With each passing week I am finding being a twin mum easier and easier. Without doubt there are times when things can get frustrating and bring you to tears- but life is not perfect is it ! Despite what you may see and hear on social media and others family pictures!
Anyway I thought i'd pop up our daily routine as it is as 6 months ...
7-7.30am Twins wakeup. I go downstairs & make up fresh bottles, make their porridge for breakfast, make a cup of tea or coffee for myself, empty and refill our milton tank, put the highchairs out
08.00am change nappies & babies get brought downstairs in their PJs for breakfast
08.30 play time on their play mat/play gym/tummy time
09.00 feed full bottles, usually 180ml, and change nappies again
09.30 upstairs for morning nap , usually lasts 2 hrs
Then I can shower/have my breakfast and cup of coffee/check emails/instagram/do housework! and decide what the twins will have for lunch & dinner. I make everything fresh for them as its much cheaper plus I quite like the idea of cooking for them :)
11.30 Brought downstairs for play time again
12.00 lunch time/ i also sing songs to them and nursery rhymes. At the moment we're working on waving hands and trying to get them to say Mummm haha.
12.30 babies have milk (usually 150ml-180ml) , nappies changed again & more play time
13.30 second and last nap of the day for one hour usually
14.30 we usually go out for a 1 hour walk around the village, or go out to run errands/ pop to shops/basically i use this time to go out if needed as they are happy and had their meals by this time
15.00 offer them some milk they only have a tiny amount
16.30-16.45 Babies dinner time!
17.00 bath time every 2nd night
17.30 Billybam bam episode gets watched!
18.00 The Happy Song on youtube comes on, followed by nursery rhymes and baby sensory TV
18.40 start feeding large bottles (they have up to 200ml), change nappies again and put up to bed.
19.00 both up in bed, ewan the dream sheep gets turned on/monitor with white noise/lamp off/humidifier off. Night Boys zzzzz
The routine changes every few weeks, and has only really settled into a proper routine at between 5 and 6 months old. When they were 0-14 wks old I really didnt have a clue! The phrase winging it comes to mind....
Monday, 1 May 2017
Wednesday, 22 March 2017
Maternity Leave
So I started my maternity leave from 29/30 weeks into my twin pregnancy, I thought that was a good time as you hear lots of stories of twins arriving early, and the inevitable tiredness that comes with carrying two babies inside you!
I had thoughts of maternity leave involving lots of cups of tea, baby groups, and finally getting to see what 'This Morning', 'Loose Women' , and general day time TV were all about! How wrong was I.
The babies are nearly 6 months old and we are only just going to be starting our first baby & toddler group next week. I feel ready to do this now. Although we managed swimming from 12 weeks old this was different as I had lots of helpers there and my husband managed to come to quite a few of the sessions too to help me change and feed the babies!
Daytime television doesn't happen at all because frankly, I never get the chance to sit in one spot long enough, and when the babies nap there seems to be an endless number of things to try and do or catch up on chores wise!
Cups of tea, yes ive had lots of those but mainly half cups or cold!
My tips for enjoying maternity leave prior to babies arrival:
I had thoughts of maternity leave involving lots of cups of tea, baby groups, and finally getting to see what 'This Morning', 'Loose Women' , and general day time TV were all about! How wrong was I.
The babies are nearly 6 months old and we are only just going to be starting our first baby & toddler group next week. I feel ready to do this now. Although we managed swimming from 12 weeks old this was different as I had lots of helpers there and my husband managed to come to quite a few of the sessions too to help me change and feed the babies!
Daytime television doesn't happen at all because frankly, I never get the chance to sit in one spot long enough, and when the babies nap there seems to be an endless number of things to try and do or catch up on chores wise!
Cups of tea, yes ive had lots of those but mainly half cups or cold!
My tips for enjoying maternity leave prior to babies arrival:
- Enjoy long baths in the afternoon! I used to love these and never get the chance now. Although I do get to have a bath its not the same when you have to wait until the babies are gone to bed, and listen out for any cries or unsettled-ness!
