My After Baby 3-Week Meltdown

This is the day I found out I was pregnant with Charli....

If you are at this stage in your pregnancy stop reading now.....

I'm the type of gal that likes to know what I am in for. For example, I don't like scary movies because I want to know how they end. If I go to a training or workshop I like to know my exact daily agenda. Or, if I am about to give life to another human being I'd like to know that I am going to have a nervous-break-down-melt-down at about 3-weeks postpartum.

These are things I guess we as moms like to shield new moms from, so if you haven't had a baby....STOP reading. Unless of course your like me and want to know what you're in for, so that you can prepare yourself, and know that its completely normal.

After I had my babies I never really struggled with depression or baby blues for an extended period of time.

I just had the 3-week meltdown.

When I came home from the hospital with all my girls I actually had major emotions of happiness. I cried because I felt blessed that our babies made it home and they were healthy and happy. With the twins, of course I was more worried about their health, but I was still just so happy they were home and that my family was all together. Then I went into energizer bunny mode, I tried to get everything done and didn't have time to have the blues even if I wanted too.



But, then after about week 2 maybe 3, when I was exhausted from the 18th diaper, the 4th spilled milk from my 2-year old, and the saggy skin that drooped off of my tummy all hell broke. The twins started screaming in unison and were inconsolable, and Charli started screaming, "MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY!" on the baby monitor.

I.....Lost.....it.....




I went into the bathroom, sat on the floor, and cried until my eyelids swelled so much it looked like I had collagen injected into them. I couldn't breathe from all the mucous. I cried for what seemed like forever.

I cried not because I was regretting my precious babes, not because I had droopy "twin-skin", but because I felt like was failing as a mom. I felt guilty for what I thought was happening to Charli's psyche because we brought home not just one new baby, but TWO BABIES. I kept thinking, "I can't do this." How do people survive with more than one child? And, the twin factor just compounded the issue, because I kept thinking...How in the world am I going to take care of 3 babies under three, work, go back to school, and still be a person myself? I wanted to be super mom and do it all. I felt guilty for feeling this way! If God knew I felt this way, would he be mad at me?

No, then I prayed that God would help me.....and he did....

I realized....my babies are crying....get your bottom outta this bathroom and go try to make it better one baby at a time.

I was still frazzled all night about why these emotions hit me like a ton of bricks. It wasn't just a few nights or days of crying and sadness, I had an emotional 2-3 minutes of complete panic. But, I remembered that with Charli there were absolute horrible nights of 4-5 hour screaming sessions because she had colic, and nothing could be worse than that. And, if you are battling colic, get help, whether it's a parent, grandparent, friend, or a little gold can of Nutramigen. When I had Charli, I was blessed to have Mimi-Loo come every single night for a month to relieve me at 3:30am and let me get sleep while she took care of Charli. What a wonderful blessing that was.

There are things we keep from moms probably because if they knew about them they would either delay having children or not have them at all.

A few of my most favorite are:

The post-baby tummy skin! (This is why I used the Belly Bandit) mainly so I didn't have to look at that dreadful thing! Thank goodness our chests increase in size to make us feel a little better.

The I'm gonna bleed so much that not only do I get to change my baby's diaper, but I also get to change my own!

The I'm going to need to buy new flip flops because my feet are so swollen nothing will fit them. Even the cheap foamy flip flops cut into my feet.


These are my sausage toes and legs

The I'm going to look at my husband and want to vomit with disgust, anger, and hostility. Even though he has done nothing wrong whatsoever, and if anything he is being overly nice and sweet because he realizes I just had a baby or two (Which made me more mad...How can he be so nice to me when I am being a super witch!)

The old one, from when I had Charli via the natural route, and I was terrified and thought I would rather die than ever take a number 2 again. By the way, I made that little water squirter bottle and Dermaplast spray my best friends. (The water bottle is given to you after a vaginal delivery to wash the area after using the restroom, and the spray numbs the area, then of course you get to put your diaper of a pad back on.)

This is your best friend after a natural delivery

The new one I learned after having a c-section, that I will be afraid to cough so badly that I'd rather make this strange jungle noise sound instead of actually letting out the cough. As well as, still being afraid to take a Number 2. I actually recommend that you ask for a suppository in the hospital, (my nurse insisted on it, and I was absolutely afraid of the outcome, but I couldn't have more thankful afterwards.)

