twins at home? - Page 2

[gogi]

Thought I would let you all know that i had my 34 week visit and things seem to be fine. They are estimating the babies to be at about 5lbs. each and the vertex baby is at -1 station. The other baby is lying transverse across the top. I am icm dilated and have gained 60 lbs. so far. my goal is just to rest and eat for the next three weeks. I need to make it to 37 for my homebirth.

Thanks for the tip about sleeping in the recliner. My husband borrowed one from his mother nad I have slept a couple hours each night in the recliner. I switch back and forth from the recliner to the bed when I wake up during the night. I appreciate all your stories and great tips. I hope we can keep this thread going.

I just developed a rash called PUPPs. It is extremely itchy
Has anyone had it?

[breathingmom]

gogi, it's so great to hear that your appointment went well! I am sure that you can make it to 37 weeks! Your plan of eating and resting sounds like a good one!

I'm glad the recliner suggestion helped. I remember how difficult it was to get up from the bed in the middle of the night! It's so worth it though! Pretty soon you will be holding those two beautiful babies and you won't have to worry about them being premature!

I am not familiar with Pupps. You might consider posting about it on the "Health & Healing" forum or the "Pregnancy" forum. I am willing to bet there is someone on these boards who will have some great solutions and ideas for you. Does the itching keep you up at night?

I would love to keep this thread going! It is so fun to take this journey with you! It is such an amazing experience to be a mother of twins. When people see my girls and say "double trouble", I always say "no, just twice the love"!!

Thanks for the update! We'll be here to cheer you on!!! Jill

[gogi]

The itching is not keeping me up, but when I wake up I start scratching in a half sleep and itgets really annoying. I just keep applying lotion and trying to keep my mind off of it.

[Mommy of twins]

gogi,

If it's the same thing I had my stomach itched so bad because of the stretching. I tried all types of cream but the only relief I would get would be to take a shower. Sounds weird but it worked. I gained 45lbs. total with my girls I don't know if I mentioned they were 5lb. 14oz. and 6lbs. 11oz.

Take care and hang in there your doing great!

[breathingmom]

tiffani, if you don't mind me asking, how is your friend doing? Has she had any luck?

gogi, how are you? Are you choosing to have ultrasounds? (I had two). Have you picked out names yet? Since we did not want to know the sex of the babies we had to come up with four names! That was tough for us!

I gained over 60 pounds with my dd's. I don't think it is that important to keep track of though, I think it's best to trust your body. I remember before I found out that I was pregnant with twins I had to go somewhere on a long trip with my Mom. I was so embarrassed because I was eating so much and she didn't say anything but I knew she was watching me. Then when I found out I was having twins I understood why I was soooo hungry! It was a great lesson for me!

I remember at about 35 1/2 weeks I had a hard time getting up from the toilet. What a funny thing to remember! I guess it was because I was having to pee so often!

Take care and know that we are here! ~Jill

[gogi]

Breathingmom,

I have had three ultrasounds. I shouldn't have any more unless I make it to 39 weeks. If I do go that far they want to check the amniotic fluid level. we do not know the sex of the babies, so we have to pick out 4 names. We have it pretty much decided but I want to see them and decided what suits them. The names are:

girl/girl
- Fiona Elizabeth
- Violet Camille

girl/boy
-Fiona Elizabeth
- Killian Joseph

boy/boy
-Killian Joseph
-Fergus Cullom

I still like the names Naomi and Oona but they don't seem to fit very well.

I am not feeling great lately. My body aches. My joints feel almost arthritic. I have trouble standing up, it feels like my knees are going to give out. The biggest problem is that I am not getting much sleep and can't take naps. I feel almost like I have taken a drug that makes me feel agitated or that I have had to much caffine and feel wired. This is very strange because i do not eat any sugar or caffine. I remember having that sensation at night with my first pregnancy but not this bad. I am guessing it is a reaction to hormone levels. Any suggestions?

