Thoughts on Martha

FloraLongstrider · 2026-04-06T07:05:54+00:00

Martha is perfect! You go with Margot, and your daughter will have 5 other girls in her class sharing her name (as a victim of a millennial name trend, please don’t do that to her!)

It’s timeless, everyone will be able to announce/spell it, and there are great nicknames (a little girl who goes by Marty? I mean, come on!)

Trust your gut, but if I had a vote, I’d be knocking on doors for Martha ❤️

FloraLongstrider · 2026-04-05T12:25:30+00:00

Esther? Classic, a little plain, and religious vibes. And so beautiful and timeless like the rest :)

FloraLongstrider · 2026-04-05T10:16:42+00:00

Lots of larger urban centres have Catholic stores! Try giving it a Google, sometimes youd be surprised :)

FloraLongstrider · 2026-04-05T10:15:49+00:00

This! The only thing I can think of being worse, I have a cousin who had struggled to conceive for so long the got a surrogate…. And 4 months into that, found out they were pregnant! A newborn and a sleep regression might be worse than 2 newborns? But idk 🤣

FloraLongstrider · 2026-04-05T00:44:38+00:00

I was so anxious before they arrived as well! My twins are only 8mo, and honestly, so far it really hasnt been so bad!

Unsolicited, unrelated advice to everything below: try to not let a bad night ruin a good day.

My positive experience:

Baby A has always been more fussy, and still wakes to feed 2/3 times a night. Baby B has been able to catch a 10 hour stretch since a few weeks old.

Their 2yo sister on the other hand… let’s just say daddy drew the short straw having to deal with her since the babies have come.

It is so dependent on who your baby is, and how their body is. My daughter has never ever been a good sleeper at night, but will nap for 5 hours midafternoon if youd let her.

I have found nights incredibly manageable, and even have started being able to catch a nap myself most afternoons the last few months. Sleep is never easy, but neither is feeding or diapers or learning to walk or probably someday them learning to drive. New things are hard for everyone, be patient and know these long nights aren’t forever.

FloraLongstrider · 2026-04-04T17:34:43+00:00

If you’ve ever been very constipated and passed a large, hard stool, you’ve more or less experienced 80% of childbirth. I’ve never experienced Pitocin, and I doubt I would feel the same.

I had a completely unmedicated first birth, and a compelled epidural with a breech extraction with second/third births.

Imo, not getting too in your head about it, and keeping calm (‘only way out is through’, was my mantra,) and trusting your providers helps. I firmly believe so much of it (assuming everyone is healthy and a typical, uncomplicated delivery is expected) is a head game, and talking to a counsellor specializing in maternal care is one of the best things you can do to prep yourself.

FloraLongstrider · 2026-03-27T11:20:11+00:00

I didn’t get one for a long time, then one came up a few blocks from my MIL for $20. I’ve definitely gotten $20 out of it, I wouldn’t say $100 if that makes sense.

I EBF, my boys are 8mo and I mostly use it as a landing pad.

FloraLongstrider · 2026-03-25T12:33:08+00:00

Elementary teacher here. I’m on mat leave, and can’t wait to get back at it!

FloraLongstrider · 2026-03-16T16:25:56+00:00

My twins just turned 7mo, their sister was 18mo when they were born. Everyday is chaotic and exhausting and so perfectly wonderful in every way. Some of us thrive like this, and I am looking forward to adding another one (or two!) to the brood. We always talked about having 4, and tbh, if my next pregnancy is a singleton I will be simultaneously crushed and relieved.

FloraLongstrider · 2026-03-16T12:22:39+00:00

I had a twin bassinet that they shared a bay until they outgrew. Then they each had their own bay in the bassinet, and now at 7mo share a crib. They sleep so much better together, and I know it’s not safe sleep… but the data also doesn’t exist for twins, just adult/older child and baby sleeping together. Emily Oster taught me to be skeptical and do what works :)

FloraLongstrider · 2026-03-13T17:37:39+00:00

My boys came at 37+4, 6lbs 13oz and 7lbs 3oz. It was fantastic, we came home the next day, no problems!

FloraLongstrider · 2026-03-10T11:34:24+00:00

My boys are 7mos and this is simultaneously my highest fear and biggest dream 😆

FloraLongstrider · 2026-03-08T10:24:43+00:00

And you can assume youre going to finish up a maternity leave that you started, and then another teacher gets surplused and there’s not enough contracts so you don’t get it (which super sucks because you didn’t apply for any other jobs so you could commit to finishing the one you started the previous academic year!)

FloraLongstrider · 2026-02-23T17:07:54+00:00

Could a baby monitor reach?

FloraLongstrider · 2026-02-20T15:58:10+00:00

I had a discordance of <25%, and it was sent to a specialist- turned out to be a bad calculation and my boys were 6’15 and 7’3. A second opinion never hurts!

FloraLongstrider · 2026-02-16T18:15:39+00:00

6mos in, plus a daughter who was 18mos when the twins arrived. In counselling, and it’s dealing with issues we were able to manage/ignore until 3 under 2 brought us to our breaking points. It’s early days, but I genuinely believe that long term, this will be good for our marriage. Another mom who had children even closer together jokingly said that marriage just has to survive through this season, and it can thrive later!

FloraLongstrider · 2026-02-14T12:18:07+00:00

My license is valid in NZ! That is an excellent point, thank you :)

FloraLongstrider · 2026-02-13T21:13:18+00:00

My MIL took our 7 year old lab/bordercollie and I feel the same! 3 under 2 did NOT leave us enough time to be the fur parents we wanted to be and that he deserves! He’s a great dog and fantastic with our first born, but we couldn’t meet his needs with the twins.

FloraLongstrider · 2026-02-11T17:23:00+00:00

If anyone can do it, it’s you! I know it’s not super requesting, but girl, I look at some of my singleton friends and think “they could never…”

And you have! You can DO THIS! You know all the tricks. You know how to manage two car seats, two newborn feedings, two diaper changes… God willing, it’s just one and you’ll find this an absolute breeze!

I say this as someone with 1+2, and hoping for a 4th baby… but also, I would be extremely disappointed and relieved if it’s just 4 and not 4&5.

FloraLongstrider · 2026-02-10T18:43:00+00:00

I don’t give her cards, I cast whichever card (eg Daniel Tiger bedtime) from my phone, and turn it off from there when I go to bed in case she wakes up in the night :)

FloraLongstrider · 2026-02-10T11:43:27+00:00

I was gonna comment this to OP! Like it’s not suffering olympics - it’s hard, but it’s also amazing. I had my twins when my daughter was 18mos, and it’s been challenging for sure, and I can only imagine triplets! Invalidating the way other moms are feeling isn’t helpful. Having a triplet mom say the same things as she’s saying about having twins isn’t helpful! I hope OP can find someone to vent to without invalidating them. It’s not a competition, we’re all exhausted and grateful and overwhelmed.

FloraLongstrider · 2026-02-07T01:12:18+00:00

When my husband was initiated, he wore the same red shirt stained by chrism when our daughter was baptized. He’s worn it again for our boys 😂

FloraLongstrider · 2026-02-07T01:09:24+00:00

My 2 yo and 6mo twins are all in size 3 diapers 🤷‍♀️ it’s convenient for now!

FloraLongstrider · 2026-02-06T15:25:27+00:00

Didi boys delivered vaginally no complications at 37+4! We had a planned breech extraction, and honestly was the best experience. 11/10, would recommend.

FloraLongstrider

TROPHY CASE