Good Morning All
I have found out this week that I am pregnant with twins on board.
Rough EDD is November 27 so I am 6 weeks.
I am in shock and go between tears of fear; to excitement.
We tried for 4 years to have our beautiful baby with failed IVF; and a natural conception between cycles. She is now 12 months old.
We decided to see my OB to discuss TTC #2 as we had never used birth control since her birth; a little risky but with our history we were not worried.
I had never used clomid before always straight onto FSH. This time he decided to do clomid and half the strength of the FSH I had ever had before. We cancelled the cycle when on day 11 I was hyperstimulated (you can see where this is heading!)
We had had unprotected sex the weekend prior as he advised us to "do what comes natural". It was at this time or right at the end of the month that I may have fallen pregnant.
We went back to see him as our last discussion was "do not fall pregnant this month this is dangerous"; with 3 very large follicles and many smaller. He was shocked I had responded like never before.

Anyway here we are........
The scan on Tuesday showed 2 sacs, one a little smaller than the other but yolk sacs and pole evident in both. No heart beat as yet which is why he thinks I may have fallen pregnant later in the month. I suppose good and bad thing about being soo accurate and not just relying on LMP.
I am going back next Wed for a repeat scan. He did say he was very happy that they looked like 2 viable pregnancies at this stage.

I am terrified. I am a paeds nurse manager with 15 years experience and well aware of the risk of multiples and premmies. I have worked in special care. I wish I did not know so much.
That and if all goes well; I will have 3 under 2. How am I meant to cope with that? I BF my DD for 11 months and I cannot see throught the fog to see how I BF 2 and look after her properly as well. I have a brilliant husband; bue he doesn't have breasts to feed!!!!
I am trying to stay calm as I know stress is not a good thing.
I am excited but so very scared.

I apologise for the rant. I have been trying to write this for days but needed to calm down a bit.
I thank God I have the most understanding OB in the world who will hold my hand through this.

Any advice for me from this stage forward will be welcome with open arms. From pregnancy to practical.

PS
with DD pregnancy my breasts were so sore I could not lie on my tummy from 4 weeks. Not this time. Is that common with pregnancy # 2 that they are a bit more "used to it" IYKWIM????


Thanks
M xxxxs

Hi M
I have twins who turn 2 on 11/11/11 - I am due with #3 on 09/11/11. You will be busy - no doubt about that.

The positive is that in my experience (though talking and meeting lots of mums with multiples) is that Mums who have successfully breastfed before have a better chance of feeding multiples If it doesn't work, it doesn't - you will survive either way! Where abouts do you live? I HIGHLY suggest joining your local Multiple birth association - you will be able to go along to playgroups and meet other mums in your situation If you are in Brisbane let us know, happy to meet up for a coffee/play

Twins are lovely - with any kids there are times where you think WTF have I done!?!?! As scary as it is for you too, I am glad you understand the risks

Good luck!

Congratlations



I Didn't go through IVF, but unexpectedly fell pregnant right in the middle of about 4 different health problems being dealt with, PCOS, Thyroid dysfunction etc.

I will also have 3 under 2yrs, and another DD who would've just turned 4.
In the early days I'd have panic attacks wondering how I was going to cope, how did this happen, I'll need to buy a bus
It's only recently that those feeling have settled down a bit, and now I'm really enjoying the pregnancy and I'm very excited.

No advice RE the breastfeeding, I suffer from Diastasis Symphasis Pubis so I needed strong painkillers to even be able to move or sit after birth of DD2 so wasn't allowed to breast feed. Chances are I'll need the same medication again but I still have hope, I'd just love to be able to breast feed

(.)(.)'s. Mine were pretty sore from early on and wearing a bra feels like I have a torture device strapped to my chest, but I'm still able to tummy sleep.

