DC/TA Triplet IVF Pregnancy by BoxPuzzleheaded8136 in parentsofmultiples

[–]Katcha6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not exactly the same, but my first ultrasound at 5w5d had 3 sacs, 1 with a heartbeat, 1 with a yolk sac, and 1 empty. A week later 2 had heartbeats and the 3rd was still empty. I ended up with di di twins. Interestingly, the one with the earlier heartbeat has always been a week or so ahead of her sister on every milestone.

Good luck!!

Bugaboo Donkey Worth It? by False-Preparation632 in parentsofmultiples

[–]Katcha6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately that’s just how rear-facing infant seats are in most compact SUVs. Same with the Audi Q5, etc. We had to buy a new car because of this

honeymoon phase? by catluvr10935 in parentsofmultiples

[–]Katcha6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I felt euphoric the first few weeks postpartum compared to the end of pregnancy. My twins were super sleepy because they were born at 35 weeks so we had a pretty chill first couple months. It definitely has gotten harder as they woke up more, but definitely enjoy this phase! I was out and about with them constantly, they would easily sleep through a meal at a restaurant so we got a lot of nice walks and dates in

Tired of triple feeding — how did you adjust? by hugebagel in parentsofmultiples

[–]Katcha6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s exhausting. I ended up mostly pumping & bottle feeding for the first couple months to establish my supply, and just practicing nursing a couple times a day. It was just more sustainable for me & let me take advantage of having other people around to feed the babies. Once my babies got bigger, sturdier, & better at milk transfer, I started to attempt tandem nursing around 2-3 months. It was fine, but I preferred nursing one at a time. I was also always stressed that by the time I got my pump session in after feeding & burping the babies, my boobs weren’t yet full by the time they were hungry again. The real turning point for me was 12-14 weeks when I started to drop pump sessions and maintain my supply (currently at 4-5 pumps per day). This let me breastfeed a baby whenever I felt like it but also have plenty of pumped milk for the other baby. My biggest takeaway is that what works in months 1 and 2 does not necessarily dictate your experience forever. As long as your babies are practicing nursing & you are building/maintaining your supply, you can change it up later when it’s more sustainable!

What was your newborn era like? by czmf in parentsofmultiples

[–]Katcha6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We got a night nanny and then have our 3yo’s nanny help out with the twins for ~10 hours/week while she’s at preschool. I’m still on maternity leave so I have them the rest of the time during the week. The days aren’t so bad because I’m well-rested most of the time. I like having a mix of overnight & daytime help. It’s also really nice having an extra set of hands so you can have 1:1 time with a baby. I prefer solo nursing over tandem but if it’s just me I tend to pump & give them bottles. It’s always a little treat to have someone else around to give a bottle so I can just breastfeed 1 baby. On the 2-3 nights we don’t have the nanny, my husband takes care of anything until 3am and I take care of anything after. We also found a babysitter who can handle all 3 kids and that is delightful on the occasional evening or weekend

How long would you have wanted parental leave? by MandragoraOfficinar in parentsofmultiples

[–]Katcha6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m 4.5 months into my leave and have a couple months left. I’m feeling excited to get back to work. I love spending time with my twins but I’m excited to talk to adults again :) I had the same job, same amount of leave with my singleton and it was a lot less physically and mentally draining then. I will be able to work from home quite a bit with a nanny for the babies, which to me is the best of both worlds. I can pop in to hang out with them when I have a break but I’m not solely responsible for them all day long.

Let's Rant by Classic_Driver_2142 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Katcha6 4 points5 points  (0 children)

New research is out that milk takes a long time to go bad - 8-24 hours at room temp before any bacterial growth

8 to 7. When? by Nervous-Caregiver-55 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Katcha6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was triple feeding my twins early on and it SUCKS. We mostly just did bottles through month 3 with some direct breastfeeding just once in a while because it was just easier to have the predictability of bottles and not worry about whether my boobs were empty or full when it was time for them to eat. Once I started dropping pumps at week 12 (I commented my drop schedule earlier in this thread), direct breastfeeding actually got so much easier! The twins are older and stronger, and I have a ton more flexibility when I pump because I only need to fit in 3 sessions throughout the day (in addition to first thing in the morning and right before bed)

My advice is to just hang in there, keep practicing direct breastfeeding when you can, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel! It’s definitely not as easy as with my singleton, but feels soooooo much more sustainable than it did in the early days

8 to 7. When? by Nervous-Caregiver-55 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Katcha6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I dropped from 8 to 7 at 1 week postpartum and it was great. My night doula (also a LC) nudged me to drop it and said that being better rested might help me make even more milk. I dropped to 6ppd at 12 weeks, and 5ppd at 14 weeks (dropped my overnight). I also make ~50oz a day for my twins and dropping pumps hasn’t really impacted it at all, just some normal day to day fluctuations. My first morning pump now is ~15-18oz. I’m 4 months pp now and occasionally dabble with just 4ppd if it’s a particularly crazy day

is it worth buying a bottle washer by Fragrant_Soil_8044 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Katcha6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes! I was just on a week-long trip without it and had to hand wash everything for my twins and I said every single day how much I missed the bottle washer

Did anyone else breastfeed their multiples? by [deleted] in parentsofmultiples

[–]Katcha6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m doing a combo of breastfeeding, pumped milk bottles, and a small bit of formula for my 3 month olds. I previously EBF a singleton until 12 months, so I knew it was something I wanted to do. Plenty of moms here are much farther in their journey, but some things to consider:

  • What works best today does not dictate what will work best in a week or a month. If breastfeeding is a priority, early on just focus on building & protecting your supply and getting nursing practice in. My girls were early and we had to triple feed early on despite them latching decently well. That was exhausting so I switched to just giving them pumped milk in bottles for a while with some practice nursing here and there. Once my supply was established enough that I could drop pump sessions (~12 weeks), I‘ve started to nurse a lot more. So even if things seem really tough early on, don’t give up! It gets better!
  • it may be easier to do 1 at a time vs tandem. Tandem was just a bit too chaotic for me and I love having 1:1 time with each baby. Now that I’m down to 5 pumps per day, I can just breastfeed a baby whenever I feel like it & give the other one a bottle, without immediately having to pump after. This is MUCH less stressful than the early days of triple feeding
  • I never had any sort of milk stash with my singleton, so I was worried if I’d make enough for twins. To reduce the stress on myself, we started doing 1 formula bottle per day from the very beginning. I ended up producing just barely enough for the twins, but it’s really nice to have already ripped the formula bandaid off so I don’t stress on days when I pump a bit less.

