Meet Nix and Naomi.
Two twin mums from different walks of life who have come together to share stories and provide support to other multiple birth families.
Listen to Episode One HERE.
Talking Twins and More. Episode One.
Blog
Surviving the third trimester with twins – The good, the bad and the very ugly!
Author: Jodi Collins
Twin pregnancy in all its glory!
I was pregnant, with two of everything, for roughly 265 days (that’s 6360 looong hours or 381,600 seemingly endless minutes) and I’m not going to lie – towards the end – I felt every, single one of them.
I know I’m one of the lucky ones, not many multi-mammas get to bake their babes until they are well-done, but at the time, I was certain I was serving a sentence of hard time for a crime I didn’t commit.
Right from the beginning, I made a decision, not to count weeks!
One-day-at-a-time was how I survived the third trimester with twins. My morning sickness rivalled the type of hangover only a three-day bender from waaaay back (when I had no kids and a life) could induce.
It was also how I got through the third (uggghhh) trimester.
Twin Birth | One Born Every Minute Australia
Arti and Ganesh met on a dating website in India and married before heading to Australia, only to find out once they arrived they were pregnant with twin boys. Arti is hoping for a natural delivery but understands it might not be possible as twins are considered a high risk pregnancy. The midwife struggles to find the twins heartbeat for monitoring but she finally finds them both beating away. Dr Pesce arrives to help deliver the twins just in case there are any complications. Arti is absolutely amazing and the twins arrive naturally without a hitch! One needs a little help breathing as he’s a bit stunned but both Swarit and Taksh are totally healthy baby boys.
Are your boys fraternal or identical?
Swarit and Taksh are fraternal boy twins. They are both totally different from each other in every way. Not only do they look totally different, but they behave totally differently. One is always smiling and wants to interact with toys, the other is happy to just lay there and observe.
My aunt had twins a long time ago, but no one else in our family has twins. It is very special.
How old are they? And how are you coping with it all?
The boys are 4 months old now. It’s getting a bit easier. I wont lie, the early days were very very tough. I just kept repeating what my friend told me. That “It is just one day you need to get through, it is a new day tomorrow”.
Continue Reading →Our twins have Cerebral Palsy and both twins came home on oxygen.
Author: Emilie Upson
Twins born at 28 weeks
Our journey with health issues for the twins started straight away. They were born at 28 weeks and weren’t breathing so were resuscitated, I didn’t get to see either twin until hours later.
NICU journey for twins born at 28 weeks
During their 12.5 week NICU stay we dealt with quite a number of things, blood transfusions, jaundice, feed intolerance, infections, CMV diagnosis for both twins, sepsis, a surgery for torsion of testes on twin 1 and laser eye surgery on both eyes to repair twin 2’s ROP.
However, the most prominent was the frequent, and never ending, apnoeas and bradycardic episodes which meant they stayed on oxygen. They started with the ventilator, then CPAP for quite some time, then onto high-flo and finally we were onto lo-flo and I thought we were fine. But at 36 weeks they were both diagnosed as having Chronic Lung Disease and I was told they would probably come home on oxygen.
Note from Twinfo: Please see HERE for a list of common NICU terms.
Continue Reading →Congenital heart defect in one twin. Our story.
Author: Shannon Foster
My twin pregnancy and journey has been a Rollercoaster from the start. From the shock of finding out it was 2 babies instead of 1, to going to my 18 week ultrasound and finding out that Twin A had some sort of congenital heart defect (CHD).
32 weeks pregnant with twins
At the 32 week scan it was confirmed that she had a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) and pulmonary atresia which would require open heart surgery. We were informed that she would be staying in NICU on medication to keep her valve open long enough for her to grow big enough to have surgery.
Note: For a full guide to NICU terms please see our guide HERE.
My twin birth story
So fast forward to the girls birth. I went into labor 3 days before my elective c section was booked. So it became an emergency c section.
Tatum Leora was born at 8.38am weighing 2.55kg and Arabella Eva was born at 8.39am weighing 2.21kg. I got a glimpse of both of them, before they were whisked away.
