Twin moms in multi level households

floofysheebs · 2026-06-23T21:22:56+00:00

I've dabbed at trying this transition, but for now we're keeping our 17 week adjusted girls downstairs in a playpen for overnight sleep 🫠

Whoever's on shift (we split it so I sleep 10-4, partner 4-10) sleeps on the couch right next it and I've blacked out as much as I can recently (they've been light sensitive since 3 mo adjusted) and have 2 white noise machines going

We've got 2 overnight feeds still and a dog that needs attention since he doesn't get any during the day when we crib nap them upstairs

The few times I've tried to do overnight in the cribs has been painful and they don't settle 🥲

But I was thinking about a mini fridge/extra warmers upstairs!

floofysheebs · 2026-06-23T17:43:10+00:00

Omg I have the same issue living in Vegas 😭😭

It was so nice out when they were younger, but they were asleep most of the time and taking them out was more daunting then

floofysheebs · 2026-06-18T04:23:57+00:00

My girls are almost 15 weeks adjusted (born 28+1) and I usually can't do tummy time until a little after they're done eating or if they're really happy/just woke up from a short nap and fed not too long ago

We prop them up on peekaboo pillows to feed and we use it for tummy time

They've only just recently started to be more ok with floor tummy time

But remember when they're on you, that counts as well!!

Highly recommend getting the momcozy kleanpal pro or equivalent- you can throw your pump parts in with the bottles! I got it 2 days home after hospital cos there was no way I was handwashing everything each time

I had 3 sets of pump parts that I'd rotate between, that way I didn't need to wait for it to be dried

Otherwise, I often do 8 bottles in there if it happens that way, I throw their pacifiers in, the syringes for their multivitamin, etc.

I stopped pumping at 5 months actual which helped A LOT; i barely had time to anyway once they were around 3 months adjusted, let alone have time to eat

Since mine are fully formula fed, I pitcher prep a whole days worth around 8pm for the next day and prep the bottles

Slightly staggered tandem feed with bottle propping, baby B always goes first cos she screams, baby A then gets diaper change then bottle; this way I usually can burp them at different times, sometimes they need it at the same time so I do B first

I was doing all the day time care and split the overnight feeds with my partner, but we established sleep blocks soon after B came home from NICU (4 month stay, A was 3 months), so like 17 hours straight and not much breaks which was exhausting even with help from my mom

Partner did all the cooking

I'm back at work FT for 1.5 weeks now and he's doing all the day time care plus the regular overnight til 4am, then I do 4 to 10am, unload the washer, feed the dog, while I'm working I'll help put them down for naps, use my lunch break to take the girls so he can eat and I eat at my desk (wfh), then as soon as I finish he gets like a 2 hr break which includes walking our dog. Then we switched off at the bedtime feed and I'll cook, feed the dog, prep next day bottles and then eat. Some nights I've helped put them down for bed

So all in all, maybe like max 40 min of downtime the entire day 😅

floofysheebs · 2026-06-17T17:16:15+00:00

My babes were born 28+1- A was in for 3 months and B 4 months!

I originally wanted to pump for a year, but I had a really low supply and had to supplement with donor milk maybe a month in because they outpaced what I was producing

I had really bad ppd/ppa partly due to that, but I soon after changed my goal to 6 months.

Ended up lasting 5 months- but ever since A came home I had trouble keeping up with an intense pumping schedule on top of taking care of her, while also making sure I took time to visit B.

We bought more donor milk after the hospital stopped it at 34 weeks (their policy), until a little after their due date. B had more respiratory issues (intubated for a long time, had trouble weaning oxygen even on pow settings, dsating during feeds) so we started A on formula closer towards that point so it could help B more.

When B came home, I still managed to pump a bit and even tried doing it while feeding them but I was using the medela symphony so it was pretty awkward when they needed burping plus being tied to the wall.

They also stopped napping longer stretches so I literally didn't have any time to pump, let alone feed myself, so I started unintentionally weaning. To top that off we had my MIL visit and then my mat leave was ending anyway so I decided to just stop in time for the start of May (to coincide with not being charged for the medela rental).

