Having Twins? WHAT THE F$&@!!!!!!

Having Twins? 

The day I found out I was having twins I cried. I had a two year old. I was running a successful company.  We had just purchased a cute little bungalow...900 square feet. For anyone that has been pregnant, I'd like to add that the bathroom was down a narrow staircase on the first floor. Twins. Life was running along smoothly. I envisioned adding children to our lives one at a time.

It's funny how in life, the moments we grow and push ourselves are the moments when we are forced to step outside of our comfort zone. We are asked to move in a slightly different direction. I say this because all of the "scary" moments in my life - moving, starting a new job, trying a new skill, having twins, starting a company, parenting a "teenager", all of these are the moments when I grew as a human. I was asked by life to push myself. And you will too.

So if you just found out you are having multiples, breathe. You will be fine. Your life will be even more amazing than you had anticipated. In retrospect, here is my list of things I wish I had known...some must haves and some tips. Everyone is different...so use what helps you out. Good luck and congratulations!

1.THE NUMBER ONE THING YOU NEED  Snap and Go Stroller - you must have a double snap and go stroller if you plan on leaving the house. I could not sit still so I was at baby groups, walks, Target, etc. - this saved my life.

2. Breast Pump Get an amazing breast pump. If you plan on nursing, which I did. There is a good chance you will have a twin in the NICU if they come early etc. Be prepared for this. But don't get a cheap breast pump, buy one from the hospital or ask for one from your friends. You will thank me. I got one like this...it's newer now...but this is today's equivalent. It's. Medela Pump in Style.  This pump seriously saved my life. If you BF you will have a few months of feeding, feeding, pumping, pumping, repeat.

3. Formula If you plan on breast feeding, I would have a formula backup that you would like to use. There are a lot of options. But if your child goes in the NICU, unless you tell them, they will give the formula that they have. My son was in the NICU and was given formula. I was not prepared for this so he was given whatever the hospital chose. If this is important to you, research before delivery.

4. Don't beat yourself up. If you already have a child and you can keep them in preschool do so. It will give you a much needed break. It will also force you to get out of the house. It's overwhelming....so keeping something consistent for your other little one will help. Also, you WILL feel guilty. You will feel as if this little one is being totally neglected by you. Don't beat yourself up. Ten years later, they won't remember. Let them watch TV if you need a minute to yourself. Let them help. They will get tons of attention from friends and family - just make sure you are taking care of yourself.

5. Pillows - I recommend a double boppy pillow. You can get two regular ones. But for nursing and feeding this one worked great. I can't remember the brand I had, but it looked like the one in the link. It's great to have.

6. Breast Pump Bag - There are a lot of cool options out there now. Make sure you have one you like, because you will use it a lot. Also if you have another child, make sure it's big enough for their stuff too. I like these ones by Sarah Wells - she is a mom entrepreneur like me and she really takes the time to think about the bag and what we as moms need.

7. Swings - Yes you need two. Having two swings was really helpful in the evening. At times when I was trying to throw some type of dinner together it was easy to put my oldest in front of the TV and put the twins in the swings. It wasn't always pretty...or quiet, but they were safe and I was able to do what I needed to do. If you don't have the space for two swings you can get two of those bouncy seats that go on the floor.

5 other things I wish people had told me:

1. If you have had another child and you delivered in a nice quiet delivery room note that when you have twins you are in an OR - tons of people, tons of lights, and not so intimate. I felt like I was on TV.
2. Tell your significant other that after delivery you bleed quite a bit more than when you deliver one baby. My husband was so scared as he thought something was wrong...but it' just because there are two babies...more blood.
3. Ask to see the sac that the babies were in. My doctor showed me and it was really amazing. Because I had fraternal twins they each had their own little home...it was really interesting.
4. Some people will tell you to wake up one twin when the other wakes up - honestly do what works for you...we started doing that and then one twin would sleep through the night so we were like why are we waking her up. Sleep every moment you can. Let people help you.
5. You will get stopped by everyone. At Target, at the supermarket, dropping your other children off at school. Everyone will stop you. I enjoyed it. After all that work it felt good to have people stop and say congratulations. However if you are afraid of germs....you might want to have some hand sanitizer handy.


Most of all try to enjoy it all. It truly is amazing to grow multiple babies in your stomach at one time. And the bond they have is like nothing I have seen before. My twins are now 10 years old and I cry as I think about how quickly time has passed. Good luck! Enjoy the journey and don't blink.