Hey y’all! Here’s a list of our top 10 must-haves from our registry/what we ended up buying after birth for our newborn twins. Hope it helps someone in the same position as us!
Weego Twin Carrier– this carrier is meant for 1 person to carry the twins on their chest. It is able to be used with premature babies 4 lbs and up. It works really well when both babies want to be held but you haven’t mastered holding them together.
Graco Ready2Grow 2.0 Double Stroller & Snugride Snugfit LX Car Seats/Bases– The Snugfit Snugride Car seats fit perfectly in this double stroller. We got 2 extra bases for our secondary car to allow for easy transfer of the car seats.
Twin Z Pillow– Perfect for tandem feeding, even if you are bottle feeding instead of breastfeeding.
Diaper Genie– This keeps our nursery smelling fresh and allows us to take out the diapers to the regular trash can after a few days instead of after every diaper change.
Snuggle Me Lounger(s)– We purchased 2, but we were able to use just 1 for both babies during the first few weeks after birth. They loved sleeping together during their daytime naps with this lounger.
FridaMom Windi– Helps to relieve any trapped gas the baby may have. One of our twins is really, really gassy, and this has helped tremendously.
Gerber Flannel Receiving Blankets– We utilized these for basically everything from an actual blanket or swaddle to a headrest for their car seats to prevent their heads from bobbing around. They are so soft and our girls love them!
Nanobebe Pacifiers– These were the only pacifiers that one of our girls would use, so we ended up using them for both babies. They fit really well in the contours of their face and don’t seem to affect latching at all.
Egg Night Light(s)– These were recommended on TikTok. The brand doesn’t really matter, but the idea of these lights is to have a dimmable light that can be utilized as soft lighting during diaper changes or late night feeds. We have 1 in the nursery and 1 in our bedroom.
Dr. Browns Narrow Bottles + Level 1 Nipples– some people have said that the level 1 nipples are too high-flow, but they work great for us! The 4 oz Narrow Dr. Browns bottles work great as breastfed babies shouldn’t take more than 5 oz of breastmilk even as they grow (because the composition of the breast milk changes to be more calorie-dense).
This list is not an all-inclusive list of everything that we are using, it’s just the top 10 products that we would recommend to any new twin parents.
If you are pregnant with twins or in the thick of the newborn trenches, good luck as you continue on your journey!
Hey y’all! It is SO good to be back. Wow, what has it been… 3 years? 4? 5?? Sounds about right. My life has had quite a few changes in the past few years, so I’m bringing the blog back to help people like me get through these life changes. If nothing else, it’ll be a great place for me to document my life for me to look back on!
Surprise! We’re Pregnant and with TWINS…
I’m in the thick of the 2nd trimester, so here is a post all about the ups and downs of my 1st trimester.
First, my symptoms:
Nausea/Vomiting: Good grief, this was a rough one. Whoever called it morning sickness was lying. It happened ALL DAY LONG. I threw up at least 1 time per day for the first 13 weeks. This symptom finally subsided around 15-16 weeks.
Exhaustion/Fatigue: This was so real for me. I don’t know if it is the fact that I’m carrying twins or what, but I have been dead tired for months. It still hasn’t let up. I’m not usually a napper, but I definitely take a lot of naps now. In the first trimester, I came home from work, ate (when I could), and went right to bed.
Sore Breasts/Breast Enlargement: I had sore breasts almost immediately and I grew 1-2 cup sizes within the first 3 months. I think the growth has plateaued for now, but I will keep you updated.
Dyspnea (Shortness of Breath): Ever since the very beginning I have been having shortness of breath after doing ANY activity. I mean ANYTHING. From folding clothes to unloading the dishwasher to even just getting up off of the couch. NO FUN!
Stretching/Growth: By the end of the first trimester, I was definitely showing (see picture below) thanks to having twins. With this came stretching pains. I have had back pain, round ligament pain, and general pain from overworking muscles.
Diastasis Recti (separation of abdominal muscles): This is actually common in pregnancy, but usually happens later on. For me, this started around 12-13 weeks (at least from what I noticed). Basically, any use of my abdominal muscles creates pain & an unusual “coning” of the space between my abdominal muscles because they have spread apart. This is kind of hard to describe, so feel free to look it up!