- Read lots of books- 'The Mumsnet Guide to Pregnancy', 'The Unmumsy Mum', Gina Ford's A Contented House with Twins (I took some tips from this but didnt strictly follow it ).
- Enjoy lunches out with your husband/partner/friends/family/colleagues- just because you can!
- Organise baby clothes/baby laundry/ hospital bag/the nursery/your own bedroom simply because you have the time to do it now!
- Eat lots of your favourite foods just because you have a great excuse- and you deserve it! But if you're like me , you'll have to deal with the consequences afterwards! ugh.
Tuesday, 7 March 2017
Post C section Recovery
Some advice:
Belly Bandit?
I bought one of these prior to my section. They're quite common in America after surgery, but it wasnt mentioned to me at the hospital here in the UK. I decided to get one anyway and try it.
After surgery I didn't feel like using it at all! Some people swear by them and they have so many good reviews. It definately wasnt for me. It was the last thing I wanted to try when I was sore and exhausted and I felt like it was rubbing against my scar, so wasnt very comfortable. Each to their own though and if its something you think you might like to try, you could always buy one on ebay and sell it for the same price afterwards if you dont use it like I did!
- Keep on top of your painkillers. If you stay in hospital a few days these will be on hand. Ibuprofen and paracetamol kept me comfortable for 10 days. After surgery youll probably be on some morphine. I loved this stuff but it made me sick a few times, and very tired/out of it for the first day without realising it.
- DO NOT do too much too soon. Its so difficult this one. As if you're like us you'll have friends and family visiting, as well as midwives/health visitors/nicu nurse appointments at home. You're already adjusting to life with a new little person/people and there will be 'stuff' everywhere all over your home, it will make you feel uneasy, but get used to it because that is what life will become for quite a while!!
- Have help at hand for the first 2/3 weeks if you possibly can! You will still need help picking things up off the floor (much like near the end of pregnancy!), you are advised not too hoover for the first 8-12 weeks if you can help it also, and if youve had twins you will undoubtedly need help with them for the first little while.
- Wear massive pants! The ones you thought you would never wear- that rise above your belly button. ( I got a bit too attached to the various ones I bought. But no, they must go in the bin now haha they are not glamorous! ) These will be so much more comfortable around your scar area and not irritate it.
- Drink LOTS of water! They will be checking up on this at the hospital when your catheter is removed. Also, you will get lots of wind post surgery, so peppermint tea helps this. You even get wind pains in your back?! who knew.
- Walking helped me lots. Once you can stand up straight which is a little bit tricky at first, walking about makes you feel so much better. I couldnt wait to get home and get out with the pushchair. It will take a few days/weeks to get your stamina back but you'll get there.
- With regards to exercise afterwards, it is advised not to do anything really before your 6 week check up. My stomach muscles had separated so much and still feel very weak 5 months after, along with my arm muscles (although these are getting much stronger now lifting the two boys !!) It is advised not to do crunches or sit ups as these can actually do damage. I thought I would have lost a bit more weight by now, but it is very difficult when you are sat feeding 2 babies for most part of the day! So I guess I'll have to be patient, and as a fellow twin mum said to me; once theyre crawling and walking about it will soon drop off! Lets hope so hey.
Belly Bandit?
I bought one of these prior to my section. They're quite common in America after surgery, but it wasnt mentioned to me at the hospital here in the UK. I decided to get one anyway and try it.
After surgery I didn't feel like using it at all! Some people swear by them and they have so many good reviews. It definately wasnt for me. It was the last thing I wanted to try when I was sore and exhausted and I felt like it was rubbing against my scar, so wasnt very comfortable. Each to their own though and if its something you think you might like to try, you could always buy one on ebay and sell it for the same price afterwards if you dont use it like I did!
Sunday, 5 February 2017
MCDA Twins Delivery: Elective Cesarean Section
Making the Decision
From the 1st trimester I was pretty sure I wanted to opt for a cesarean section. It is by no means the 'easy way out' and I had done a bit of reading around the subject for the delivery of MCDA (MoDi) twins.
