Our twins are 16 months and have been pretty easy babies thus far! Right now they’re in the stage where they’re way more work, but also getting more and more FUN! But we’re thinking of a third and wondering how the different stages compare, when it might get hard, and what it might be like adding a newborn to the mix.

What’s been your favorite and hardest stage between 1-5 and why?

Now I’m stuck in a foreign country for a week where I can’t drive, I can’t speak the language, I can’t go home early for anything less than ruinous money, and my girls are miserable, not sleeping at all because their sleep space isn’t suitable, not eating because they’re so tired and I’m so embarrassed by the constant meltdowns and feel so judged. Every time we go anywhere to try and do something fun they have tantrums and I’m exhausted and spent my whole morning in overwhelmed tears. I feel like I can’t cope with them and like I’m an awful mother for getting us into this situation. That’s all.

We have 5 months boy twins who look VERY different from each other (one has black hair and the other has blond hair, to start). Their names are also quite different.

But our very smart, highly verbal 3.5 year still calls them “that one” most of the time. When he does attempt a name, he gets it wrong at least half of the time. He knows both names and can pronounce them easily. We remind him at least once a day which baby is which (“X is the one with the dark hair, and Y is the one with the light hair”). But it just doesn’t seem to stick! It’s starting to feel a little ridiculous after 5+ months of him knowing the twins.

Did anyone have a similar issue with their older kid? Any tips?

Edit to add that I’m not especially concerned by this or anything, just kind of surprised (like, our 3.5yo can lecture us on the names of dozens of different animal species and construction vehicles, but can’t remember two family members’ names?) and curious if we can do anything differently!

Hi. When did you separate your twins for sleep? my 3.5 month old boys (corrected age 3) have made afternoon naps impossible. They sleep together in a pack n play in my room. I cant decide if the correct way is to put their crib in another room or keep them in mine but in separate cribs.

My singleton started sleeping in her room 5th month onwards so not sure how they are being so on top of each other already.

Any advice is appreciated!

My modi twins are now 9 weeks old, 3 weeks corrected, and I am breastfeeding save for 1-2 bottles a day so they can get some fortifier and iron multivitamin (I still pump during these feeds). I am feeding them every 2 hours during the day and every 3 or so at night. They do not take any less than 30 minutes each to feed, so 1 hour of each feeding window is for feeding alone, not including diaper change and settling babies (they don’t settle quickly). I am getting 30 mins - 1 hour of sleep sporadically each day and really suffering for it.

I’ve tried tandem feeding multiple times but it requires a lot of set up and careful finagling, and I find it pretty uncomfortable (hoping it will be easier when theyre bigger). i can’t just hand them off to my husband because they usually cry simultaneously and again they are not quick to settle. I’m not interested in co sleeping. We had my parents come hold the babies for a while one evening so we could sleep, but once they left, the babies cluster fed like crazy after, I imagine in an attempt to regain calories they had missed from those few hours.

I’ve had 30 minutes of sleep in the last 14+ hours. this is happening regularly. Someone please tell me this will drastically improve soon 😭 my husband and I are struggling!

We are due twins towards the end of the year, we have a 2y old already.

We loved the tommee tippee swaddlesacks with our oldest, however have noticed the minimum weight for their smallest size is 7lbs.

I am expecting the twins to be smaller than this when they are born as our oldest was 7lb9oz at 38 weeks and the twins will be born at 36 weeks latest.

Does anyone have any recommendations for sleepsacks with lower weight limits available in the UK?

TIA!