I am 34 1/2 weeks now and starting to feel anxious for the births.

[breathingmom]

gogi, the names you have picked are great! I especially like the name Fiona. Do you have any instincts about what sex the babies will be?

I thought that I was having boy/girl twins and was very surprised when my second daughter arrived!

I remember the the last weeks before the girls were born as being physically challenging. Your body is working so hard to grow these two precious babes! I also remember being so ready to have them physically but uncertain of my ability to care for twins and my young son (my ds was almost three when my dd's were born). I knew I would love them, I just wasn't sure of my ability to keep on top of it with three. It wasn't until a couple months after they were born that I was certain that I could do it. I had to learn to let the house go and sleep whenever I could. I also had help every day for the first six months (thank God for grandparents)!!

I enjoy watching the special bond between my dd's. Their relationship is so incredible! I always feel that whatever they may have lacked from me (attention wise) they have gained back double fold in their relationship with each other.

I don't know about the wired feeling that you are having. I did not have that. Did any of you other moms of twins have that sensation? Sorry that I cannot be of help with that.

You are in the home stretch! Hang in there and keep in touch! Your babies are so lucky that you are working so hard to give them a great start in life! Blessings, Jill

[Mommy of twins]

Gogi,

The names you chose are perfect! I wish I had some advice for the way you are feeling but I never experienced that. Maybe you are overdoing it and your body is telling you to get some rest before these babies arrive. Did you try sleeping with a body pillow? I had trouble sleeping on our bed because it was to hard, then we went out to buy our king size family bed and that was more comfortable for me. Just hang in there and keep us posted on how you are doing.

Take care!

[gogi]

I feel like at least one of these babies is a girl. I don't know if it is intuition or if I just can't imagine myself with 3 boys! I am trying to line up people who can help me out after the babies are born. My whole family works and it is hard to find people available. My mother would be perfect but she is giving 24 hour care to her parents. One is bedridden with parkinson's disease and the other has alzhiemer's. It is an undrstatement to say that her hands are full. I am sure I will be able to work something out.

I am sleeping with a body pillow and an assortment of other pillows. Sometimes it is good for me to also spend some time in the recliner and then switch to the bed. I slept well last night. The constant waking up to go to the bathroom and eat is part of the problem.

today I was having trouble fitting any food in and had to resort to protien smoothies for a while. I also have a head nudging my ribs. It is amazing how you can feel the growth of the babies from day to day. Thanks for all you advice and encouragement. I will have my next visit on Tuesday (35 weeks!) and my birthing tub should be delivered any day now. I am getting excited!

[breathingmom]

gogi, how did your appointment go today? You are at 35 weeks! Whooohooo! You are doing such a great job keeping those babies in there!!

When my parents and in-laws were not available we had a midwife student who came and helped with the kids. She was wonderful and loved learning more about twin babies. It was hard for me to admit I needed help, I am really independent.

It's hard to eat when there is so little room, huh? The smoothies saved me! I swear that there was no room left in the final weeks until they dropped a little!

The birthing tub sounds great! Did you use one with your first ds? I have a funny memory about our birthing tub. We had a hose hooked up in the bathroom and one of the midwife students used the bathroom. She accidently bumped the hose off the faucet and didn't notice. We had a flood in the hallway, there was water everywhere. We got a good laugh out of it!

Hang in there gogi! You are getting closer to holding those babies!! blessings~Jill

[gogi]

I just came back from my doctor visit and everything seems to be fine. I gained 4 lbs. this week. The first baby is at 0 station and I am 2 cm dilated. My fundal height is measuring 48cm! No wonder I am having trouble eating. It was an exciting visit because we went home with our home birth box of supplies. I am feeling grateful that I have made it this far and hope to go at least 2 more weeks.

I had a water birth with my ds. It was a great experience. It was a hospital birth so it will be a new experience to set up the tub in our house. It really helped my labor the first time around so I definitly wanted the water option this time.

