twins at home? - Page 3

[princess7199]

Hey,everyone.Both ds' are doing great.Sorry to say that I'm almost ready to give up nursing already.My husband isn't very supportive and nursing them so much makes it very hard to take care of my other two kids.I'm here alone for about 10 hours a day.It's making me pretty sad that I can't feed them like I want to.

Gogi,Congrats on making it to 36 weeks.I'll be thinking about you.
Best of luck with your homebirth.

[gogi]

I did go to the swimming class with my sister and son, and I did get into the water. Getting into the bathing suit was an acrobatic event! I am so glad I did though, it was very relaxing and cool. The temp here in Chicago was 97 and it felt great to get wet and weightless. My son was so happy that i was in the pool. He usually waves to me through the glass while i sit in the lobby. Although my sister still held him and did all the skills with him, he looked at me as we sang all the songs together and was very happy that I was participating. I have been the boring Mommy who doesn't do anything fun lately.

My husband just filled up our birthing tub and I am going to start relaxing in it each evening. It has very strong spa/jacuzzi action. My dining room has been taken over by birth stuff. Tomorrow i go for my 36 week visit and i will give you all the update on my progress. Thanks for all the support and positive energy!

[breathingmom]

princess-I too thought about giving up on nursing. Yet the thought of having to get up in the night to make a bottle, listenening to the babies cry while I was warming it up, having to wash all the bottles, not being able to feed them at the same time just seemed like more work to me. I understand the physical demands of nursing. I wish I lived close enough to come over!

It took me awhile to find help during the day. Do you have any family or friends that could help out? How old are your other two kids?

gogi, I can't wait to hear how your appointment went today! You are at 36 weeks!!!! WOW!! I am so, so excited for you!! Only 7 more days, I know you can do it! You are doing an amazing job keeping those sweet babes in there!! I can imagine your dining room.

Sending lots of energy from across the miles!! ~Jill

[gogi]

I had a good doctor's visit, but not too much to report. We decided not to do a vaginal exam this week so i don't know if there is more progress as far as dilation and effacement. I gained 4 pounds and my uterus (fundal height) is measuring 49 cm.. I have swollen feet but my blood pressure looks good. The babies seem fine and heart rates are in the 140's. I am actually clear for home birth now. It has brought peace of mind to know if I go into labor tomorrow I can have my babies at home. I would still like to make it another week though. I have this strange desire to have big babies, I don't know why. My son was 8lbs. 10oz, so I am sure the twins will seem so small to me. I feel so grateful right now to be near the end of the pregnancy. Although there will be a lot of work ahead it will be great to be able to walk across a room without almost falling forward. I am not sure if women who are 5' 3" are meant to carry twins. we are going to do a belly cast tomorrow. I hope the kit we bought has enough materials to cover my belly!

Oh, I also have my twin breastfeeding pillow and am ready to be the dairy queen once again.

[Mommy of twins]

Gogi,

I'm sooooo excited for you! Take lots of pictures of your belly because it's so neat to look back on. I actually posed in a bikini and mailed it to a few friends and they couldn't believe how big I was. I am 5ft. 2in. so I know what you mean about being small to carry twins.

Breathingmom,

I strictly nursed (no pumping) the girls to this day. I'm trying to wean them except for night nursing because we have the family bed. I got my period about 3 months ago and since then I've become mentally, physically and emotinally drained. About my birth I only had 2 midwives, 2 of their helpers and my mom and husband present at the birth. I wish I would've gotten pictures taken at my birth because I feel like I need proof that I had a homebirth with twins (even though it states that on their birth certificate).

Princess,

I wish I could tell you to hang in there but the twins were my first so I don't know what it's like to have other children besides them. I agree with Breathingmom about not wanting to make bottles for two! To me it takes more time to do that then to sit down for a few minutes and relax. Remember the longer you nurse the stronger the immune system. Sorry if I'm no help!

[breathingmom]

gogi, it's so cool that you have the go ahead!! You are right about being dairy queen and I am sure you will appreciate the time to be sitting and enjoying your new babes!!

What does your ds think of the new babies coming? We did something fun. We bought small gifts ahead of time and when the girls were born we said they were from his new sisters. He thought that was really cool. I think a homebirth is a wonderful way for the older sibling to feel a part of the arrival of the babies.

How did your belly mask go? Did you have enough supplies?

