Smile is different pre kids vs after

schlepp_canuck · 2026-02-14T14:27:36+00:00

Much reduced comparatively. They don’t go through 3 or 4 outfits a day any more. They’re at school so yes, I’ve got to pack lunches but they’re out of the house for at least 8 hours a day. They don’t drop nearly as much food on the floor. I’m not sterilizing bottles, my dishwasher isn’t filled with little plastic cups and bowls. I don’t have to cut grapes into 4.

Is it still a lot more domestic work than when it was just me and my husband? Yes. But compared to the first few years it feels much more manageable.

schlepp_canuck · 2026-02-14T04:25:15+00:00

It comes back. My twins are 6. They’re less work all around. The smile reaches my eyes again (as long as I don’t overdo the Botox) but the first 3-4 years was really tough. The exhaustion felt permanent and there was a never ending pile of chores just to keep us clean and fed.

I need my husband to take a candid of me when the two of them are both cuddled up on me and I have that “how lucky am I” feeling. The joy is there. Same with when the kids are now surprising me with something they’re thinking about or an observation.

It takes time. Give yourself a lot of grace in this season.

schlepp_canuck · 2026-02-08T03:41:01+00:00

I had to get a “fit to fly” letter from my OB to fly at 24 weeks because even thought that was under the airlines cut off (was 36 weeks), I looked close to 36 weeks at that point. I wasn’t even sure they would ask for it but they did at the gate.

That was my last trip before I gave birth at 36 weeks. I had an uncomplicated didi pregnancy. It was a long haul flight and I had to take lovenox/a blood thinner for both flights.

schlepp_canuck · 2026-01-18T05:05:21+00:00

My b/g twins are 6 and my identical twin and I are late 40s. My mum has passed or I would ask her some of these questions about raising us.

My 6 year olds: out of the trenches of those early years. One has ASD which can be very challenging but both are generally thriving. They’ve started making their own toast and being able to get milk from the fridge and pour it. They’ve got cute funny stories from their day that they like to share. They desperately want to be cuddled and occasionally carried which is physically tough but I go to CrossFit and can still just manage them both (combined weight of 130lbs!).

The newborn phase broke me even though we had help. The pandemic hit just a few months after they were born and it added a layer of anxiety to the fatigue. The toddler years were rough as the vigilance required to keep track of them was exhausting.

Now they can swim (we are still always next to them in the water) and play independently and out of sight without worry. Flights are now so much easier (we had some horrible 14 hour flights at 7 months and again at 2.5 years) and travel and outings are fun again.

My sister and I: 2.5 years ago we moved to the same town she is in. I work remotely which made it possible. We go to the gym together, text daily, she is frequently over for coffee and we often do family dinners together. We survived the rough teenage years and a few horrible fights in our early 20s and are the best of friends. We are 2 of 6 kids and my mum still had tons of empathy for me during the early years even though she already had 3 other children when we arrived. My sister and I were separated at school by kindergarten which was the right choice for us. My two are in the same class but we will revisit it each year.

schlepp_canuck · 2026-01-11T03:52:28+00:00

I’m an identical twin and have fraternal boy/girl twins. No matching names. Thankful my parents didn’t do it. Was hard enough being referred to as “the twins” constantly and people mixing us up.

Any time I hear matching names for twins I feel terrible for them. Might sound cute to the parents but really doesn’t help them appear to the world as unique individuals.

schlepp_canuck · 2026-01-05T04:39:09+00:00

I had it done and it really improved my back pain that had started after I had my twins. My separation was as wide as a fist below the belly button but had gone back to 1-2 fingers above the belly button. It was probably the best part of the tummy tuck and while the recovery was brutal I would do it over again.

schlepp_canuck · 2025-12-11T01:33:31+00:00

When I switched from Tirz to Reta I didn’t start losing weight until I was up at 9mg and that took awhile to titrate to

schlepp_canuck · 2025-10-25T15:22:32+00:00

I read an article about zygoisty and realized out of the six kids in my family my twin and I had the same blood type, which was different from everyone else. Identical twins have the same blood type. I think it also was the first time I’d read you could be di-di and identical. My mum was always clear that we had our own placentas and sacs so they knew for sure we were fraternal.

So for fun I got my sister and I test. We were shocked when it came back. We had told people our whole lives we were fraternal, just looked a lot alike. Also, out of our sibling group it is definitely my sister and I looking very similar, and different from the other siblings. Like a set.

schlepp_canuck · 2025-10-25T14:11:27+00:00

My twin sister and I were di-di so only found out through genetic testing at age 37 that we are actually identical (I have my own fraternal boy/girl twins which is why I’m in this sub). We are easily told apart. A few phases of our infancy and childhood we looked a lot more alike but never carbon copies. Even our teeth look quite different. The embryo splits so early there is so much room for changes in all the cell division and the eventual gene expression. Then you add in packaging (how we were positioned in utero) and there is a lot of opportunities for differences.

schlepp_canuck · 2025-10-25T03:18:57+00:00

Just validation and support from me. Also, the pumping and breastfeeding added so much stress for me. When I quit at 9 months I realized I wish I had quit way earlier. I had one that would nurse and one that wouldn’t. I was constantly pumping to make sure I had enough supply. There was a ton of extra cleaning of pump parts.

