[1Plus2]

It's been a long time since we've had a roll call! There are new faces here since the last one we did and I'd love to hear how the "old-timers" are doing. So let's all say howdy and tell a little about ourselves.

Hello!

I'm Karen...a 30-year-old SAHM to three daughters. Haven turned 4 in September and my monozygotic twins, Lillie and Faith, turned 2 on the 16th of December. We live in West Virginia...about 1.5 hours from DC and Baltimore. Haven was about 19-months-old and still bf'ing when her sisters were conceived. We found out at 9-weeks that we were expecting twins and were VERY surpirsed and THRILLED!! Haven continued to nurse during my pregnancy and weaned at 25-months...2 months before her sisters were born. Lillie and Faith came into the world at 38w3d. They were both born vaginally and weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and 7 lbs. 1 oz. I am proud to report that both girls are still going strong at nursing!

DH and I have always wanted a big family and said we'd start talking about when we were going to get pg again when Lillie and Faith turned 2. That snuck up on us really fast...LOL!! We are not currently ttc but if it happens we are totally fine with it.

Next....

 

[gotmilkmama]

Hi Mamas!

I'm Carmella. I'm 33 (wow that's hard to write!), married to 32 yr old dh and have a son Dominic who will be 2 one week from today. And also MZ twin girls who turned 6mos yesterday - Josephine (Josie) and Angelena (Lena).

I bf'd Dominic till he self weaned at 13 1/2 mos. I was 4 1/2 preg with the girls and I think (by the look on Dom's face ) my milk changed taste. I bf my girls too. They have never had formula. Dominic had 2 ounces the first week home - which he immediately threw up - and he never got another drop after that.

I went from working full time to part time once Dominic was born. I pump 1-2 times on those days I'm working. I sometimes dread pumping but what are you gonna do? It's not so bad I guess - just nothin' like the real thing.

I am a walking zombie too. I have children that are absolutely wonderful (not to mention beautiful) but DON'T SLEEP! :LOL

All my kids love to sling. I used to put Josie and Lena together in one when newborns. This is a sure way to draw attention from everyone. They always looked snuggled up close just as they were inside of me.

Now I sling them mostly individually. Whenever I grab my sling Dominic comes running over with his arms up to be put in. That makes me feel good.

Oh and just recently he 'nursed' his baby doll. It brought tears to my eyes.

Anyway - I found out I was preg with twins at 7w5d! I went into shock. :LOL But soon felt like the luckiest mama on earth! My girls look so much alike too - thank God for birthmarks!

We want another baby. NO - not right now! But I am thinking of it. I'd love to adopt too. So many babies already born that need love!

I'm glad to find this board! It has been great and so supportive for me! I just subscribed to Mothering Magazine and received my first one recently. It's my new favortie mag to read..when I have 2 free minutes while peeing that is. :LOL

Looking forward to meeting more MDC mamas!

Next...

 

[kesmith]

Hi, I'm another Karen, going on 40 in the new year. I'm mom to 6 year old Sanelma and 16 month old twins Tapio and Helena, born (vaginally, though
Helena was a footling breech pulled out by OB, so not as naturally
as I'd hoped) at 40 wk 0d, weighing 8 pounds 7 oz and 9 pounds 4 oz. Both are still nursing strong, but because they're not as high needs as big sis was, I'm expecting they'll give up the boob a little sooner than she did (which was at age 5 years, 2 months, when I was 7 months pg with the twins). My babes were so big and I was so weak from the pg, that I didn't do as much slinging with the twins as I did with my first, but dh still slings them around when they're worn out in the evening.

We are in southern michigan, where it is currently snowing and we expect 6-10 inches by tomorrow night! We're big on outdoors in any weather...great snowsuits, wool long johns, the whole thing! I went back to part time work after the twins turned 1, with the help of some wonderful, wonderful paid support people! So I am completely exhausted most of the
time and post less often than I'd like.

 

[AmyY]

Good thread, thanks for starting it!

