Twins...Help!

I know it can be shocking at first but it is definitely doable. I have a 2 year old son and 2 1/2 month old twin girls right now. It went from being easy to being hard to being easy again. And I know it will have it's ups and downs as the days and weeks progress but it is so amazing when I look down at them sitting in their chairs and they both just follow me as I walk across the room. Nothing can compete with that! You will feel overwhelmed on days and you will feel like you can't do it but then there will be days when it's a snap. Just take it one day at a time. If you ever want to talk or ask questions, feel free to e-mail me. And I do second joining your local multiples group. It's awesome hearing stories from people who have actually been through it because let me tell you, if you haven't had twins you can't know what it's like!!!

M.,

Everything is going to be fine...take a breath cause I know its a shocker! :)
I am a mother of twins (8yrs old girl/boy) and have a 13 yr old as well. My oldest son was 4 when the twins were born. Im not going to lie...it is going to be a lot of work and I hope that your husband is a huge help to you because you will need it! Just to let you know...if the twins are fraternal then this is a gene that is somewhere in YOUR family. Fraternal twins are hereditary since your body is the one that is dropping more than one egg. Identical twins are a fluke...it just takes your egg splitting into two (or more). So when it comes to the twins...it doesnt have anything to do with the father unless he has passed this hereditary gene to his daughter. The last set of frat. twins in my family was my Grandfather's Aunt! This gene just snuck up and bit me ha ha! Its an amazing thing! When you have the twins....accept any and all help offered to you! This is the biggest piece of advice I can give you! Also be prepared for a lot of attention when you leave your home...its the closest thing to experiencing a celebrity life style :)
I still look at my twins and think their amazing. Its an interesting pregnancy as well...but again...its amazing! There will be frustrating times as well as very tired times but remember its only temporary...thats what got me through. Not everyone can have twins so just know how lucky you are to have them. Also as they get older you will realize the benefits of twins....you knock out numerous things at once and then your done!! :)

I am now a single parent with my three kids so for me sometimes times get tough... but you are fortunate to have your husband to help you. Be very excited but take your naps now! :)

Also another thing....when people hear that you are having twins...everyone seems to know someone that had twins and they will tell you scary stories about "oh they were to small to leave the hospital" and "they had health problems cause they were born early" .... just dont listen to these stories. Everyone is different as I found out! Im a small person...5'3" and weighed 115lbs when I got pregnant with my twins but my twins were born weighing 7lbs 9 ozs and 7lbs 14ozs!! They were born about 4 weeks early and were as healthy as could be...everything was fine.

I hope I have been of some help....let me know if you have any questions, Im an expert at this twins thing ;)

Take care and enjoy what your about to experience cause its a beautiful and amazing thing :)

~A.

Hi. My twins are 2 years old. Because you already have a toddler... you are in for a treat! Best advice... get LOTS of rest now. STOCK UP on diapers. If you have a shower... ask for diapers. Keep them in the same crib for a little while. It helps them bond. Keep their finger nails cut! They will scratch each other often and badly! Don't buy TWO of everything, except crib and high chair (which you already have one of). Suggestion: have ONE exersaucer, ONE jumperoo, ONE swing, ONE smaller swing. TWO of those mats with the toys dangling overhead (they can do that at the same time), TWO bouncers (you can bounce one baby in it with your foot, while you are feeding the other), TWO boppies. I STILL use the boppies (as pillows). This way, you can lay them BOTH on the couch OR on the floor. I also set up a blanket on the floor with all of their toys and the two boppies face to face when they were starting to sit up. They LOVED this arrangement. GOOD LUCK!! Don't let them bite each other- they'll try. Teach them to hug each other after every argument. You'll lose lots of weight chasing them around the playground :)

Look into hiring a postpartum doula. There are ones who specialize in multiples and can help you with juggling them, as well as breastfeeding them both if that is what you desire. Check www.dona.org for one in your area. You can also ask around for ones in training for less money, but with multiples you may want one experienced with them.
Good luck, and you will do fine.