[princess7199]

I wasn't able to have a homebirth with my twins.(There is nobody in my area that does homebirths.)I was able to have a easy uncomplicated delivery though.I went into labor at 35 weeks.The first was head first,but the second was breech.I had seen midwives,my whole pregnancy.Once I got to the hospital though,I kept hearing the nurses say that they would ask the dr.I had to tell them that I wanted a midwife to be there.(Dr.still had to be present in case of C-section.)Anyway,dr.wanted me to have an epidural.He said it would be easier to turn the second baby.He said that he wouldn't even try to deliver a breech baby,said it could get stuck.Which I knew was unlikly,my last child had been over 8 lbs.at birth and the twins were suppose to be under 5 lbs.each.The midwife ended up.being able to talk the Dr.into trying it without the epidural.(After upsetting my Dh and him and I getting into a huge fuss about the whole thing.My mother was there also,which didn't help matters.)The first twin was born without anybody else except my husband being in the room.(I couldn't hold him in.)They then rushed me to the O.R.just in case.Totally not needed!My second was born 14 min.after the first.He came out so fast the dr.literally caught him like a football.(The baby was born feet first after all.)The dr.said what had made it such a easy delivery was the fact that the bag of water didn't break until seconds before the birth and the great pushing!(I wouldn't have been able to listen to my body and push so well if I had an epidural!)Both babies were 5lbs.7oz. each and except for some small problems were fine.They are three weeks today and doing great.Just wanted to share my story.I've felt so good about it and haven't had anybody to share it with.Having twins without drugs or other intervention is very possible.

[breathingmom]

gogi, I am so glad to hear that your appointment went well! You are doing such a great job! Are the babies still moving around a lot? I remember the girls slowing down towards the end, there was not much room for them to move around.

Princess7179, welcome and thanks for sharing your story! It sounds like you did a wonderful job of advocating for yourself when you were in the hospital! Do you have identical twins or fraternal? What sex are they? I hope you will continue to share with us!

Blessings, Jill

[gogi]

Princess,

Thanks for sharing your story. I am at 35 weeks now and it makes me feel so much better to hear your success story giving birth at 35 weeks. My babies are also vertex/breech, but my practice is not concerned about the breech at all. They regularly deliver vaginal breech so they are not worried. I am very thankful that i do not have to fight for the kind of birth i want. i guess i am lucky to live in Chicago. it is strange that I can have these choices in the mostly conservative midwest.

Breathingmom,

Thanks for all the encouragement. The babies are still moving around a lot. i am actually surprised by the force. Sometimes they actually make my hips shift and I look like I am rocking sideways, and I am, just not under my own control. I wonder if that means they are still small? I have a lot of amniotic fluid still so maybe they just can move around easier. The cahllenge is sleeping. I have terrible insomnia. I think I roamed the house most of the night. Here it is 5:30pm and I still have not napped. I just don't feel tired today.

[Mommy of twins]

Hi gogi,

Hope everything is going well for you. Keep us updated I'm very excited for you and would like to be here to help you along the way. Take care.

[princess7199]

I had boy twins,think they are fraternal.Not sure so the placenta was sent to the path.lab and we can't get anybody to answer us.

[breathingmom]

gogi, I think it's great if your babies are still moving around a lot. I don't think that it necessarily means they are small. I understand your challenge of getting sleep. How is the itching? Have you found something to help? It's so exciting that you are 35 1/2 weeks now!! I wish I lived close enough to come over and play with your ds so you could get some rest! Have you decided who (if anyone) you are having at the births other than the midwives? You are doing an amazing job!!!!!!

mommy of twins, I forgot to ask if you had fraternal or identical twins. Are you able to tell them apart easily? How are things going for you? Your little sweethearts are about a month old now right? Do you have anyone helping you?

princess7179, we thought our girls were fraternal at first. One of our daughters had a head full of hair and the other was bald on top. They were easy to tell apart but when our Baby B's hair starting growing in we had more and more difficulty telling them apart. Finally when our girls were about a year old we heard about a DNA test so we sent away for it. The cost is around $100 and you receive a q-tip looking device that you rub gently on the inside of the cheek. Then you send it off to the company. I was fairly certain by the time we got the results back that they were identical, and they are. Are you able to tell your babies apart easily? Do you have a gut instinct if they are identical or not?

