Reading Material Recommendations

[montywho]

I am currently 14 weeks pregnant with twins. Well, 15 on Friday. This is my second pregnancy, I have a 4 yr. old son. I think I am over the shock of finding out I'm pregnant with twins. I cried and had panic attacks the first two weeks but I'm feeling much better and getting excited but still anxious and stressed.

Can anyone recommend some good reading material? Either books or blogs. While I have done the baby thing before, this is obviously a whole new ballgame and I'm kind of freaked.

Also, I was wondering if your newborns slept in the same crib in the beginning? I plan on putting them right in the crib from day one and some things I have read said they can sleep in the same crib for the first few months. I have read that that could even be good for them.

I'm sure I'll more questions as the months pass. Thanks for your help.

[vtdiamond]

Congratulations and welcome. It was a big surprise to us as well when we found out that we were having twins. I really knew very little about twins so red a bunch after finding out.

I started with When you're expecting twins, triplets, and quads, as that seems to be the most frequently recommended book. I will warn you it is a bit intense about weight gain which freaked me out a bit.

Mine have never slept in the same crib.  They are 3 months old now and started in the double PNP bassinets, then RNPs and are now in their own cribs.

[linz]

I read the following:

Twinspiration - I felt was outdated

Twins 101 - good read

When your expecting twins, triplets, quads - good read

I remember being freaked out in the beginning. We did IVF so knew it was a chance but I still cried and was scared. I was more scared of being pregnant then having 2 babies and my pregnancy was amazing. I was also worried I'd blow up and ended up gaining exactly what I should have - I read to gain 24 by 24 weeks and 35-45 by the end. I tried to not worry much about what I ate and exercised when I could but toward the end pretty much laid around when home.

Mine were in the NICU a month so separate cribs there. When they came home they slept in rock n plays and still in there at almost 4 months. I did plan to have them share a crib but they did not like them. I've heard they can share as well until they become mobile. Especially if you swaddle.

[ninjabridemom]

When You're Expecting...like PPs mentioned, but warning: it's a little alarmist. It's NOT gospel. Please read w a grain of salt, take what works for you, toss the rest.

The BEST book for us was Mothering Multiples. It had a lot of info on bf'ing twins but was also realistic in terms of supplementing etc. Then it had great info on the first year. Highly highly recommend.

[trafficgirl]

I will 3rd or 4th or whatever the When You're Expecting book. I agree with ninja that it's intense, but I also found it the most helpful.

I really like Twiniversity (mostly on FB but I think they have a webpage too). The person behind Twiniversity did just publish a book: What To Do When You're Having Two. I haven't read it but if it's anything like the stuff online I'm betting it's pretty good.

I also liked Twins: Pregnancy, Birth, and the First Year of Life - this is what I referred to most after they were born.

[montywho]

Feb 4, 2015 12:34:55 GMT -5 linz said:

I read the following:

Twinspiration - I felt was outdated

Twins 101 - good read

When your expecting twins, triplets, quads - good read

I remember being freaked out in the beginning. We did IVF so knew it was a chance but I still cried and was scared. I was more scared of being pregnant then having 2 babies and my pregnancy was amazing. I was also worried I'd blow up and ended up gaining exactly what I should have - I read to gain 24 by 24 weeks and 35-45 by the end. I tried to not worry much about what I ate and exercised when I could but toward the end pretty much laid around when home.

Mine were in the NICU a month so separate cribs there. When they came home they slept in rock n plays and still in there at almost 4 months. I did plan to have them share a crib but they did not like them. I've heard they can share as well until they become mobile. Especially if you swaddle.

We were trying for a year and then did clomid with ovidrel and iui. IUI#1 was a success. I had one mature follicle and 2 smaller ones. I knew there was a chance but omg I didn't think it was going to happen! Right now the best part about this is seeing how excited my son is.

I heard of Twinspiration but think I'll take a look at Twins 101.

I'm trying not think about how big I will get. It freaks me out.

[montywho]

Thanks for the replies I will check them out.

[linz]

Just know that your feelings are normal. One of the books..I think twin 101 but I don't have my kindle on me to check, has a chapter about feelings. It said that a lot of women go thru the stages of grief when they find out they're pregnant with multiples. Even being pregnant with 1 you still have the "was this the right move" feelings, and then add in the worry with multiples about high risk, money, etc. It helped me reading that to know that my feelings were valid. One good part is you will have a ton of ultrasounds and Dr appts. It helped me know they were growing right and nothing was wrong. Even in the newborn stage yes it's exhausting but it's so worth.

[ninjabridemom]

Just for reference, I gained 70lbs (ate right and exercised until they restricted my activty at 30wks) and lost 50lbs of that in the first 6wks. My kids were almost 7lbs each.

If you eat right and stay as active as they will let you, I wouldn't worry about the actual weight. Your body will do what it has to for those babes!! Whether that's gaining on point or a little more or a little less. The important thing is how the babies are doing and that you're getting enough energy to remain human (instead of incubator lol).

[demandypants]

Congratulations! I read When you're expecting twins, triplets quads, and fully embraced the eat all the food advice But really I was just super hungry and liked having permission to eat. I did gain 65 lbs in all (and 3 weeks later am down 48 of it) so I like to echo your body will do what it needs to do and don't fret over it too much.

As for your feelings about the shock of two, it is totally normal. It took DH and I a while to come to terms with the news as we were hesitant to have a second- and then we found out we were having a second and a third. Well it just took time to get used to that idea! They are really wonderful now they are here. I won't lie, twin pregnancy is no walk in the park. But worth it!

[nomad]

I know you asked for reading tips and I honestly can't remember the book I read on multiples. What I found more useful was my local multiples club. It's invaluable having a group local to me that have been there done that.

[kershnic]

I had read a lot of negative stuff about that what to expect book and it's author so avoided it.

Mothering multiples was the only one I actually got through. But my sister has twins so I've seen a lot.

My girls mostly shared a crib for 9 months. Often they'd start the night together in the crib and then after the first wake up someone would end up in the rock n play for the remainder of the night. We gave up the rnp for overnight sleep around 4-5 months, so they full time shared a crib from then until 9 months. At that point they were waking each other up.

[lobstertail]

"Raising Twins" by Shelly Flais. Mostly, it was her tone that "everything will be OK in the end!" calmed me down. It covers the period from pregnancy to preschool age. It's good to reference as your twins hit each stage that she describes.

[demandypants]

My DH and I kinda loved this article too
www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-sweatt-orsborn/so-you-just-found-out-youre-having-twins_b_5754050.html