Tammy, way to go on the nursing! I did not pump either. It never worked very good for me. Tell me more about your girls. Are they interacting much with each other? Are they developing their own language?

~Jill

[gogi]

My ds kisses my belly and says there are two babies in there. He tells me that they are going to come out of the "bagina". Because I teach bradley I have a ton of birth videos and he has been watching them. He likes the video of a natural twin birth. I think it is good that he sees the babies actually emerging from the vagina and he seems to get the fact that is the exit. He says that they are messy and we will need to clean them. I want him to be able to see the births because I think he will be able to grasp everything a little better. He took a bath with his daddy yesterday and my son was poking his little belly. When my husband asked what he was doing he said he was looking for his babies, and insisted he has a vagina and a penis. Little confusion there!

We weaned my son when we found out we were having twins. He weaned very easily but will still ask for milk when he gets hurt. He is waiting for the new milk to come with the babies and I am fine with him trying to nurse again. I just don't want him to feel left out of the nursing thing.

We are doing the belly cast tonight, so i will let you know how it goes. Last night I went in my birthing tub for the first time and enjoyed stretching out and relaxing in the warm water. I no longer fit in my tub and have a very hard time getting out of the bathtub.

[Mommy of twins]

gogi,

You are quite a trooper and I'm glad you think on our level of natural birthing and parenting! Are you sleeping any better? After my girls were born I would go for walks with them both in a sling (my neighbors thought I was crazy for carrying them both). I guess I was supposed to leave one at home!(ha!ha!) how is eating going for you?

breathingmom,

Today was a tough day with weaning, the girls did so well the past couple of days but I thought I was gonna give in. My husband said there's no turning back now but I'll be the one to make that decision. I've been using sippy cups to wean them because they never had a bottle or pacifier and I don't want to use them.
The girls are truly best friends. They don't like if one is sleeping and the other is awake so they try to wake each other up. I dress them alike even if one stains something I change them both. A couple months ago I noticed one getting a mole on her left ankle and the other one had an exact match on the same ankle! How weird is that?
What about your kids? How old are they?

[twinsb3]

Hi mamas! This is my first post. My name is Jen and yesterday we found out we are having twins at our first sonogram. I am 23 weeks preggo and using a direct entry midwfe. She is out of town, and does not know our surprise yet. We are thrilled about having twins, but I am a little disappionted in not being able to birth at home. It is illegal for mw's to deliver twins here in TX. I have tried the local birth centers also and they won't touch me with a ten foot pole. I am still researching my options and will talk with my mw when she returns home in a few days. Reading your stories gives me hope mamas. Thanks for starting this thread.
~jen

[gogi]

Mommy of twins

I am sleeping better. It was suggested that insomnia could be a result of a calcium deficiency so i am supplementing with calcium and have noticed that I fall asleep much easier and am able to go back to sleep after the 1,000 times I get up to go to the bathroom. The eating is also much better. For a couple of days i could not eat anything without having severe stomach pain, and then it went away. My breech baby's head moved a little lower and to the side, I think that made the difference.

TwinsB3

Congrats on the good news. We also found out we were having twins at 23 weeks. Our practice does not do routine ultrasound so we had not planned one, but by my 23 week visit I was measuring 5cm ahead and thought that i had an unusual amount of movement as compared with my first pregnancy. I was not sure of when i got pregnant so I fully expected the ultrasound to determine an earlier due date that we thought. We were SHOCKED to find out we were having twins. Good luck with your hunt for a home birth. I wish everybody had the luck and option of having a practice who will attend a homebirth for twins.

[Mommy of twins]

gogi,

Glad to hear your sleeping better. Get as much rest as you can!


twinsb3,
Congratulations on your news! The only advice I can give is to do as much research as you can. If you are still unable to have a homebirth you can still make your birth as natural and drug free as possible. If we can be of any help let us know, and eat that protein!!!

[twinsb3]

Thanks mamas! I will keep you all updated. I am having a hard time finding anyone that will do a low intervention hosp. birth, but I know things will work out somehow. My midwife will hopefully act as my doula and be my "voice" in the crazy hospital setting.
~jen

[Theo's Mama]

Hi, I just found this great thread after posting a question on the Pregnancy section. I am 20 weeks with twins (already can't sleep at night!) and can't imagine being 5'2" and having twins. I'm 5'9" and still feel full and burpy and bulky, and I guess this is nothing compared to what is coming.

