Anybody pregnant with twins or have twins already???

[beautypie34]

Hi all,
I am currently pregnant with my second set of twins (the first set I unfortunately lost at 17 1/2 weeks) and I am really anxious. I have been placed on modified bedrest this time and I am only 18 weeks. No high blood pressure or gest. diabetes (thank God) ut lots of aches and pains, and plenty of fatigue. Does anyone have any tips for me with this type of pregnancy? I hear I won't make it to 40 weeks and I may have to have a C-Section. Anyone with any personal experience with this?

[Quiana]

I have a beautiful set of twin boys (two as of Feb 7th). Let me tell you...you will be tired, cranky, sore...BUT it is the best blessing in the world. Don't listen to others if they try to tell you that you'll have a c-section or anything else that may stress you.

Guess what...I had a c-section but of everyone I know with twins (lots of people)...I AND 1 OTHER FRIEND HAD ONE…no one else did! I made it to 36 weeks...also the only one I know who did not make it to 40. I had no real complications except fatigue and pains from my stomach stretching so big (at the end).

Everyone is different as is every pregnancy. Don't stress. As you know it is not good for you or your little ones. Stay in prayer, be encouraged and know that you can do this! Eat well and also when anyone asks if you need help...TAKE THEM UP ON THEIR OFFER. Don't try to be a SuperWoman. Enjoy the attention and help!

Be Blessed!

~Quiana

[beautypie34]

Hi Quiana,

Thank you so much for your encouraging words. I have been very scared lately about this pregnancy. My doctor stated the same thing that you did, to not listen to others horror stories because everyone is different. But, after losing the first set in 2003, I was really scared. I know now that if I take care of myself, eat right, rest frequently, and listen to my body I can carry to term. I was really encouraged to hear that you carried to 36 weeks and you actually know people who made it to 40 weeks!

I'm taking you're advice and calling my mother-in-law and take her up on her offers to clean the house! Haha! I'm going to really relax through this one.

Thank you again for all your encouragement,

Katrese

[Camillia]

Hi 2here2ontheway. I just joined the site so I'm late at replying ! My name is Camillia and I have 1 set of boy/girls twins. Your story is somewhat similar to mine. First of all, congratulations. I had a single pregnancy before and miscarried at 4 months. When I got pregnant with my twins, I had to have a cerclage placed at 14 weeks. I was on bedrest/modified bedrest for the remainder of my pregnancy. I also had to get progesterone shots to keep my uterus from contracting. It was very very difficult for me emotionally and physically. My family and friends were awesome with support. I have to honestly tell you that I cried alot, not knowing if I would miscarry again.I prayed alot also. I didn't have much support from their father which made things even that much more difficult. I think I experienced every range of emotions. At some point, I stopped focusing on what may happen. I still don't know to this day what changed, but I realized that I was not in control of what may happen. I consider myself to be blessed. I beat the odds and went full term with my twins. I delivered both naturally, YEAH (no C-section, but yes I did have an epidural). I actually went into labor the very day they were going to induce me. Go figure. I was 38 weeks. My son was 6.11, and my daughter was 5.13. They were both healthy and did not have to spend any time in the NICU. Interestingly enough my doctor told me some time after having my babies, that he did not think that I was going to have a positive outcome. Apparently my cervix was very thin when he did the surgery, so the prognosis did not seem good. They just turned 1 and they are a handful. If there is something I can share to help, or if you have any questions, please let me know.

Just out of curiosity, did you conceive naturally both times?

[beautypie34]

Hi Camillia,

Wow! You definitely are blessed. Thank you for your reply. I did conceive twins naturally both times and my singleton pregnancy was thought to be a twin pregnancy because my uterus was measuring larger during the pelvic exam, but once I got the ultrasound it was not. Just call me "fertile Myrtle", hahaha!

I am now just under 6 months pregnant with these boy/girl twins and I am still on bedrest. My cervix has shortened from 48 mms in January to 25 mms in late February, so I wont be doing much of anything until they arrive. I have to see the OB weekly and I have gotten ultrasounds every month and now they're being increased to biweekly. Next week, I am getting some betamethasone injections to help develop the babies' lungs in case I continue to efface. I have never even been offered Progesterone injections to stop my contractions, I'm going to ask about that. I contract constantly, and all they told me was "no driving, no sex, no working". They have actually been pretty secretive with me, I think they know I have enough anxiety and they don't want to add to it. My OB also said that I was too late for a rescue cerclage, so I am in the bed with pillows stacked under my hips.