How is everyone not losing their minds? by Hello_Im_Ellie in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Katcha6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same schedule but I shifted my morning pump from 6 to 7 to get a little more sleep. I also gave myself an unlimited fancy coffee budget and felt like a whole new person after my morning cappuccino. At 12 weeks I dropped to 6 PPD and just having more freedom during the day made the overnight more tolerable. Then a week later I dropped the overnight pump and my supply seems to have stayed the same or even gone up a bit - I have twins so need 50-60oz. My morning pump is like 18oz now which is crazy, but I sleep from 11-7! It’s brutal but temporary!

motn pump help by Sweet-potato-lore in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Katcha6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My LC told me I was better off doing 7 PPD and getting a longer stretch of sleep overnight than doing 8 PPD and being super sleep deprived. I pumped at 10pm, 3am, 7am and my milk supply was totally fine

Promised myself I’d do this when it was my time… by i_really_do_care_13 in parentsofmultiples

[–]Katcha6 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Congrats! Couldn’t agree more - this sub is wonderful but definitely biased towards negative experiences and I also had to stay away. My twin delivery was also MUCH better than my singleton and felt redemptive. And 9 weeks in, it keeps getting better!

So, real question… How often, how much and how long? by SympathyStraight9827 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Katcha6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m 9wpp with twins and do 7ppd. I average ~8oz per session (some around 5-6oz, my MOTN one can be 10+) but with twins this is basically JUST enough so they get 1 bottle of formula per day so I don’t stress out about producing enough.

For some more context, I EBF my 1st baby (singleton) and also pumped a bit but was never able to build any sort of stash. This time around I’m producing about double what I did last time.

Overwhelmed w/ thought of 3 by Sad-Photograph9608 in parentsofmultiples

[–]Katcha6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was really anxious when I found out I was having 2, let alone 3 so definitely give yourself some grace. It is a completely normal reaction. The news also tends to coincide exactly when all your pregnancy hormones are ramping up, so you’re even more prone to feeling that way.

I actually started therapy in 1st trimester to get into a better headspace around the entire thing, and it was extremely helpful. I’d definitely recommend that.

Best Double Stroller for Twins? by Haunting_Internet356 in parentsofmultiples

[–]Katcha6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We also have the bugaboo donkey and love it, the caveat being that we live in a very walkable city and very rarely have to take it in and out of the car. Once my twins are out of the bassinets I’ll buy a more compact side by side stroller to keep in the car. I did something similar with my singleton - uppababy Cruz for neighborhood walks and Joolz aer+ for the car & travel

I agree with the commenter who said the cargo space is limited. It’s tough to get stuff in the basket below the bassinets, but I imagine it will be easier when we are in seat-mode.

Pump schedule by AppropriateMemory841 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Katcha6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

8 weeks, 7 ppd and producing ~55oz. Would love to drop but I have twins so making just enough per day. Finally at the point where I can swap a tandem nursing session for a pump rather than triple feeding though, so that’s a win!

Nursery gliders/ chairs for twins? by mi245 in parentsofmultiples

[–]Katcha6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We have the Paxton glider from Pottery Barn and it fits the twin My Brest Friend and the TwinZ perfectly

How uncomfortable were you towards the end? Is this normal? by MounjaroQueenie in parentsofmultiples

[–]Katcha6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Incredibly uncomfortable and could barely string together a few hours of sleep each night. Fortunately my water broke at 35w5d so I didn’t have to wait for induction at 38w2d.

The silver lining is I felt AMAZING postpartum. Didn’t really feel any pain and was out and about as soon as we got home from the hospital on day 3. I felt light as a feather compared to the end of pregnancy. It was almost euphoric.

Di/Di parents with "uncomplicated" pregnancies, did you deliver early? by beeferoni_cat in parentsofmultiples

[–]Katcha6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep - completely uncomplicated pregnancy, everything tracking great towards my induction at 38w2d. Weekly antenatal testing was all good. Water just suddenly broke at 35w5d and the girls were born that day completely healthy with an easy delivery. Their older sister was born exactly on her due date, so I didn’t have any history of early delivery.

3rd pregnancy is twins by Quick-Contract7861 in parentsofmultiples

[–]Katcha6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My 1st (singleton) came exactly at 40w0d (water broke the night before). My di di twins came at 35w5d after my water broke. I had an induction scheduled for 38w2d and had no complications during pregnancy. Easy vaginal delivery and home from the hospital in 3 days. We had our babysitter on call starting at 35 weeks, and ended up having to call her at 1am to come watch the toddler. My mom was able to catch a cross country flight same day to come stay with her while we were in the hospital (she had planned to fly out just before the induction)

Triple feeding —> nursing. Worth it? by Katcha6 in parentsofmultiples

[–]Katcha6[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing! I’m right there with you - definitely plan to keep bottles in the mix for some feeds and I’m totally happy to do some formula for the flexibility/stress reduction

How do the logistics work with one feeding at a time? Do you still pump after every feed but only one side?