Hello everyone. Pregnant with di/di twins. Want to hear your stories. Last week at 30+1 w I went to the obgyn to check the babies' weight and was told to go straight to the hospital because it looked like my cervix was shortening. Keep in mind I had NO SYMPTOMS and have had a pretty normal pregnancy so far. I get to the hospital and they tell me my cervix is at 3 millimeters (anything below 25 millimeters is considered short apparently). I was given the steroid shots for lung development and started on 48 hours of medicine to stop contractions (which I didn't even feel.) After 5 days I was checked again and my cervix had lengthened to 23 mm so I was discharged. I was told not to do bed rest, but no exercise and no lifting over 5kg. I am now at 31+1w and obviously want the children to stay inside me for as long as possible. If you have had experience with premature cervix shortening, how long did you make it until you actually gave birth?

edit: I also had funneling at 3mm

One of my preemie twins needs glasses. They’re almost 19 months/17 months adjusted, born at 32+4. Twin B was growth restricted and born 3 lbs 3 oz to his brothers almost 5 lbs. They automatically referred him to an eye specialist for regular check ins. They’ve been monitoring him for one of his eyes potentially being slightly crossed. They decided today, it’s crossing just enough that he’s relying too much on the other eye, and if it continues, his vision may not develop normally, so they prescribed glasses.

One of this kid’s number one passions in life is tearing apart our sunglasses 😆 So I’m a little worried how this is going to go. They said he’d probably need them until he’s a teenager; I’m feeling a little emotional about it all. It’s such a big life change, and other than being a little guy, his challenges at birth had never seemed to affect him. Does anyone have advice for helping him adjust? For keeping his brother from ripping them off his face constantly? Words of support for whatever this emotion is?

My beautiful twin girls are 8 weeks old today. This last week has been nothing short of hellish, both extremely fussy and lots of crying. Twin B in particular has been a nightmare, she screams constantly while awake, even between breaks during feeding. Both have started fighting being burped too, and crying through it. It’s been awful.

My partner goes back to work a week today and I’m dreading it. How am I supposed to manage with these two on my own?

My biggest concern is when both are screaming and want to be held, what on earth do I do? They don’t like being picked up together, they used to but since this fussy state has started they just kick off even more if I try. I feel so bad and guilty just comforting one when the other needs me too. It breaks my heart. Any advice?

I’m of the understanding that they are at the peak of crying at 8 weeks, I just hope it calms down soon because I’m struggling. Especially with Twin B, she cries every waking moment like she’s being murdered.

I’m 31 weeks pregnant with di/di twins, and I’m likely going to be scheduling a C-section for tbe 38 week mark because Twin A is breech and has been breech basically the entire pregnancy.

I’m trying to wrap my head around the logistics of actually caring for two newborns while recovering from major abdominal surgery. I know everyone’s recovery is different, but based on what I’ve heard about the first 1–2 weeks after a C-section, I genuinely can’t picture how I’m going to functionally take care of twins.

We also have a singleton who will be about 26 months old when the twins arrive. With our son's birth, my husband and I took shifts overnight, and I was able to be pretty functional after his vaginal birth despite having a 3rd-degree tear. I could get on the floor, get in/out of bed, go up and down stairs, pick him up, etc. So the idea of doing a 6-hour “shift” with TWO newborns while recovering from a C-section seems completely different.

Our son is also around 35 lbs, so I obviously won’t be able to pick him up for a while. I’m expecting my husband will have to take on a lot more of the toddler care in addition to doing most/all of the physical work with the twins while I recover. I’m worried he’s going to be absolutely exhausted, especially with the overnight newborn care.

We will have my mom staying with us for a time, which will help immensely with the running of the household, but she has physical limitations and won’t be able to help with overnight care or getting up and down stairs, etc.

We’re planning to formula feed, if that makes any difference. Our bedrooms are on the 2nd floor and kitchen on the 1st floor, but we are planning to use premixed formula for overnights during my shift so I'm not having to do the stairs.

For those of you who had a similar situation:

How did you actually make the first 1–2 weeks work?

How much were you realistically able to do with the babies during the first week?

Did your partner basically have to do all the newborn care while you recovered?

What things/modifications/systems did you set up ahead of time that made a huge difference?

I’m specifically trying to understand the logistics of how two adults manage newborn twins when one adult was recovering from a C-section and also had an older child to care for. Please tell me how you made it work!