I'm Amy, 38, married to DH 39 and with twin daughters Alicia and Annika. We live in sunny Hawaii and love it! Our story is that after almost ten years of infertility we had a successful IVF and got pregnant with DZ twins. After all that it took to get pregnant I became a research and information fanatic. No doctor, book, nutritionist, nurse, midwife, or twin mom could give me enough details about my pregnancy. I ended up with several complications and had a c-section at 33w6d due to severe pre eclampsia (in spite of eating all the protein I could get my hands on day and night

). The girls were well grown, thankfully (god bless Dr. Barbara Luke!) and were born at 4 lbs 9 oz (Alicia - stayed 12 days in Level II) and 5 lbs 1 oz (Annika - stayed 6 days in Level II). They did very well with their preemie issues of self-regulating temperature and nippling feeds. I combined pumping with trying to BF through my worsening pre eclampsia, now morphed into HELLP Syndrome. Finally we all came home and I slowly got the girls to the breast. I continued supplementing with formula and bottles (my pumping routine was spotty during the worst of the HELLP Syndrome, which was prime supply-building time of course, drat!) until 9 months (Alicia) and 10 1/2 months (Annika). At this point is all breastfeeding and solids. I credit a very patient LC, my LLL leader and group, and lots of family support for helping me recover (except for lingering high blood pressure) and continue to breastfeed despite the overwhelming challenges. Year two is going soooooo much better than year one! Breastfeeding is fun rather than painful (oh yes, did I mention the four month battle with thrush between months two and six?), the girls are completely healthy (and have been from day one in spite of having been supplemented with formula, so I do believe the adage that "every drop counts"!), they are no longer in preemie land, having caught up completely to their chronological age. I can finally see my pre-pregnancy weight on the horizon and my doc says that at some point I may be able to get off the dratted BP meds. And I FINALLY LEARNED TO USE MY SLING!!!!!! And we're switching to cloth diapering!!!!!! Even though I no longer believe the urban legend that to get pregnant all you have to do is have sex, I am starting to believe in natural living once the babies come. Woohoo!!!

My girls are amazing, beyond words, miracles, I just don't know what to say. I still tear up sometimes when I look at them and I'm so thankful. Now DH and I want more babies... could my body handle another pregnancy? Could our finances handle another IVF? Could our girls handle the upheaval all that would bring? Etc etc etc...

I wish this forum were more active, I post on two other twin boards but I find the longer I go with nursing, co-sleeping, and other things associate with attachment parenting, the more distant I feel from folks who do cribs, CIO, full formula feedings, and so forth. But I love MDC and I hang out here lots and lots in the evenings. Looking forward to meeting more of you!

 

[1Plus2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kesmith at 40 wk 0d, weighing 8 pounds 7 oz and 9 pounds 4 oz.

You go, Mama!!

Amy - Sunny Hawaii?? I am BEYOND jealous!!

 

[lexbeach]

Hi!

I'm Lex, 24-year-old mom to 22-month-old Lukas and Jasper (fraternal boys). I'm married to 27-year-old Lena and we live in Massachusetts (were it is currently POURING outside. . . where's the snow?!). I suspected twins from the day BEFORE I got pregnant when dw told me a made-up bedtime story about our future baby--who in the story turned out to be TWO babies. In the story, they were boy/girl twins named Ava and Kai. When she told me, I had a premonition that I really would get pregnant the next day (we knew I was due to ovulate), and that I would have twins. About three days after we did the insemination, I started to feel carsick. I couldn't believe I was having symptoms already, but I knew I wasn't imagining it. 10 days after the insemination, I got the positive pg test, and then we saw the two little heartbeats at 6 weeks, 1 day. I did end up on bedrest at 29 weeks, but otherwise had a pretty uneventful pregnancy. Both of my boys were breech, and I couldn't find anyone who would help me deliver them vaginally. So, Luke and Jaz were born via scheduled c-section at 38 weeks, 2 days. I had really hoped to go into labor before the scheduled date, but by the time it arrived, I was so DONE, that I didn't care anymore at all! I just wanted them out! Luke weighed 8 lbs, 7 oz, and Jaz weighed 6 lbs, 4 oz. They were both exclusively breastfed for 7 months, and mostly breastfed (with a few bites of food every once in a while) until 13 months. They are still nursing all the time now. I'm ready for them to be nursing less, so we are working towards only nursing before and after sleep, and after big falls/bumps.