I have twin girls (4 months old) and a three year old son. The hardest part is the three year old! We are very fortunate to have very good little girls. They are breast fed and sleeping thru the night. I was shocked as wellwhen I found out I was due with two and did not want twins-let alone GIRLS (think highschool!) but we are blessed. You simply do everything ...TWICE. Diapers, baths, etc...I also work full time so it is challenging but also a lot of fun. The hardest thing is trying to go out and do something quickly (post office, the store for milk, etc...) it is not easy to lug two babies around for a quick trip. Hopefully you will have someone around to help you with that sort of thing. Take advantage when family and friends offer because you will probably hear a lot of promises to help but very few people will actually make good on those promises. Also, when you are out in public with the babies, you will get A LOT and I mean A LOT of attention. Everyone stops you to look and poke at your babies. Especially old ladies. My advice is to keep them covered up, with the canopy on the stroller closed and make sure people stay back. You do not want your little ones catching everyone else's illnesses! Good Luck, you will do great!

P.S. You DO NOT need TWO of everything. Car seat, Crib, High Chair...YES! Swing, Bouncer seat...MAYBE! Everything Else...NO! The babies can share or take turns.

Hi-
I know exactly how you feel- I have twin girls who will be two in March- We were totally surprised! It wasn't hereditary for us either. We have identical girls- it's just a fluke of nature. It's turned out to be an amazing experience. Someone once told me, you only get what you can handle. So feel pleased with yourself. You will be up to the challenge. There is a twins club in the Valley-www.sfvmomc.org- This is a great source for a lot of moms of multiples. There's also some great books on twin pregnancy- definitely check those out- it is different then the singleton pregnancy.

I live in Sherman Oaks- I'm a working mom- my husband stays home w/ our girls- but maybe we could meet up for a playdate on a weekend since my girls are about the same age as your daughter. I'm always happy to share my experience and help out another twin mom. I did a lot of research before the girls were born so I like to pass on what I know when I can.
L.

M.,
I would recommend that you go to the best source - other moms! Find your closest Mothers of Twins group & talk to them. I haven't seen anyone else's answers to this question, but I bet others probably say the same thing. I am not a mother of twins, but I have a friend who is, and she always had such fun in the gatherings of the twins & moms. Good luck! Try to sleep when you can. Have fun!

Hi M.,

Congratulations! You will certainly have your hands full. I have two and a half year old boy/girl twins. They were taken 3 weeks early because they were plenty big enough. My daughter was 7lbs 9ozs and my son was 6 lbs 12 ozs.
They both scored a 10. My husband did all kinds of research and convinced me to take DHA tablets (the kind that is mercury free) while I was pregnant. It helps with their brain and growth.

After they were born we tried keeping them in the same room but they would wake eachother up. So we separated them. Also if you can't get a night nanny, which in retrospect I would have done, then you might want to try what we discovered gave my husband and I more sleep. I would go to bed at 7:30 or 8:00 pm while my husband had baby duty, then he would wake me up at 2:00 am and I would do baby duty while he got uninterrupted sleep. Before that we would both be woken up all night long by one or the other. Good luck!!

Hey M.! I have 3 1/2 year old twins. I was fortunate during my pregnancy and after because I myself am a twin. I have an identical twin sister. My mother was able to give me advice and pass me some tricks.

My advice to you during the pregnancy??? Good luck and enjoy it. Obviously you'll go through twice as much than you did with your singleton. Twice the belly, more weight gained, and more weight to carry. I noticed that I quickly grew out of the standard maternity clothes. If you do....Lane Bryant is a good place to get larger tops.

Advice to prepare......BABY SHOWER!!!! You will obviously need two of everything!! Call all your reinforcements and have a baby shower!!!