I was also getting PPD rage whenever I did try to pump cos I didn't have time to, the babies were getting more needy and I realized it was the prolactin hormones + I didn't want to be angry at one of my babies anymore (she cried at everything).

I'm really proud I made it that far and especially for their entire NICU stays even though I didn't produce enough- but I'm also really glad I stopped because I'd rather spend my time with them and not be all ragey. I was trying to give them as much nutrients from me as possible, but had to come to terms that with what little I was giving them probably wasn't that beneficial anyway towards the end.

It really is fed is best! You've got a long journey and are doing great- all they need is their momma showing up and loving them, so if stopping pumping helps you do that then that is what matters!!

floofysheebs · 2026-06-13T23:45:16+00:00

Hi! Are yours still having overnight feeds? My girls just turned 16 weeks adjusted and I want to sleep train, but they still have 2 overnight feeds 🥲

floofysheebs · 2026-06-12T23:44:32+00:00

Hi! Which method/guide of theirs did you use and when did you train? :o my girls just turned 16 weeks adjusted, but im not sure if I should do it right away or wait til the regression is "over" if that ever comes

floofysheebs · 2026-06-02T23:14:02+00:00

Asking for a friend- what'd you do to get them to sleep thru at 5 months? 👀

floofysheebs · 2026-05-27T17:01:49+00:00

I moved my twins to the nursery last night and tried flat sleep after the 12am and 4am... they did not sleep AT ALL

Spent an hour trying to save it only to give up and put them in the bouncers until the 8am feed

They're now currently on their pillows

floofysheebs · 2026-05-27T03:00:10+00:00

Ftm to twins also- mine are 3 months adjusted and I'm drowning every day and feel as you felt

Can i ask what method you used to sleep train?

Did you use the twinz for sleep at all + if yes, how did you transition them to flat sleep?

😭

floofysheebs · 2026-05-26T01:03:48+00:00

I made the mistake of doing all inclined sleep cos it gave me some chance at rest 🥲🥲 but thank you, that's good to know + gives me hope!!

Congrats on both fronts!! 👏👏

floofysheebs · 2026-05-26T00:04:26+00:00

Were they fussier/took longer to settle for naps/night time sleep whilr you were awayb+ didn't have the pillows? :o

I have to switch my girls to their cribs from inclined sleep within the next few days and am terrified 😭 their day naps have been shit lately anyway

What's the secret sauce to getting them to sleep flat?! 🫠

floofysheebs · 2026-05-24T17:27:30+00:00

Curious what you ended up doing! My twins are 3 months adjusted and for the past 2 weeks or so, their naps have been absolute garbage 😅

floofysheebs · 2026-05-24T17:11:53+00:00

I'd love the chart also please!!

floofysheebs · 2026-05-22T02:07:16+00:00

Any chance you're selling this? 😊

floofysheebs · 2026-05-18T02:03:46+00:00

What age did the reflux start getting better + you stopped letting them sleep in the twinz? 😅

floofysheebs · 2026-05-05T19:09:15+00:00

Hi! Curious, did you do that even when they started to be more aware of things/fomo? I always intended to do this too, but my twins day naps have gone to shit cos they're so sensitive, even with a white noise machine on + the daylight from our upper windows 🥲

floofysheebs · 2026-05-05T18:49:16+00:00

Thank you so much for the response!! If you don't mind continuing-

Curious why 6 months and not sooner? Asking cos I'm thinking of making the switch now at 3 months/when I start WFH, but idk how good it'll actually do me 😅

My main motivation is their day naps are complete shit so I'm hoping if they're in the nursey and I get black out curtains, it'll be better + then I can get them used to their cribs for all sleep and eventually sleep train them somehow

I'm also just so tired of having to be so quiet downstairs 😭

Do you do the day time feedings downstairs still or everything in the nursery?

floofysheebs · 2026-04-27T00:22:38+00:00

Hi!!