We are thinking, and talking, a lot about adding baby #3 to our family. I just got my period back on December 1st, so it feels like a real possibility to start ttc sometime soon. But, then again, our hands are SO full already, and we wonder if we're crazy to be trying for three under three!

Looking forward to reading the rest of this thread. . . !

 

[emblmrgrl]

Hi everyone,

I'm Jennifer, a 28 y/o SAHM to 4. My oldest is my 8 y/o dd, Carson. I have fraternal twin boys, Cyrus & Cole, that are 2 months shy of being 5 (how I"ve made it this far I have no idea!), and my youngest is 6 1/2 month old, John Riley.

I found out I was expecting my twins at 10 wks along. I had a pretty uneventful pregnancy (thank goodness) and delivered both boys, vaginally, at 36 wks 0 days after being induced, due to low amniotic fluid. Cyrus & Cole, at birth, weighed in at 5 lbs. 14 oz. & 6 lbs. 14 oz., respectively.

Glad to meet you all!

 

[flminivanmama]

Hi I'm andrea and I have twin boys, fraternal, who will be 5 on March 9th!! FIVE! oy.

they were born 11 weeks premature and we had all the usual struggles with that. they stayed in the NICU for 2 months, on monitors for 6 months, had tons of dr. appts the whole first year, therapy till they were three, and then developmental preschool for one year.

They didn't nurse till they were 3 months old - till then I pumped exclusively and used a nipple shield to get them nuring. One has SIDS and breastfed for 11 months and it was a struggle get him nursing for that long! I found out I was pregnant again when they were 6 months! and my milk dried up at about 5 months along.

The other twin and the baby nursed 3 more years and both weaned about the same time - about 2 months apart. (the twin first around his 4th birthday and the baby next around his 3rd birthday)

Jennifer when are Cyrus and Cole's birthday? my boys are 3/9/00

 

[emblmrgrl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flminivanmama Hi I'm andrea and I have twin boys, fraternal, who will be 5 on March 9th!! FIVE! oy. they were born 11 weeks premature and we had all the usual struggles with that. they stayed in the NICU for 2 months, on monitors for 6 months, had tons of dr. appts the whole first year, therapy till they were three, and then developmental preschool for one year. They didn't nurse till they were 3 months old - till then I pumped exclusively and used a nipple shield to get them nuring. One has SIDS and breastfed for 11 months and it was a struggle get him nursing for that long! I found out I was pregnant again when they were 6 months! and my milk dried up at about 5 months along. The other twin and the baby nursed 3 more years and both weaned about the same time - about 2 months apart. (the twin first around his 4th birthday and the baby next around his 3rd birthday) Jennifer when are Cyrus and Cole's birthday? my boys are 3/9/00

They were born 2/23/00... I can't believe it's been almost 5 years! LOL

 

[flminivanmama]

very close! you missed a leap day birthday by a week LOL

 

[amnesiac]

Hello to all. My twin boys will be 10 this spring & dd will be 6 so our baby days are long gone.

 

[MotherEden]

I'm Michelle, mama to 3 year old twins-one boy, one girl. They will be 4 in March! I am currently tandem nursing (and I mean literally one kid on each boob at the same time!) but it was a long hard road to get this way. I delivered vaginally, one twin breech! (no csection!) at 38 weeks. They both weighed 6lbs 6 ozs. I love multiples.

 

[Periwinkle]

Hi everyone.

I knew I was pregnant with twins almost from day one. They run strongly in my mom's family and I just felt so crummy so early that when I started measuring big by even 8 or 9 weeks, I knew there were two in there. A sono at 14 weeks confirmed it.

My boy/girl twins are 2 1/2 now (31 months to be exact). They were born early (2 months before my due date) after 1+ month of intense preterm labor and bedrest, but never had any serious or lasting problems. Dd (Baby A) was born naturally, but after she was born, ds (Baby B) turned transverse and wouldn't budge so he was born via c-section.

They each were about 4 lbs / 18", which is pretty big for that early, and always breathed on their own (I got that hormone shot for their lungs 3 days before they were born). By the time they were 6 months old, the developmental gap between their actual age and their corrected age was already narrowing significantly and by the time they were about a year, it was gone completely. Now they're even way ahead of other kids their age in a lot of areas like speech/language and also social skills and development, and it's a big relief to get to the point where I no longer have any little nagging worries or fears about how they'll do long-term. Dh and I feel very blessed about that. They are a total delight. (I mean it!) They're very happy go lucky little ones and so much fun.