I would love to hear about how it's been for you since you've delivered your twins and if you plan on having anymore. I am pretty sure this it for me. I am actually terrified about how I'm going to manage newborn twins, a one year old toddler, a pre-teen girl, and work, husband, house, etc. Whew!!! Got to get organized.

I'll talk with you soon,

Katrese

[Camillia]

Hi Katrese. Well where do I begin. It has been very challenging for me raising my twins. When they were born, I found it very difficult to keep a steady supply of breastmilk. I first bought a pump from the store, but it was not that good. I then ended up renting the hospital breast pump. Wow that thing is powerful. I would recommend renting one. I breastfeed for 3 months although I had to supplement a lot with formula. I absolutely could not keep up the supply. I even tried taking the herb Mother's Milk, but it was of no use. I think this is for a couple of reasons. I was getting very little sleep. I was feeding every 3 hours, and I was not eating well. Any free time I had went toward sleeping, so I ate very little. I think the combination of these things kept me from producing milk.
My family pretty much had to come over and give me a break every day for a good while. It sounds like your situation will be different. You have support from your husband and your teenager may be able to help. I wish I could paint a better picture for you, but this is just my experience. My stress level was very high, but the thing that helped me was not thinking about my situation. I had to get into the mindset of just doing it. Whenever I allowed myself to think about what I had to do, I got overwhelmed. People for the most part think that it is great to have twins, and it is indeed. But if you're doing it alone, it is so hard. It took a long time for me to actually enjoy moments with them. It truly bothers me that I can't remember some of those special moments early on. I didn't have the luxury of really enjoying them and that makes me angry, still to this day. Now I have a lot of fun with them. My family still helps out a great deal, as I work full time. They give me a break during the week by keeping them for a few hours so that I can go home and get things done, or go to the store, etc. The absolute most important thing that I think will be a must is to keep them on the same schedule for everything Put them down for naps at the same time, feed them at the same time. This method got me through big time. It was so remarkable that my kids are on the excact same schedule to this day and it is beautiful. They nap at the same time and eat at the same time. As a matter of fact, they get sleepy at the same times every single day, seriously. They are sleep by 9:30 every night.

I feel like I wrote a book (ha). I really hope that I can help with your process. I enjoy sharing my experiences and trying to help others deal with this scary and exciting time.

Talk to you soon, Camillia

[Quiana]

Camillia made an excellent point...rent the hospital pump or invest in buying one. I bought two hospital grade pumps which helped me make it through. One I could even pump with in the car. Yes, I did pump in the car, in fact anywhere that was clean.

I breastfed them for 1 year (only having to supplement once during their 2nd month due to low supply) while working full time, starting my business, and not to mention all the other things I had to do. If you can, get all the help you need to get rest (also a good point by Camillia) because it does make or break your breastfeeding experience. That was a hard lesson for me to learn also.

I literally had to pump every other hour for at least 30 min. to build up my supply. And my boys were drinking 6-8 oz. EVERY feeding starting at 2 weeks. I was blessed to have a supportive husband at home. It took time for him to get used to how much I had to pump, but when we had to buy formula that one month, he came around. ;~)

My employer was also supportive. He was a man with two children so he could relate to how important it was for me to do this. It was hard to be gone from my desk so much and also duck out of meetings here and there but I was able to. I learned to be really productive when I was at my desk and to take reading material (work related) with me when I went to pump.

Not everyone is so fortunate to have an employer who cares, so don't beat yourself up about not being able to breastfeed at work if that is the case. Another thing to remember is that you can always breastfeed and do formula. You don’t have to do one or the other, many of my friends did the both approach due to their working situations.

As for keeping them on the same schedule…it WAS A LIFE SAVER. In the beginning, if one was not sleepy…oh well, he got quiet time in the bed with his brother. After a while, they did both sleep and eat at the same time. We made it their way of life.

It's hard with twins (sometimes singletons too). Do what you can but above all else, eat right, walk if you can, and remember: ask for (demand if you have to) help. You are going to need it.

BTW, I wrote 3 articles on how to save money with twins. The links are below. I know they can help you at least get prepared and set up so your pockets aren’t hit so hard by this wonderful blessing. Don’t forget to keep us updated…we are praying for you!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Saving-Money-With-Twins-Part-I&id=542275

http://ezinearticles.com/?Saving-Money-With-Twins-Part-II&id=54...

http://ezinearticles.com/?Saving-Money-With-Twins-Part-III&id=5...