The First Year of Raising Twins: 0-3 months

This blog is not just about health.  It’s about me being a mommy and wife too.  My babies and my husband are part of who I am.

I hope that someone out there who is about to have twins or has infant twins can benefit from my story.  I want to share with you the way I did things, including what worked and what didn’t work for me.  You may have a completely different parenting philosophy than I do.  So my advice is to just take it or leave it and feel free to ask me any questions.  The first months were very difficult for me for many reasons.  It was a big adjustment for me, I was so worn down, I took a long time to recover from the c-section, and I hardly got any sleep.  I got mastitis, a bladder infection and my incision got infected all during the first 3 months.  It was horrible.  But it gets easier, I promise.  Then hard again.  And then easier.  Just hang in there and embrace every moment.  Even though it’s hard, it’s beautiful too.  And fun!  I just took it one day at a time.

Let’s see if I can remember the details…

Ask for help and accept it from those who offer. Ladies, ladies, ladies, you need help.  People will offer right and left, so accept a few of those offers or you will wear yourself out.  During this time I was so emotionally and physically tired.  I needed a break now and then, even if it was to just take a nap.  It was always nice having an extra set of hands to help me with the daily tasks of taking care of the babies and the household.

Sleep when they sleep. It goes without saying that this is hard if you have twins.  The doctors and nurses recommend this to every new mommy, but they may not realize the weight of their suggestion.  Twins don’t always sleep at the same time.  But my number one goal was to get them on the same sleeping and eating schedule.  In the meantime, though, I would nap on the couch with them.  Even if it was just a 30 minute nap.  Anything helped because I was NOT getting much sleep those days.

Feed them at the same time. Typically they let me know they were hungry every 3 hours.  Occasionally it would be every two hours or every 4 hours.  But the key was to feed them both each time.  If Nathan was hungry, I fed Lucy too.  That way I was not feeding around the clock.  Newborns take a long time to eat.  Mine would take an hour to hour and half to eat one meal.  I don’t know why.  I was giving them a bottle of pumped milk because they were not good breast feeders.  So maybe the bottle just takes longer.   Feeding them every 3 hours means three hours since the start of the last feeding, not the end of it.  For example, If I started feeding them at 12:00 p.m. and they finish at 1:00 p.m. then I would feed them again at 3:00 p.m. staying consistent with the 3 hour feeding schedule.

Establish a sleeping schedule. This takes a while, so a firm commitment to this is necessary.  Some people are more laid back about schedules, but I’m not.  I like to have a somewhat predictable day and know when I’m going to have some down time.  I suggest you stick to your gut on this.  Don’t let people with different ideas about sleeping sway you from what you really want to do about a schedule.  I’ve never regretted it.  My babies sleep from 7pm to 7am or later.  And they are now 14 months old.  How about that!!  =)

Get a twin nursing pillow like this. Or, have an amazing seamstress friend named Sarah like I do to make you one.  Trust me, you will need this.  I used it for every feeding.  Even if you don’t nurse and only use the bottle, you can prop those little twins up right in front of you and let the pillow support them while you hold the bottles.  Or just wedge a burp cloth underneath the bottle and you can just relax.  Feeding time can be relaxing if you just accept the time you will be there and allow yourself to wind down.

This is Nathan and Lucy on my homemade nursing pillow propped up right under my nose.  The pretty cover to it was being washed so it’s not seen here.  Easy feeding.

My favorite bottles, and the ones the babies preferred, were the Playtex Drop-Ins.  They are BPA free and easy to clean.  Just throw away the liner and get a new one!  And of course clean the nipple for each feeding.  My babies preferred this bottle nipple to every other bottle we tried.

Car Seats. My advice is to get car seats that detach from the base so you can just pick up the car seat to go somewhere. The Graco SnugRide Infant Car Seat is one example. Browse around to see what suits your needs and budget. Infants sleep so much and it’s a hassle to wake them up if they are already snug in their car seat. They’ll never know you moved them.

Keep lots of burp clothes on hand. We went through so many of these in a day. And you won’t want to be doing laundry everyday so stock up.

Medela Pump in Style Advanced Breast Pump This is a pricey pump, but it works the best.  I had to pump for the first 12 weeks before my babies would latch on properly.  I used this pump all the time and it was a life-saver!

Schwinn Free Wheeler 2 Double Swivel Wheel Jogging Stroller I was fortunate to receive this as a gift.  I used and still use this all the time.  It’s extremely easy to collapse and load into the trunk.  Glides like a dream.  My mom calls it the Cadillac of strollers.

The twins in the Schwinn

Don’t be discouraged by the price of all the products (and luxuries).  Remember that you can register for some of these things.  Let family know that you might want these as gifts for Christmas or birthdays or if they just feel like getting you a gift.  ;) Also, shop yard sales and Craigslist.  My husband is still in school and has a part time job, and the Lord has still blessed us with these things.  And I don’t work either.  People have been generous toward us.  And when you are able to help others after your babies grow out of these things, pass it on.

I’m probably leaving out a few things, but I’ll just come back and edit this post if so.

Is there anything you would like to share that made your twin experience easier?  Or even for the singletons!  Feedback is great from anyone’s experience!

Tagged as: twins