mindygz Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 After #3 was born, I felt like there was probably one more child that was supposed to come join our family. This was an odd feeling, as after both #1 and #2's births, I was so overwhelmed that I felt very comfortable NOT thinking about any additional children for quite some time. We weren't in any rush to conceive #4, and as it turned out, it happened about 10 months ahead of what I'd decided was a good time. David had requested that I finish up with pregnancy by the time I was 35 as a safeguard to my long-term health, and I thought that was wise. We both felt good about the addition of a fourth child and the timing seemed pretty good, even though it wasn't according to our tentative plan. At my 17 week appointment, my midwife's assistant measured my uterus and the fundal height was measuring about 4 cm ahead. After having birthed 10+ pound boys, this didn't seem that unusual to me. I remembered having growth spurts during past pregnancies. And, in all honesty, as it wasn't my midwife doing the measuring, I felt there was some room for error as I didn't know how skilled the assistant was with that sort of thing. Last Thursday I went to have my next appointment, and was 21 weeks 3 days along. The fundal height measured 34 centimeters! And I'd gained 20 pounds (which I knew from tracking at home). I was really frustrated as I've been diligently making an effort to eat healthfully and not an excessive amount of calories. Plus I have been exercising quite regularly. I had some thyroid issues likely caused by too much weight gained when I was pregnant with Sprout, so I am hoping to avoid that this time around. My midwife suggested that I might want to consider having an ultrasound to check things out. Tuesday evening we went in for the ultrasound. As soon as the tech put the device on my belly, we saw two bums and knew what we were in for. It was surreal. I can't even accurately describe the variety of feelings that washed over me. There was excitement, relief at it being two and not one with any problems, gratitude, and I think around the edges of every emotion there was a bit of panic. David and I grabbed hands and held on for the rest of the ultrasound, which takes a fair amount of time when there are two babies to inspect! They call the baby closest to the cervix Baby A as it will be born first, and the other baby is Baby B. When she told us (and showed us) that Baby A is a girl we were delighted. We had been hoping for a girl to help balance out the ratio of boys and girls around here. About 20 minutes later we got around to Baby B (we had to take a break in there as the reclined on my back position makes me feel light-headed after a while). And Baby B is a boy! Both babies are growing on track and look healthy. Baby B is actually about a week ahead in size. Well, here's where the irony comes in. David and I have long agreed (ever since my sister had twins almost 11 years ago) that "Twins are God's way of saying you can stop." Since we've been very clear about this being our final child, it was obvious that it was our plan to stop at four. I guess this means God approves of this being our last pregnancy, but he didn't agree with us stopping at four. I guess we should have said we were going to have six, then pulled a fast one and stopped at four!:tongue_smilie: In all earnestness, though, we are excited to have both of these little ones join our family in a few months and are feeling pretty amazingly blessed. But still overwhelmed! I finally was able to fall asleep at 3:30 the next morning morning, only to be wide awake again shortly after 6. Last night I could only sleep 5 hours. I feel like I'm wired on an insane amount of caffeine, but it's just my brain going into overdrive trying to process everything. (I copied and edited the above from my blog, so I apologize if anything doesn't make sense.) Any other twin moms out there? I would love advice, suggestions, words of encouragement, just knowing I'm not the only crazy homeschooling mom who thinks she can do this with twins. Okay, right now I don't think I can do it, but I'm hopeful that I'll get things under control. Maybe. Someday? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Wow congrats!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 :party: congrats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Congratulations!!! Twins are wonderful!!! My 4th pregnancy was with twins, too. They're 11 yrs. old now. I survived and homeschooled my other three. You can do it. Go easy on yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warneral Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 How exciting :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 :hurray::hurray: (one for A and one for B) ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 (edited) Congrats!!!!!!! :party: Twins are amazing! I have girl/boy twins too. Mine are almost 2. :) I went back to my old photography blog (I'm no longer in business) and pulled up what I posted when my twins were a month old. http://www.ambercampbellphotography.com/blog/?p=757 And here is their birth story. (I'm an over sharer.) :) http://www.ambercampbellphotography.com/blog/?p=752 Edited May 24, 2012 by Runningmom80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mindygz Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congrats!!!!!!! :party: Twins are amazing! I have girl/boy twins too. Mine are almost 2. :) I went back to my old photography blog (I'm no longer in business) and pulled up what I posted when my twins were a month old. http://www.ambercampbellphotography.com/blog/?p=757 