Naomi and Tiffany chat about all the little “white lies” they have told their children. Such as ‘the park is closed’ and even conversations about the man in the red suit.
Warning: Not for little ears.
Author: Anonoymous
Naming one baby can be hard. But when you unexpectedly learn you need to choose names for more than one little human, it can be overwhelming.
We had a singleton four years ago. When we were pregnant then, we had a long list of girl’s names and just one boy’s name. That one boy’s name was used up for our firstborn. So this time when we found out we were having identical twin girls, you’d think we could go straight back to the original list of unused girls names.
Nope.
None of those names ‘worked’ with our toddler’s name. And none of them worked as a twin pair.
Author: Stephanie Ernst
Did you know that being raised bilingual can give you an advantage? Studies have shown that children exposed to two languages from birth have an advantage in concentration in school, as well as helping them with language development.
In our house, we have 2 dominant languages (Dutch and English), and a third (German) that comes out at family gatherings. We chose to raise our twins in Dutch and English. We put a lot of research into how we would do this, and in this article, I wanted to share some of the tips and tricks we learned, as well as try to work through some of the myths you might face.
Author: Anonymous
They say it takes a village. But what do you do when your family don’t seem to be interested in helping with your twins.
If there’s one piece of advice you’ll hear a thousand times as a parent-to-be, it’s this: accept all offers of help! Even more so when you’re expecting multiples. And it’s good advice. The ability to ask for help, and accept help when it’s offered, is a major life skill. Babies are a 24/7 job, and it makes perfect sense to get as much help as you can.
“Do you have family nearby?”
In amongst all the usual questions people ask when they find out you’re pregnant with twins, one question I was asked a lot was “do you have family nearby?”
The answer was yes – most of my immediate family, and my husband’s family, live locally. But it’s so hard to explain to a work acquaintance, or ultrasound tech, that having family nearby didn’t mean we were expecting any help with our babies. Because when we had our eldest child, we discovered our families really weren’t interested in helping out. All that great advice about asking for, and accepting help, didn’t do us a lick of good. We tried! We really did. But the help just wasn’t there.
Author: Amy Lucas, Tylumo Creative
Just when you thought you had it all together, you turn and look at the backseat. Fitting 3 kiddos across the back is going to be a challenge!
Before you panic and run out to buy a Kia Carnival (unless you want to, of course, in which case you will be in good company at multiples playgroup!) check out our updated information below for purchasing slimline car seats in 2022.
Good question!
If you’ve walked into a baby store recently or typed “baby car seat” into Google, you’re probably feeling a little overwhelmed. We’ve all been there!
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This stranger than fiction story of Kathryn Day (aka Kate) and Katherine Day (aka Nina) who met at university while studying Winemaking. Separately they embarked on award winning winemaking journeys both here in Australia and across the globe. Then among the clinking of fabulous fizz and vintage vino, a chance meeting at Kate’s wedding saw Nina meet and fall in love with the best man; the identical twin brother of Kate’s husband! Now together they have a boutique wine brand apply named In Two Minds
Twinfo sat them down to quiz them about their relationships being married to male identical twins.
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Author: Stacy Spanos
I was on bed rest for the final three months of my pregnancy. That is, I didn’t sit up, I laid down for three entire months and when you’re an on-the-go sort of person like myself, this feels like a lifetime. The goal was to keep the twins inside for as long as possible – the safest place for them was in my uterus and we were determined to fulfil this goal.
It all began when I was 22 weeks pregnant with the twins. My obstetrician called me after a routine ultrasound I’d had and explained that I needed to be strict with rest and that for the remainder of my pregnancy I would also need to insert progesterone pessaries three times a day. Progesterone pessaries are generally used to prevent miscarriage and prolong a pregnancy. Unfortunately my cervix was shortening and at that point in time it was at 2.5cm when the norm for that stage of pregnancy is 4cm.
When I found out I was having twins one of my greatest fears (and there were many!) was premature birth. I had heard that it was extremely common in twin pregnancies and I had also heard that bed rest was just as common. My concern about premature birth stemmed from hearing stories of disability, health issues or losing one or both babies. I was 22 weeks and my obstetrician made it clear that our goal at this point was to get the babies to at least 29 weeks. This would not eliminate complications entirely, but it would most likely mean that both babies if born had a better chance of survival and the risk of complications to their health would be minimised. And so, part of my fear came true.
Author: Laura Wilson
Especially when you’re expecting twins or triplets, you want to be as organised as you can be. You’re trying to balance things so you don’t spend too much money as well as ensuring you have the best for you and your family. While preparing for twins, here are my 10 things I’m really glad we had before my twins arrived.
I loved our co-sleepers. The house we were living in when our twins were born was a two-storey townhouse. I don’t think I realised how much you need to be able to have somewhere you can put down a baby let alone two until you’re juggling two babies. For us, having one upstairs for at night and the other downstairs for the day worked great. It meant whilst I was recovering myself, I could have both babies sleeping right in front of me and I could keep an eye on them the entire time. I chose the Joie co-sleeper which included features, on wheels, able to rock, mesh windows, and side can come down and be attached to the side of your bed.