There is no right and wrong way, and it seems that the choice solely lies with the mother. Although some consultants may persuade for a natural delivery if both twins are presented head down.
I was nervous about the discussion with my consultant, as both of my twins had been head down the whole pregnancy. My reasons behind opting for an ELCS was the reading I had done about acute twin to twin transfusion that can occur during delivery. Also the fact that twin 2 could flip around to the breech position, complicating delivery, or resulting in a C section anyway. I know the risks are small, but the risks were still there and it wasn't a chance I was prepared to take! Having to potentially heal two areas of my body didn't appeal to me one bit!
So, the choice was made, and I was booked in for October 18th at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, at 36 weeks + 3 days gestation. As the babies were to be delivered early, a course of two steroid injections was advised a few days before the surgery, to help with the maturation of their lungs. I had also read into this a bit, and know there is mention of links to autism and so on. It is the general feeling that the benefit of proceeding with the steroids outweighs the risk in this instance.
D-Day
I arrived at the hospital before 7am on the day of the surgery. I had followed my fasting instructions, and taken a ranitidine tablet the night before and the morning of as instructed.
I was first on the list that day. However, there was no NICU beds available at the time,in case the twins should need them, so they had to sort that out. I was nervous as I didn't want to go home to have to come back again later in the week as I had prepared myself. But, things like this cannot be helped. I got moved back on the surgery list slightly and two NICU beds became available while we were waiting.
I met my anaesthetist and surgeons first thing, and signed more consent forms and got told the risks of surgery again (not for the faint hearted listening to these). I had a theatre gown and compression stockings (the compression tights reduce your risk of blood clots after surgery) to put on. My husband had a set of scrubs to change into also.
We got called at 10am , and walked down to theatre (take your dressing gown- the theatre gowns are backless don't forget!). In the anaesthetic room that is when everything started to become real. That is really when I became nervous.
Theatre
Everyone was so friendly and the atmosphere was great. A lady held my hand and spoke to me whilst the spinal block was done, and a cannula was inserted into the back of my hand (you get local anaesthetic before it gets put in, but they never gave mine enough time to work first! It just pinches a bit).
My back was sprayed with a cold solution which makes you jump a bit, and covered with some plastic sheet to prep the area. Anaesthetic was injected into my back which was fine, just stings a tiny bit, and the spinal block was injected into my spine. My experience of this wasn't amazing- the injections were fine and you don't feel the spinal block as pain at all, just a very strange pressure feeling in your spine. The young anaesthetist who was doing mine took 8 attempts and 40 minutes to complete , so I was slightly uncomfortable. To check you are numb they run an ice cube down your side and ask a few questions, also they ask you to raise your legs, which you cannot do. It was a bizarre feeling.
Straight away after this (at 10.45am) I was wheeled into an adjoining room which is the operating theatre. Straight away the lights get put on you, and the screen got put up. Little did I know that they got started straight away!
During surgery my blood pressure dropped quite low so that made me feel a bit funny, but was soon fixed by some fluids injected into the back of my hand and goodness knows what else they gave me.
At 10.56am we heard a cry, and baby Thomas was shown to me and placed in a cot to be checked over quickly first, while this was being done another cry was heard and baby George was born at 10.58am, I was amazed by how quickly it all happened once they had got started. They were both checked over, and daddy cut the cord before the babies were given to us for skin to skin. We spent possibly 15 minutes with them at first before they had to be taken back over to be weighed and so on. I thought they were going to be bigger, going by scans at 34 weeks.
Twin 1 (Thomas) was 5lb9oz and twin 2 (George) was 4lb7oz. They were so teeny and so perfect. We were so delighted that they were with us safe, I think I was in shock the whole first day! It went by so fast.
After 40 minutes of putting me back together again, I was wheeled onto recovery (they monitor your blood pressure/ any bleeding and monitoring for post partum hemorrhage and your general well being). I felt very nauseous (I'm guessing from the morphine) I was wheeled back onto the maternity ward (Blakeney at the N&N) after about an hour on recovery.
