Multiples
designerchai2230
member
How do you do it? Full-time working mama of twins, HELP!
designerchai2230
member
in Multiples
My husband and I are expecting twin boys this September! We are so excited, but the thought of having to go back to work after maternity leave is over is daunting. As much as I'd LOVE to be a stay-at-home mama, financially my husband and I both need to work full-time.
So my questions to you are:
1. How did you managing the transition from maternity leave to going back to work?
2. How did you handle breastfeeding/pumping and getting into a feeding schedule with twins, especially when you had to work?
3. Any tips on getting twins ready in the morning, to make it less crazy?
Any advice is much appreciated! Thank you!
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Re: How do you do it? Full-time working mama of twins, HELP!
My husband stays at home (he's unemployed) so it's a little easier.
Most important thing for us was to establish a night routine. Someone here gave that advice and it's been amazing!! I love it -- we get a good few hours alone in the evening to get stuff done before bed.
1) I didn't transition, really. I did 1 fake day away so Jake could get used to it and that was it. But the babes were 9 weeks, so it wasn't totally on their radar. THough when I came home after the first day they bombed my boobs.
2) We do the EASY schedule. They eat every 3 hours. I BF when I'm home but pump every 3 hours at work. I get 20-28 ounces a day. You'll get into a good rhythm at home and just try to keep it up at work.
Hope this helps!
I an essentially married but single MoM. My husband works out of state and is only home one day a week (Saturday). I get up @ 5am, take a shower and get my own stuff done. 5:30am wake up the first baby (change & feed). 6am wake up the second baby (change & feed). 630am - 645am get them into their seats and get going. Drop them off @ day care and be on the road for work by 7am. Be @ work @ 730am.
I pack their bag the night before with their boiled bottles and clothes. I buy my formula (I stopped BF @ 3months old as I just didnt' have enough to feed anymore) and diapers in serious bulk. I drop a case of formula off at the day care every Monday. That lasts the week. I drop off a big box of diapers (Sams Club sells in big bulk) at the day care that usually lasts a month. That way I only have to think about bottles and clothing every night.
I normally drop them off at the day care in their sleepers, and they change them into their day clothes. They have some serious reflux, so they are changed all day long anyway there.
That's my schedule. I can't help you with any tips on the BF, but I know others can. Good luck to you!
Hint for night schedules: Think about how and where you want your babies to sleep and start the routine asap. I know a lot of moms want things one way and then by 8 months or so want to change their sleep schedules/habits. Then it's hard to make changes. The earlier you get them on a schedule that works for you and them, the better. My girls are both in bed by 730pm every night. Once they are in their cribs, they are quick to fall asleep, and they sleep all night long. I have to wake them in the morning on week-days and they sleep until about 8am on weekends.
It definitely will take some time to get into a routine that works.
I went back to work when the girls were 14 weeks. they would wake up early and I would give them a bottle and put them back down. Then I would shower and get ready. Then I would wake them up and dress them and take them to daycare. I didnt nurse so I didnt have to worry about pumping at work. but daycare had their formula and bottles. I didnt have to bring them everyday.
If I had to bring anything to daycare, I would put it in the car the night before. This way I wasnt rushing around in the morning to get everything together. I also gave daycare the girls feeding schedule.
It isnt easy but it does get easier.
I will let you know on Monday
I am going back next week. Babies will be 10 weeks old.
I plan on pumping at work once a day. My job doesn't accommodate lots of breaks, nor can I plan on certain times because of conference calls, meetings etc. I plan to pump 3x a day. My goal is to give them some breast milk until 3 months.
Thanks for posting I will be interested to read the responses.
Boy/girl twins born at 37w1d and 37w2d
For me, it really was just a daily attempt at surviving. I went back to work at 5 weeks post-pardum, I'm the only income right now so staying at home wasn't an option. MH is finishing a biology degree and is in the tick of the hardest classes he will take, he studies his butt off and manages to get good grades but it's a 60-hour per week "job" for him.
Routine is everything! Take a big supply of everything to daycare so you aren't toting stuff back and forth daily....case of diapers and wipes, 3 outfits per baby as backup, etc. I pumped twice a day at work but only manged to have enough milk to feed the girls full-time for about 2 months, then my supply slowly decreased. They also started having nipple confusion (frustrated the heck out of me with the latch-suck-scream when I would try to nurse....my son never had this problem!) We never managed to get into a routine with them as far as sleep, eat, play until they were in daycare. Be sure to allow yourself plenty of extra time in the mornings....I have three full hours between when I wake up and when I have to log in at work. Nothing has ever happened to make me run late because I plan ahead for every possible problem.
Be prepared, when they are little, you will get home, feed them and they will go to bed. IT GETS BETTER!!! You'll feel like you don't get to see your babies much, but we are 9 months old now and I feel like after dinner and clean-up I have a good solid hour to spend with my kids, and I allow extra time in the mornings to cuddle with each of them as well. Being a working mom, I will put off chores when possible to spend time with the kids....somehow everything gets done and my house isn't a total disaster! (Also, if you need organizational help, check out www.flylady.net she has great resources!)
1. I had a total of 14 weeks of leave that was flexible, so I took 11 weeks full time leave and then 6 weeks of part-time leave to make the transition easier. My husband had a reduced schedule at the time as well, so he and I worked alternate days when I went back part-time. That way I was able to adjust to being back to work first, and then had a second transition to daycare when I went back full time at 5 months.