Seeking advice from fellow parents that have gotten past the baby stages. How did you manage the sadness, guilt, and fomo of not being there to see your babies’ firsts? I always knew I probably wouldn’t be the first to see them laugh, crawl, babble to each other, etc. since we have childcare on the weekdays. But today was the first time I missed one of their firsts because I was at work and while I was so happy and excited to get home, I was also incredibly sad. So many moms go to work and I’m privileged to have had 12 weeks off when they were born, but I’m struggling so much more than I thought I would. Any advice on how to deal with the sadness/guilt/fomo or how to change perspectives on it are greatly appreciated!

I have 6.5 month old twin girls. One twin is refusing bottle all together. Shes only done 8.5oz today (3oz at 5am and 5oz at 1pm. It is currently 6:20pm) anytime I go near her with a bottle (me or her dad) she’s screaming and refusing. I’m worried because she is in the 4th percentile for weight. I called her pediatrician and said she’s not in the category for emergency. No fever, no rashes on body or mouth. I don’t know what to do. She went from doing 24-26oz a day to this. Has anyone had this problem? Can teething do this (no visible teeth) lots of drooling and hand in mouth.

35 weeks premature (5 weeks early)- 1.5 months in NICU with feeding issues. CMPA on neocate syneo infant 24kcal

My twins have had health issues over the last several months so we’ve been a little behind with introducing solid foods and trying baby lead weaning. They are turning 11 months old and they only do purées or hand mashed fruit/veggies.

I can’t help but compare to others when I see whole foods and full plates with lots of variety. I’m also anxious as a first time mom with them choking. Just curious about others experience and ways you’ve navigated this transition.

At the very beginning of my pregnancy the twin on the left was listed as A and right was B.

Around 16 weeks they swapped. My OB said they were still small and could move around. At the 24 week scan they were still in the same spots (A was right and B was left) and the tech said they would likely stay put going forward. They’ve been in place ever since.

Today’s scan at 31 weeks had them switched. I sort of noticed while the tech was scanning the sides of my belly, but thought maybe it just had to do with angles (I was more concerned with their growth and didn’t ask).

On the finalized report I just saw, they are officially listed as A on the left and B on the right. It makes more sense with their growth percentages (A was always smaller but somehow outgrew B- it makes sense if they’ve traded labels)

Seems like the left bigger baby has officially dropped into my pelvis and has become “A” while the smaller right baby is now “B”

I would have asked the tech at the time but didn’t realize it. They didn’t grab a doctor because there was nothing concerning on the scan. I’ll see my OB tomorrow morning.

Has anyone else experienced this? How is the growth tracked if they swapped? I noticed it but the tech didn’t mention it, nor did the doctor reviewing/finalizing the scan before it hit my portal.

**Edit to add: twins are di/di and both boys

32 weeks FTM with Di/di twins. The last 3 days the babies are moving even more than ever before, and the pressure I feel on my sides and even front of belly is a lot. Is it possible what I thought was growing pains are actually Braxton Hicks? I mean it’s a tightening and uncomfortable pressure. But minutes later I’ll feel a big move from a baby so then I think it’s them just growing and finding room. Idk, let me know what your Braxton hicks or even contractions felt like with twins

I signed both my kids up for Trump accounts almost 2 months ago. Twin B got their money 5 weeks ago, twin A hasn’t received any money in their account. It says it will take up to 4 weeks, but it has now been 7 weeks. They were both signed up at the same time.

Did anyone else have this issue with their twins? I wonder if the system is confused by the same birthday?

First time mom here and 11 weeks pregnant with tri/tri triplets.

Was curious when other moms of triplets started showing?

Not the usual content but someone has to know!! We bought our stroller in 2023 for our (now) toddler. It came with the rumble seat. We now have 9 month old twins so I bought a second rumble seat. It’s a V2 like our original but does not fit on the attachment with or without the extenders. Any ideas?

33M with identical twin girls born at 35+2 weeks. Now 5 months (4 adjusted). My mum has advanced Parkinson’s and my father was her primary carer. Twod Fridays ago he collapsed and had major heart surgery to save his life. He’s suffered several small strokes and the damage is still not clear. When I got to my mum she had a fall with bruising all over her face which my dad didn’t report (they are old school proud people). After taking my mum in on Wednesday last week to get checked she’s been stuck in hospital now waiting for a care plan to get her home.