Anyway congratulations again, hope the next 9 months are cruisy and un eventful.
There are few mums due with twins at the moment so I'm sure you'll be able to get lots of advice and information

Take Care

CONGRATULATIONS


My ds1 was 2 1/2 when our twins were born, they were born at term (37+5wks) and were perfect, no health problems (apart from a little constipation and colic for poor ds2). I did have a few pregnancy complications and spent alot of time on bed rest and had many many hospital visits especially near the end, so ds1 spent alot of time with his gran so that I could rest. It is daunting and I remember having feelings of "oh my god what have I done, how can I do this" but you just do it, there's no choice and for us atleast everything just fell into place.

Can't help with the breast feeding, we chose to bottle feed our twins. With the sore boob thing though, with ds1 my boobs were so so sore I dreaded putting my bra on in the mornings, it started around 3wks and stopped around 10ish weeks I think, yet with my twins they didnt hurt at all, I also had terrible morning sickness with ds1 and none with my twins.

Congratulations! First of all don't panic! Although its completely natura and most of us have stumbled into this forum with a similar story

When the twins were born I had a 5 year old and 2 year old. There are many others of here who had younger children or more children than I and we have all coped - in one way or another!

Breastfeeding - look it will either work or it won't, and in the greater scheme of things all you can do is give it a go. I breastfed DD2 till 14 months and breastfed the twins until 7 months. They always had formula top-ups though. TBH, it was easy breastfeeding them - they fed only for like 10 minutes from day one and were great - and they were born around 35 weeks so they did really well!

It sounds like they will probably be fraternal, so that is good from a risk perspective - no worries about placenta/sacs etc - so that should lessen the worry - a teeny tiny bit anyway!

The biggest thing I told myself was to NOT have any expectations when they were born, I tried not to worry and stress before I needed it - and it was the best thing ever. I did cope. I coped with the school run and kindy run, I did the shopping, the babies got fed and the house got cleaned (some times) and I got some sleep! It won't be easy.

Throwing a 2 year old into the mix will make things a little bit more tricky. So maybe try and set some things up for her before you have the babies, maybe some child-care, so an activity that a grandparent or close friend could do with her each week. My two year old did suffer. I won't lie it was really difficult for her (but she is the kind to withdraw into herself when stressed), and she found it stressful - so whatever you can do to for her is great. But we also had a 5 year old as well so slightly more stretched, and my DH owns his own business so he is very busy.....

I had the same things too with my breasts, they weren't sore at all, and I stressed, but it was all fine. Every pregnancy is different....

Good luck and update us next Wednesday

Congratulations on your twins - that is fantastic news!
Reading your post brought tears to my eyes - my boys have just turned one, but I remember the day we found out they were twins like it was yesterday. I have never been so frightened in my life - how on earth would I feed them, look after them, recover myself, carry to term etc. But we have come through the other side, and life is good!
I think having fed your DD to 11mths is a massive advantage. My twins are my only children, and I am still feeding them, but I had an awful time getting the hang of breastfeeding - at least you will know what you are doing!! There are plenty of mums in my multiple birth group who have bf twins for over 12mths, and plenty who bf twins with toddlers to look after as well.
Re sore breasts - mine hurt until about 13wks then calmed down. I had pretty bad nausea until about 16 wks, then I was pretty well throughout my pregnancy. I delivered at 37+2wks, no SCN and good weights so there are plenty of good news stories from twin pregnancies as well.
Good luck for next week - look forward to hearing more about your pregnancy.

Hi OP

I could have written your post almost word for word. I found out today i am pregnant with twins. I am in total shock. This will be baby #3 and #4 for us. There was no way we ever planned to have 4 kids! I will have 4 kids under 4 year 2months and 3 under 17 months when these babies arrive! I have no idea how I will cope.

As far as I know I am due on the 26th November so really close in date to you too. Im having another scan next week to check on everything but I saw a clear heartbeat on one bub today, a line dividing them and a probably second heartbeat but wasnt quite as clear as it was tucked away. So as much as I am in shock that its twins, I am still praying hard that both babies are ok in there!

Feel free to PM me if you need someone to freak out with!!

HD

HI

You will cope. I do not have another single child, but when my twins came along (result of IVF) I was amazed at how well I did cope.

Twin feeding is a bit tricky, but you have the advantage in that you have feed previously. Once you learn how to get two on at once, you will do just fine.

