New blog

I have a related blog, breastfeeding twins, I've just started, if you've stumbled across this blog and are interested in breastfeeding your own twins. It's just a collection of my experiences with breastfeeding the girls so far: http://twinbreastfeeding.blogspot.com/

Not fair?

It's easy to become obsessed with getting babies to sleep. Babies are exhausting. Two babies at once is very exhausting. Two babies who don't sleep at the same time is beyond exhausting. Most of the blogs and books and mums I've heard from talk about how tiring motherhood is. Which is true. But it's easy to get so caught up in our tiredness that we lose sight of the blessing it is to have children. I was recommended a blog to read about sleep deprivation with babies. And all it said about the fog of living without sleep for months on end, of the frustrations of having sick and sleepless babies, of being on edge and cranky, was true. But the writer also commented that it doesn't seem fair that some mothers are given babies who sleep and some are given babies who don't.
I disagree.
While I'm very tired and time is short to do anything besides feed and settle and wash and... my babies aren't burdens to be borne. They are wonderful amazing gifts. Better to be tired and frustrated with two gorgeous sleepless babies, than to have no children at all. What isn't fair isn't whether someone else's child sleeps better or eats faster or is never sick, it's when I get two babies while some people will never get even one longed for child.

How to… bath two babies

1. Avoid bathing for as long as possible


2. When really stinky, place both babies in cot


3. Get out towels, washers and new outfits


4. Fill baby bath


5. Undress baby one, wrap in towel and move to bathroom


6. Wash baby one’s face and shampoo hair


7. Take baby one back to room, place in cot, have someone else dry baby’s hair and take off nappy


8. Meanwhile, undress baby two, wrap in towel and move to bathroom


9. Wash baby two’s face and shampoo hair


10. Take baby two back to room, pick up nude baby one and move to bathroom


11. Bath baby one


12. Wrap in towel and take back to room


13. Have someone else dress her. Meanwhile, take nude baby two to bathroom, and bath


14. Take baby two back to room, dry and dress baby two. Meanwhile, baby one has been dried and dressed and is screaming for food


15. Think about sitting down for a breather but instead move both babies into feeding area


16. Congratulate self on two clean babies

How to… breastfeed two babies

1. Set up pillows on large lounge


2. Have changed babies lying down on either side of pillows


3. Sit down and place feeding pillow on lap


4. Lean over and lift up one baby and position onto pillow


5. Wedge baby onto pillow and hope she doesn’t learn to roll today


6. Lean over and lift up second baby and position onto pillow


7. Take deep breath


8. Latch on first baby


9. Latch on second baby


10. First baby needs burping, lift onto shoulder but don’t move too much or second baby will detach


11. Place first baby back down and reattach, then lift up second baby for burp
    Repeat


12. Someone comes to the door, detach both babies, place on either side of lounge, remove pillow, get up, answer door. OR ignore door and phone because it’s not worth it


13. When finished, place nappy cloths onto shoulders, then lift up both babies onto either shoulder and burp, OR remove babies, remove pillow, then lift babies onto lap to sit and burp, crossing arms over to hold each baby under the chin


14. Ungainly get up, place both babies on lounge, re-change dirty nappies, wipe vomit off shirt, place babies on play mat on floor.


15. 2 hours later, repeat.

How to… change two babies’ nappies

1. Wash hands
   
2. Place baby one in cot


3. Place baby two in cot and start mobile


4. Place baby one on change table, change nappy, repeat as she poos.


5. Redress baby one, place in cot, restart mobile


6. Place baby two on change table, undo nappy, remove, quickly place new nappy under bottom, but too late


7. Place nude baby in cot, put on clean nappy


8. Change outfit and place in wash


9. Ignore wee in baby’s hair


10. Wipe down change mat, refill wipes and nappy bag


11. Wash hands


12. Pick up both babies at once and move to feeding area

3 months

E right M left

The girls are three months old today!

They've already put on almost 3 kg each since birth, and are real chubby bubbies now.

Both girls favourite book is 'Squeak Squeak' (about a mouse), favourite toy is the Winnie the Pooh mobile, favourite song is 'I'm a Little Teapot', and favourite thing to look at is the window. Evie loves being rocked, and Minky still likes the bouncer. Evie has started to like having a dummy to settle, and Minky needs to be swaddled super tight in a cot sheet.

Mikayla

It's been a very long three months of very little sleep, but is also going so fast! They think Dadda's dancing is hilarious and aren't too worried about Jack barking (not at them!). Despite being premmie, the girls started to smile and laugh not long after other babies their birth age, and recently are discovering each other to look at. They've moved from the bassinette to a cot (still sharing), still in our room. They're in 000 already and don't both fit in the sling anymore.

Evangeline

Two of the same?

We're coming across the assumption a lot that the girls are just two of the same baby. A few people have even commented to us that twins must be easier than having two kids of different ages, because at least they do everything at the same time. Yeah right.

Looks

While the girls are looking more alike as they grow, they still look very different. Evie has light hair and an oval face, where Kaylee is darker and chubbier.

Crying & Sleeping

They have distinct cries. Evie tends to work herself up into a purple-faced frenzy, but then settles quickly when cuddled. Once asleep, she's out until woken up. Mikayla cries on and off, takes a very long time to settle completely, sometimes doesn't sleep, or only sleeps lightly. She also talks in her sleep, which is pretty funny. The girls have conspired to spend most nights unsettled after different feeds. So we might spend 11-1am settling Evie and then 2-4am settling Mikayla, and then start again. They both sleep better some days than others, but overall we're getting about 4-5 hours sleep a day.

Eating & Burping

Like sleeping, Evangeline will latch on and stay on until she is finished. Then she'll burp, although she is more windy and gets distressed often after eating and can take a while and a few techniques to get the burps out.

Mikayla struggles to latch on as well and always tries to stick a fist in her mouth instead. Once on, she is more on and off and needs a burp halfway through. She usually vomits after each feed, often a few times, but doesn't get too upset about it. Kaylee also loves her dummy (which is very annoying for us to have to keep popping it back in when she spits it. Hadn't planned on giving dummies yet, but good old SCN gave her one in hospital). Evie isn't interested in dummies at all.

Both girls are smiling in their post-feed dream land, and we've had one smile at us from Evie. Mikayla also loves the rocker, where Evangeline can take or leave it, but loves being held in the rocking chair.

Evangeline: just saw lunch

Mikalya: stretching