My sleep mask was a lifesaver over and over. Whilst recovering in hospital, I had a tv on that no one knew how to turn off, but when you’re in a hospital, there are always some sort of lights that can interrupt your sleep (as if you need more help not getting sleep). Everyone tells you to sleep when the babies sleep, so sleeping in the middle of the day is sometimes a necessity when you’re in hospital and as well when you’re back at home, having a sleeping mask to help you get there sooner.
Books are wonderful to share with your little ones. Books that are childhood favourites or about love. Some of my favourites when my twins were newborns were Bee Mine, Madeline and Possum Magic. For me and my twins, I would read a book or two to my twins when they were struggling to settle. At 1 or 2am, it was particularly good for my mindspace as well as my babies hearing my voice in a calming and rhythmic tone.
I found board books were particularly a good investment as they made for good bedtime reading books – easier to navigate reading to two babies. Some books that have been particularly great past being newborns have been Pink is for boys, Good night Miffy, Froggy Green and Where is the Green Sheep.
Buying two Cushiis were fantastic for us. They are a baby cushion which is easy to take anywhere and offer a cozy place for your baby to sleep, be observant or play. We used them all the time when our two were tiny. We could go visit friends and take the cuhiis with us for ease with our babies. But in our instance, they also became very helpful in feeding both babies at once their bottle. I would put a cushii each side of me on the couch with the babies in them, and it could be easy and comfortable for all three of us as well as time effective. I still use them for my twins’ morning tea and lunch time bottles at 9 months old.
Slippers, particularly fresh slippers are so good when you’re in hospital and when you’re back home. Especially as your body adjusts again. Whilst you’re at it, fresh pjammas are great to go with your fresh slippers in helping your body adjust. They really do make the difference to your wellbeing.
Showers can feel so good when you have little babies. It’s a moment to yourself and to feel fresh. Showers can also help you wake you up for the day or help you find your calm for some sleep. There are two Lush shower gels that helped me immensely. To help wake up, the Dirty Sprinwater shower gel which with a engerzing boost of spearmint. To help go to sleep, the Sleepy shower gel with very comforting and calming lavender.
Being up at different hours of the night, you need light, but you don’t want to have to turn on every light in the house. For in hospital and for when we were home, we had a couple of these Fravita night lights. They’re wireless (USB charging), can provide enough soft light and can fit in your hand or pocket. To turn it on, all you have to do is turn it the right way up. Whenever we need to come help one of our twins in the middle of the night, we just grab one of these lights, turn it over. Being wireless and a warm soft light, it makes life easier at that hour. I’m also less likely to pick up my phone and spend too much time looking at it and interrupting my sleep.
Washing bottles so often and giving them sufficient time to dry, having a good bottle drying rack is so helpful. I’d get one drying rack for each child. On top of all the bottle parts you’ll be drying, dummies and panadol syringes on here, so one with different elements to be more versatile is helpful. I had the Boon drying racks and accessories which look like a grass patch and a flower and tree.
Newborn sleeping bags are wonderful for giving your babies a safe, natural form and cozy way to sleep. They can also be a helpful way for the to get closer to understanding the difference between night and day (even if you’re feeding them every three hours day and night). They’re also great at giving you some comfort of mind whilst you try get some sleep too.
When you are preparing for your twins arrival, you’re probably going to feel silly buying so many, but you sure will be thankful. I recall one day, my mum washing and folding 6 facewashers for me. It was so helpful and we sure did use them. You can get fantastic facewashers that are small in packs of 10 from Target.
What I will end this article on, you definitely don’t have to have everything perfectly amazing, I didn’t. But it’s amazing how everything can just work out. Particularly friends and family who already had children understood what we were going through and came to our rescue if we didn’t have something or needed help.
Laura Wilson
Twin Mum
Follow Laura on Instagram for play ideas and her multiples playgroup started
Naomi is joined by Tiff this week and the two chat to multi-mum Lisa who shares a very powerful and emotional story. It’s a must hear.
Warning: this episode discusses the loss of a baby
Author: Sarah Lavis
As I reflect on my twin journey so far, there are so many things I wish I shared with friends and family before my girls came into the world. It would’ve helped make my journey an easier one.
I have put together some of my top tips on supporting a family member or friend who has twins or multiples. I truly hope these tips shine a light on how challenging it can be and how you can make someone’s life just a little bit easier. Simply put – bringing multiple babies home is a different experience to bringing one child home.
Being a parent of multiples comes with its own unique stuff – higher rates of PND/A, longer hospital stays and challenges like feeding multiple babies at once (don’t worry, there’s a special cushion for that!) or getting multiple babies into a cafe that isn’t pram friendly.
Be an awesome friend and provide some support. A little goes a long way! And, don’t forget that the support needed doesn’t just stop at the newborn stage.