So.... with the dramatic increase in our sanity and quality of life after dd and ds got through that 1-1/2 year old difficult period, we started talking about wanting more children. We stopped using birth control when dd and ds turned 2, and I got pregnant right away. I am expecting #3 in February (yes, "three under three") and to be totally honest, am really excited about the idea of only nursing one baby, carrying one baby, etc. not to mention just having another child in general!

Also, I am now 2+ weeks past the point where I delivered dd and ds, and it feels really good to have a normal, run of the mill pregnancy. I have to admit that pregnancy is so much more enjoyable (and easy) this time.

I switched from my OB to a midwife, and hired a labor doula. I'll be attempting a VBAC and have been doing tons of research and preparation to maximize my chances for a natural VBAC while minimizing the already-small risks associated with VBACs. I never had any regrets about my previous c-section (ds was sideways and wouldn't turn at all, all the while his placenta was rapidly deteroriating), and if need to have one again because this baby is 12 pounds, 3 weeks postdates, and a footling breech or something, then so be it, but it feels really good to be in control of my pregnancy and impending labor/birth this time, unlike last time which was, as I mentioned, kind of a nightmarish "high risk" etc. experience.

Those of you thinking of going for #3, I highly recommend it!

Pregnancy feels like a breeze!! And I can't believe I'll have 2 breasts for *only* one baby!

 

[1Plus2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lexbeach They are still nursing all the time now. I'm ready for them to be nursing less, so we are working towards only nursing before and after sleep, and after big falls/bumps.

Same thing here, Lex. My girls nurse so often still. In fact, I recently tried to night wean them because they were still nursing AT LEAST every 2 hours during the night (we still co-sleep). Faith did okay with it and now will sleep anywhere between 4 all the way up to 9 or 10 hours without waking to nurse. Lillie, on the other hand, still wakes often. I tell her she can nurse when the sun comes up which often pisses her off right nicely.

They ask to nurse a lot during the day too. Whether they're happy or upset...they want to nurse. As much as I adore nursing them I'm very ready for it to be only a couple of times a day.

 

[gotmilkmama]

AmyY - That's great you are switching to cloth diapers. I think

about doing this often. I'd like to actually DO something about it rather than just wish I CD. My big fear...

: more laundry! I can't even keep up with our clothes moreless finding time to wash diapers. Oh- and I have no clue how to go about washing them. Anyone able to describe - in a not too complicated way

- what the steps are? Also I'm assuming you need to wash out the poop in toilet first. This is a probelm too since lots of diapers get changed on main level and we only have 1 bthroom which is on 2nd level.

Kesmith - 8lb7 and 9lb4! Wow what big babes!!! That is awesome!!

You mamas nursing almost 2 years olds to almost 4 year olds - that is great!!! Karen (1plus2) - How do you do it nursing them so often throughout the night?

We have nights where I'm rolling to each side all night nursing my girls. I do sleep while they nurse but I never get a constant stretch of uninterrupted sleep. And I'm pretty much sleepwalking all day. So will I eventually get used to it? :LOL

Periwinkle - That's great you are having a more relaxing pregnancy! Good for you and I'm hoping for a wonderful VBAC for you!

 

[flminivanmama]

Carmella you should switch! It's not hard. I did it with three in diapers (the twins and number 3 are only a year apart).
simple wash instructions - throw all diapers in the machine when you put the kids in the tub at night. wash on hot with a small amount of soap. If your machine has extra soaks and rinses then use them. before you go to bed put the diapers in the drier. wake up in the morning to fresh clean diapers. put them in a basket and don't bother folding.

 

[Periwinkle]

I just wanted to give another

to all you mamas of older toddlers who are still nursing.

