Read real life stories writen by other parents of multiples

December 9, 2020

Twins born different days. Part three of my birth story

Author: Kirsten Smith

Twins born different days. This is part three of my birth story. You can read part one and part two below.

Pre-eclampsia and twins. Part one of my twin birth story.

Being induced with twins. Part two of my twin birth story

Twins born different days was not something I ever thought would ever actually happen to me. But to be fair, I also wasn’t expecting to have twins … but here we are.

Giving birth to twins – Twin A

But suddenly it was go time, I was told to let the epidural wear off so I could feel the urge to push. Everything happened very quickly after that. Twin A was very easy to push out … sorry I mean cough out!

In fact it happened so quickly that the obstetrician almost missed it.

Continue Reading →

December 2, 2020

Being induced with twins. Part two of my twin birth story

Author: Kirsten Smith

This is part two of my birth story – being induced with twins. You can read part one below.

Pre-eclampsia and twins. Part one of my twin birth story.

Being induced with twins

It was finally time to be done with the hell that was carrying two babies at the same time – I could of cried out of happiness … because there really was a time where I thought I’d be pregnant forever, or the babies wouldn’t last the entire pregnancy.

So off to the birthing suite we go to be induced with twins. Because I was already 3 centimeters all they needed to do was break my waters. So that labour could start.

That sounds pretty simple right … after all when waters break spontaneously its pretty simple with no pain. (I know because it happened with my oldest Bradley, I just thought I was peeing)

Ha ha HA (that’s me laughing at myself for thinking it would be an easy process)

My midwife (who was amazing and quite honestly I would have never got through the next few hours without her) pulls out a HUGE crochet hook … yep you read that right, a GIGANTIC CROCHET HOOK … which she shoved up my cervix and hooked Twin A’s amniotic sac.

Continue Reading →

November 24, 2020

Preeclampsia and twins. Part one of my twin birth story.

Author: Kirsten Smith

36 weeks pregnant with twins

Everything was going pretty well in the pregnancy (except for being unbelievably uncomfortable) until our last ultrasound at 36 weeks. In the lead up to this ultrasound I was so big and so uncomfortable and really just quite miserable – and honestly I was just waiting for the doctors to announce an induction date. I was pretty convinced I’d be pregnant forever, but also on constant alert for pre-term labour. It was a very confusing time.

Anyway, the 36 week ultrasound was FINALLY here and I was so excited to finally know when this was all going to end. (I’m such a miserable pregnant person)

So the ultrasound goes ahead, Twin A was doing really well she was head down and her estimated weight was about 2.7 kgs (awesome!)

But we discover that Twin B is still really small, and we suddenly realise why she had been small through out the pregnancy.

Twin B had a minor chord insertion, which basically meant that her umbilical chord was attached at the very end of the placenta instead of in the centre -so she was working extra hard to get nutrients.

So we spoke with the obstetrician and the midwife, and we agreed to set an induction date for the next week. Which would make the girls 37 weeks.

Continue Reading →

November 11, 2020

Twins and Tutoring. Our experience.

*sponsored post

Our girl/boy twins turned nine in year three. We had kept them back a year (they did two years of kindy/pre-school) as they were end of June babies. In Queensland the cut off is 30 June. If they hadn’t had been born prematurely, they would have been going to school the following year, so we decided to keep them back. So far, I don’t regret holding them back at all.

To separate twins at school or not?

Our twins were in the same class in Prep and Year One at school.

You can read about their first year of school HERE.

We were going to split them in Year Two, however our teacher said that there was absolutely no reason to split them as far as their school work and school relationships went. So why put the extra pressure on myself to have them in separate classes and have to remember two different library days, two different swimming days etc. She had two children of her own (two years apart). She said if she had a choice hers would be in the same class purely to cut down on the mental load.

My partner had been away working FIFO for the second half of Year One. We weren’t sure what was happening with his job for the following year. So we decided to keep them together to make MY life easier.

Continue Reading →

October 29, 2020

Having twins – 31 years ago

Author: Meg Roberts

I saw an ad once for a new birthing centre on the Sunshine Coast. It said if you have experienced any of these situations, then we are the birthing centre for your next child:

High risk pregnancy
Low birth weight baby
High birth weight baby
Pre-eclampsia
Caesarian Section
VBAC

Wow, I didn’t live on the Sunshine Coast and I was done having babies, but I could tick all those boxes. And I think many of us can. Having babies is risky business. But we are very blessed in Australia to have excellent medical care and great health practitioners to help us on the journey.

Continue Reading →

October 26, 2020

Camping with Twins, Triplets or More

Author: Jenni from Big Vans, Kids and Camping

So, you’re thinking of going camping, but are you crazy considering it with twins, triplets or more?

Short answer…….NO YOU’RE NOT!!!

You are definitely not crazy, in our opinion, if you are organised and have thought it out, then it’s definitely a winner. Camping comes in all sorts of forms and doesn’t have to mean a tent, and why should it be any harder than someone else taking their children. If you are keen then we say “GO FOR IT”!!

Here are some of our tips.

Continue Reading →

October 15, 2020

Five reasons why backpack harnesses or wrist style leashes for twins, triplets or more are GREAT!

Backpack harnesses or wrist style leashes for twins or triplets

Backpack harnesses or wrist style leashes for twins or triplets can sometimes be a controversial topic. As the ‘perfect parent I was before I had children’, I certainly ‘judged’ those that used them.

And then I had children of my own, and not just one child, but two. At once. And now I understand. With that said I want to apologize for being the perfect parent (who had no kids!) and was judgy. I never made snide comments to people nor was I rude about it to them about it but in my head I was totally judging. Which was wrong.

Backpack harnesses or wrist style leashes DO NOT make you a bad parent. Remember, your babies your rules. No one has a right to shame you for it, not even family!

As a multiple birth parent myself, I have realised that there is no one way or easy way to take care of your babies. So if something makes your life simpler, then do it!

Continue Reading →

October 12, 2020

Conjoined Twins

Conjoined twins are identical twins who are joined together somewhere in the body, most often at the chest, abdomen or pelvis. They are monozygotic twins, in the sense that they share the same zygote.

The formation of this twin type is believed to be the result of late twinning. When the twinning occurs more than 12-13 days after fertilization of the egg, it may lead to the formation of conjoined twins because the embryo may not split completely.

Conjoined twin births are very rare, amounting to around one birth in every 100,000 births. The ratio of female and male sets was found to be three to one. There is a slightly higher chance of conjoined twins from Africa and Southwest Asia.

Depending on where they are joined, some may share some vital internal organs.

Continue Reading →