Try not to let your knowledge of prems, etc overload your thoughts. Ancedotally, it would seem that girls who have had a baby previously, seem to go full termish. All the other twin mum's with whom I am friends had prems, but we were all first time mum's.

Hi OP, congratulations, and to you too Humpty Dumpty!
On the sore boobs, I had terrible morning sickness with my 2 girls, and then none at all with my twin boys. Each pregnancy is different.
When my boys were born, my girls were 1 and 3 and we were in the process of moving into our new house. My boys are identical, and one of them had IUGR - they were born at 30 weeks, with the little one weighing 890gms. Oh yeah, and we live in the country, so they were in hospital over 2 hours away from home, so we were constantly back and forth. We survived! I had to take each day at a time, if I started thinking too much into the future it would all become too much. My boys are 2 now and are perfectly healthy in every way.
As for a practical piece of advice, one thing I did was prepare activity boxes before the boys came home, so when they were sleeping I could grab one to do with the girls
eg - packet cake with silicon moulds, apron and wooden spoons
- beads and elastic
- colouring book and crayons
- stickers and a blank book
My girls loved choosing a box to do.

Congratulations to the 2 new twin Mums to be! Not all multiples are born super early, not all of them have long neo natal stays etc.

I had triplets 7 months ago, they were born at 33w 3d and only spent 27 days in NNU and have thrived ever since with absolutely no health issues from birth!

While it seems overwhelming for you both now, you do what you have to do, take it in your stride, and you will probably find that it's people who are NOT parents of multiples fill you with dread! OMG you're going to be so tired/busy, have your hands full etc etc etc! We often heard this, yet triplet parents were completely relaxed about it and had the 'you'll be fine' attitude. And we have been!

Congratulations again!

Congrats!!!

I had my twins just over two months ago at 37 weeks... one came home nearly straight away.. the other spent 7 weeks at RCH and our local hospital.. it was tough... but you get through it... yes twins have issues.. but so can singletons.

I absolutely adore my babies.. and I think I would have been bored to death with just one!!!

HI OP and humpty dumpty,
Me three!

I just found out yesterday that we are expecting twins, due end of November. I'm also going to have a more detailed scan on Tuesday. We also have a 3 year old DD.

I feel exactly the same way: shocked, overwhelmed, how will I cope etc etc?

Both DH and I havent slept properly last night we are still so stunned.

Just wanted to say that I know exactly how you are feeling.

Wow! Congrats x 3!

There are times when it was easy and times when it was tough... but you WILL get through it.

My DD1 was 22 months when I had my twins. I was lucky that my twins were born healthy at 36wks and only spent 13 days in the SCU with feeding issues - I need a T-shirt that says "I survived 2xsevere reflux!"

I second the PPs who have suggested having activities at the ready for your older child. My DD1 really suffered in the beginning as we struggled with feeding issues and had to devote a lot of time to our twins, but the prepared activities were a lifesaver when we were feeding them - often frequently and for long periods of time. These activities are now used by the twins and it makes the day run smoother when these things are easy to just grab-and-go.

We had prepared several boxes:

- playdough
- crayons and colouring books
- stickers and shapes (pre cut paper animals, flowers, etc from craft shop)
- board games - I bought a bunch from kmart/big w for $7 each, that can be played solo or with someone: Build a Beetle and Guess Zoo? were and are still most popular
- library time: my DD1 would 'read' books to twins
- water play equipment for summer
- teddy bears picnic
- cubby house / obstacle course inside house and out (I would set up the night before)
- scavenger hunt (once DD1 was 2.5, this would go on for ages)
- dress ups
- duplo/megablocks
- jigsaw puzzles (from head-tail matching in beginning, to 48 piece)
- Mummy-play box with doll and bath/highchair/cradle and accessories
- paint box - I used sponge shapes and rollers on GIANT piece of paper so cleanup was quick and easy
- Shopping box - saved old food boxes/packets and used monopoly money and a green shopping bag


My DD1 was really into Dora when the twins came home, so I used to let her watch an episode or 2 while the twins slept - it kept her quiet and she really saw it as a reward for being a good big sister!

