A reader contacted me the other day with a twin pregnancy question. I’ll post it below with a few thoughts of my own.
Question From a Reader:
I recently found out we’re expecting twins, and you’re one of the very few people I know who has also had twins. So if you have ANY advice/tips for a twin pregnancy, the newborn stage, or managing multiple kids that are close in age, I would love to hear it!
My Thoughts:
First of all, dear reader, congratulations on your twin pregnancy! What a blessing. I put together a list of a few things that were helpful for us in raising our twin boys. (Click HERE for the birth story of those twins. Whoa. What a ride!)
Advice For Surviving a Twin Pregnancy and Newborn Stage
- Prayer. You need to pray with your husband, as a couple, every single day. Never skip it. Seriously, God will help the two of you to keep it together when things get rough, and they will get rough when both babies get sick at the same time or decide to scream and cry at the same time or…
- Move next door to your mother or some other helpful person. 😉 If you can’t do that, then think about hiring someone to come in for a few hours a day those first few months so that you can…nap, shower, get out of the house, etc. Even if you can only afford one day a week for a total of 3 hours, you won’t regret it. (In our case, I had a saintly mother-in-law who helped out every Friday.)
- If you plan to nurse, learn to nurse both at the same time right away. You’ll save yourself precious time. In other words, if one baby wakes up at night and wants to nurse, get the other one up too. Nurse both at the same time. I read a *very helpful book* about that when I was pregnant with our twins 12 years ago.
- You don’t need a ton of extra stuff. Just say no! In fact, your babies can share a crib until they’re too big and need extra room. When that happens, don’t buy another crib. Just pull out the pack ‘n play and put the other baby there. That’s what we did. Rotating nights, so that each baby gets used to sleeping in either place.
- Go for a walk every day, once your body has healed anyway. Truly, get at least 20 minutes of fresh air.
- Lastly, do you pray the rosary every day? No? You’re gonna need it.
Does anyone else have any practical advice for raising multiples? Or having all Littles? We’d love to hear about it.
*Book: Oh Yes You Can Breastfeed Twins! by April Rudat. Dramatic title, cheesy cover, but very practical and essential for first-time moms and twins.
