MoMs of Multiples Weekly Check in 7/4

tmk0325 · July 2017

How far along are you?

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

GTKY: tell us three random facts about yourself!

What rants/raves/questions/advice?

tmk0325 · July 2017

@KathrynJ088 to answer your question about kicks I honestly don't remember I think it was later in the second trimester I was told to start counting...

tmk0325 · July 2017

How far along are you? 16w4d with just one this time

Any appointments this week/last? How did it go? I wasn't too impressed with my doctor. Ended up waiting an hour and he took like 10 minutes tops with me. I didn't get a chance to ask questions and left feeling very rushed. We heard the heartbeat so that was good. Scheduled the anatomy scan for July 28!

GTKY: tell us three random facts about yourself!
1. I grew up on a dairy farm in the country. My parents still have it.
2. I have my motorcycle license but do not own a motorcycle
3. I studied abroad in London and Rome

What rants/raves/questions/advice? I think I felt a flutter the other day! I have an anterior placenta so they are few and far between and I know it won't be a while yet but I think it was and not gas!

KathrynJ088 · July 2017

How far along are you?

18+3

Any appointments this week/last? How did it go?
Tomorrow I've got a basic check up with my OB.

GTKY: tell us three random facts about yourself!
1. I grew up with 7 siblings. My twins will be grandkids #15 & #16.
2. My favorite color is purple
3. I have 3 tattoos

What rants/raves/questions/advice?
Special twin nursing pillow or a regular one?

stella_700 · July 2017

16+3

Appointment last Friday was LOOOONNNGGGG as my doctor was on call for deliveries. : ) Like she's got me up on the table and the nurse pops her head in and says, "We have her at a ten, do you want her to start pushing." Babies are doing okay though, next appt is next Thursday for a quick cervix check and we hope to find out the sex of the other baby. : ) Suppose to get a phone call soon on scheduling my anatomy scan.

1. I'm an air force brat so I'm pretty good about moving and love to travel.
2. I'm five years older than my husband
3. I work at a library in a college system.

elev2017 · July 2017

@tmk0325 I have my anatomy scan that week too! I can't wait for the genders to start rolling in over the next few weeks for ladies who don't know yet!

@KathrynJ088 My favorite color's purple too Also, I don't have any advice based on personal experience, but my friend recently swore by a pillow called "My Breast Friend" and even though she has a singleton she told me she thought it would work well for twins too.

How far along are you?
15w4d, di/di twins

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

I've got one with my OB in a week and a half, then my anatomy scan the week after that. The last time I had to wait for an appointment the time seemed to drag on forever, but now I feel like the weeks are just flying by!

GTKY: tell us three random facts about yourself!

1. I taught English in Japan for a year after I graduated from college.

2. I have my first degree black belt in Judo

3. I have distichiasis, the genetic mutation of double eyelashes and apparently it's a dominant gene so our twins have a good shot at having it too.

What rants/raves/questions/advice?

Rave: My stepdaughter visits from UT in 2.5 weeks and I can't wait to see her!

wabash15 · July 2017

How far along are you? 15+2 singleton

Any appointments this week/last? How did it go? nope, nothing until next week

GTKY: tell us three random facts about yourself! ( I love this GTKY!)
1) growing up I spent my summers in the Adirondack mountains
2)If I wasn't doing what I do now I considered becoming a professional milk taster (they make good money!)
3) I have lived in 9 states.

What rants/raves/questions/advice? my energy is slowly coming back and that is so nice.

@KathrynJ088 my MFM never had me do fetal kick counts because I was told they are less accurate in twins since they can move around so much you can't be sure who your feeling. as for the nursing pillow question it depends on if you want to tandem or not... if you want to try tandem then get a double/twin pillow. You will need the extra support and options for positions (one traditional one football, both football or other variations.) If you can master tandem it saves a lot of time. I was always a bit mixed in my tandem feelings... one your so much more exposed so I would only tandem if it was just DH and I or someone I was super familiar with around because your basically naked from the waist up. We had a lot of latch issues so for a while tandem was a lot of work but as they got older it was easier. You get done faster and sometimes the twins would hold hands when we tandemed which would just melt my heart. One thing I really liked about individual nursing was initially it was easier for me to focus on each baby and their latch but it was also my one on one time with them. That being said I was by myself with the twins during the day from the start and if I was feeding one and the other started fussing they just had to wait and I hated that. Sorry about the novel.

beary67 · July 2017

@tmk0325 do you rotate doctors with your practice or do you always see the same one? I'm sorry you didn't have a great experience! Hopefully the doctor was just having a bad day!