The first 4 months were a bit of a blur and there are lots of things I would do better or differently if I could but i think we survived ok. My DH and I really tried to support my DD1 as much as possible when we realised that the constant vomiting and crying weren't just our problem...

We scheduled Mummy and Daddy time on weekends where one of us would take our DD1 to the park, on the ferry, for a 'coffee' at the shops, to the beach, etc to make her feel special. We included the twins in these outings once the reflux was better under control and my DD1 loved showing them the ropes!

I also broke my day into parts, particularly in the beginning when outings with the kids and just me were not really workable due to the reflux. My husband also travels a lot for our business so having the day broken into parts made long periods being the only parent seem a bit easier, iykwim... I wrote a timetable for the twins feeds and then figured out activities for my DD1 around them.

I cant comment on the breastfeeding because I bottlefed. My breasts were not sore during my twin pregnancy though - but were agonising when I was pregnant with DD1!

Everyone used to say to me before I had the twins, 'get lots of help,' 'make sure you have a good support network,' etc.... but we weren't able to have this in place in any kind of formal way, so I knew i had to help myself out as best I could by being as organised as possible.

Even though it was a real struggle (and still is at times!), I am so blessed to have had my twins. I used to worry about my DD1 being permanently scarred from the lack of attention we showed her in the first few months, but she is so proud of her role of big sister to twins, often telling all and sundry she has TWIN little sisters!

It will be fine, you will cope, and you will love them so much more for showing you what you are really made of.

Hope your pregnancies all go smoothly.

Congrats to everyone!

I really just wanted to jump in and stay although you may be freaking out, twins are pretty awesome.

I second PP in saying that BF does or doesn't work, you just have to do what is best for you. I was fortunate that I didn't have any serious issues. I found it quite challenging at times in the first three months and had moments where I wanted to quit, but the bubs and I have found our rhythm and to be able to feed both of them in 10-15 minutes at once is a real pleasure and time saver.

All the best.

Congratulations!!

Just a quick response from me. My DD was 2yrs 3weeks when my twins were born (at 38weeks). I managed to successfully breastfeed the twins until they were 15 months (tried to wean earlier but they would never drink out of a bottle!)

It is totally do-able.

My saviour was my valco 6 sided playpen that took up almost my WHOLE living room. But it meant I had somewhere safe to put the twins from DD so I could wee, cook, clean, shower, hang washing out etc etc without having to worry. If there is one item I would recommend to mums of twin bubs and a toddler, it is this!

Just wanted to weigh in with some further reassurance. I had my b/g twins last October at the grand old age of nearly 42. I was a complete worrier throughout the pregnancy, googling everything that could possibly go wrong. In the end I had a great pregnancy with no complications, minimal ms etc and babies were delivered at 38 weeks by planned CS and were healthy and good weights. So try not to worry, you are much much more likely to have a healthy pregnancy than not.

After the initial week or two of sore nipples, I have had no problem breast-feeding the babies and I think it is definitely easier than bottle feeding (no bottle prep, not having to bring bottles if going out, being able to feed them lying down in bed at night etc, relatively hands free feeding etc). I found feeding them at slightly different times was better for me, feeding the most demanding one first, as then I didn't end up with two screaming hungry babies at the same time.

The first few weeks were pretty hectic and it can be tiring having to bathe, feed, change and entertain two little ones but having twins is awesome in every way.

Best of luck with your pregnancy.

Congrats everyone! Twins happening everywhere!!