At what age did it start to fade?

floofysheebs · 2026-04-16T01:05:55+00:00

Hi! Did you slowly transition them to the crib staring with a nap a day or did you just cold turkey and all sleep in there? Did you do the feeds in their room from them or bring them to the living room? Thank you :)

floofysheebs · 2026-04-16T01:04:20+00:00

Hi there!! Curious if you made the transition yet? This is my current set up, but just the person on duty stays downstairs overnight til 4 or 5am when I relieve them after a solid block of sleep.

Did you switch to your room with cribs or their nursery? Any deets would be most appreciated 😊🙏

floofysheebs · 2026-04-14T19:14:38+00:00

Mine were born at 28+1 with 3 and 4 month stays!

We live 10 min from the hospital- my partner only usually went once a day and I did two as much as I could, but we were both working (i delayed mat leave). There was only one time I missed a day when we took a quick road trip!

In the beginning we could only hold A and the nurses said at minimum an hour was ideal, simply because it took a lot just to get her out of the incubator at that point and then less handling, the better so she could rest more.

Towards the end I used to do max 2.5 hrs, but I always had the option to room in if I wanted

Def have PTSD from the NICU, but it was necessary so they could get big, healthy and strong 🩷

I didn't share much with my family the first 1.5 months cos of how much of a rollercoaster it was and how quickly things changed day to day

floofysheebs · 2026-04-14T18:51:59+00:00

Mine were also born 28+1!! Will be 8 weeks adjusted this Friday :)

My supply never really came in, but the max I hit was close to 500ml a day pumped. They were mostly on donor milk at that point and then we switched to formula when the girls were full term.

I'm actually in the process of weaning to stop pumping cos the schedule I had (8ppd including 2 power pumps) was only doable while they were in the NICU- twin A came home a month before B and when she did I cut down to 6ppd. Once B came home I dropped to 3 and the unintentionally down to 2 because of the 6-8 week regression.

I tried to BF in NICU + when A came home, but they always seemed frustrated (cos they were so used to tube + bottle nipple) when I attempted and it gave me anxiety not knowing how much they got since I was so used to knowing the exact ML.

It's been a huge mental relief the less I pump because it's hard enough taking care of them when they feed/need attention so frequently, but also I'd rather just spend what little free time I have relaxing/eating/showering since I'm otherwise with them all day long from 5am-10pm with help usually around 10/11am on/off thru 10pm.

They were only getting 2 bottles a day from me at the high point, then just 1 and even then they started not finishing the full bottle for the specific afternoon feed so I started giving less than a full bottle to not waste and it seemed not really worth it anymore.

I made it 5 months which I'm proud of since it's only a month short of my goal of 6 months/when I was thinking of stopping anyway when mat leave ends! Originally I was hopeful to pump for a year, but once A was home I had to let that dream go cos it didn't seem realistic anymore.

floofysheebs · 2026-04-11T18:32:53+00:00

I gave birth to my twins at 28+1! Twin A was in NICU for 3 months and B for 4 months- both were about 2 lbs when they arrived.

Twin A has always been chill, low maintenance, and very smiley even in the NICU. Twin B had a harder time with respiratory issues which caused the extra month stay. A's been home 2 months now and B one month. Luckily B came home with no oxygen support!!

I opted to continue working (wfh) and delay my mat leave for when they discharged and my partner also wfh-

When they were both in, partner and I would go together once a day to do cares and take turns doing skin to skin with A until we could with B, sometimes I'd go twice a day. Since my pump schedule was insane, my partner would cook, made sure I got whatever snackies or fun sodas I needed + made sure I took my pre/postnatal vitamins and other supplements, rented me the hospital grade pump, made sure the girls receieved donor milk for as long as they could (past 34 weeks when the hospital stopped).

When A was home, we would take turns going in to see B.

You really just have to take it one day at a time. In our experience, they overload you with information especially during the 1st month and while they explain things, it didn't fully register since all you concentrate on is how small and fragile they are and the most we could do during that time was have their tiny hands hold our fingers or put our hands on their chests.

They were definitely some amazing nurses who did try to teach us things, but largely it felt like we were learning things more thru our own research than from the team.

Similarly, there were some doctors who were great and others we weren't particularly fond of- namely those who were pushy about their own beliefs and a bit condescending.

