I'm posting this for a friend who is 15 weeks pregnant with twins (1st pregnancy).

She is a little anxious about having twins and is feeling a little overwhelmed. She is a real planner and would like to know everything possible about having twins. Could you help with some of the following:

What are the essential items she needs to buy and when? How much and what clothing should she buy? What does she need to think about/consider in preparation? What is the best advise you could give her?

She is also worried (like we all have been during our pregnancies) that something will go wrong. Were you worried and what reassuring advise can you give her?

Thank you so much for your support.

Hi - it's hard to summarise everything in one post but I suggest that a good book for your friend is one that's often recommended here - it's an Australian book called "Twins" by Katrina Bowman and Louise Ryan (I think I've got those names right) and it is useful from the time you find out your're having two right through to preschool and beyond.

If your friend has internet access then a trawl through this board is also a good. It's normal to feel overwhelmed at discovering there are two (or more!) in there!

Maree

Eleanor 1/8/03
Harriet 1/8/03

I agree with what Maree said!...buy her the twin book, she will thank you no end! It's written by twin mums for twin mums with lots of professionals adding to the information too. I didn't get hold of it until after my twins were born, I wish I'd had it during my pg too. I'm a real planner as well, and like lots of information from books etc.

Good luck to your friend!+

Double hugs from Sharyn
Mum to Meg14/4/99
Hannah & Josie 22/3/04 (33 wks)
DH David



k

Better still go to the library and loan all the twin books and baby books they have, then you can decide together what's worth buying, I was going to buy a twins book but I loaned it first and didn't really like it so I was glad I'd saved my $s, it was another box of nappies!

But for me the best things have been
- help from friends and relatives with housework and also to keep me company, it can get a bit repetitive looking after two babies all day everyday.
- do all your shopping early before you get uncomfortable and tired, I felt kind of funny (like I didn't belong) in baby shops and in the baby sections when I was pregnant with my first daughter and so I delayed buying stuff, by the time I thought I'd better get some things it was very tiring. In my twin pregnancy I had bad morning sickness and thought I'd wait until I felt better so I could enjoy shopping but I didn't feel better until I was too big to enjoy shopping anyway, so tell your friend to buy stuff whenever she can and before the babies come is best. I didn't buy a second high chair before they were born and now I have to make an expedition out of buying it now, it would have been heaps easier just to have it in the garage already.
- a changing table (and you only need one of these), it'll save your back, and if it has a cupboard underneath, not just a shelf, when you've toddlers you can lock the cupboard and still have all you stuff available nearby but not strewn all over the house.
- two baby rocker seats, this can save your back a bit too as you don't have to bend down on the ground everytime you pick them up or put them down, I have one which vibrates and has toys attached which is great and at 6 months they both still fit and they are larger than average babies, the other one was a bit smaller and they grew out of it quicker, but can still squish in.
- nappies! speaks for itself, try a few different types as different babies have different shaped bodies and so different brands fit them differently, though Huggies seem to be okay with most babies.
- hire capsules for the car, they are safe and you can carry both babies at once, I even put the two of them in the one capsule (out of the car of course) when they were small, to take my elder daughter to childcare, I figured they were used to being squished up together.

oops this has nearly turned into a book itself.

cheers

B