This Twinsie Tuesday I want to talk about 5 things to do before your twins hit the scene. There are few things I found through experience that helped make our life with our little ones much easier.
~Our fraternal twin boys about a month old. Levi on the left & Liam on the right.~
1.)Stock up on the DiapersMy twins combined go through 14-20 diapers a day, but during the first 3 months it was more like 16-22 combined daily. Especially while I was nursing them. One thing I wish I would have done more was buy different size diapers and wipes every time I made a trip to the store. Even once a week or every payday would have helped. When people would ask what we needed I would always say diapers. Also, along with a baby shower we were blessed with a diaper/wipes shower around the time the twins were a couple months old. The diapers we received lasted us almost 4 months! You can never have too many diapers.
2.)A little Formula doesn't HurtOk let me start out by saying I completely agree with the breast is best campaign. Nothing is better for your twins than mommy's milk. I was determined to breastfeed. I even pumped the week after they were born during a quick trip to the ER due to complications with my c-section incision. It took alot of patience and a couple trips to the lactation consultant, but we were getting the hang of it. The main issue was that Levi took almost a month to get back up to his birth weight. He was not gaining the weight fast enough for our pediatrician at the time(we use someone different now)and after multiple VERY stressful visits to her office I gave in and began supplementing with formula. I was working on about 3-4 hours of sleep a night. Add the pressure from our pediatrician, along with few other factors I ended up switching to full time formula by about 2 months. I wouldn't change anything because our boys are healthy and happy,but looking back I wish I would've tried a little longer. I would suggest even if you aren't going to use formula to have a couple cans on hand for emergencies. Now if you know you're going to use formula right off and you don't qualify for any government assistance, we pay ALL out of pocket, I would stock up while you're pregnant. Formula, just like diapers, is not cheap and multiples go through it quickly. In the beginning we were buying about 3 regular sized cans of the store brand formula a week. That's about $50-60 a week just on formula.
3.)RestI'm sure everyone has told expecting parents to rest before your little one arrives, but with multiples you had better do it. Rest as much as possible. Don't feel guilty, because once your bundles of joy arrive sleep is virtually non-existent the first few months. I am blessed because my boys began sleeping through the night,10:30 pm to about 5:30 am, at about 31/2 months. We were putting our faith out there and speaking over them before they came out that they would be good sleepers...praise the Lord for good sleepers! I did have opportunities to feel guilty though, because I was home with Tru and he still needed my attention. So when I wasn't able to nap,which was more times than not, Tru & I would play Lego's on the couch or color or snuggle up with a good book together all the while giving my body the rest it needed to grow our two healthy boys. Sometimes we have to be creative while meeting our needs and our families' needs. Once your babies do arrive rest when they rest. Don't worry about the house. Setup something for your older children to do and rest. This is something I should've done more often.
4.)Plan for a full PantrySo the months before your double bundle arrive work on stocking your pantry with healthy snacks and staples to help you stay nourished toward the end of your pregnancy and the arrival of your precious ones. I made sure that Tru had snacks that were healthy and easily accessible in the pantry and fridge so he could serve himself before and after the twins came. There were days at the end of our pregnancy that I found it literally difficult to get off the couch. Also, after your babies come and you're in the feed,burp,change,sleep mode you will want things that will be easy to get to for you and your family. There were days in the first couple months after the twins came that I would barely have time to eat before the next feeding so a granola bar, a package of nuts, or string cheese was helpful to keep my energy up.
5.)Schedule HelpHelp is something you will most likely need, but may not always feel like you want at first. It was hard for me to ask for help from people other than J. It was easier to take help from my immediate family, like my mom and dad. My parents came a couple weeks before the boys were born and did my grocery shopping and cooked some meals for the weeks to come. It was great! But when it came from others I had a difficult time with, it was my own fault. Nevertheless, take help in any way you can. Most people want to help especially when the little ones first come home. So when someone asks to help...tell them what you need. There are plenty of things that people can do...cook a meal for your family, take your older children to the park, or fold some laundry. For me it was a matter of how comfortable I was with the helper. J's parents brought their RV and stayed a month. They were very patient with me because I didn't always feel comfortable with them doing things for us. I had to take the help for my family's sake. In the end they did some laundy and mostly cooked for us and would take Tru for the night freeing our hands a little more during the day to bond with the babies, while still making Tru feel loved and secure. It blessed us tremendously!
If you have any other ideas that worked for your family while preparing for a little one or questions please leave a comment. Have an awesome day!
*Also, an UPDATE from yesterdays post*~Tru lost his first tooth last night! Can't stop it our little boy is growing up!