AND my last and final favorite:

The 3-week meltdown! Because without it my emotions would still be bottled inside me like a ticking time-bomb waiting to go off and who knows when or who I'd lose it on. Without it I would not have gotten to pick myself off the bathroom floor, soothe all of my babies back to sleep, and realize...."Hey, I am super woman if I can do all this, and as long I love these girls with all my heart and soul--everything will be okay."

I know there will be hard days, weeks, and milestones ahead. We are just taking it one day at a time.

The twinnies and me




Here is my little angel face on me sleeping


The newly exhausted parents...with Charli



This was Charli and my favorite place to sleep on the couch...

Charli says Adieu to Sweet Sassy Loo

Some of us refer to it as sassy, paci, binki, or whatever fun name we decide on. Our most recent name for Charli's pacifier is "Sassy Loo" and we pretty much add the word "Loo" or a form thereof to everything we say right now. It seems to help her take a bathy-loo, eat a piece of cheesy-choo, and drink a drink of milky-moo. I am now her mommy-moo and Troy is her Daddy-doo. Fun right?



Awww, the beginning of their relationship. So innocent, so sweet, and two and half years later a real pain!

Troy and I tried to get rid of Miss Sassy Loo when Charli was about 18 months. Charli would scream for hours, and we were convinced that she was the most stubborn child on the planet. Why did I feel so guilty about taking this little piece of plastic and rubber away? She doesn't NEED it. My guilt was furthered by my mom who said it was too soon. Funny thing, how even when your a grown adult your mom can still put a guilt-trip on you.

We tried first to cut it, I heard another mom talk about how this worked for her kids. I think this just pissed Charli off more! Seeing her precious sassy wounded and broken made her want to fight the vicious perpetrators (Troy and me) who dare touch her dear Sassy Loo. She screamed and screamed and I thought, why am I doing this to myself? and her?

Needless to say, we didn't succeed in banishing our home of Sassy Loo at the time. Charli got an ear infection and we decided to start giving it to her at sleeping times only.


Her sweet Sassy Loo

We stuck to this "sassy for sleeping only" and hid the sassy in a fake book for about 3-4 months, until one day Charli showed my mom where the hidden book was! My mom called and said, "I found your secret." Now I was afraid Sassy Loo was going to be showing up again other times of the day.

Then I got pregnant with the twins, and knew the sassy was going to still be an issue. Unfortunately, as busy working parents, we sometimes don't want to be anymore sleep deprived than we already are, so we NEED the pacifier. I honestly didn't want to fight the battle. We fought the battle of crying it out at 9 months, the battle of getting rid of the bottle at 14 months, and now being preggo with twins...I just didn't have the energy.

But, a few weeks ago, I started noticing that when Charli woke up in the morning she would grab her teeth. I asked her if her teeth hurt and she said, "Ya, my teef hurt." I now knew I needed to prepare myself for the battle of getting rid of Sassy Loo once and for all.

We had been telling Charli that the baby cows who come to graze and visit by our house needed pacifiers. We kept asking her if she wanted to give her Sassy's to the baby cows. She would say, "No" every time. Until last week, Troy asked if she was ready, and she miraculously said, "Ya!" So first we were going to say the Sassy broke and do a trial run on Friday night. I had told my mom that morning the plan so she was on board. Or so I thought.....

We put her down Friday night and she only cried for about 20 minutes and then she was asleep! Could we be so lucky? We were so proud, and thought to ourselves, WOW, that worked!!!

Well it did not, I walk into Charli's room Saturday morning to wake her up, and she has a foreign Sassy in her mouth!!!!!! I was so mad, you would have thought I walked in on Troy with another woman. No, my mom had sabotaged us! I asked where the sassy came from and Charli said, "Under my pillow." My mom had hidden the sassy inside Charli's pillow case and secretly told Charli where to find it.

I was HOT!!!! I called her and said if she was to ever do that again, she would be banned from seeing Charli until the sassy was gone for good.

Now, out of pure determination, the sassy had to go!

Charli and Troy took the sassy out to give away to the baby cows. Seen here:


Throwing her sassy to the cows!





But we still had a battle ahead of us.

Charli didn't nap that day, and it took forever to get her to sleep. The next day no nap, and Troy had to replace Miss Sassy Loo, with Mr. Flashlight. And then we tried letting our dog Leddy sleep with her! You could hear and see her on the video monitor saying, "Come here Leddy" but Leddy seemed to just want to escape too!