Hot darn mamas! That is impressive! Dd and ds night-weaned around 9 months and weaned completely around 20-22 months, but I know this would have been very different if they hadn't been premature and my milk supply had gotten off to a better start (sans pumping marathons I had to do to keep it up). I am looking forward to a longer nursing relationship with this little bean cooking, and like I said before, I can't believe I'll have TWO WHOLE BREASTS for just one little baby! :LOL I can't imagine what like will be like when the baby empties my left breast and instead of having to whip out the SNS to give pumped milk for fear of depriving his/her sibling, I can just... you know... switch sides!!!

WOW!

 

[gotmilkmama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flminivanmama Carmella you should switch! It's not hard. I did it with three in diapers (the twins and number 3 are only a year apart). simple wash instructions - throw all diapers in the machine when you put the kids in the tub at night. wash on hot with a small amount of soap. If your machine has extra soaks and rinses then use them. before you go to bed put the diapers in the drier. wake up in the morning to fresh clean diapers. put them in a basket and don't bother folding.

Andrea - Thanks for the instuctions!

I am very tempted to switch. Give me some more SIMPLE details. :LOL Like how do I wash diaper out before putting in wash? Or do I even have to do that part??? And where do I keep dirty diapers during the day? Heard of wet or dry pail but don't know how to go about doing this and this part doesn't sound very appealing. And what kind of soap do I use? And to get me started what type/size of dipes should I get? I am thinking about just getting a few of some very easy to use ones for my girls (dh needs easy to use anything) and try it out for part of day/night. I actually have some of the white folded type diapers that my mom use to use back in the day with diaper pins...but I use them as burp clothes or to catch milk when nursing. So have I successfully turned your simple instructions into a very complicated pile of questions.

I don't mean to make this a CD thread but I really would like to give it a try!

That is if it is easy enough to fit into my already crazy day.

 

[fivepears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gotmilkmama Also I'm assuming you need to wash out the poop in toilet first.

Actually, ALL poop should be dumped into a toilet; cloth diaper or disposable! Our landfills are not made to accept human excrement, especially with all the vaccine toxins that are excreted. Check out your diaposable diaper packages, they all say to put solid waste into the toilet before disposing (like we have time to read those packages, lol.

Sorry, this is a pet peeve of mine.

 

[fivepears]

Our story...

I'm Betsy, 42, with ds Seth 10/31/96 (EIGHT years old

: ) and DZ girls Audrey and Tess 9/19/00. I also had a "premonition" that I was pregnant with twins very early in my pregnancy. My birth with Seth was not what I had wanted, so I was determined to have a home birth my second time around. We weren't ttc (too much champagne on New Years Eve 1999!!!) and I was even on my period, but I had just stopped nursing Seth and my body was wacko! I was settling in to the idea of being pregnant and the thought that it might be TWO took me over. I went to my first midwife appointment and (at six weeks) was already measuring big -- she ordered an ultrasound to appease my fears of twins (we have NO family history, it just stuck with me) and sure enough there were TWO!!! I was so glad DH was there with me, because he would never have believed me if I had told him!

My midwife dropped me like a hot potato when twins were confirmed, lol. She referred me to UCSF, saying they were they best around and my chances for a natural birth were good with them. I got a good perinatal specialist and had a blessedly uneventful pregnancy, but had to fight tooth and nail for my right to deliver vaginally once we got past 36 weeks. I had already delivered a posterior nine pound baby, but I still had to prove my pelvis was big enough for a breech birth (CAT scan).

At my 39 week check up the doctor ordered a non-stress test during which they saw that both babies were transverse. Just the week prior baby a had been vertex! They freaked out (my nice doc was out of town) and sent me to the hospital wanting to do an immediate c-section. I argued with them, they called dh and scared him. I argued with him. In the end I gave in. I regret this decision every day, but it is what it is. I was worn out, it was a heat wave, I was ready to meet my girls. I just wish I had gone home and tried to get Audrey to move.

They were born via c-section at 10 pm, with DH and my sister present, Audrey was 7 lb 4 oz and Tess was 8 lb 1 oz. They went home with us the second day of their life. They bfed exclusively for the first seven and a half months then started on homemade organic vegies. We did cloth diapers (used a service for the first few months then switched to home) until they potty trained (Audrey at 20 months!). They have never been injected with anything and are wonderfully healthy happy girls. We co-slept until they were two and nursed until they were three and a half.

I can happily say that there is a light at the end of the tunnel (no, it's not a train). And it is all worth it!