After birth.....I noticed that while I was breast feeding one twin would eat all the food and the other wouldn't have enough. So I pumped my breast milk and sat both babies in those $20 bouncy chairs from target and I sat right inbetween them. They were facing me and I held a bottle in each of their mouths. So they both fed at the same time with the same amount of milk. This also helped reduce the time it took to feed one baby at a time.

Also.....the most IMPORTANT advise I can give you....is get your twins on the SAME schedule!!!! This will be extremely helpful for you and your routine as well as sanity. 2 babies at once is a lot of work. Feed them at the same time, put them to nap at the same time, and to bed at the same time. Even if one baby wants to do their own thing on their own time......get them on an identical schedule. This will help you maintain your private time for rest, cleaning up, as well as time with your older child.

Good luck!
Kimberly - Los Angeles

I have been in a mothers of twins club since I was pregnant (my twins are now nearly 7) The club was the best resource I could have possibly had. there is a local club in the Foothill area/burbank/glendale that is FANTASTIC. It is called Terrific Twosome Mothers of Multiples try website www.ttmom.org

The website, TWINSTUFF is awesome. I have twins and it got me through bed rest, pregnancy, the first year and now the second year. Go to the forums and log on you will get specific answers on everything. It will be a buttload of work but fun too.

Let me start by saying congratulations! Twins are a lot of work. I have a girl who will be 9 in 2 weeks and boy/girl twins that will be 4 in June. I'm 39. There is twins on both sides of our families and I never even considered the thought that it could happen to me. It's a lot of work but they are great. They make wonderful companions for each other. They fight together play together sleep together it's mostly a joy. My advice I thnk would be plan for having as much help as you can in the beginning. There's a lot of lost sleep. I get your diaper situation squared away so you don't have to go out so frequently. If you're using throw-aways, I liked the Sams Club ones (they were cheap and worked as well as pampers) Costco were $10 more per box for their brand. When they're personalities start forming whatever one has the other wants. Even if it's the same thing but a different color they notice a difference. Also, I notice at their school that one is always more dominant.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! I remember the day I was lying on the table and the ultrasound specialist had made the comment, "Well, I'm glad your lying down"! My twin boys are now 11 years old and could'nt of done it without the help of the Lord and my wonderful mother. It is a huge transition in life and it takes family or friends involvement! Dont be afraid to accept help when offered! You need to get plenty of rest and be extremely careful not to over do it! I carried my twins to full term and gave birth to them naturally. If it's identical twins or fraternal of the same gender, it is hard not to confuse the two at first. The hospital will state one as baby "A" and the other baby "B". I immediately found a name I liked for baby "A" that started with an "A". That had the accociation with the band he/she will wear and the name. When I got them home, they could not continue to wear the band, so you can paint one little fingernail. You will be very monitered the next few months while seeing a multiple birth specialist once a week to listen to both heartbeats that will be sent to your doctor. Your husband is going to have to play a huge role in this in order to allow you to rest after the babies are born. I nursed them both and asked my nurses a lot of questions before doing so. While I nursed one, my husband or mother would passify the other and then we would switch. Try and get them on the same routine so that YOU CAN REST!!! That goes for their sleep as well! I had the boys sleep in the same crib and I dont know if that is why they are inseperable today. People will try to tell you to seperate them as much as possible, but from expierience I wouldn't of had it any other way! They love each other so much, and I think thats how siblings should be. I am also glad I didnt give
them rhyming names (ex: Jake and Blake). This makes it hard for the child to know weather you are talking to him/her or the twin sibling! At first M., it seems hectic and a lot of adjustments but the rewards are a huge blessing!!! My twins are the best of friends and have each other to entertain when I have loads to do around the house. We are all super close, and couldn't imagine it any other way!!! I hope this helped a little. If you have any other questions, please let me know. I wish they had this available to me when I was in your shoes!

P.S. Take lots of pictures! It goes by fast!!!

