OMG! How do you do it??

Shaina

I have 7.5 week old twin girls.  I am EXHAUSTED and I can't even imagine working f/t, which is what I'll be doing in about 5 weeks.  How in the heck will I do this???  My DH is a great help but he needs even more sleep than I do b/c he is on trial more than me and also gets migraines BAD!!!  I have no prob doing most but how the heck do you do it all???  I am not even thinking about the gorcery shopping, cleaning and everything else???  I also know that the immense sleep deprivation does not help at all and that once they start sttn, it will be better BUT HOW DID/DO YOU ALL DO IT????

gibs

I was exhausted to the core with my first DD 3 years ago. I can't even imagine having twins. Try to find a teenage mother's helper in your neighborhood just to be with you. You'll get in the swing of things in a month or two, especially when you and your girls start getting some sleep. Until then. don't worry much about cleaning. You can't do everything and the first few months SUCK! Hang in there!

sara1104

I am tired reading your post!  those first 2 months back to work were the worst, but you are right, once they start STTN, it helps.  hire a housekeeper, do some menu planning w/ quick & easy meals so you only go to the grocery store once a week, lay out everyones clothes for the entire week on Sunday night, pack everything for daycare the night before, go to bed early!  GL!

luvmagoldn

Oh my goodness - you are in the roughest part of having multiples.  I hit the wall at eight weeks in terms of exhaustion, being overwhelmed, etc.  I can't imagine adding returning to work in that mix.

I absolutely agree with the PP.  Having someone else clean your house is key.  I don't know what your child care situation will be but you may want to consider overnight help - at least until they are old enough to start sleeping longer stretches at night.

It's tough but you will figure out a rhythm.  Just give yourself plenty of time to adjust.  It may take a few weeks to get into a good routine.

Good luck and congratulations on the birth of your girls!

Melanie2003

ask for help - it takes a village! i hired someone to clean 2x a month. We manage to split what's left in between, and we don't care that the place isn't perfect daily, or even for a few days! My child's room and play areas are clean, as is the main bathroom we use most often. I let go of the rest. I recruited my mom, MIL and aunts to make us food that I can freeze. This way, I can pop containers into the fridge to defrost in the morning, and when I get home from dinner, all I need are sides like pasta or couscous and frozen veggies - they cook while I reheat the main dish. Dinner in 10-20 minutes. It does not have to be all heavy pasta and cheese dishes - chicken stir fry freezes really well, even with rice, stuffed peppers can be made more healthily, meat sauce and seasoned taco meat (from ground turkey or chicken too). You can even assemble garlic bread and wrap it to freeze - just pop the foil wrapped bread in the oven and cook for a little longer than if it was fresh. We try to have easy foods for lunch and breakfast, so we don't have to think much about assembly early in the morning before we leave, I had my mom and MIL do a lot of the clothing shopping for DD. I work full time with a long commute, and until June, I was in school all day Saturday, and I live in an area when retail is closed Sunday. I didn't have the time, and they were more than thrilled to help with that. I didn't want them to pay for it all, so I would give them gift cards and merch. credits to use that I had. You can do grocery shopping online and have it delivered in most areas. The fee varies, and I think it adds too much, but if you need the convenience, then it's worth it. I liked to do grocery shopping after 9pm at night - the store was restocked and empty, so it was pretty quick. Just enjoy the very day with your family. The laundry and shopping and cleaning aren't all that important. And, tell someone that you need help - even friends will pitch in!

Bella427

Wow, I got absolutely nothing done when I had one 7 week old baby.  I can't imagine having 2!  I just try to take it one day at a time.  You get a free pass- don't worry about the house or groceries.  Ask for help.  Hugs to you!

bunny731

STTN does make a big difference!
So does having a DH who is equally vested if possible....this is very important.
I wondered the same thing when they were as young as yours and before I returned to work.

Some of the things that have helped me when I returned to work: 

DH watches them for a block of time on Sunday (about 4 hours); I do our shopping and cooking then-I make extra and freeze. And I changed all of our food storage containers to glass/dishwasher safe-so there are very few dishes to manually wash during the week.

We clean, laundry, iron throughout the weekend when they nap/sleep.

I use some lunch breaks to get the nitty-gritty things done, banking, spot shopping, gas up the car, make Sundays shopping list and menu etc.

I prepare the night before (after they go to bed) for the next day, shower, get their bags together and our lunches. So in the morning and afternoon I can concentrate completely on them. 

Though I will admit around 9:30pm we are crashed out!