I'm not planning on a homebirth. I had my son at the hospital with a practice of midwives who were just great, totally natural. I have felt that this was the best option for me up to this point. At my last visit, though, I was told that I had to have a doctor with the midwife. The doctor's policy seems to be that if the second baby is breech, he would like me to have an epidural (no way) in case he has to reach around in there. If I don't want one, the other option is to go out under general for that part of the birth and miss the birth of my second baby. Not a good option either. I haven't pressed yet, but assume he might be flexible about this.

I don't really understand what the big hubub is about getting the second baby out quickly. It sounds from your experiences that this isn't so much an issue?

Thanks for all the great info, glad to find this thread

[princess7199]

It is possible.

Theo's Mama,
You can have a natural birth with twins,even if the second one breech.I also had to have a Dr.present even though I had only seen midwives the whole pregnancy.If you look back on this thread I told a little about my birth.The Dr. will try to scare you and your family.(When he couln't get through to me,he tried my Dh and mother)It almost worked too.A couple of things helped me.I knew the facts about having an epidural,the chances of having of having an emergency c-section and anything else they try to tell you that could go wrong.(The midwife said I argued so well I should be a laywer.LOL)Second they are worried about a breech baby geting stuck.What helped me in that area was the fact that my second child had been over 8lbs.and delivered naturally with no intervention.
O.K. this is getting long.One more thing.From what I understood the reason they want to get the second baby out quickly is because they are worried about a prolasped(sp?)cord or the placenta trying to detach and come out after the first,but not waiting for the second.Neither one of these things happened to me,but that is just what I got from listening to them talk.There may be other concerns also that I don't know about.Got to go,feeding time.

[breathingmom]

gogi, I love the story about your son in the tub! You are one day closer!!! You are doing a great job girl!! Do you get any funny looks when you go out of the house? I went out to some stores the day the girls were born. People looked at me like I was crazy but I was proud to show off my beautiful belly.

tammy, my girls will be five the end of this month. They have different tastes in food but both love art and music. I love watching their relationship and the way they play together. They are such a blessing.

jen, congratulations!! Was finding out you are having twins a surprise for you? Were you suspicious before you had the ultrasound? I hope you will share your journey with us! I look forward to learning more about you!

theo's mom-Welcome!! I think Princess covered the reasons for doctors wanting to get the second baby out fast. We chose to let things happen naturally and there was an hour and 1/2 between our babies. All the mothers that I know who have taken a natural approach to their births and worked hard at eating right & taking good care of themselves have had great outcomes!! It's great to have you here! ~Jill

[Mommy of twins]

Welcome Theo's mama and congratulations on your exciting news! My advice might be to work on a birth plan that explains what you want and review it with your dr. and midwife.

Princess7199,

I love when people stand up for what they believe in an argue their point! Good job for sticking with it and believing in yourself.

Gogi,
Are you getting anxious. Towards the end of my pregnancy I was so excited because I could have girl/girl boy/boy or boy/girl and the suspense was killing me!

Breathingmom,
Today the partners in crime escaped and scared the crap out of me. We have a sunroom and they know how to open the doors. It was nice and I had the screens in to let in some air and they opened the door. I heard them laugh and went to see and they weren't there! I looked in their bedroom and they weren't there either! I ran outside and found them at the neighbors behind us. They just thought this was fun! After I got my heart out of my chest I brought them back in and shut all the doors and windows. Now we must come up with locks for them too! Plus, I gave in today with nursing during the day. I couldn't handle them crying knowing that it would only take 5 minutes for them to nurse and fall asleep. I think they aren't ready and I guess I realized I'm not ready either!

[twinsb3]

I told my midwife today about the twins (she has been out of town this week) and she is happy, but a little sad too because she can't actually deliver the babies. She imeadiately said that she would be my doula no matter what. Now I begin the search for a decent Dr. that will let me birth the way I would like to.
I went to the healthfood store and bought lots of high protien snacks and smoothie mixes today. Gotta put some weight on me! I am only 5'3" and wondering how in the world I am gonna carry two babes in there.
My son Jack was 42 weeks gestationan and weighed 8lb6oz at birth after several days of labor.
I work partime as a waitress in a nice European style cafe. So, I am glad that I didn't know I was preggo with twins because I would have quit sooner and working has been good for me. I feel really great, but ever since I found out I have twins in me I can't sleep very well from all the anticipation.