We had nurses from the NICU come and assess the babies. They were found to have low blood sugar, and low body temperatures. This is quite common for little babies as they use so much energy to try and maintian their heat. It was recommended they bring the babies to the NICU to be checked over. So dad went with them and I stayed on the ward (I had no choice, I was stuck to the bed with numb legs and a catheter attached!)
I was suprised thinking back how out of it I felt. I wasnt prepared for the side effects of the pain relief I was on, and I barely noticed the babies being wheeled away.
I hadnt taken one paracetamol during my pregnancy at all, so I guess drugs take their full effect with me !!
I later found out that the babies were placed on a heat mattress in the NICU , and feeding (nasogastric tubes) inserted to assist with getting some milk into them as quickly as possible. Breast feeding, or bottle feeding uses huge amounts of energy for teeny babies , so this is quite common to need assistance for their first few days I later found out, and keep their energy output as low as possible.
I wished I had known this before as it was something I wasnt prepared for at all. I'll discuss this in another blog post.
I'll also discuss C section recovery in another blog post.
From the 1st trimester I was pretty sure I wanted to opt for a cesarean section. It is by no means the 'easy way out' and I had done a bit of reading around the subject for the delivery of MCDA (MoDi) twins.
There is no right and wrong way, and it seems that the choice solely lies with the mother. Although some consultants may persuade for a natural delivery if both twins are presented head down.
I was nervous about the discussion with my consultant, as both of my twins had been head down the whole pregnancy. My reasons behind opting for an ELCS was the reading I had done about acute twin to twin transfusion that can occur during delivery. Also the fact that twin 2 could flip around to the breech position, complicating delivery, or resulting in a C section anyway. I know the risks are small, but the risks were still there and it wasn't a chance I was prepared to take! Having to potentially heal two areas of my body didn't appeal to me one bit!
So, the choice was made, and I was booked in for October 18th at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, at 36 weeks + 3 days gestation. As the babies were to be delivered early, a course of two steroid injections was advised a few days before the surgery, to help with the maturation of their lungs. I had also read into this a bit, and know there is mention of links to autism and so on. It is the general feeling that the benefit of proceeding with the steroids outweighs the risk in this instance.
D-Day
I arrived at the hospital before 7am on the day of the surgery. I had followed my fasting instructions, and taken a ranitidine tablet the night before and the morning of as instructed.
I was first on the list that day. However, there was no NICU beds available at the time,in case the twins should need them, so they had to sort that out. I was nervous as I didn't want to go home to have to come back again later in the week as I had prepared myself. But, things like this cannot be helped. I got moved back on the surgery list slightly and two NICU beds became available while we were waiting.
I met my anaesthetist and surgeons first thing, and signed more consent forms and got told the risks of surgery again (not for the faint hearted listening to these). I had a theatre gown and compression stockings (the compression tights reduce your risk of blood clots after surgery) to put on. My husband had a set of scrubs to change into also.
We got called at 10am , and walked down to theatre (take your dressing gown- the theatre gowns are backless don't forget!). In the anaesthetic room that is when everything started to become real. That is really when I became nervous.
Theatre
Everyone was so friendly and the atmosphere was great. A lady held my hand and spoke to me whilst the spinal block was done, and a cannula was inserted into the back of my hand (you get local anaesthetic before it gets put in, but they never gave mine enough time to work first! It just pinches a bit).
My back was sprayed with a cold solution which makes you jump a bit, and covered with some plastic sheet to prep the area. Anaesthetic was injected into my back which was fine, just stings a tiny bit, and the spinal block was injected into my spine. My experience of this wasn't amazing- the injections were fine and you don't feel the spinal block as pain at all, just a very strange pressure feeling in your spine. The young anaesthetist who was doing mine took 8 attempts and 40 minutes to complete , so I was slightly uncomfortable. To check you are numb they run an ice cube down your side and ask a few questions, also they ask you to raise your legs, which you cannot do. It was a bizarre feeling.
Straight away after this (at 10.45am) I was wheeled into an adjoining room which is the operating theatre. Straight away the lights get put on you, and the screen got put up. Little did I know that they got started straight away!