Yea!! Congratulations! It is so exciting, scary, overwhelming and such a blessing. Go to http://www.nomotc.org/ and find your local multiples club. That was the best thing I did; they are very supportive.

Mine are two now and it has been an amazing journey. Feel free to email if you want to chat, vent, ask questions.

All the best to you.

i also have twin girls myself, which just turned 1. i also have a 2 1/2 year old son. so as you can see my hands are full and having twins was also the shock of my life. but it's great! i won't lie, it's not easy! the first few months are a blur because of the tiredness and fatigue but you'll make it. get help when you can and let the little things slide. get the twins on a schedule early, especially a sleep routine, and relax and have fun. i was defintely more easy going with the twins than i was with my first. you learn to pick and choose the more important things and the little things can wait till tomorrow or someone else can do them :). good luck and again, if you can, get help (family, friends, etc.).

M.,

CONGRATS!!! When my 4th pregnancy surprised us, i had a feeling i was having twins. we did not confirm the fact until 32+ weeks b/c i did not choose to have an ultrasound, i already had 2 boys, one girl, was happy to just have healthy baby. so the babies were born at 39 weeks. they are 14 months old now, getting into everything, toddling abround and still breastfeeding. it's crazy and cool and amazing and surreal. i live on the Central Coast in CA. Are you in CA?? (this website is still something i don't quite understand fully). Anyway, feel free to email me with any questions about your pregnancy- i am a doula too, so i am a pregnacy junkie ;).

Best,
M.- ____@____.com

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! You have been double blessed. Just like me - my girls are 9 1/2 months. They keep me busy but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Check out this website - www.twinstuff.com
It's great - very informative w/ lots of support.

Good Luck. E-mail me if you have any questions or just to talk.

First off, CONGRATULATIONS! You are in for a wonderful, yet crazy ride. But you are so lucky to be chosen! There is so much to advise, but you will figure your own way. It is great to talk to others and get their ideas on things, but just know what works for some doesnt necessarily work for others. Your twins are their own little people and together you will figure it all out. Dont be h*** o* yourself, take it one day at a time.

Get involved in your local twins club, asap. They will be the best resource for you. Here is a Link to the southern ca. mothers of twins clubs. Find one near you and call or email them. Most clubs have stuff to loan or sell, and they usually do meals for you when babies are born...or when/if you go on bedrest. Its a good idea to go to their meetings or playdates just to observe twins and their parents.
http://www.scmotc.org/scmotc_linkstolocalmemberclubs.htm

I agree, you dont need 2 of everything. Borrow what you can. And line up help after they are born. You could end up with a c-section and god knows how dificult it is just to sit up let alone take care of 3 kids. Take it easy now, it is easier to scale down on the stuff you do now, then later when you could be forced to take it easy. Also, getting the husband to do more around the house etc. gradually will ease the transition for him. Everytime you go to Costco, buy diapers/wipes. Get their photos taken, I know how hard it is to get out of the house, but make yourself do it. Whether you go to a professional or just Sears, you will be glad you did when they are 4 years old as mine are. Take photos of them with the same object on a monthly basis, like a stuffed animal, or a 2 liter coke bottle. That is something fun I learned of after mine were born, so I never did it. Mine were very premature and it would be neat to look back at photos and have a reference for how tiny they really were. Good luck to you and agian, congrats!

I am also a Mother of Twins, so i understand your concern (and jitters).

The best advice that i could give is to get plenty of rest before and after delivery. Eat healthy and make sure you have a good doctor who will understand your concerns. If you're close to your family, recruit them to help you at the time of delivery .. get them to stay at your house for a week or so just so you can get some rest that first week home.

There are also lots of local twins clubs that can help with preparing you for the big day!

Things to have: 2 GOOD SWINGS! My twins spent lots of time in them. That was a huge life saver! Most people think "two of everything", don't spend the money if you don't have to. Borrow stuff from friends who also have small children, you'll be surprised at how willing they are to help out with things like that. Also, make sure you've got some good bottles and a good breast pump (you can rent one too) after they're born. I nursed for 2 weeks, then pumped for 6 weeks after that. I felt like a Cow!! LOL!!