Arabella went straight to NICU and I didn’t get to see her again till the next day. Tatum was on oxygen for a few minutes then came through to me in recovery.
7 Tips For Reducing Anxiety
Author: Pam Hird Naturopath
Pam Hird is a qualified and accredited Naturopath, Nutritionist, Herbalist and Personal Trainer. Pam shares with us 7 tips for reducing anxiety.
We live in a fast-paced 24/7 world. You are trying to juggle many areas in your life and you never seem to stop until you finally collapse into bed at night. Even then you aren’t guaranteed a solid sleep because the kids might wake up! It’s normal to feel stressed and anxious from time to time.
However, for someone with anxiety, these feelings can be ongoing. It can be a constant and exhausting daily battle that you don’t always feel like you are winning. We can make small changes in our life and day to day routine to help reduce anxiety and overwhelm.
7 Tips For Reducing Anxiety
Take Some Time Out
You have multiple children, I get it, it’s not that easy to always take time out. I’m not talking about luxurious indulgences and spending all day at the spa! Or even the 5 minutes you take to skull your morning coffee in-between multitasking 100 things! I’m talking about the 10 minutes you could take to sit and just stop. Do something calming such as playing music, art therapy, deep breathing, yoga, meditation, and other relaxing activities may be useful to help reduce anxiety.
Say No More Often
If you are feeling overwhelmed and wondering how to help stress and anxiety, don’t be afraid to say ‘no’ to things that will just add to your stress or create more anxiety for you. Saying no doesn’t make you a bad person, you are just simply looking after your health and wellbeing.
Eat well
Eat a fresh whole food diet, which includes plenty of colour and variety.
Ensure you eat adequate protein from a meat or plant-based source as it provides essential amino acids for healthy neurotransmitter production. Try and avoid processed and packaged foods that are high in sugar as fluctuating blood sugars may trigger anxiety.
Include plenty of foods high in magnesium, such as green vegetables, nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate (70% and above). Magnesium is important in helping to regulate the stress response and consume oily fish such as salmon and sardines, 3-4 times per week to boost essential omega 3 fatty acids.
Move More
Exercise is the most underrated anti-anxiety tool there is. You don’t need fancy equipment you could simply go for a walk or do a work out from YouTube. Low to moderate impact exercise may help the nervous system overactivity and manage anxiety, stress and improve your mood.
Identify your triggers
Even though becoming a parent is an exciting time it could trigger feelings of stress or anxiety for you. Or there may be certain events, situations, your finances or food such as caffeine or alcohol which can aggravate anxiety and trigger panic attacks.
It is important to recognise these triggers and get strategies to help you in these situations. If you have a dietary trigger, complete avoidance is recommended.
Focus on the present
Have you ever noticed that when you dwell on the past or worry about the future you start to feel stressed or anxious? This can create a world of overwhelm for you. Simply focus your mind on the present moment and it can help you feel a little more relaxed.
Talk To Someone
Speak to a counsellor or psychologist who can give you some techniques to help manage your anxiety. If going to speak to someone isn’t an option than just speaking to a friend can help lift the weight off your shoulders.
Anxiety can be really isolating for some people and if you feel overwhelmed with trying to change your diet and lifestyle around then just pick one thing to focus on. Once you have mastered that then move onto the next. Don’t expect things to change overnight because they won’t, give yourself time and be kind to yourself. You have got this.
Pam Hird is a Naturopath, Nutritionist and Personal Trainer based in Sandgate, Brisbane. Pam also does Skype and phone consultations. Private health fund rebates available.
Pam offers FREE 15 minute calls where she can explore with you how she can help you.
Contact Pam for appointments or enquiries.
12 ways to protect the Christmas tree from twins or triplets!
Christmas is a magical time for children of all ages, so naturally they will be drawn to the tree. This is no doubt causing you some extra stress as you worry how on earth you will keep your multiples from destroying the tree.
Don’t worry, as always, Twinfo has you covered. Here are our top 12 ways (in no particular order) to protect the Christmas tree from twins or triplets!
1. Don’t put one up!
Now before you start calling me the Christmas Grinch, this won’t appeal to everyone. But for some families it makes perfect sense to not put one up.