Monday, I was convinced Charli was mad, sad, or just depressed because of her long lost sassy. She told me she wasn't a big girl anymore and needed her Sassy. But, unfortunately we didn't have one in the house (thank goodness I probably would have broken down and gave in.)

Tuesday, she woke up from her nap screaming and refused to let me put her down. I almost drove right to Walmart with Charli and twins in tow to buy a new sassy. But, then I thought she might be sick.

She had strep throat!!!!!

Thank goodness I went to the doctor, or that brat -- Sassy Loo -- would have been back!

Our sweet Charli Kay no longer needs her "sassy" anymore.

Now I guess my next battle is potty training.

And to think.....I get to do this all over x2 with the twins!

God help us.

Breastfeeding So Easy a Cave Woman Could Do it

YEAH RIGHT!!!!!

After doing countless hours of research on breastfeeding while on bed rest and during late night nursing sessions, I came across a website that mentioned that the cave women didn't need to pump, and that the breast is all a baby needs. Well, no offense to the cave woman, but today's working mom can't pull her breast out and offer it to her baby whenever she pleases. We also have other demands, like clothing, the need to go out of the house occasionally, and for some to make money. I am blessed to have a job I love, and as a bonus I get school hours and vacations. But to be honest it is tough to be a working mom sometimes. I do have times where I am jealous of the moms who get to stay home, especially when you have a sick kid and you've been up all night with a screaming baby with an ear infection, and you know you'd rather go to work looking a hot mess than ever miss the first day of school. This happened to me, it was Charli's first double ear infection and my mom had to take her to the doctor. I still feel guilty about this, but at least her Mimi is amazing and awesome, and I remind myself that it does take a village.

So since we are not cavewomen, we must choose to occasionally give our babies bottles.


Supplementing can cause any new mom anxiety and stress. Fortunately for me, it wasn't a choice.

Since the girls were in the NICU it was never asked if I wanted to exclusively breastfeed, but rather I was eased into it. I had a fantastic nurse that whipped me into a milk-making, latching machine in 48 hours. The NICU nurses all encourage moms to pump at first on a time schedule, offer the breast always first, and then supplement at the end.

Breastfeeding Disclaimer: Make sure to get a proper latch, my nurse referred to it as "making sure she gets all the brown" you get the idea, and I will refer to it as "Get the Brown." Unknown to me...breastfeeding shouldn't hurt. If it hurts STOP! Going from Charli (who tore me up I literally had wounds!) to the twins was totally mind-blowing in the fact that I realized breast feeding was not painful. Rather, it is more frustrating when your trying to learn your baby and how they like to nurse.


Get some of this stuff to ease dryness at first or if you use a breast pump


Formula Disclaimer: We use the Neosure from Similac as recommended by our pediatrician. But, we had planned on using Similac's Advance Formula in the ready to pour bottles. If you can afford the ready to pour I prefer it especially for twins or any baby. I think it reduces gas, fussiness, and tummy issues, plus it is one less step for already busy mommas. The formula is mixed extremely well, and there are no clumps or excess bubbles like powder formula. The reason I will also use this is because Charli had horrible reflux d and she was on Nutramigen (liquid gold @ 24 bucks a can) and Prevacid. I think I have a powder-formula phobia now, and we will stick with the pre-mixed for one year. Any mommy of a baby with colic knows there is no putting a price on a happy baby, but if we had to put the twins on Nutramigen it would be roughly $48 every 3-4 days which would be over $1000 a month in formula and simply could not happen (or I guess it could, and we'd have to take on another job). Thank the Lord, that these two love their formula! and have happy tummies! But, I am convinced it is because of the ready-pour formula and Dr. Brown's bottles, served...ROOM TEMPERATURE. The reason I prefer room temperature is because I think of me when I drink water, I like it room temperature.


This is what the girls are on as recommended by the pediatrician.


Sign-up online to get these coupons, and have your family members sign up too! or if your neighbors or co-workers are willing to sign up that would be great so they can just drop the coupons off on your doorsteps or give them to you at work!

Pumping Disclaimer: If you can afford the hospital pump RENT IT! if not get the best Medela you can find! and buy a hand-pump. The hospital pump will get you empty in 10-15 minutes once your supply is established. By the way, I always despised when I heard "supply established" because I never thought my supply was ever good enough and I always wanted more. But, anyways after your milk starts hurting your breasts because you are so engorged I would say your supply has established itself, and now the key is getting it out..... ALL out. If you leave it in there it signals your breast to not make more the next time. Sort of like when you charge your phone every time its at 70% battery life...instead they recommend to charge it when it gets below 5-10%. This is the same with breastfeeding, drain those bad boys empty every time! This means pumping all the time at first! Also get a hand pump from Walmart or Target. You can pump in the car while your husband is driving you to the doctor (yes I did it, and I kept saying "Don't pull up next to that car!")