It is hard to do, but with great support anything is possible

Involve your 2 year old.. she will LOVE taking care of those babies. But be prepared for hurt feelings and sadness. The once only child will begin to feel isolated. Make sure when you're in public (since you'll get LOTS of ooosss and ahhhhs), you ALWAYS say.. "Yes, they are twins! And they have such a great BIG SISTER". My boys are still getting lots of unwanted attention because they're twins...

At the time when i was pregnant i also had a 2 year old.. when we brought the twins home he wanted to be a "big boy" and practically potty trained himself!! (things to look forward to).

Join http://www.twinstuff.com/. it's a great message board with all kinds of advise (that you'll need)

Best Advise ever.. Dont give your kids similar names! People will get confused. We considered Jacob & Jackson.. but decided on Brenden & Cole (our oldest has an "A" name.. so we gave them A,B,C names) corny.. i know.. Also, don't dress them the same, they hate that!! It's cute when they're little.. and i did it for awhile, but when people couldn't tell them apart it was frustrating (mine are identical). So I always dressed one in Red & one in Blue, then people knew who was who. To this day they still will (by choice) only wear red & blue.

Giving them names that are not similar will give the kids a sense of individual identity. Try not to call them "The twins". Mine are now 5 and HATE being called that by other people. They are individuals (even though they were born at the same time).

I wish you the best of luck. It's so much fun and I sometimes wish my boys were babies again.. (it was so much easier than listening to them fight) :)

p.s. get one of those shirts that say "YES, THEY'RE TWINS"... you'll be surprised at how often people will ask you, even though it's obvious. After year 5 it gets annoying.. LOL!!

A.

You sound like us! We have a two year old boy and we are having twins too! We are due in July. I can hardly believe it. I think sometimes I am still in shock about the whole thing! How are you feeling? Have you noticed any changes that were different from your first pregnancy? I would love to chat about our experiences. I am learning too!

M.,

I delivered fraternal twin boys when my daughter was 22 months old. I didn't think that they ran in my family but I found out after I delivered that my grandfather had twin brothers that didn't survive their first year so it was not talked about. Fraternal twins are hereditary but identical twins can happen to any one. I actually didn't know that I was having twins until 17 minutes after the first one was born and had to have an emergency C-section so I don't know about what to do different during the pregnancy. Although I did allow myself extra time towards the end of the pregnancy to snuggle with my daughter because I was so huge.

My big advice that worked well had to do more with my daughter. I had heard that with any new baby the first child is ignored quiet a lot. Multiply that by 100 when you have twins the second time. You will feel like a celebrity with paparazzi when you stroll with your twins. It was heartbreaking to see my daughter's pride of the babies turn to hurt feelings. I then decided that I needed to do something to bring her into the circle. I sat down and taught her that when people asked questions about the twins, I would let her answer the questions if she knew them. We talked about their names, age, that they were fraternal twins etc... Every time we had people around the stroller I would turn to my daughter and gave her "the floor" I loved seeing her beam with joy that people were looking to her. And everyone thought it was precious that she knew all this information about them. Obviously there were moments that she was playing or wasn't in the mood to answer. On those occasions I took over and just went ahead and answered.

My other bit of advice is to plan not to do too much. When my daughter was born I tried to keep everything in our household the same cleanliness and organization level as before. Realize (and this is especially hard for some husbands) that you will need to relax everything even when you are having family and friends to help. Also have a list ready for when people offer help. Always give them something that they can give to help you even if it is just to go purchase diapers and wipes. Oh, and diapers and wipes--for a while our diaper bill was $150 per month. We had tried to potty train our daughter before but she regressed after the twins were born and it took about a year to get her back on track.

If you need to talk more or even after the babies are born you need to email me, please feel free.