During surgery my blood pressure dropped quite low so that made me feel a bit funny, but was soon fixed by some fluids injected into the back of my hand and goodness knows what else they gave me.
At 10.56am we heard a cry, and baby Thomas was shown to me and placed in a cot to be checked over quickly first, while this was being done another cry was heard and baby George was born at 10.58am, I was amazed by how quickly it all happened once they had got started. They were both checked over, and daddy cut the cord before the babies were given to us for skin to skin. We spent possibly 15 minutes with them at first before they had to be taken back over to be weighed and so on. I thought they were going to be bigger, going by scans at 34 weeks.
Twin 1 (Thomas) was 5lb9oz and twin 2 (George) was 4lb7oz. They were so teeny and so perfect. We were so delighted that they were with us safe, I think I was in shock the whole first day! It went by so fast.
After 40 minutes of putting me back together again, I was wheeled onto recovery (they monitor your blood pressure/ any bleeding and monitoring for post partum hemorrhage and your general well being). I felt very nauseous (I'm guessing from the morphine) I was wheeled back onto the maternity ward (Blakeney at the N&N) after about an hour on recovery.
We had nurses from the NICU come and assess the babies. They were found to have low blood sugar, and low body temperatures. This is quite common for little babies as they use so much energy to try and maintian their heat. It was recommended they bring the babies to the NICU to be checked over. So dad went with them and I stayed on the ward (I had no choice, I was stuck to the bed with numb legs and a catheter attached!)
I was suprised thinking back how out of it I felt. I wasnt prepared for the side effects of the pain relief I was on, and I barely noticed the babies being wheeled away.
I hadnt taken one paracetamol during my pregnancy at all, so I guess drugs take their full effect with me !!
I later found out that the babies were placed on a heat mattress in the NICU , and feeding (nasogastric tubes) inserted to assist with getting some milk into them as quickly as possible. Breast feeding, or bottle feeding uses huge amounts of energy for teeny babies , so this is quite common to need assistance for their first few days I later found out, and keep their energy output as low as possible.
I wished I had known this before as it was something I wasnt prepared for at all. I'll discuss this in another blog post.
I'll also discuss C section recovery in another blog post.
Here are a couple of photos from the theatre when we first got handed our boys!!
 |
| Twin 1: Thomas |
 |
| Twin 2 : George |
Friday, 27 January 2017
Sytron for Low Birthweight Babies
Sytron (sodium feredetate) is an iron medication that was prescribed only to George, my twin who was low birth weight.
Low birth weight is described as being <2.5kg (<5lb8oz) .
We were sent home with the medicine to give 1ml a day until George reached 2.5kg, and then 2.5ml every day thereafter until he reached 1 year of age.
We never knew about this until we were doing the paper work for discharge, and never given a leaflet about it. So I had to do my own reading when I went home. Turns out the hospital have a leaflet- click here
We wondered why George only had to have it from day 6 when we got home, and this is because babies have enough maternal iron stores until a few days old, hence why we never needed it during our hospital stay.
It will help to prevent anemia in George, and hence help maintain normal growth.
I didn't realise until George was 14 weeks old that it is best not to add it to a milk feed, but to administer it separately as milk and dairy can inhibit its absorption. He is brilliant at taking it from the syringe bless him as i doubt it tastes very nice!
It does have side affects too I found out- their poop may be a bit darker, it can give them windy and uncomfortable tummies too. But the side affects are few and not as serious as the complications of childhood anemia.
Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Baby Samples & Freebies
The best things in life are free....
There are lots of samples & offers to avail of when you are expecting, and have just had a baby, or babies. With the huge expense that comes with having newborns, every little helps.
These are what I used;
Join the Bounty Club to claim your bounty packs (You get 3 x packs. One at the beginning of your pregnancy, one in the middle, and one is given to you on the ward after delivery, with lots of mini samples & coupons. My favourite items were the miniature sudacrem & nappies)
Join the Boots Baby Club (I got pregnancy multivitamins and a MAM bottle & soother, extra clubcard points and coupons for mum & baby products ) You also get 10 points per £1 spent on baby products when you're a member.