Breathingmom...we thought we heard two heartbeats at my first prenatal visit at 10 weeks, but decided it was an echo. So, yes this was a big shock. One baby is head down and the other is transverse up in my ribs, and so we missed that one. I can really tell whose kicking me now that I know their possitions.
LOL.
~jen

[gogi]

Breathingmom

We went out to eat today and many people asked when i was due, with that look on their face like you should be home or, better yet, in the hospital. I have to get out of the house and what better excuse than to eat! I do have the strangest belly, though. It is all out in front, from the back I don't even look pregnant. My beely is so low that it does not slope at the bottom. It comes out from the pubic bone at a 90 degree angle. I think that is what makes people think i am going to drop a baby at any time.

Mommy of twins

I am getting excited. I know this is twisted but it is not so much to find out what sex the babies are. I am anxious to find out how much they weigh. I have been working so hard to eat and force down protien when i have no appetite that i want to see all the hard work pay off! I have been very crampy today and the veins in my abdomen are really dark. I think there is more expansion going on, but can't figure out where i have room to expand. did anyone have very achy hips and pelvis? it is difficult to get in and out of bed or put clothes on without lifting my legs and feeling this terrible ache.


Theo's mom

I asked about the delivery of the second twin and the time frame. I noticed that the book Having Twins by Elizabeth Noble even advocated speedy delivery of the second twin. My Doc basically said he likes to let the second twin come out when it is ready, whether breech or vertex. There is no reason to rush it and he cited past patients who went sometimes 3 hours between deliveries. He thinks it is best to leave it in the hands of the creator and it will rearely go wrong. I have also been told some practices will not do a vaginal twin birth without an epidural (if the second twin is breech) because the pain of having to possibly manually turn the baby. This is the medical establishment believing that we won't be able to take the discomfort of a short moment in our life. It is apperently OK to up our risk of intervention, use of pitocin and c-section to spare us that pain (don't get me started). It just doesn't make sense. Keep sking questions and take a natural childbirth class with an instructor who has taught and supported people who had natural twins.

[Mommy of twins]

gogi,

You crack me up! My worst fear when I found out I was pregnant was to have a large baby with a big head. When I found out we were having twins I was excited because I knew the babies would be smaller. My girls were 5'14 and 6'11 at 37wks. Towards the last 3 months my entire stomach was nothing but veins. I had an odd shaped stomach. From the back I didn't look pregnant then when I turned to the side it was like "Look Out". The maternity shirts didn't fit me to weel toward the end. The bottom of my stomach would stick out. I don't remember having hip pain. My husbands a chiropractor and I got adjusted all the time so maybe that helped me. Sounds like your doing great! Did you do your belly mold?

[breathingmom]

Tammy- I think it is great that you are still nursing! I understand what you are saying about it only taking five minutes to calm them down. They are little for such a short time in their lives and there are so many benefits to both you and the girls to continue! Your story about them "escaping" brought back memories. Have you totally childproofed your house so you can relax? I know I did because I just couldn't keep up with the two of them.

jen-are you sleeping any better? I remember when I found out I was having twins it was like learning that I was pregnant all over again. We called all our friends and family to tell them. How is your Dr. search going?

princess-how are you doing? Youv'e made it through the first month!! I forgot if you told us but are your boys identical?

Theo's mom-how are you? Any luck talking with the dr? Are you getting use to the idea of being a mom of twins?

gogi-yes, at around 36 weeks I had achy hips and lower back. I also had a hard time getting up out of bed (another reason for the recliner ). I still feel that being a bit uncomfortable at the end was much better than having babies that were premature and that needed to be in the hospital. I'm guessing you feel the same. I hope you are able to get some rest now. You are so close and I am so excited for you! I know that you will be thinking of other things other than us when you go in to labor, however it would be really fun to know when you do! BTW- is it hard to reach the keyboard with your beautiful, big belly out in front? You are amazing gogi and I bet you babes will be over 5 pounds each! All you hard work is going to pay off!!!

My dd's are going to be five on Wednesday. I always think back to their births around their birthday times. It's such an amazing thing to grow, nuture, and sustain two babies at once! Giving birth to two is a truly awesome experience and I am still filled with intense love and awe when I look back to that day!! I have such a grateful heart to all the people who supported me in having the births of my choice! I hope some day that there will be more options in all areas of the US for women who are pregnant with twins. I am confident that some day it will be so! ~Jill