And here is their birth story. (I'm an over sharer.) :) http://www.ambercampbellphotography.com/blog/?p=752 Amber, thank you so much for sharing your experiences. What you wrote when they were 6 weeks old made me cry... (though it's only the 20th time in the last two days!). I do look forward to all the neat things about having 2 at once. Thanks for your words of encouragement. And how funny, I have a small photography business, which will likely be taking a long term hiatus soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Amber, thank you so much for sharing your experiences. What you wrote when they were 6 weeks old made me cry... (though it's only the 20th time in the last two days!). I do look forward to all the neat things about having 2 at once. Thanks for your words of encouragement. And how funny, I have a small photography business, which will likely be taking a long term hiatus soon! No problem! I got teary reading it too. :lol: I just wanted to share one more thing. They will wear you out and run you ragged, but then they will do something completely adorable to melt your heart. We had to switch their cribs to toddler beds last month because they are little monkeys, and every night, they crawl into the same bed. They have always slept separate, so we were so surprised they preferred to sleep together. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congrats from another twin mom! Rest and eat well!! You might be interested in Dr Luke's book. Hang on for the ride! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetBean Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations!!!! :party: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNC Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations from an identical twin. Being a twin was the greatest blessing - we always had sooo much fun together and a best friend for life. My mom says it was a lot of work until we were about 18months, and then we went off to play and she basically never heard from us again! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 How exciting!! congratulations! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congrats from another twin mama! You can do it! (Ours are turning 9, and followed by 2 singleton boys. :) ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Another twin mama congrats for you. :party: I won't lie. That first year or so was, well, pretty cruddy. But now it's such a blessing to have them. My advice: eat lots of protein now to keep those babies healthy - 100 grams is the recommended amount. Many ob's are ignorant of how extra important this is in multiples pregnancies. None of the ob's I saw even mentioned it once, yet there's a lot of studies and data about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 :D Looks like you are going to need to add a name to your signature! Twins are marvelous. The first few months are more insane than, well, I can't actually remember the first few months! After that, they have been a breeze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tricia Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congrats to you. You will love it. My 8th and 9th babies were twins. It's been great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congrats again, Mindy. I'm so excited for you! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 congratulations and best wishes for healthy babies. I have an acquaintence from years ago. she and her dh argued about how many they were having. she was adament about stopping at four - he kept saying he felt like they were supposed to have five. she had identical twins, for a total of five. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureMoms Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congrats from another twin mom! I second (third?) the advice to eat LOTS of protein. More than you think you need. It helps keep the babies growing strong and avoid prematurity. Also a word of warning - gender identification is apparently somewhat more iffy with twins (harder to see everything with two fetuses in there). We were told that we had b/g twins, and were a WEEE bit shocked when we ended up with b/b twins. I recommend not buying too many cute matchy b/g outfits...just in case! Mine are only 18mo so I'm still in the "hard part" of twins, though I can tell you it gets easier the older they get! Those first few months are really hard, but twins are amazing too. http://andyouthinkwehavetimetoblog.blogspot.com/ This is my blog which hasn't been updated for a long time, lol. But I blogged a few posts when the twins were little that you might enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mindygz Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations from an identical twin. Being a twin was the greatest blessing - we always had sooo much fun together and a best friend for life. My mom says it was a lot of work until we were about 18months, and then we went off to play and she basically never heard from us again! :) :lol: Hahaha! I'll hope I can hold on for that first year and a half, then. That's fun to hear. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in OR Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations! What a blessing! New twin mom here. Had g/g twins at the end of last year, as our fourth pregnancy too. Erica in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mindygz Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 Another twin mama congrats for you. I won't lie. That first year or so was, well, pretty cruddy. But now it's such a blessing to have them. My advice: eat lots of protein now to keep those babies healthy - 100 grams is the recommended amount. Many ob's are ignorant of how extra important this is in multiples pregnancies. None of the ob's I saw even mentioned it once, yet there's a lot of studies and data about it. Thanks! I came across the 100 grams of protein thing in my research over the past couple days. Glad to have it collaborated by a BTDT mom. I started today and BOY it'll be work to get that in every day, but anything to get these two healthy and big. And thanks for your honesty. A neighbor friend of mine just called and said to be sure not to overthink everything--she said that you just DO. You do what needs to be done and then do it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeachingTwins Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations! I also have b/g twins. They are almost 8 years old. I can't say what it's like to homeschool older kids with twin babies, but it got a lot easier with my twins when they were about 18 months old. I've been able to keep them together for most of their curriculum, so that does make it easier for home schooling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations! :D I have b/g twins who will be 4 in just a few weeks. I'll echo the others that the first year was intense, but it only got better. There is nothing sweeter than listening to their little 3yo conversations and watching them play. They are truly best friends. It's wonderful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations! I have twin girls who will be 11 in July. My girls were very preemie (27.5 weekers), so I have no advice really for full-term babies. I kept them on the same schedule they were on in the NICU, which made the first year pretty easy. I also didn't have any other kids at home....I guess the best advice I can offer is to accept help as it is given and just take things as they come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations!! Our#3, #4, and #5 are our triplets! Proof to be careful what you pray for. I was praying for another and my dh was praying for twins. All our prayers were answered! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations! My twins are now 9yo. I admit that the first month is really foggy in my memory, especially with NICU, it is truely an adventure. Eat lots of protein and be good to yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juniper Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Another twin mom, but I am going to be the dissenter, I loved the first years. They are now 10 and I was literally shopping for military boarding schools earlier today. ;):tongue_smilie::001_huh::lol: Please do enjoy them!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlessedMom Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 :party: CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudboots Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations! Twins are exhausting and a lot of fun! Congrats from another twin mom! Rest and eat well!! You might be interested in Dr Luke's book. Hang on for the ride! :iagree: My doctor recommended that book to me. To sum up: eat, eat, eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations! I'm excited for you! Our doctor recommended Dr. Luke's book too. The sum up: it's great you're gaining...you want to gain as much weight early as you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soonermomma Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Another twin momma here...my b/g twins are three. I also agree that the first year was great! Three has definitely been the hardest for us. What one doesn't think to get in to the other does and they are good at stacking things to get in the cabinets that are too tall for them to reach! That said, it is really cool to see the bond they share. My girl twin is the more dominant one, and her bubba just goes along with what ever she wants him to do. (A lot of the time she wants to pick out his clothes!) They do everything together and you can just see the love between them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 :party: Congratulations!!! None of mine were twins but I'm having a little "baby fever" right now. I'm so jealous!!! :tongue_smilie: Take good care of yourself! God Bless, Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mynyel Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations! I have always wanted twins! Ever since the first! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Another twin mom, but I am going to be the dissenter, I loved the first years. They are now 10 and I was literally shopping for military boarding schools earlier today. ;):tongue_smilie::001_huh::lol: Mine are about to turn 7, but this is me too :lol:!!! Enjoy the ride... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudboots Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations! I'm excited for you! Our doctor recommended Dr. Luke's book too. The sum up: it's great you're gaining...you want to gain as much weight early as you can. Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave out the encouragement or oversimplify. I actually did find her recommendations to be overwhelming at a certain point, and I had to set it aside for a while. Another twin momma here...my b/g twins are three. I also agree that the first year was great! I'll chime in with the others that our first six months with the twins were very happy - sleepy, but happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations!! You don't have to try to describe the complete jaw-drop of a response to the rest of us with surprise twins! I think my husband and I have just stopped that, and ours are almost 8! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadianmumof5 Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations!!! I am a little jealous - I always wanted twins :001_smile: We go for our 20 week ultrasound on Monday and I'm secretly hoping they find 2 in there (although I'm 99.9% sure there is only 1). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baseball mom Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioMom66 Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 How exciting! Congratulations!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations!! Our#3, #4, and #5 are our triplets! Proof to be careful what you pray for. I was praying for another and my dh was praying for twins. All our prayers were answered! :lol: In a big way! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congratulations!!!! How very exciting for you! I just wanted to also say that I've been reading your blog this morning and enjoying it. We were gung-ho with workboxes when we started (shelves with boxes)....but it's kind of fizzled (our shelf is not in a convenient place and people seem to just throw stuff into the boxes that don't belong in there :glare: ). I showed my dd your workboxes with the file folders and she wants to give it a try doing it that way; she's really excited about it. I also like the Muffin Tin Monday......but I'm going to do this with my 6 cup muffin tin (I don't know how I could come up with 12 different things!). :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mindygz Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 Thank you, all!:001_smile::001_smile: It is good to hear from so many twin moms (and a triplet mom!), and I appreciate all of the good wishes from everyone. I can honestly say that since I first had ONE kid, I never wished for twins, as I knew how hard it was taking those babies one at a time. :D As a kid, before I knew anything, I thought it would be fun, but I was pretty clueless as the youngest of six...I had no idea what it took to care for a new baby. Thanks again! I'm kind of glad that I found out this late (especially since things look good) as it is LESS time to stress and worry, and we are past the most vulnerable period, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raceNzanesmom Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 :D Congratulations x2!!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creativish Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Congrats!! From a fellow surprised mama of twins here-- after 5 singletons and not expecting more:lol: My g/b set are now 3.5 months. (my Baby A was the girl too:001_smile:) I didn't find out until my 2nd trimester either, and I agree, I liked not knowing right away and stressing over those early days. I measured large for my dates too and had to get an ultrasound to check it out. Fundus measurements can be wonky with twins depending how they are situated at the time, so don't rely to much on how your numbers change appt to appt (although it is fun to see how huge they get!) Be careful what you read online, you can scare yourself silly over it all, not many stories are written of uneventful experiences:tongue_smilie: My local hospital doesn't deliver twins, (unless by emergency c-section :glare:) So I had to travel 1 hr 45 min to the "city." If you are hoping for a vag. birth, there are many hoops to waddle through;)-- my doc said as long as Baby A was head down he'd do it but my delivery had to take place in the operating room just in case. Some docs say only if both babes are head down. Watch your iron levels-- mine got pretty low and I became super tired and blah, so had to heavy-duty supplement. I remember feeling "full term" (how I felt near 40 weeks w/singletons) at, oh, around 30 weeks and it was so hard to fathom I had over 2 more months yet to go!! Not fun. And even though it is totally possible to go into labor early do NOT rule out the chances of making it to term. I say mentally/physically prepare for both. Everyone just knew I'd go a month early... well, they all were wrong and after those extra excruciating weeks (over-analyzing every.single.thing thinking labor was a'comin') I had to be induced at 39.5 weeks. If planning on breastfeeding start researching now! Many love the twin nursing pillows but I prefer to bf one at a time so I have a free hand and can jump up if I need to (5 other kiddos to keep up with) but I do like having the pillow when traveling so bf'ing can go faster (like at weddings, etc). I recommend getting matching infant car seat carriers-- so either one can fit into each base, if you need new ones. And I'd make sure you have 2 of some sort of entertaining baby holder-- either 2 swings or 2 bouncers or 1 of each or 2 of both.:tongue_smilie: It really starts to feel like juggling when there are big kids and babes all needing mom at once! And probably get the twin stroller too. It is just really difficult to get out of the house with baby twins + young kids. Well that's my novel for ya for now :tongue_smilie: (NAK is a lovely thing:lol:) May your pregnancy continue to be a healthy one (+one)!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heatherwith4 Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Congratulations! This gives me a huge case of baby fever. :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Congratulations! This gives me a huge case of baby fever. :p Same here! So happy for you!!!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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