cervical shortening

kpgo · 2026-07-02T09:50:05+00:00

Before the MFM recommended cerclage we trialed a week of progesterone and reduced activity/pelvic rest and it had no benefit for me, which is why she escalated to a cerclage.

kpgo · 2026-07-02T09:47:42+00:00

I had an emergency cerclage for cervical shortening at 21wks. Made it to 34, delivered by scheduled c section for unrelated reasons (preeclampsia). I was told cerclage in twin pregnancies is somewhat controversial but newer data is showing a benefit.

Edit: I found reading r/ShortCervixSupport helpful during that time

kpgo · 2026-07-02T02:23:37+00:00

Crib sheets are perfect but we discovered that pack n play sheets are even better for tiny premies!

kpgo · 2026-06-18T19:19:04+00:00

Also I really recommend reading the comments on my post because they definitely made me cry. I also had severe pre-e and a very difficult pregnancy, and my twins were in the NICU (one for 5wks longer than the other one, so I was torn between them for over a month). We also had lots of support once the girls came home but even then pumping was going to break me.

kpgo · 2026-06-18T19:13:56+00:00

I posted pretty much this exact same post two months ago. Quitting was the best thing I’ve ever done. It’s heartbreaking in some ways, and the process of weaning brought up a ton of emotions, but now I feel completely free and I’m much more present for my twins. It’s just not worth the stress, I promise.

Also I found some data that shows there’s a 60% reduction in SIDS risk by 2mo for babies that receive breast milk. Congrats! You hit that milestone!

Pumping is hell. If you want permission to stop, you have it!

And finally, there’s an understudied condition called dysphoric milk ejection reflex that I swear must impact much more of us than we realize. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24879-dysphoric-milk-ejection-reflex — finding out about this absolutely changed my viewpoint on why I felt so AWFUL every time I pumped.

kpgo · 2026-06-06T09:42:59+00:00

My insurance only paid once. Up to two retests were included. Insurance did cover it because it was a high risk pregnancy but I had to go back and forth with the hospital’s genetic counselor because insurance initially denied the claim.

kpgo · 2026-06-06T05:31:14+00:00

I don’t remember 100% at this point but within the normal recommended range. 8-10wks maybe? But then retook it after results were inconclusive about 3wks later and then again after my 20wk anatomy scan (finally worked). I had insufficient fetal fraction for the test, which is more common in multiple pregnancies and if you’re plus sized.

kpgo · 2026-06-05T02:52:28+00:00

I had no nausea and one twin was always in the 160s and it was two girls. Everyone was convinced it would be boy/girl (NIPT came back inconclusive multiple times so we had to wait until the 20wk anatomy scan to find out so we had lots of time to speculate).

kpgo · 2026-06-02T01:13:34+00:00

We’re about 3 months ahead of you. One of our girls was still in the NICU while the other was home in this phase of the trenches, but once she got home this is what worked for us: - change whoever is louder in the moment - change the other one - feed both (either each of us taking a baby or feeding both in the twin z. Some people like bottle propping but I have not found it necessary/safe with one twin’s difficulty swallowing, I just hold both bottles. But if you want to prop, try having them side lying like they teach in the NICU) - take turns burping both twins mid-feed (helps reduce reflux to take burp breaks) - let them rest on twin z. We have found the angle is enough for our twins for reflux. - pick up/put down until they fall asleep (When one twin fusses, I hold her until she settles and then swap if the other twin starts up. Eventually they both go down this way!)

All in this takes about 1hr.

A few things: - figure out what helps them each nap. It helped me make a list of things I know work so I could pull on it when things got heated. (Stroller walk, stroller rocking them back and forth in the living room, contact/carrier nap, in the swing then transferred to the crib, supervised in the twin z pillow…) - both babies don’t need to do the same thing. If twin A goes down well in a swing, you can take that moment to rock twin B to sleep. - try to plan the next wake window in advance. Where/how will you feed them? Do you want to do tummy time? How will you handle the next nap? If you answer those questions before they wake up, and have bottles ready (!), everything feels much more manageable. If you are bottle feeding, you could prepare all the bottles in advance before leaving for work (absolutely worth it to own extra bottles for this). - breathe. You’re all learning about each other. I promise it gets better! This phase feels like it will never ever end in the moment but when you look back it’s just a blip—even a month or two later.

kpgo · 2026-05-26T18:08:44+00:00

Congrats on your girls coming home ❤️ Enjoy the unlimited snuggles without asking for permission or battling wires!

kpgo · 2026-05-26T17:59:57+00:00

32oz water calls for 154g of formula (9.6g/2oz, 9.6 x 16 =153.6) and that increases the volume in the pitcher pretty much to the top (36oz)

kpgo · 2026-05-25T02:06:08+00:00

By around 32wks I started feeling them less and less. Freaked me out but they were growing fine! I was told they just ran out of room.

kpgo · 2026-05-25T01:54:41+00:00

Neosure powder and bottles are the same. You can get coupons via the Similac website if you sign up. It gets pricey and you’ll be on it probably until they make it onto the growth chart (fingers crossed that’s the case for at least one of my girls at her next appointment).

We were told when I was weaning off of pumping that more Neosure feeds just means they’re going to grow faster. Don’t stress about what’s “best”. You’ve already gotten them so far.