2. We were on a 3 hr feeding schedule from the very beginning because it just worked for us. I breastfed but had to supplement at almost every feeding, which was a pain, but the schedule became such second nature that I was able to breastfeed for 11 months. I work an office job, so I made sure to block out my schedule 2-3x a day so I could pump. Between nursing, pumping, and supplementing on the schedule, I knew I had to send 2 bottles of formula and 1 bottle of breastmilk to daycare every day and could plan accordingly.
3. As PPs have said, routine is everything. We have always had a pretty strict morning routine that evolves as the kids grow, but they know exactly what to do in the morning. I get as much ready the night before as I can, then I get up early so I make sure I am all ready and everything is packed before I wake the kids up. Having a routine also makes it much easier for the grandparents to take care of them as well (an added bonus!).
The last piece of advice is to make sure you are getting enough sleep. We were lucky enough that our kids started STTN at 4 months without any need for serious sleep training, and being able to get a good night's sleep has made all the difference in the world. Good luck!
Not gonna lie, it's not easy! But we are very lucky in that DH has flexible hours/work from home and we have my mom and MIL watching them, so it makes it much easier on us. To your questions:
1) it sucks. Know that it's going to be hard, and you'll probably cry and want to quit. But I will say that I was so cooped up with newborn twins that it was almost nice to be able to get out of the house and just take care of me for a while. Come back part time for a bit if you can. That helps the transition for all of you. My DH also was able to stay at home for a bit right after they were born (like a week) and right when I went to work to stretch that time and help me feel better about leaving.
2) We did Babywise (not all of it, but the scheduling) and I started pumping when we came home from the hospital. I just tried to get in the habit of pumping at their feeding times and they got bottles well before I went back to work. Before I came back, I talked with my boss about what I needed in terms of "breaks" and I tried to stick to their feeding times as best as I could while at work. You CAN do it! But also don't give yourself a horrible time if it doesn't end up working out. My mantra as a working mom is that "we do the best we can!"
3) We have a routine. Bottles and milk (now sippys, food, etc.) are packed after bedtime the night before along with the rest of the diaper bag so we can grab the lunchbox out of the fridge and diaper bag on the way out of the door. In the morning we get up first, shower and get ready, then I get the kids while DH gets breakfast ready. I change diapers, get them dressed, bring them out and put them in high chairs. I feed while DH lakes the dogs out, finishes getting ready, then we trade and he eats while they finish (can do the same with bottles and boppy). Wipe them up and then we're out the door!
You will become the master of routine and learn to live with less than perfection, but that's how you make it all work! Totally possible. Best to you!
TTC #1 Since July 2009 slightly low progesterone, endo, kinked right tube, Clomid, Lap and Hysteroscopy, and 13 months TTC = BFP! (7/23/10) Cautiously Expecting... 8/19/10 - it's TWINS!... 11/8/10 - Boy/Girl twins! Born 37w4d
Legally they have to give you time and space to pump at work:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikamorphy/2012/05/13/obamacares-mothers-day-gift-space-and-time-to-breastfeed-at-work/
I know it helps to know how others handle these things, but like so many other aspects of having twins, you'll figure out what works for you. During your maternity leave, you'll establish a schedule for your babies, and by the end of it, you'll make a plan of how to merge that with work. Until a couple weeks before you return, you probably just won't know what's going to work best. I'm sure that isn't the practical advice you're looking for, but I hope it eases your mind for the time being.
3) One tip I will give you, is get up before they do so you can get ready, eat breakfast, and so on. That won't always go as planned, of course, but once they're up, it's tough to focus on yourself. It's worth getting a little less sleep to have that time.
Yes, we do this, too. It sucks right now b/c as PP said, I get home, I get *maybe* an hour with them (during which I have a 50/50 shot of them being grumpusses), then we do bed stuff. But we don't plan on changing much of the bed routine at all throughout their childhood. Yes, night bottle will become a "good night snack," and we'll read more, but generally -- baths, vitamins, snack, snuggles/reading, bed.
I would get myself ready for work (shower, hair, makeup) but then pull on a pair of sweats and a tank top. Then, I'd get the girls up, dressed, fed and put in their infant carseats all buckled up. I'd quickly change in to my work clothes (ironed and laid out the night before) and off we'd go.
We had spit up issues.
1 - it wasn't bad for me. I took 6 weeks off, went back part time for a month, then full time. But I'm a workaholic.
2 - I FF.
3 - I get up 30 minutes earlier than I used to and I shower and get ready, except getting dressed, before the girls ever wake up. Then I diaper them, feed them, dress them, dress myself, and head out the door.
I was in the unique postition of starting school at a new location when I gave birth (literally went to one day of class and then labor) AND both my boys had surgery for pyloric stenosis while I was out (which was only one month due to the schedule). However, I got to go in two afternoons a week for awhile and work my way back up.
My advice is that you do what you do. First start out focusing on how you do it at home - what works best for everyone and how much help do you need. Once you've got a few weeks under your belt you will be in a better position to plan for transitions for going back to work. For awhile there we were nursing each one, then bottle feeding each one, then I was pumping - for each feeding! But we worked it out.
As far as getting ready to go in the morning - pre-pack everything possible the night before. Pack it in the car if you can. Getting ready to leave the house is like planning for war.
Now we're waiting on our miracle baby ... a little GIRL!!!