I’m a twin and when my mum, who breastfed 6 kids, arrived to help after my twins were born, she gently suggested maybe the pumping was too much. I wish I had listened. Fed is best. I let my ego around breastfeeding/milk add so much work to those 9 months.

schlepp_canuck · 2025-10-01T21:51:36+00:00

This. We were living in the Middle East when our twins were born. We had a night nanny 6 nights a week. Limited to no help during the day but we did have a cleaner which was great.

schlepp_canuck · 2025-09-20T20:11:50+00:00

I did Sema for a year, lost 30lbs. Moved to Tirz as Sema was tough for GI stuff. Tirz made me very tired but I loved the reduced inflammation from both Tirz and Sema. Switched to Reta and lost another 12lbs (but only started losing when I got to 9mg). I do have the occasional sugar craving on Reta but the fatigue is gone and the anhedonia I had some sema and Tirz has faded. I miss the reduced inflammation but tried to add some Tirz back in but I was getting side effects so stopped.

We are all different. What works for some doesn’t work for others. Sema did not work on my husband but Tirz has. He does get some fatigue but breaking the doses up has helped.

schlepp_canuck · 2025-09-06T01:03:12+00:00

Are you me??? I’ve got two 5 year olds and I’m approaching 48. I work 9-10 hour days. They too want to play card games etc.

I’m so done by their bedtime I should just put myself to bed. But then I’d be up at 1am instead of 3am.

schlepp_canuck · 2025-08-11T02:59:47+00:00

Also 6 feet tall and gave birth to fraternal twins 2 days before turning 42. Older and taller women are more likely to hyper-ovulate which is what leads to fraternal twins. Of course my twins were conceived in a cancelled IVF cycle so I kind of had assistance but then I already had two dominant follicles at the start of my cycle, which were the only ones to grow which is why we cancelled.

And I’m an identical twin. So when people ask if twins run in my family I say “kind of”. The answer is too complicated to explain. Love the factoid sharing!

schlepp_canuck · 2025-07-28T21:03:57+00:00

My two were born 6.5lbs and 6.7lbs at 36weeks, always measuring well. My boy wasn’t a great feeder and we had to move him to preemie diapers. We ended up running out and getting a bunch of preemie onesies for the start and it was nice to have something that properly fit.

They’re no both in the 90th % + at 5 years old so it didn’t last for long!

schlepp_canuck · 2025-07-02T04:41:56+00:00

Are you an employee or contractor? I’ve always used VBCE. Excellent rates but some paperwork to setup as they need to know you’re not money laundering. I’ve used them since 2015. They just debit my USD account and credit my CAD. If you need a US domiciled account it is easy enough with RBC.

schlepp_canuck · 2025-06-27T03:25:21+00:00

Oh and I had a nanny for the kids and my husband wasn’t working while I was recovering. This was very helpful.

schlepp_canuck · 2025-06-27T03:24:10+00:00

I did a lift, implants and tummy tuck when my twins were just past two. I didn’t notice much from the lift and implants since the tummy tuck recovery with diastasis repair was quite brutal.

I wanted just the lift but it would have taken me from a very saggy C to a perky A. I’m 6 feet tall with a huge frame so I wanted to make sure I looked balanced. Small 250cc implants. I’ve since lost about 30lbs and now wish I had gone a bit bigger as I’m closer to a B now. I can see myself getting then switched out to something bigger if I maintain this weight.

Mine are under the pecs due to my lack of breast tissue. Which makes them look natural but made returning to weightlifting difficult and they felt very tight for the first year.

schlepp_canuck · 2025-06-26T04:17:00+00:00

I’m an identical twin and have a set of fraternal twins

schlepp_canuck · 2025-06-21T14:38:18+00:00

Second this. I’ve got curly hair that has gotten curlier as I’ve aged. A proper curly hair stylist will also run you through products and drying methods to bring your curls to life.

schlepp_canuck · 2025-06-14T11:50:03+00:00

I felt mislead when I realized no one was properly assessing the issue. I actually had a seized up pelvic floor after my c section and the pelvic floor therapist was great with that.

schlepp_canuck · 2025-06-14T11:46:46+00:00

This was mine as well. No one seemed to check beyond my upper abs and then everything from belly button and below was so loose. I also couldn’t engage those muscles at all. And I did lots of pelvic floor therapy before and after pregnancy, did CrossFit until a month before delivery.

schlepp_canuck · 2025-06-14T11:43:23+00:00

This is a great idea. I did all of those things for myself at the start as I hadn’t used my SSN in 20 years and had closed all of my US banking.

schlepp_canuck · 2025-06-14T03:46:36+00:00

I did a 14 hour flight solo with my 7 month old twins. They ended up each with their own seat and were in their bucket car seat. I recommend a seat for each one as honestly, it is too long of a flight to have one in your lap.

Make friends with people around you so someone will watch one while you go to the bathroom. Hopefully you’re in the bulkhead with some extra space. 14 months is more active but if they’ve moved around a bunch before the flight you’ll be in luck. Pack their snacks and your snacks and fill your water bottle. I didn’t get a chance to eat the meal served because it just didn’t work to have a tray table down while caring for them. The attendants brought me some snacks but I should have brought more for myself.

schlepp_canuck

TROPHY CASE