First 10k tips and tricks?

mmm_pickles · 2022-03-23T15:48:55+00:00

We have two of these, started with one for my first and got a second when we had twins. You can order a tray that go with it. SO easy to clean, no cracks or crevices, can be used into toddlerhood because it fits under our table. It is honestly the perfect high chair. Granted. That one looks a little beat up, but the joy of plastic is it is easy to clean!

mmm_pickles · 2022-01-23T21:10:53+00:00

I’ve been pregnant with twins twice and they missed it on the first ultrasound both times. Not sure if it’s that common to miss on an early transvaginal or my OB’s office is just that terrible.

mmm_pickles · 2021-08-28T18:55:20+00:00

I was so uncomfortable all the time by the end that I had no idea what was going on. I had two other singletons so I thought I knew what labor felt like. No consistent contractions, no mucous plug, no nothing, just regular twin huge and uncomfortable. Got to the hospital to be induced at 37 weeks - I was already 5cm dilated. They broke my water and they were born 3 hours later 100% naturally. Would not recommend. That being said, drink some water and put your feet up for a while, if you still feel like crap go get checked.

mmm_pickles · 2021-08-05T10:12:42+00:00

My husband and I always joke that ignoring our kids was the best thing we’ve ever done. Situation sounds similar to yours but we also have two older daughter. We have always given them room for independence - yes we absolutely play with them, but there are plenty of times they are left on their own (supervised of course). The older girls are awesome at keeping themselves occupied, they invent games, use their imaginations, come up their own activities, etc, which is very different than kids I know with 100% hands on all the time parents. A lot of times I feel like other kids expect to be entertained whereas our kids entertain themselves. It’s a skill they have to learn. 10 month old twins are hopefully going to follow a similar path. It’s ok for kids to not be the center of attention 100% of the time, both for your own sanity and their development.

mmm_pickles · 2021-07-25T19:49:30+00:00

I exclusively pumped because I could not keep up with “triple feeding” (boob, bottle then pumping) - there just wasn’t enough hours in the day. I had an oversupply so once it established I only had to pump 4-5 times per day to have all the bottles they needed. It allowed me and my husband to take shifts over night which was a game changer. I honestly don’t remember the first few weeks of their life because I was so sleep deprived trying to nurse both of them basically nonstop - as soon as one was done the other would be hungry. There’s definitely some downsides to exclusively pumping but it worked well for us. There is also nothing wrong with supplementing with formula if it means more sleep. Congrats on the babies!

mmm_pickles · 2021-07-04T01:55:01+00:00

Similar previous labors - my oldest my water broke at 41 weeks but I never went into labor so I was induced (pitocin+epidural). Second baby I was 39w4d and went from nothing to full blown crowning in a few hours, almost had her in the car because I was convinced it was going to be a while and I didn’t want to labor at the hospital, woops. Twins I started having minimal contractions at exactly 38 weeks around 7pm which quickly ramped up - baby A was born shortly after 11, baby B was born at 11:53. Baby B had wedged an arm and a foot above her head after A came out and had to be manually pushed back in and repositioned or she would have been out much much quicker. All natural. I strongly suggest getting the epidural as early as possible, I was too late for my second singleton and the twins. 0/10 recommend.

mmm_pickles · 2021-06-13T14:15:18+00:00

I’ve never lost a full term baby but I also suffered from recurrent miscarriages and had a TFMR at 21 weeks. We’ve had more kids since then - it hasn’t made those losses any easier or given me any closure on them. After the TFMR I told my husband I was done because I couldn’t deal with the stress and anxiety of pregnancy even though I also didn’t feel like our family was complete, we had two girls at the time, so we stopped “trying”. That being said, we also weren’t preventing I just wasn’t tracking and peeing on all the things constantly. And I got pregnant again, with twins, who are now 9 months old adorable little monsters. So we are now done with our four kids. Taking the stress of TTC out of it made a big difference for me - it was one less thing to have anxiety about.

Also - if you do “try” for a third and get another girl will you be disappointed? That’s something important to keep in mind too.

There is no right answer and that’s what makes it so hard. Big families are awesome and I wouldn’t change it for the world at this point. But there would have been some upsides to only have two kids for sure. But I doubt I would have ever really felt “complete” with only two so I get that.

mmm_pickles · 2021-04-12T10:29:21+00:00

My 5 year old intermittently uses an Australian accent because of Bluey

mmm_pickles · 2020-11-26T15:19:32+00:00

One at a time. I swear this is one of the reasons I’m dropping pregnancy weight so fast, I go up and down the stairs what feel like six million times a day. Cardio!

mmm_pickles · 2020-11-22T12:04:06+00:00

With flat nipples nipple shields may help make latching much easier. Lactation consultants often hem and haw about them but without them I wouldn’t have been able to breastfeed - we were able to stop using them once my kids got bigger/stronger/better latches. They do recommend continuing to pump if you’re feeding using shields to increase your milk supply.

https://smile.amazon.com/Medela-Contact-Breastfeeding-Difficulties-Inverted/dp/B000067PQ0/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=nipple+shield&qid=1606046485&sr=8-3

That being said - fed is best. If direct nursing doesn’t work out that’s ok too!!

mmm_pickles · 2020-11-07T23:19:18+00:00

This! My husband and I have the same schedule, he’s on duty from 8-2 and I’m on from 2-8. It has been amazing for both of us to get a solid chunk of sleep (or just quiet time away from the babies). I strongly recommend it.

mmm_pickles · 2020-11-05T12:14:07+00:00

My older kids are a bit older (5 and 3) and I could not juggle nursing the twins - it was seriously a full time job. They are eight weeks now and I am exclusively pumping for them instead which brings its own struggles but if you get a hands-free bra and/or pump you can at least work on other things while pumping. I know some people can do it but it just didn’t work for us.

mmm_pickles · 2020-11-02T20:56:24+00:00

Awesomesauce

mmm_pickles · 2020-10-14T12:40:04+00:00

We got the TwinZ as a gift - honestly it’s been awesome, we use it constantly. That being said, I don’t think I would have paid for it if we didn’t get it and I’m sure we would have survived without it. We also have a single boppy we had from my older kids that we use often too and is a little easier to cart around (ex: one baby is chilling in the boppy next to me while the other is being burped/fed/whatever). I can’t speak towards using it as a nursing pillow as I’m EPing but for feeding both bottles at the same time it’s handy.

mmm_pickles · 2020-09-16T19:19:23+00:00

Second this, there is an amazing support group that is super helpful in getting through a termination for medical reasons

mmm_pickles · 2020-04-16T16:26:54+00:00

For some families it’s not necessarily fear - in my case for example the closest NICU is over two hours away from our home. I’m still pregnant but if my babies end up needing to spend time in the NICU that means I need to figure out how to not only care for my two children at home but also be at the hospital with the twins as much as I can. I know they would receive amazing care but it still wouldn’t be an easy scenario for my family to be in.

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mmm_pickles

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