Its been quite some time since I posted on EB, but felt the need to reply here.
Im a midwife & have spent several years working in SCN's & had insited on only ever having 1 embryo transfered at many years of IVF cycles for fear of having premie twins!
However, I had my DD & DS twins 10mths ago, little siblings for my older DD 8yrs & DS 2yrs
I found that my knowledge of what was going on was very reassuring. I knew that even as 31wk premmies they were healthy... all the leads & monitors were there for a reason & although it looked horrid, my babies were in the best possible place.
My twin 1 DD was fully ventilated for a couple of days while twin 2 DS went direct onto CPAP.
I knew this was likely & normal. I knew what all the numbers meant, what the monitors were & what the abbreviations meant on the charts & had no hesitation in asking questions of the staff.
As for breastfeeding, I was determined to BF the twins, after having a difficult & unsuccesful bf experience with DD1 & then feeding DS2 until he weaned himself I really wanted to give it my very best shot for the twins.
I was diligent with my expressing & even though I really didnt want to get up every 3hrs during the night when my babies were in SCN for 35days, I knew that by doing so it kept my supply up & gave me the best possible chance of successfully breastfeeding the twins when they got big enough & strong enough to attach themselves.
Dont ever underestimate the power of Kangaroo care, skin to skin contact & breast contact & licks & sucks! When the babies were a few days old I was able to get them out of the isolette at every visit & made sure I had skin to skin contact with them under my shirt for as long as I could. I would often fall asleep in the recliner chair with them both snuggled under my top!
The staff told me it was too early to put them to the breast & that they would not attach at 32wks but the babies did attach! DS attached & sucked at second attempt, DD a few tries later. Sucking was not for long & they tired easily, but its all stepping stones in the right direction.
We were able to take them home at 36wks fully breastfed... and I still have a stockpile of frozen EBM that they now have on their breakfast cereal!!!
I can only encourage you to do everything you can to give yourself the best possible chance of succesfully breastfeeding your babies, but at the end of the day, I think its the babies that make that decision. Some babies dont attach well or dont suck well or tire easily & thats not your fault, but at least you know if you do need to suplement feed, you can do so knowing that you gave it your everything

First of all humpty dumpty and amelie... congratulations and welcome to the twin club!! please feel free to PM me if you would like to stay in contact and support eachother through this.
I aplogise for the delay in response but I truely do thank you all for writing on here and giving me such huge support when we have never met.
I am getting used to the idea but still have tears everynow and again; just because I am scared.
I cannot believe how much I look "bloated" already at 7 weeks. With bub # 1 I was lucky to only put on 11 kgs and wore my normal clothes most of the time with a belly belt or the button attachment thingy.
How big am I going to get with 2 on board???!!!!!
I am finding it very hard not to tell anyone our news yet; but we have told a great friend who is giving us such wonderful support.
I am waiting until Wednesday for another scan to check viability and hopefully 2 heart beats.
Did most babies as twins sleep in the same cot for a while? I am wondering if our DD would probably still be in her cot when twins are due as she will only be 20 months at the EDD (so therefore more than likely a little earlier). So if that is the case maybe I only need to buy another cot and a bed a little later for DD when she is bigger and the twins ready for their own cot.
I think our biggest needs will be the cot/s; bigger pram (sooooo disappointed as I drove 2 hours to buy a silver cross which still looks brand new but will not be enough), and maybe another swing?????
Ree2oo7 thank you for you advice re being a nurse. I agree if we are in SCN or NICU I will understand it all; but it is still a scary thought.
Thank you all I will update you after Wednesday; please pray all is good xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

M xxx

Im so jelous! Id love to have twins!
God bless and good luck!

Life is good- You sound a lot like me, im slowly processing it all and working out prams and cots etc. We will also need a new car as we only have a 5 seater and we will soon be a family of 6! (eek!) My youngest will only be 17 months (at my EDD so probably younger) and I know he wont be ready for a bed so I am thinking of buying 2 cots and putting one in nursery and one in our bedroom. that way they can sleep in our room at night and if I need to move them away from noise of older kids I can put them in their room. I assume they will be sharing for quite a while.

Im still worried about a pram tho. I have found the BJCS which takes 2 kids and a skateboard (for DS2) which I think would be perfect. Unfortunatly it has a rather large price tag and I doubt DH will agree as I only just bought the Strider Plus for DS2 because it would do us for our 3rd as well (that was before we knew about the twins!!) Just feels like so much homework to do and decisions to make.