Just relax and enjoy this time.

Evelyn

I heard there is a group called "OC Mothers of Twins"...sounds like you should check them out!! Also, I have two girl friends who gave birth to twins last year. According to them, the dirty little secret about twins is that after a certain point, they really do entertain themselves which makes them easier than singles. (having witnessed them in action, I'm not sure I fully believe this, but that's what they said!).

Best of luck!

How exciting. Congratulations. Start looking to join a twin club in the next few months. Most let you join for free for a few months to see if you like them. Other mothers of multiples will be your best resource out there. I am a mom of 4. Three of which are triplets. My multiples clubs were a wealth of information both during and after my pregnancy. You do not need doubles of everything right away. The best advice I can give you is eat your protein while you are pregnant and stay on a schedule once they are born. The stroller you will want is the Valco Baby Tri Mode Twin with toddler seat. You will do fine. My kids are 2 years 4 months apart. I am still surviving!

I have no advise but it is so strange because I have so many friends that have a toddler and twins came second. No fertility either. Maybe it's in the water. :) Congrats!

Twins are so much fun and so much work. When I found out I was having twins I was in the ultrasound room alone.I asked for my husband and they told me no, i had to wait for them to finish my measurements. Let me tell you, I have NEVER cused so much or in front so a dr. They finally went and got him and he smiled and was so excited. To call it shocked would be an understatement.
My advise would be prepare yourself! Read books on carrying twins, raising them, and mentally prepare yourself for them to come early. My twins were 6 weeks early and they both stayed in the NICU for 2 weeks. It was the hardest two weeks of my life! half of all sets of twins need to stay and if you are ready to hear it, its easier to deal with. you will be miserable,i was due in sept. and summer was horrible, too hot to carry all that weight.
Twins are amazing! They have a relationship no one else understands! Watching them grow up is a blessing. they use twin speak, and comfort each other. I never thought it would be as fun as it is. Good luck, all the work is worth it.

I had a similar situation. I had a 14month old and got pregnant and found out I was having TRIPLETS! Definitely join the local multiples club. If you are in Santa Barbara area go to SB Parents of Muliples www.sbpom.org and sign up. We will assign a mentor for you who will be great resource of info for having twins. It's a lot of work but also a lot of fun! Feel free to e-mail me as I am the membership chair for the group. ____@____.com luck!
K.

Hang in there! My twin fraternal girls are now 17 and going off to college next year. The pregnancy is definitely more difficult and you might be on bedrest so be prepared. You'll be getting lots of sonograms throughout. It's very exciting though.

Line up full-time nurse help for when you deliver for at least 2-3 weeks. Then you'll need some day help too. You'll need to get the babies on the same schedule so you can get some sleep too.

My pediatrician's advice (she has twins too) was always to have 'special' time with each child. It helps them feel unique and bonded to you. Every stage and year is a new challenge and not harder than the other. It does get easier though when they're around 18 months and able to do some things. Your 2 year old can actually help you!

Financially, everything is more than doubled. Ask your pediatrician for a discount. I got one till they were 18 months. Always ask for discounts. You'd be surprised. Start a 529 college fund if you can also. It only grows. I'm facing $50,000 each next year in tuition!

Check your community for twin support groups. I met my pediatrican at a 'multiple support group'. I lived from meeting to meeting. It made life so much easier to hear from others and see how hard triplets were!

It's a wonderful time so eat healthy, get exercise (in a pool is best), get sleep now, and drink lots of water. It's really hard but worth it totally!

Good luck.

Debbie

Hi M.,

When my mother gave birth to my brothers (they are now 50), she joined an organization call the Mothers of Twins Club and she stayed involved with the organization for decades. The club is still going strong. Here is there website. http://www.nomotc.org/ Best of luck to you and your little ones.

R.