@KathrynJ088 I've heard some people say that the My Breast Friend twin pillow is really helpful! It's worth checking out!

@stella_700 I work for a College, too! I'm in higher education administration.

@leilagphillips do you have anything fun planned for when your step daughter visits?

@wabash15 a professional milk taster??? How does that work? I never knew such a position existed!

How far along are you? 17w5d with di/di twin boys

Any appointments this week/last? How did it go? I had my MFM appointment last Friday. One baby is measuring 6oz and the other is measuring 8oz. The doctor said she wants to keep an eye on this. I also have a marginal placenta previa and they are going to keep watching this as well. I did a liver function test this morning to check for cholestasis. Other than that, things are going well. My next appointment is my anatomy scan on July 21st.

GTKY: tell us three random facts about yourself!
1. My husband and I have a Mini Australian Labradoodle we are training to be a therapy dog.
2. I was Homecoming Queen in College.
3. I didn't have a chicken wing until I was 28 years old.

What rants/raves/questions/advice? We are starting to look more at strollers and car seats. What brand does everyone else use? I've found some good advice on Lucie's List but wanted to hear from all of you!

breezybee · July 2017

Another week down you guys!

@tmk0325 That's so lame that your doctor only gave you 10 minutes. I hate that!
@KathrynJ088 Wow! 7 siblings! How many bathrooms did you guys have? Btw, I can't decide between nursing pillows either - I know I'll be getting the twin one for sure, but I may add a regular one for travel/etc.
@stella_700 Howp they can tell you what the other twin is. The waiting is just soooooo loooooong.
@leilagphillips That sounds like a rad genetic mutation to have. I bet you save a ton of money on false eyelashes and mascara. Lol, even though I never wear false eyelashes.
@wabash15 Haha your milk tasting job reminds me of Neopolian Dynamite and that gross dairy farm job he had. I've always wanted to go to the Adirondacks!
@beary67 Sorry you've got a few things going on. It sounds like your doctor will be on top of it, though, so that's good

. OMG HOW could you have not had a chicken wing for 28 years? They're so delicious. Now I want some.
I've done a ton of research on strollers, and I'm settled on the Uppababy Vista with the Mesa car seat. It's a great twin stroller with a huge basket for your crap, and it folds up easily. Also, the seats click in and out super smooth. I'm into it. I've heard the City Select is also an awesome twin stroller.

How far along are you? 14+4

Any appointments this week/last? How did it go?
I've got one this Thursday - just a quick check in with my OB

GTKY: tell us three random facts about yourself!
1. I've been scuba diving since I was 14 years old. I'm so grateful to my mom for getting me into it - she sent me to the Red Sea and the Caribbean for a month each to live on boats and scuba dive the most amazing spots in the world in high school.
2. I'd rather get in bed in my jam jams at 8:30 and snuggle with my husband and cats than go out any freaking day of the week. But if there's a good music show, that all goes out the window and I'm so there.
3. I love to put on elaborate dinner parties with cheese and charcuterie, other appetizers, and amazing detailed entrees, but I HATE cooking regular meals for my husband and I. He mostly does all of the cooking and I clean up.

What rants/raves/questions/advice?
I've been waking up every hour on the hour the last two nights because of the craziest nightmares I've ever had. Last night, I had a dream that my husband sold our house and donated the money to charity and I divorced him. Ugh. I think this house selling stress is getting to me, huh? Oh, btw, we sold our house! It only took 6 days - woohoo!