[gogi]

Breathingmom,

The itching has subsided. I am so surprised since everyone I have talked to just got worse until the births. I feel much better now that I am not tearing my skin off.

We will have 2 doctors and three nurses at the homebirth. Actually there might be more doctors since my practice only has about 4 twin births a year, they like to give other doctors some experience with delivering twins at home. My mother will also be there to look after my son. she was there for his birth and was really great. My sister lives with us and she will be there. Her job is to take pictures. We will have a doula also. I am a Bradley teacher and a fellow Bradley teacher/doula wants to help out free of charge. My best friend will possibly be there to take video. Everybody wants to be there like this is some kind of freak show. About 6 other friends or family have asked to be there. My husband keeps me in check and reminds me that we should only have people there who will really support us. I tend to think that witnessing the birth would be good for certain people (gotta influence the masses about natural and home birth) but I have to remember that this is about me and my family not about educating others.

My sister is taking my son to his swim class today and i think I might go with and get in the water. I want to be weightless for a while. I think it will make getting out of the water difficult.

[Mommy of twins]

Okay ladies call me stupid but I didn't notice until today that there were 2 pages to this post. I'm glad everyone is still keeping up.

Gogi,
Way to go! Did you get to relax a little when your son went to swim? I noticed on one of your posts you said you were a Bradley instructor. I took that class and loved it! I don't know if you teach the same thing but our instructor told us about holding ice in our hands during contractions and you know it helped me make it through the labor. We ran out of ice but we were lucky because it snowed that morning so my mom went and collected snow in ziploc baggies!

Princess,
Welcome to another twin mama! Enjoy those girls because they grow too fast.

Breathingmom,
My girls are identical and they are 1 1/2yrs. they are keeping me extremely busy. If you don't mind me asking did you nurse your twins? If so, for how long.

[breathingmom]

gogi, you are coming up on 36 weeks! Wow, you are so close to your goal!! Did you decide to get in the water at the pool? How was it? It's great news to hear that your itching has subsided!!

I understand what you mean about a "freak show". Our midwife wanted two people for each baby and for myself so we had a really cool doctor, two midwives, three midwife students, a doula, my mom and my husbands parents (to watch my ds). I actually went in to labor at 36 weeks and labored for 12 hours and then stopped. I dilated to five centimeters and stayed there for ten days!!! When I went into labor the second time at 37 1/2 weeks I was much more aware of what I wanted. I asked people to be quiet and kicked them out of the room a couple of times. In retrospect I know that I was feeling scared about my ability to care for three small children. I decided not to have the births video taped because it made me feel pressured to perform. It sounds like you have a good idea of how you want things to go and that you are very educated about birth.

It's cool that you are a Bradley childbirth instructor! While I have not taken the classes myself, I have a good friend who is a Bradley instructor and she is wonderful!

Mommy of twins, oops! It's princess7179 who's babies are a month old! Sorry for the mistake! I exclusively nursed my dd's for almost 1 1/2. I wish it would have been longer but we ended up moving away from family and my husband was traveling a lot (I did not have a lot of support). I have worked through my sadness now and try to give myself a pat on the back for nursing as long as I did. Are you nursing? How's it going? Did you have any help during the first months?

Did you have a lot of people attend the homebirths of your daughters? I think it is so great to hear everyone's stories.

gogi, please keep posting so we can know how you are doing. I am really enjoying hearing how things are going for you and please know that I am sending lots of positive energy your way!!! You can do it!!! You are almost there!!!! ~Jill