Congrats, I just had twins in September myself =) It is a difficult blessing - I don't know how else to describe it. Get things ready early...and I mean early because they will probably put you on bedrest early in your pregnancy. I was put on bedrest at 20 weeks, and I delivered at 36 weeks. I hadn't even registered for my baby shower at 20 weeks. I was lucky, I didn't have any health complications. My twins were born healthy (by c-section of course)even though they were early. I have a boy and a girl, and my daughters sac was seperating from my uterus so that caused contractions and thats why they came early. Eat healthy you don't want to add to problems that twins can bring on, and listen to EVERYTHING your doctor says. Do not let people tell you different from your doctor. When they tell you not to loft things, when they tell you to stay in bed do it. I know it will be hard because you have an older child, but think how much harder it will be if you have to be hospitalized =)

Once they are here you will not have any rest until...well I don't know when because my twins will be 5mos old on the 3rd and I still don't have any downtime. I am breastfeeding them so it was crazy in the beginning. I was lucky, I had a lot of help. I wasn't alone with them until they were at least 3mos old. My mom, sister, in-laws. Everyone would take their turncoming to sit with me so that I would have them help. Once they were about 3mos, they were more manageable. They weren't feeding as often and we were able to find our groove.

I would definately recommend two bouncers, I only have one swing and once jumper because of space issues and we're fine. We have one crib, normal sized I'm sure - and they fit fine together in there still. They like to be close to each other. People were very generous at my showers so we were lucky, we received plenty of clothes, blankets...all that good stuff. Plus, on the invite my sister asked people to bring a package of diapers and/or wipes and told them that they would be entered into a drawing. So she picked a few names to give prizes to and we were lucky enough to receive so many diapers that we havent had to but any ourselves...yet.

Don't be afraid to ask people to help you out, even schedule shifts of family members or friends that can come help you, or even take your older daughter out and keep her entertained for a little while at the beginning when you will be busy with the twins. When people offer help NEVER say no. When they ask you if theres anything you need - don't be afraid or embarassed to ask for whatever it is your babies need... people are willing to help because if they have kids they know how tough it can be.

We're the center of attention anywhere we go, people point and stare and they all want to see the twins. It can get a little old or annoying when you're having a bad day - but just remember to be polite and smile... raising twins is not an easy job, but God knows what he's doing. Sometimes I wake up in the morning an I think "wow, there really are two of them!" - it's crazy, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

When I first found out we were also in disbelief, every time we went to the doctors we asked them to double check =)you can feel like your losing your mind at times and you will need plenty of notebooks to write things down like who was fed when and how much and you'll need to keep track of wet diapers - stuff like that. If you don't write it down you will get all mixed up, on days when I don't write things down I feel lost. I stoppped for a while but now that they're starting with cereal and baby food, I brought out my notebooks again. Good luck! You will need it, but remember it will all be worth it =)