wabash15 · July 2017

@beary67 There was a period of time where DD was measuring significantly smaller than DS but she caught back up in her own time and at the end actually measured larger (though in reality they were basically the same size at birth) As they have gotten older there is a size difference (as babies she was my sleeper and he was my eater) but she is on her growth curve and is just a petite peanut. So try not to worry too much. I totally went down a pubmed rabbit hole and was stressed for a few months but all worked out well.
as for being a milk taster you typically work for large corporations and you taste various samples for any odd tastes such as onion or garlic or spoilage. actually the FFA and some colleges have teams that competitively milk taste!
as for strollers I know a lot of twin moms like the cheap joovy roo snap in thing while they are in car seats or the cityselect. I ended up going with the the mountain buggy dou. I wanted a side by side that could hold two car seats. its also a jogging stroller so its good off of sidewalks. The city select was my second choice but I had a hard time getting it to fold up (I could only do it one way). I would suggest if possible finding a place that will let you manipulate them in person. I spent hours folding and unfolding, wheeling them around, seeing how they would fit in our trunks...

stella_700 · July 2017

@KathrynJ088 I've already got that brest friend twin pillow on my registry. I so want to be able to breastfeed!

@Breezybee I'm so happy that your house sold so fast, your area is in demand. Oh man the dreams and the nightmares! So wild and vivid. Woke myself up crying to a bad dream involving the hubby on the night he went out with the boys. No more sleeping for me that night until he got home. Then two nights ago a long elaborate saga dream involving the avengers. Good lord, my husband has succeeded in nerdifying me.

@leilagphillips I'm so jealous of your year in Japan! That sounds like tons of fun.

beary67 Working with the young people keeps me young I think.

@wabash15 Yeah for increased energy, things are slowly improving on that front here, at least I've not been to bed recently before the sun is down. : )

@tmk0325 I love all the GTKY questions. : )

beary67 · July 2017

@wabash15 thanks for the reassurance! The doctor didn't seem overly concerned, and said when the babies are that small, an ounce can really change things in terms of percentile, etc. I think it's going to all end up ok!

Question for twin moms--how did you arrange the cribs? Did you do across the room from each other or an "L" shape? If you did the L shape, did you have trouble reaching the babies ever? We are trying to figure out room configurations now and just wondering if there are best practices, etc.

wabash15 · July 2017

@beary67 for a long time the twins cribs where in an L shape but did not overlap so there was an unused/not accessed space in the corner but a few months ago the twins decided throwing things out of their crib at bed time was a fun game. So for ease of getting the stuff they throw they are now in an overlapping L shape (we did briefly try having them across the room but it was just more awkward and made the room feel smaller, though their room is not huge to begin with). it has not been an issue reaching the babies but at this point they walk over to us. also when they are little the crib mattress will be higher so it will be easier to get to them.

tmk0325 · July 2017

@beary67 I have the same Ob. But whoever is on call will deliver. Also for car seats I have the graco click connect 35 (I think their is a newer model now) and I really liked them. We used them for 9 months and they snapped right into our double snap and go stroller! We now have the graco contenders convertible seats and I'm really happy with them. I'd recommend infant car seats especially those of you in cold climates. So much easier than carrying a tiny baby in and out.

@KathrynJ088 I have the my Brest friend twin pillow and a twin z and a bobby. When I did breast feed the Breast friend pillow hands down was the best. It has a firmer support than a boppy or twin z. The twin z pillow was a lifesaver though when havin to bottle feed them on my own!

The gtky answers are so much fun!

wabash15 · July 2017

@beary67 we ended up with the chicco keyfit 30 for our infant seats. (we debated a lot weather to do infant seats or just a convertible) but with two it was easier to have the infant seats and just snap them in and out. my twins fit in them until just over a year when we went to one of the grecos (I don't remember which one...) we really wanted a britax convertible but they would not fit properly in DH's car. OH one note I think we have not mentioned is many retailers BRU included will do multiples discounts so the if your buying 2 carseats is is something like 10-20% off and if you can sweet talk them sometimes you can get that on top of a sale... also stalk amazon for sales because they can have some great ones.

beary67 · July 2017

Lots of information here on Lucie's List for twins--product recommendations, registry guide, breastfeeding twins, etc.

https://www.lucieslist.com/twins/

stella_700 · July 2017

Ladies I ordered my first set of cloth diapers yesterday. They've already shipped them.

Getting more and more real as time goes by. Some of us are all ready or close to the half way point, especially those of us expecting twins.