Intercostal Neuralgia (nerve pain between ribs): This started later in the first trimester, but this is essentially sharp, stinging pains in my lower right ribcage that can be associated with the quick growth of my belly.
Constipation: This is related to the increase in progesterone and hCG hormones, but it was no joke! TMI, but, I pretty much couldn’t poop for a week at a time. It led to bloating, pain, and lots of gas.
Nasal Congestion & Nose Bleeds: Throughout my whole pregnancy so far, I have experienced this. The congestion has been very consistent with the nose bleeds only happening 2-3 times so far that I recall.
Overall, the first trimester was no fun for me with the symptoms, but I am feeling hopeful that I will continue to feel better in the rest of this trimester!
How did I guess that they were twins before we found out?
Several things led me to the conclusion that I was having twins before we even found out, and NO, they do not run in our families. Keep in mind that none of these things alone are a dead giveaway to having twins, this is just my experience.
Early positive pregnancy test: I tested on week 3, day 5 and the test was immediately positive. Usually, this would be a bit early to have a positive test, but with twins and the increased hormones, it is more likely!
Nausea: As I said earlier, I was REALLY sick throughout the first trimester and everyone at work said they thought I could be having twins (the previous manager had twins and was the same way).
Growth: This being my first trimester, I was not expecting to start showing until around 18-20 weeks. However, I could easily say that I was showing around week 9-10.
Mother’s Intuition: All in all, I am not quite sure what made me think it was twins, I just did. I kept telling Cameron (my husband) that I felt like they were twins. I even called my mom the day before my ultrasound telling her I thought it was twins!
Appointment Overview:
This would have been super helpful for me when I was going into this journey, so hopefully, it helps someone else.
As everyone will tell you, each pregnancy is unique, so use this as a general guide. You can expect to be in office every four weeks until you reach 28 weeks.You will then have appointments every two weeks until 36 weeks. After this, you will be seen every week. The first visit is usually the longest. You can expect to do a urine sample at every appointment.
Initial Ultrasound/Initial Prenatal Appointment: This usually happens anywhere between 7-12 weeks depending on your OBGYN. They verify baby heartbeat, due date, your medical history, and initial bloodwork at this appointment. Expect for this to be 2-4 hours long. Mine lasted approximately 2 hours, but you never know when your OBGYN will get called into a delivery/emergency. Depending on your OBGYN office, you may meet with a variety of different people on this day. It can be overwhelming, so it is a good idea to bring your partner or a friend with you to help you remember. If you’re anything like me, this was the same day that I found out I was having twins and man was that a lot to take in.
With Twins, you can expect to have an ultrasound at (almost) every appointment, but again, that also depends on your office. High-risk pregnancies need more follow-up.
Tips for Managing the First Trimester:
Early planning is critical (especially when expecting twins). Babies tend to come when they want to, so although they give you a due date, I would plan things sooner rather than later. For me, I am having my gender reveal/baby shower at 23 weeks to make sure I have everything I need if babies make their appearance early.
Pregnancy-safe medications are sometimes necessary and that is OK! Whether you suffer from nausea, constipation, headaches, or other symptoms, make sure you talk to your provider about medications that can help ease your discomfort. You do not have to suffer through if you don’t want to! But also don’t feel pressured to do anything you are uncomfortable with (I see you, natural/unmedicated mamas).
Sleep/Rest while you can. This speaks for itself, but take it easy when you can. You are growing a (or multiple) human inside of you!! This takes a lot of energy. You are not lazy. You are strong.
Ask for help. Whether it is in pregnancy or in your postpartum journey, don’t be afraid to ask for help. I even hired a friend to help clean my house while I was struggling to do so myself.
Eat snacks or meals every 1-2 hours to prevent (or try to) nausea and vomiting.
Keep barf bags with you! These were so helpful for me on car & plane travel days during those early months.
All in all, I’m so blessed and grateful to be on this journey, but I do want to point out some of the harder parts of the first trimester because they aren’t always talked about.
Gluten Free PharmD Mama 