Congrats! There are alot of twins out there these days. I have 9month old twin girls. I'm going to try and give you all the advice I can think of. Read alot of books while you're pregnant. Be prepared for the babies months before they arrive, because you never know
when that will happen. I did research online or in books to see what was best for twins.
Then I bought the necessary items on Craigslist or ebay. It saved alot of money! I basically got what I needed for the first 3 months of their lives, because you'll be too tired/busy during those months. If you can afford someone to help you once the baby is born, even if just 1-2 times a week, it would be great. I needed help just so I could take a nap. My husband and I set up a schedule that worked for us- he would take the 10pm-1am night shift, feeding them bottles of pumped milk- that way I got some sleep every day. That may or may not work for you, but gives you an idea... They slept in the same crib together until they were about 6 months old. They just kept running into each other. If you go the bottle route, you might want to try 'Podee' bottles. They are a hands-free bottle. And as soon as I thought the girls might be able to hold their own bottles, I trained them to- oh what a relief that was! If you are breastfeeding... the 'EZ to nurse' pillow was a savior for me. As for clothing- I don't dress them the same, so I bought 'lot' items of clothes for them on ebay. Saves alot of time and money. Also, the twins group near me has a clothing exchange 2 times a year. When I was pregnant, I got enough clothes from that to be set for the first 3 months. All free! Diapers.com is another great resource so you don't have to be running out getting diapers all the time.
Get a good size diaper bag. I got a backpack type. I need both hands for the little ones.
Do alot of stretches each day. I had to go to physical therapy because I messed up my back and neck (looking down so much while nursing was one reason). Be careful. I went through a few baby carriers before I found one I like. First was a soft sling, then the Maximom for twins, then the Bjorn, and lastly the Ergo. None were bad, just either didn't get around to really using them, or they didn't quite feel right for me or baby. I ended up
with the Ergo because you can wear them front,back, or on the hip. They're pretty sturdy
as well. I now wear one twin on my back so I can carry the other (but they have to be old enough for back carrying). Make sure you get out of the house as soon as you feel comfortable. One little trip at a time will give you good practice and keep you from going stir-crazy. I would start out with a trip to see the hubby at work. Then I worked up to a
shopping trip to Target. Slowly but surely I became more comfortable. I now know how much time and how many stops I can get out of them in between naps and crankiness.
As for shopping... I learned how to tow a shopping cart behind while I pushed the double stroller. I also joined a general moms group and went out on park playdates once a week.
Well, I know there's alot of other things I'm forgetting, but my brain is tired now. I wish you luck!

Hi- check in your area for a "Mothers of Multiples" group- you'll find tons of other twins/ triplets moms who can advise and give you all kids of stuff!

From a different perspective- I was 12 when my mom had my twin sisters (the last two in our family of 6 girls!) So she had lots of help with us older sisters. It made a huge impression on me, I was old enough to realize how much work it truly was. But thats just the first few years when they are too small to do anything themselves, and require twice the amount of accoutrements to go anywhere. The prep just to leave the house was a lot. I remember a huge turning point was when they could put on their own socks and shoes.
The crying was kinda bad because they would set eachother off, and it was hard to calm one if the other was crying. They were just very in tune with each others emotions from birth. Still are.
I don't think my mom felt the need to give them individualized special attention. Then again we are a larger family so none of us got that really! They grew up very "twinly"- matching clothes for years, sharing a bed til they were like 12 or something, same friends, never arguing like the rest of us. They didn't really start to have different interests or separate friends til 1/2way through high school and got different part-time jobs, boyfriends and stuff. They are still super close though, freshman in college and didn't even think about not being roommates, let alone going to (gasp!) different schools.
My advice- get a young responsible gal who loves kids and babies that is in your neighborhood to be mothers helper (like age 13) just to come over and play with your 2 y/o while you tend to the babies, or help you with the twins. Or to go along with you and all the kids on errands. Just an extra set of hands that is eager and affordable! Then as everyone grows older and the gal becomes more responsible and bonded to your kids, you'll eventually be able to leave them alone with her and get some time to your self :)
Twins are so special- there is an understanding between them that baffles the rest of us. It really is like they are two halves of one person sometime. They are so close without having any jealousy or competition or anything. It's pretty amazing.
Good luck! You will love it! The first few years will be a whirlwind and suddenly you'll stop and realize you aren't so overworked anymore and boy do they grow up fast.

Congratulations. You'll be just fine. The first little while will of course be hard but just think of all the fun times to be had. Just don't dress them alike when they are in 3rd grade. For just one day I wish I could tell those two girls in my daughter's class apart.

Hi M.,

Congratulations on the twins! I had twins last March. They were my first so I didn't know what to expect. The pregnancy was hard at first, but pretty soon you realize you get to eat more than most! You need to take in more calories to support their growth so that has some benefits if you like to eat! It gets very hard to move at the end--so try to do as much as you can early. It's so beautiful to see them in the womb and now to see them in real life. They are a blessing but also a ton of work! Good luck to you and your hubby. C.