other except when one woke up in the morning she would wake her sister.  But I would wake her then anyways so it didnt matter.  If they woke up at night they didnt bother each other.  I find it strange that the doctors are trying to tell you how to have them sleep.  That is not a medical concern to me.  I would just do what you feel comfortable doing.  We also used rolled up receiving blankets after the first month or so to keep them from rolling around each other.  Then I noticed they didnt really bother each other and stopped.  One had her head at one end of the crib and the other had her head at the other end once they were too big to sleep right next to each other side by side in the middle.  Once they got to 5-6months they started to cuddle with each other and by 9 months they were usually in the same position next to each other every night.  I have some really cute pictures of them sleeping on/next to each other.  (not laying on top of, just an arm here or leg there)  

     

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  • soxfan812soxfan812

    Thanks girls- I will try all of those suggestions for the vitamins- that is a real obstacle for us right now.  As for the co-bedding, they just told me it is 'no longer recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics,' and it is better for them to have their own space, etc.  I just agreed with them and plan to try it anyway.  There is no medical reason for them to be separated, and they seem happier when they are next to each other, so I am trying it regardless.

    Thanks for your help! 

     

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  • beefsbridebeefsbride

    1.  My DD came home 5 days before my DS (and my DH was traveling that week for work -- it was lovely!).  Although I could have brought DD with me to the NICU, it was cold/RSV season and she failed her car seat test 2x, so I wasn't too keen on taking her anywhere.  So my FIL came to stay with me that week while my DH was OOT and he would stay with DD so I could go up and spend a few hours a day a couple of times a day with DS.  It was rough.

    2.  Yes -- that stuff is NASTY!!  My DC just stopped taking it when they turned 1.  My two were FF, but we would pour a little bit of formula into a smaller, preemie sized bottle (like 1oz) and put the vitamins in that.  We'd feed them that first and then the rest of their "unflavored" bottle immediately after.  They got used to it (but it does smell horrid!!).

    3.  Our NICU was not supportive of co-bedding, either.  My twins spent 21 & 26 days in the NICU, so by the time they came home they were really used to being apart.  I didn't see the sense in putting them together just to split them up again down the road (and honestly the few times I tired to even get them to nap together in the PNP one or the other would wake up in less than 5 min crying -- they did not like being together).  It totally hasn't interfered with them being close at all now -- they play like best buds.

    Take caren and I'm sure your LO will be home before you know it!!

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  • kelly pavaokelly pavao

    1>- One of my guys was in the NICU for 2 more weeks after I took the other one home. We spent mornings with Matthew at home and then around 2-3pm we would go to the NICU to see Jacob  and stay until around 8 or 9pm. If DH got out of work late we wouldn't get there until 5 or 6 which stunk but then we would stay until after his 11pm feeding.  we weren't allowed to bring Matthew in the NICU with us. Luckily my parents and in-laws were really supportive and took care of matthew while we were at theNICU. either way, no matter where i was, i was always thinking about how i wasn't spending time with the other one.

    2 neither of them take any vitamins

    3 they slept inthe same crib until about 4 months old, then they were able to move their hands enough to wake the other one up.

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