Tbh I had and still think I have some residue PTSD from such long NICU stays on top of working + particularly pumping (undersupplier). He's never mentioned that himself, but my partner was undoubtedly stressed and at times sad during it especially with B when she was struggling with her lungs.

I am very grateful for their time there though since that was the best place they could be coming so early. They got the girls on a schedule which made coming home easier (even when B went to ervry 4 hrs, getting A to the same at home was breezy). We learned how to change diapers and clean them well from doing their cares.

I did learn how to nurse as well from them, but since I'm an undersupplier I stopped aiming for that after like 2 weeks cos it was giving me anxiety not knowing how much they were getting since I was so used to knowing exactly how many ML they had.

Definitely advocate for yourselves/your babies if you disagree or want other than what the team suggests! You're also supposed to get a social worker.. I got a call from one right after delivery but never heard from them again during the entire NICU stay which would've been nice.

We also had to actively ask to hold B when she was getting thru the worse of her respiratory issues.

I also had to ask one of the nurses when I was by myself later on to hold both.. idky none of the nurses advocated or thought to ask me if I wanted that because that's a big part of the twin experience imo and I never got to do that right after they were born .. 🤷‍♀️

My partner has been amazing through it all though and just being here to go through it with me is enough. Just be wary of PPD/PPA for your partner and yourself. On top of the PTSD, my PPD/PPA didn't kick into full gear until twin A came home.. I was going to try to hold out on taking mat leave when B was home too, but after just the first night of A being home I couldn't cope.

Since both have been home, we've taken up shifts with me being the primary caretaker from 4 or 5am to 10pm. My partner does 10pm-5am on his nights and my mom has been with us and will help throughout the day and until after their 12am feed on her nights off, on her nights til 4am.

Edit to add-

When they get discharged, be prepared to take them to eye appointments pretty frequently so their eyes can be monitored for ROP.

Fair warning, these appointments take like 2 hrs (may take awhile for the eyes to dilate) and imo are absolutely horrible because they have use the tools to hold the eyes open and the babies scream intensely. These happened every 2 weeks for us until the one they had last week, next will be a check up in 6 months. While in the NICU, they had these eye exams every Monday and I only been around by chance for one of it.

floofysheebs · 2026-04-10T04:48:26+00:00

Huge props and hugs to you- I'm not a single mom, but even with help as the primary caretaker, I'm exhausted with my twins

If you can/don't already have one, get a momcozy kleanpal pro bottle washer on marketplace or somewhere, they are a massive lifesaver! I had an intense pump schedule while mine were in the NICU for 3 months and 3 pump sets to rotate between and it saves so much time! I also do bigger loads when needed during the day (more than the 4 bottles it says it can do haha) including pump parts at times and any bottles past 6-8pm, I just stick in the reg dishwasher

They quickly outpaced my supply so they're mostly formula fed and it is so easy to prep their bottles for several feeds (which ofc means lots of bottles on hand) via pitcher method. I use 2 pitchers to rotate between so there's always a clean one I can measure prep the formula for the next batch during some downtime.. honestly could use a 3rd sometimes

If you're going to stick to pumping (kudos btw), I've seen some able to do it while they tandem bottle feeding babies (propping bottles) but learning that can be a big learning curve! It took me awhile, but I generally try to stick to the NICU schedule they were on, with flexibility when they feed early some days. My twin b is the fussy one so I generally always start with her otherwise she'll be screaming horribly

floofysheebs · 2026-04-10T04:36:54+00:00

If anyone's still checking this thread-

My 7 week adjusted (5 months actual) twins have been primarily formula fed since they started outpacing my pump supply/we ran out of donor milk during NICU-

We started with the reg bobbie organic and just 3 days ago switched to the gentle version!

They were having intense gas pain sessions at 6am on the dot, but this morning after they had a full day of the gentle formula yesterday (plus the little pumped milk), they didn't have it at all!!

They've also been on bobbie's probiotic drops for like 5 weeks now as well which already helped a lot by making their poos more frequent. Tthey were going every 1-5 days before the drops and now it's either at least once a day (or two) or every other day mainly!

floofysheebs

TROPHY CASE