Schedule

I know that there are many many theories and ideals about how a baby's daily life should be. Some say it's best to put them on a schedule, others say to feed on demand and other are extreme as far as you let the baby dictate the day. Well, since I worked with infants for so many years, I have seen it all. They all work, if they work for you. That being said, having twins is different. There are two of them that are needing love, bottle/breast, changing and naps. That is a LOT. Since my husband and I work opposite shifts we are both "single" parents when we are home with the boys. We put them on a schedule so that we could stay sane. When they were really young (up to 2 months) I let them sleep until one woke up to eat and then I would wake the other up to eat so that they stayed together. I didn't want to have to track who ate when and how much. I do track diapers and other things (find tracking for more info).

A 3 hour schedule is what I put them on when they were a little older (2.5 months). Once they got used to the routine I had made, then they were able to expect things and feel more comfortable with the day. They calmed a little and were sleeping better at night. They started to skip their midnight feeding and still only wake once at night for a bottle. I do make sure that the bottles are staggered by at least 30 min so that one is not screaming during the others bottle and I get that close one-on-one feeding with each one.

The strange thing about having kids is that they thrive in a flexible structure. This means that they like the structure of a schedule, but it needs to be flexible in order for everyone to live life as it happens. If they typically eat at 12 but everyone was having fun playing and they don't eat until 12:30 or 1, that's okay as long as you keep the order the same. Same thing goes for a bedtime routine, if the order is the same, the time doesn't matter.

The way I formed our schedule was to look at what they naturally did anyway and make it more uniform. So they naturally fell into the EAS plan. Eat, Awake time, Sleep.

Going to the Grocery Store!

Well one challange I found was going to the grocery store. Just know from now on, if you are alone and decide, "I'll make a quick stop at the store for ___, " you are wrong. :) I decided one day that Archer needed some more saline drops because he was so congested he just wasn't sleeping well or even just breathing well. SO, I stopped, got them both out and sat them on the ground next to me. I thought about getting out the stroller, but stopped because why haul out that big thing when I'm just getting one quick thing. I decided to put them both in a cart (luckily I parked right next to it). Well one car seat will fit in that child seat area...and the other one takes up almost all the room in the cart. Plan B: I will just muscle it and carry them. Well, that was fine since they both weighed under 6 lbs... until I had to pay and carry them a  bag, my purse and of course the candy bar I bought.

I finally got wised up and found a better way (especially when you need to get a lot). My husband and I work opposite shifts and so I have to take the twins with me to the store. I figured out that you take the time to put one in a baby carrier on you, and the other one (still in the car seat) in that child seat part of the shopping cart. Ta Da! Now you can have the whole cart available for groceries and can get both kids in and out of the store. It may take a while, but it is the most effective way. And since they are twins and will be running one day, I make it a habit already to park next to the shopping cart caddy thing. I will even park in the way back, or drive around for 10 minutes until I can park right next to one so that I can just plop the car seat in the front, then park that right between the car and the corral thing (so that he is safe) and then hook up the other baby in the carrier. This is also very helpful because when I am done at the store and we are loading up to go. I can put the babies in the car first, just like I got them ready but in reverse, and then it is much easier to load up the groceries and shove the cart in the corral as I'm getting in and everyone is nice and safe.

Delivery

Since these were my first kids, I read all sorts of books on pregnancy and twins and all. I found them helpful to an extent. I am here to tell you what I didn't expect so that if you are in the same situation, you will. We decided to do a C-Section because of Baby B. They were both head down and ready to go, but for his safety we went ahead with the plan our doctor suggested. We were so nervous before we went in. I was physically shaking. It is a little scary knowing that your life is about to change as soon as you walk in there. Well, one thing twin books had mentioned that it is a good idea to hold both babies as soon as you can. Then hold on and give them all your attention and then the other. We when your in a c-section, you don't really get the chance to hold them. This the books did mention.. however, what I found out with great disappointment, is that when your babies have to go straight to the NICU, you aren't allowed to go see them right away. And when I mean right away, I mean I wasn't allowed to go see them until my drugs wore off. THAT TOOK 5 HOURS!!! I couldn't believe that my husband got to see them and hold their hands. Yes, he was wonderful and came back and forth and brought me cell phone pictures and updates.. but seriously I wasn't able to see them for 5 hours. What if something had happened in 5 hours. What if... .It killed me. When I was able to move my legs and toes I asked the nurse if I could go see them. She replied, "Not quite yet." I got this answer all day and was starting to get really pissed off and said, "Well I can move my legs and toes now, so the drugs have worn off." She half replied, "Fine, if you can walk to the bathroom and back by yourself, I will let you go." You bet your bottom I got my butt out of that bed and hobbled myself to the bathroom and back. Yes, I was in a ton of pain but that wasn't going to stop me.

When I was finally able to go see the boys, I felt a overwhelming internal battle (which hasn't stopped) of who to see first. Which baby has to wait? I went to see the first born first, thinking that if it were a vaginal delivery I would have seen him first anyway. We did all the kangaroo care and everything with them and were so excited they came home after a terrible month in the NICU. 

Pregnant with Twins

The thing I loved with I was pregnant with twins was peoples reactions. This one clerk at a local grocery store asked when I was due around Christmas time. "May 21" I told her. She looked a little closer at my belly knowing now that I was only about 5 months along. "I'm expecting twins", "OOH". That was always so much fun for me. I loved seeing their expressions as they tried to figure out why my due date was so far away and my belly looked so big. I was extremely fortunate and had a easy pregnancy as far as symptoms go. We did deliver early as Baby B was in need of delivering early.

Welcome!

Welcome to the wonderful world of twins! I am writing this blog to other mother's (twins or other) about my daily life with twins. I will be documenting what we did and worked, didn't work and great activities along the way. I have been an infant teaching for 5 years and strongly believe that early childhood education is extremely important. Life threw my husband and I a curve ball when we were blessed with twin boys! Having my previous experience in an infant classroom gave me an edge when it came to handling them and thought other new mother's would love to hear about some of the things we are doing. If you like something, let me know and how it worked/didn't work for you. One thing I did learn as a teacher is that each infant is very different, but there are some underlying truths to all them. Good luck in your child raising adventures.