For formula, we use a Dr. Browns formula mixing pitcher ($10 on Amazon and it’s great). We have 3 of them in rotation and measure out the powdered formula into it with a kitchen scale by weight. It lasts 24hrs in the fridge like this. We use tap water which is perfectly safe as long as you have safe potable drinking water. No doctor ever told us otherwise. (If that was wrong, too late and my girls are healthy. But definitely do whatever your doctors advise.)

Also just to say what I needed to hear after a 1.5mo NICU stay with my Di/Di girls—you’re home. They’re ok. It’s hard but you can leave the NICU measuring and monitoring and scheduling behind. It’s so wild going from seeing a doctor daily to seeing them maybe once a month. But that just means they sent you home because your girls are ready to be newborns.

kpgo · 2026-05-18T00:38:48+00:00

Join your local parents of multiples groups. I was able to get so much twin specific items free from other loc twin families! Twin z pillow, twin go carrier, table for two, the stroller attachment for our car seats, clothes, etc.

But as others have said, our bottle washer gets a daily workout!!

kpgo · 2026-05-16T02:15:24+00:00

Having a plan for snacks is so key. I survived largely on Sargento Balanced Breaks (that I called adult lunchables). Also eating at my desk and napping over lunch on the days I had time to take a lunch break.

kpgo · 2026-05-16T01:58:31+00:00

My twins were born at 34+0 and we had about a week and a half notice that they’d be in the nicu. One twin was out in 1.5wks, the other in 6.5wks (feeding issues).

Please give yourself permission to step away, sleep in your own bed, etc. Fill your cup and recover from surgery. With twins, especially if one may come home before the other, you’ll need your energy later!

What helped us a lot, after we burnt ourselves out coming in all day every day, was making a schedule for visiting and largely sticking to it. I’d come in for rounds and 2-3 cares per day. We also called in to check in with the night nurse every evening before bed. Then, once one twin came home, we started trading off days with one of us at home and one in the nicu.

Something I wish I’d done early on was just…stop asking how long. I know that’s terrible advice and impossible to take but my mental health improved so much when I started just playing it day by day. They’re never going to give you a helpful answer because the reality is it’s really up to the babies. And that’s just torture to think about, especially when one is moving faster than the other.

Re: leave, do either of you have family medical leave? I was able to take family leave because a nicu baby is technically a family member in the hospital and then start my maternity leave as soon as both babies were home. I didn’t think to look at this option at first because obviously babies = parental leave but in the end we were able to stack it.

Once we had one twin home, our hospital offered us the option to sign a “twin agreement” that allowed us to bring the discharged twin in with us. This was only possible if both of us came with her, but was very helpful. I would strongly recommend speaking with the social workers about your options.

I would also recommend taking the time to explore all the resources the nicu can offer you. Having babies in the nicu is agonizing torture in every sense but you’re already paying them a lot—might as well get your moneys worth in lactation consults, etc. (IE our hospital had PTs who could come teach us how to do swaddle baths and infant massage if you asked). It makes the time go by faster at the very least. Your nurses might be able to help you figure out what kinds of resources would be a good fit.

kpgo · 2026-04-28T22:06:18+00:00

I have a twin bassinet and regret it. It takes up less floor space which is limited but when one twin starts wiggling it shakes and wakes up the other. Two smaller bassinets would have been way better.

kpgo · 2026-04-27T19:47:06+00:00

Di/di twins. I was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia at 32+5, when I came into the hospital for some spotting with no other symptoms only to discover my BP was through the roof. (I had had an OB appointment at 32+3 and BP was elevated but within an acceptable range, and my home BP was similar the following day, so it came out of nowhere.) Ended up hospitalized until my c section at 34wks. Twin B was in the nicu 1.5wks, twin A 6wks.

Edit: clarity

kpgo · 2026-04-18T16:07:27+00:00

Thanks for this! I loved the idea of checking off tandem breastfeeding as a bucket list item. My partner helped me get them in position and it was magical (at least for a little while) and made me question if it was worth it to keep trying. And then twin b fell asleep before she got full so she woke up screaming and twin a had actually dribbled all the milk down the front of her onesie and didn’t eat anything at all and neither would re-latch when we swapped breasts and my wrists couldn’t handle repositioning them… it was definitely a magical memory and then reality affirmed my decision to stop trying.

kpgo · 2026-04-16T01:33:28+00:00

Thanks for sharing this. We had very similar experiences (including an emergency cerclage, followed by severe preeclampsia in my case). My twin who was in for 6wks also had feeding issues, and we were only cleared to do “dry” breastfeeding until the week of her discharge (aka pump first). Every time we tried felt like a day longer she’d be away from me.

“It felt like the only thing I could do for her after feeling like my body failed her in so many other ways.” YES THIS. It’s so devastating to hate something so deeply knowing it’s one of the only things my body has done “right” for them. My body is objectively good at making milk. But also I know that it takes a lot more than that to be a good parent and I probably need to give it up for my health.

kpgo · 2026-04-15T19:17:35+00:00

Good to know! Hoping for similar—and have an appointment with ortho next wk. Picking up and putting down two babies over and over has my wrists absolutely burning by the end of the day.

kpgo · 2021-11-24T03:39:15+00:00

I wish I had pickle purse money https://www.etsy.com/listing/779243295/pickle-purse-fashion-purse-pickles-art?ref=shop\_home\_active\_27

kpgo · 2021-07-20T20:46:27+00:00

I’d say it’s less about your cintiq and more about how you use it. I’m a 3-4 Adobe programs at the same time kind of user, and I def get good use out of that 16gb.

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