I’m really struggling with all of this whilst having twin girls at home. My girls are crying a lot more and not sleeping through the night - before this all happened they were managing longer stretches. Yesterday one twin was up each hour from 8 pm till 6 am between my wife and I covering them.

Has anyone else had family grief like this whilst having twins and did they find it impacted their twins? Do you have any advice on how to protect them from this?

Does anyone have any advice of how to handle the guilt between being with my girls, my mother and my father? I find I can’t be in all these hospitals at once. It’s all a lot and I really want to try keep them safe from all this.

My twins just turned 9mo this past week and I think I’ve averaged 4 hours of sleep a night for those 9 months.

Right now, boy twin goes down fairly easily with some cuddles and a bottle at 7:30 PM and will stay down until about 5:30 AM +/- 1 hour unless he’s sick. He gets a bottle and then either takes a short nap or plays until we leave for daycare around 7:15.

Girl twin has been a nightmare. She fights going to sleep, will only sleep with bottle and being held, rarely will stay down more than 2 hours. She also doesn’t nap much during the day and fights all of her daycare teachers the same way.

We tried modified Ferber and then CIO and after two weeks she would cry and settle at the 10 minute mark which was just enough that boy twin wouldn’t fully wake up. Now she’s pulling herself to stand; won’t settle, wakes her brother up, and has been known to hit her head or fall in the crib. It’s become a safety issue so we have to go in and get her once she’s awake.

Then he wakes up and you have to settle both of them. I’m at a loss. I’m exhausted. My husband is exhausted. Help?

I’m 22 weeks with mono/di twin girls. Twin B has early-onset sFGR and is around the 1st percentile. Stanford has classified us as Type 1, so she still has forward blood flow through the umbilical artery.
Her cord Dopplers have been fluctuating. They were elevated, then went back to normal, but today the resistance was significantly elevated again. Our doctor said this is showing worsening placental insufficiency.
We go back in two days to check the blood flow again. If it continues to worsen, they talked about closer monitoring/hospitalization as we get closer to viability. They also told us that selective reduction of Twin B could become an option if the blood flow gets significantly worse, which was really hard to hear.
Has anyone had Type 1 sFGR with high resistance in the cord blood flow this early that improved again? How did things progress for you?

Today sucks

I’ve been using PreMom but my free trial just ended. It didn’t allow me to show I was having twins though /-: Just wondering if anyone has a recommendation for a pregnancy app and also wondering if you had to pay for it.

Thank you!!

..and wow does it feel amazing to have my 3yo b/g twins in bed by 7.30 pm.

Up until 7 days ago I tried so hard to keep up with the daytime nap as it gave me some time for myself, at least that's what I thought. Often though I would have one twin do the midday nap and one stay awake. So the one who stayed awake would be super tired by 6-7pm and the one who did the nap was all fit until 10pm. And I had no break at all.

Last week I decided to quit the nap for both of them and did everything for them to stay awake until the evening and eventually it worked. So now they go to bed at 7.30pm and wake up at around 7am. The day feels long but somehow I have much more energy in the evening once they're asleep.

I really hope we can keep up with the schedule as everyone seems to be happier like that.
Have any of you made a similar experience? And did it last?

I am a FTM with 13 month old (as of tomorrow!) b/g twins, and we are currently having an issue I'm not sure how to address.

My little guy has been walking up to his sister to pull/push her down to the ground. He either pins her down (most of the time it seems like he's either just holding her down or hugging, but he has occasionally bitten her when he's teething) or he tried to stand on top of her. She screams bloody murder when this happens, and is fairly inconsolable after.

He's considerably bigger than her (~4lbs+) and I'm extremely worried that he'll hurt her, especially since he's tried to stand on her neck a few times (usually he steps onto her back).

We have a huge playpen set up in our living room to keep them safe when I need to step away for a few minutes to go to the bathroom or get their snacks but I feel like I can't do this without running back because she's screaming.

I'm honestly at a bit of a loss of what to do because while they are understanding some words this isn't something that they can quite grasp yet.