@beary67 I edited down the google spreadsheet on that site to what was relevant to me and printed it out. I'm going to take it into the stores to work on my registry this weekend. Its a good thing, my relatives have already been asking if I had a registry.

wabash15 · July 2017

@stella_700 hooray for cloth diapers, we LOVE them. just keep in mind sometimes when the twins are born they may be a little small for the cloth to fit well so you may have to do disposables for a few weeks.

stella_700 · July 2017

@wabash15 My plan is to transition to the cloth once their stumps heal and they get to fitting the smallest setting. I'll purchase diapers till then. : ) I'll probably buy two more sets of 12 and then see where I'm at. Is that too many do you think?

wabash15 · July 2017

@stella_700 I laughed out loud when you asked if that is too many.... I don't ever think you can have too many...I would say we have ~50 shells in rotation. (we have some others that they have grown out of or that we stopped using like velcro. velcro is great when they are little and in the middle of the night when doing snaps is really tough but the velcro does not hold up well in the long run) if the twins were at home we could probably do with less shells but our day care won't restuff the shells with dry liners they just change the whole thing every time they change a diaper. which is fine but means more shells. So 36 is probably a reasonable starting place. You may add more with time or find you need more liners/lines with different absorbency. even though the bamboo/hemp is more expensive it is more absorptive and over the long run they are my preference. There are a bunch of swap sites where you may be able to get used diapers or liners more inexpensively. With the number of diapers we have we do laundry twice a week. so its pretty manageable.

KathrynJ088 · July 2017

@stella_700 my OB pointed out that I'm pretty much at the halfway mark today (18+4)! So crazy because it's already just flown by!

elev2017 · July 2017

@beary67 I'm going to be working most of the days that my stepdaughter's here, so DH will be doing a lot of the fun stuff with her, but I'm taking the day off for my anatomy scan, so we're going to bring her to that to find out the genders with us, then we're going to get New Haven pizza and go to the Pez factory, which is nearby. We're also having a cookout with some friends from work who haven't met her yet and we're having my family's annual Lobsterfest while she's here. Should be a fun couple of weeks!

tmk0325 · July 2017

I just want to say mad props to those of you that cloth diaper! Seems like so much laundry and extra work! Although it probably isn't that much

elev2017 · July 2017

@tmk0325 I hate doing laundry with a fiery passion, so cloth diapering seems like my own personal hell! I agree, I've got lots of respect for those of you who choose to do it!

wabash15 · July 2017

@leilagphillips I would do laundry any day over having to clean the bathroom....

KLake42 · July 2017

How far along are you?
13+2, mo/di twins

Any appointments this week/last? How did it go?
No, but I got the genetic test results-- genetic normal, and I'm having girls!

GTKY: tell us three random facts about yourself!
1. I like to go backpacking solo. I don't expect I'll be doing much of that for a little while!
2. I know Latin. Well, kind of. I used to know it. I still know the grammar, but I'm missing some of the vocabulary.
3. I sing in a chorus.

What rants/raves/questions/advice?
I made the mistake of diving too deep into Dr. Google, and I'm worried about all the risks that mo/di twins present. I found one study, by the doctor who developed a laser surgery to help mo/di twins survive TTTS, who found that women in mo/di pregnancies were less likely to develop TTTS if they supplemented with Boost 3x a day, but I can't find a lot of info on that (how much less likely, etc.) Anyone have any insight?

breezybee · July 2017

@KLake42 Congrats on the good tests and the girls! I don't know the study you're referring to, but as a fellow pregnant mo/di mom, I will say this - don't go down the Google rabbit hole. It will drive you crazy. Maybe try finding a twin mom Facebook group or a MOM's group in your area. That helps a lot. And talk to your doctor. He told me not to go down the Google hole either. It will just make you crazy, girl. Remember TTTS has only a 7-10% chance of happening, so try to keep that in your mind

wabash15 · July 2017

@KLake42 hooray for genetic normal results and girls! I have to second @breezybee try not to go down the google rabbit hole. If something comes up then research but so far your doing great and being monitored closely.

tmk0325 · July 2017

@KLake42 my boys are mono/di. It's great to educate but don't dig too deep. We had no problems besides preterm labor. The biggest thing I can stress to you is get referred to MFM doc asap as you should start getting seen every other week starting around 17 or so weeks. This is your best chance to avoid having ttts and if you do get it having it not progress. It does progress fast if it happens. There is a great mono/di twins group on Facebook I also suggest joining. It was a huge help. Congrats on the girls also! Please feel free to ask my any questions also.

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