I am having another scan on Friday so I am hoping we see 2 heartbeats aswell. Fingers crossed for you. Make sure you let us know how you go

HD

Hi there,
I'm becoming more positive about the whole thing, especially as we saw two little heartbeats this morning and all looks good. They are identical but in separate sacs, sharing a placenta.

I'm now like guys, thinking about the logistics. We will probably need to move house (renting), get a bigger car, new pram etc. But I wont do anything like that until 20 weeks when we know everything is going nicely.

My biggest concern is lack of support. My DH is from o/s and so we dont have any of his family to support us. My parents are interstate so no grandparents to help, only some cousins etc who can help on weekends.

But I'm sure there have been other people in this situation. DD is in childcare 3 days a week while I work at the moment so I'll be sure to keep her in that arrangement!

Cant wait to hear the updates from the others!

Good Morning All

amelie_poulain congratulations on the heart beats. I have just gotten home from our scan and there were 2 heart beats as well so breathing a little sigh of relief.
I am 7 weeks 2 days but bubs measure 6 weeks 5 days but OB said he will keep a close eye on it. I am not bothered by a few days.
I did get Mr Serious today from my OB; with the risks of prem labour and prem babies given to me. I appreciate the honesty and know that he has to tell me all of that.
I am a little more relaxed about the whole thing now; but as always and even more now; will pray to god that we get them past this risky phase.
My bubs are separate placentas and sacs so non-identical more than likely.

My OB did say that he woud like me not to work past 25-26 weeks... I couldn't believe it when he said that. How the hell do I afford that. I know healthy babies is more important than money but I did not expect it. I finished at 34 weeks with DD and had her at 38+5. mmmmmmm..... something to think about. What did others out there work until?

M xxxx

amelie_poulain: We have no supports either & it definitely makes it tough. Making contacts with your multiple birth association in your area & maternal & child health nurse early is a good place to start. Also start planning early... stock your freezer with easy to defrost meal & keep in mind that twins are often born prematurely, so dont leave big changes like moving, too late in your pregnancy. Your also likely to carry bigger, be more uncomfortable & tire easily. You will need your rest & energy to be visiting the hospital (if babies are premmies) & expressing day & night (if you plan to BF) is quite exhausting... so start planning early honey
Prams: I have a Baby Jogger City Select & love it.
It was important for me to be able to get out & about with as little disruption to the babies sleep as possible. I would BF the babies early & then put them in the capsules. Get DD ready for school & DS dressed & in the car. Having the twins already in the capsules made it easy to put in the car without waking them for the trip to school.
Then out of the car to take DD into school, then back in the car to go home again. All while still in the capsules & onto pram & back into car. The travel system was definitely a big draw card.
Unfortunately the glider board has just become available so I missed the benefits from that.
The CS is a bit inconvenient now that they are out of the capsules (finally after 6mths) to have to click the seats on & off every time you get it in & out of the car, but it is soooo light it definitely makes up for the 2mins of inconvenience. I now need to use the 3rd row of seats having just the frame of the pram in the back still gives room for kids sports bags, groceries etc.
I have also have a twin side-by-side valco runabout (with toddler seat) & I only use it walking around my neighbourhood or when DH is around to lift it for me, as I physically can not lift it in & out of the car, about 18kg I think.
And.... I have a valco side-by-side stroller, great for quick trips to the supermarket, but we all know how painful little stroller wheels are on anything other than smooth surfaces!
I think Im a pram addict
Hope this helps a little in your decision process. There are LOTS of prams out there to choose from

Hi Ladies,
Well it seems I will be quietly bowing out of this group. Had my scan today and there was only 1 heartbeat. The guy doing the scan was pretty poor and didnt really tell us much but it appears that 1 bub just didnt develop. Actually feeling quite relieved about the whole thing so I was really stressed about how I would cope with twins this time around.

All the best for the other twin mummies, hope your have smooth and easy pregnancies from here

Humpty

Humpty Dumpty ... hugs to you. It is such a risky time of pregnancyisn't it.
Keep stong for your other bub. I will not relax for a while yet as it is still early days; and i have also had an early M/C before.
Thinking of you xxxxxxxxxxx