Emmas Diary Packs (These are great, much like the bounty packs with small samples and coupons/info, there are 3 to collect from Boots or Argos with your voucher which you can print off on their website when you join)- The website is also great and full of information.
Pampers (If you write to/email pampers and provide proof of your babies birth- by sending a copy of the birth certs , parents of twins can get vouchers worth twenty pounds to spend on pampers products/nappies)
Pampers later got in touch and asked me try trial their new nappy pants in size 3. So they sent me a large pack of 44 nappies to try, and lots of coupons.
Tesco baby club (I got sent a tesco baby box with a pack of wipes/johnsons baby oil/jar of food and a weaning spoon along with one of our online grocery deliveries, this could be random per store? )
Ellas Kitchen They will send you a wall chart and stickers to track your weaning progress. Also coupons to try their very handy products!!
Instagram Competitions
On instagram within the space of a couple of weeks I won; a large pot of kokoso coconut baby oil, a Lara & Ollie teething necklace, and a pack of 2 Nuby 360 natural touch bottles. Worth getting involved and following your favourite companies!
Tuesday, 24 January 2017
Twin mum hospital packing list :
My Bag:
- 2 nighties (if you have a c section you'll have a urinary catheter in place for the first day/night until you're mobile again).
- 1 pair other pjs
- Couple of maternity / sleep bras
- 5 pairs huge granny pants (so your scar isn't irritated and they can sit way above it- I went up about 3/4 sizes in these and bought the, cheaply from tesco)
- 2 packs of maternity towels (yes you still need them after a section!)
- Towel for shower
- Toiletries (face wash or wipes/moisturiser/lip balm//toothbrush/toothpaste/shampoo/conditioner /shower gel)-the basics really. Oh ,hair bobbles too as you'll want your hair up most of the time I'm sure
- DRY SHAMPOO - this was a godsend during my stay as I couldn't really wash my hair for a few days after - I was a wimp and was scared to get my scar wet , so I just showered myself with the shower head and left my hair for when I got home. Also, hospital policy didnt allow hair driers !
- Peppermint tea (for bloating/wind after surgery)
- Robinsons squash drops (tiny bottle of diluting juice for water- you have to drink tons the following day as they monitor your output!)
- Slippers & light dressing gown- the ward gets quite warm! I needed mine for walking down to theatre also.
- Any snacks you want. Hospital food, I can confirm, is rank.
- Phone /camera & charger for the million photographs you'll take ! Don't forget to get dad to take it to the theatre if you're having a caesarean!
- Going home outfit - I ended up wearing the same as I went in with as it was easy and comfy.
- Own pillow and soft fleecey blanket - one home comfort I'm glad I went in with!
- *MATERNITY NOTES*
Dads Bag:
- Change of clothes
- Phone charger /phone/camera
- Lots of snacks!
- Newspaper/book/magazine/headphones - it could be a long wait if induced or c section is delayed
-Don't forget the 2 car seats dad!
Twin Babies Bag :
I put most things in my yummy mummy twin changing bag .
- 1 pack per day pampers micro nappies - my mum brought these in for me as the newborn nappies were far too big! (Babies were 4lb 7oz and 5lb 9oz)
- (or 1 pack per day newborn size 1 nappies (your babies may be bigger ?!))
- Cotton wool roll for topping & tailing , and the hospital like you to use these for cleaning during nappy changes for the first few weeks.
- Newborn sensitive wipes - I soon switched to these once their bowels got moving as found them easier and less messy!
- Muslin cloths X 6
- Newborn hats x2 (the hospital give you some too )
- 6 front opening sleepsuits
- 6 bodysuits
- Going home cardigans (the use of pramsuits in car seats is advised against)
- 4 cellular blankets
- Lanolin cream if you're breastfeeding
- Own breast pump (if using)- I didn't have one at the time and kind of wished I had as the hospitals are in short supply!)
- Baby bottles if using / formula if using. If unsure of feeding method the hospital do have supplies.
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