We decided not to put one up for our twins first Christmas. We were going away over Christmas, and we were too sleep deprived to even care about a tree. Neither of us could summon up the extra energy required to out it up, nor could we fathom the thoughts of having to pack it away! So, we just didn’t bother. Our twins were 6mths old.
Alternatively, decorate your living area with lights and ornaments, to give the full festive atmosphere, but just don’t use an actual Christmas Tree. There are several great alternatives you can use as a tree.
Hernias, abdominal separation and abdominoplasty after twins
Author: Domna Lovatt
When I find out I was having twins I didn’t think much about how my body would cope with the pregnancy or the aftermath of my prebaby 50kg frame carrying 2 nearly 3kg babies to 37w+1. I just assumed that my body would cope and it would go back to the way it was pre-baby, just like after our first baby when fortunately for me everything went back to the way it was before. I certainly didn’t think I would be having abdominoplasty after twins due to hernias and abdominal separation.
Abdominal separation and hernias after multiples
Abdominal separation and hernias can occur with single pregnancies but the incidence tends to be higher for us mums of multiples. I ended up with 4 hernias and abdominal separation and let’s not forget the loose skin (which had varicose veins in it).
Continue Reading →One Born Every Minute Australia Twin Birth Story
***** Please note, this post contains the loss of a twin *****
As parents we all love hearing birth stories. This was one of my driving reasons to publish as many twin and triplet birth stories on the Twinfo blog that I could. However, reading about it is one thing, watching it unfold in front of you is another. Which is the reason why over 484,000 people nationally are tuning in to watch Channel 10’s new factual series, One Born Every Minute Australia.
One Born Every Minute Australia is based on the UK version, and it takes us right into the birth units, via 60 high tech cameras, at Sydney’s Westmead Hospital. I was honoured that Channel 10 asked me to interview Bianca, one of the participants. Bianca and her husband Daniel, appear in episode 5 of the show where we follow the birth of their twins.
About Bianca and her family
At the time of speaking to Bianca, which was a week before the episode was aired, Bianca’s twins, Hunter and Brooklyn, had just turned 3 months old. Being a twin mum myself, the first question I asked her was how was SHE? And how were the babies sleeping? Bianca thought she was “doing OK” and that thankfully her boy twin, Hunter, was generally sleeping though the night. Brooklyn, however wants a few more extra cuddles from Mum, but she is close to sleeping though.
Which is lucky, as Bianca has three other children. She has an 8 year old, who lives in Sydney with her Dad, and 4 year old Mackenzie whose dad passed away when she was six weeks old. Bianca and Daniel also have Peyton, who was born last August, and now they have the twins. Payton was only 4 months old when they found out they were expecting twins. To further complicate things, when Bianca and Daniel were 7 weeks pregnant with twins they were given the devastating news that 4 year old Mackenzie had Leukaemia.
Personally, I cannot wait to watch Episode 5, and I’m thrilled to share my chat with Bianca with you.
Continue Reading →Twin pregnancy and an unexpected diagnosis
Author: Bianca Jones
Finding out we were pregnant with twins
My husband and I were trying to conceive for a while so when I started gagging while brushing my teeth, I had a feeling it was our time. I went for a dating scan around 6 or 7 weeks, and that was when we found out we were having twins. We were beyond happy and excited, but also oblivious to the difficulties that could come with twin pregnancies and twins. We certainly didn’t expect a twin pregnancy and an unexpected diagnosis!
My twin pregnancy
Initially, my pregnancy was pretty uneventful. I wasn’t overly sick, but had constant nausea and I started showing around 13 weeks. By about 20/21 weeks, I was big. I struggled physically with my job, which was fairly physical and often cried to my husband from the pain on the way home in the car. But I was prepared to bare it until finishing up at 28 weeks.
I hated people telling to me to ‘rest now while you can’, when I was sleeping for maybe 4 or 5 hours maximum a night due to discomfort. I dreaded bedtime, despite being completely and utterly exhausted, I knew I wouldn’t be getting much sleep.