This is the pump I rented for 2 months from the hospital! It is one awesome machine!



Here is the hand-pump I used while in the car, and NO I wasn't driving :)



I had the pump set up on my night stand, and this bra-looking thingy is sold at Target. It is for "Hands-free" pumping! and it helps. I would wear this while pumping and simultaneously feeding the twins their bottles! Complicated I know, but saved me 20 minutes of sleep!



These bags are great for sterilizing your pump parts in case they can't make the dishwasher that day, plus you can throw their pacifiers into the bag when your 2 year old "tries them."

AT EACH FEEDING: This is exactly what I did in the NICU every day for 4 days straight, every 3 hours (pumping in between)and continued when we came home. If your baby nursed the whole time, and you felt it and heard swallowing you can offer formula and just let them eat about 1 ounce. If your baby did not nurse at all, either they fell asleep or just didn't nurse nutritively then offer more formula 1-2 ounces. This is where the STRESS went away for me, I could try breastfeeding and not worry if my babies were getting nutrition. It felt like I had training wheels on and it made me not anxious or overwhelmed. The moment I got overwhelmed I would just put the breast away and snuggle my baby with a bottle. What a relief, if I had only known to do this with Charli I might have breastfed her longer than 2 weeks, and she would have probably not had jaundice so badly because I was so worried about nipple confusion.

So I am going to break this down into an itinerary format so that it may help....

Are you ready to get PUMPED?!?! Here we go:

(This is for a newborn-1 month old) REMEMBER this is my schedule, the girls weighed 4-6 lbs and I was supplementing with Formula. Your baby may be bigger and you can stretch the times more.

6am: Offer the Breast- Make sure they "Get the Brown", 15-25 minutes max. Supplement with Formula 1-2 ounces (more if your baby is older). Pump 10-15 minutes no matter what to boost supply, and store it in a bottle in the fridge.

7:30am: Pump and store 20-25 minutes (remember you want to boost supply so you are making your breast produce more)

9:00am: Turn on "Live with Kelly"-- Offer the Breast- Make sure they "Get the Brown", 15-25 minutes max. Supplement with Formula 1-2 ounces (more if your baby is older). Pump 10-15 minutes no matter what to boost supply, and store it in a bottle in the fridge.

10:30am: Pump and store 20-25 minutes even if its just a drop

12:00pm: Offer the Breast- Make sure they "Get the Brown", 15-25 minutes max. Supplement with Formula 1-2 ounces (more if your baby is older). Pump 10-15 minutes no matter what to boost supply, and store it in a bottle in the fridge.

1:30pm: Pump and store 20-25 minutes or skip this one if your exhausted and need a nap.

3:00pm: Offer the Breast- Make sure they "Get the Brown", 15-25 minutes max. Supplement with Formula 1-2 ounces (more if your baby is older). Pump 10-15 minutes no matter what to boost supply, and store it in a bottle in the fridge.

4:30pm: Pump and Store 20-25 minutes: Do you feel like a dairy cow yet?



6:00pm: Offer the Breast- Make sure they "Get the Brown", 15-25 minutes max. Supplement with Formula 1-2 ounces (more if your baby is older). Pump 10-15 minutes no matter what to boost supply, and store it in a bottle in the fridge.

7:30pm: Take a break and don't pump, eat dinner and try to not look at your husband and wish to kill him. Just kidding, but no, I went through a week where I just got so frustrated with him, and he was so helpful and sweet to me. Poor guy, he helped clean, take care of Charli, buy groceries, and get all the hospital bills sorted out....but I still wanted to hurt him. I think it was hormones? Not sure exactly why I felt that way and I wonder if other moms felt this way too? Please respond if you did that way I don't feel like a total monster!

9:00pm: Offer the Breast- Make sure they "Get the Brown", 15-25 minutes max. Supplement with Formula 1-2 ounces (more if your baby is older). Pump 10-15 minutes no matter what to boost supply, and store it in a bottle in the fridge.

10:30pm: Pump and save 20-25 minutes

12:00am: Offer the Breast- Make sure they "Get the Brown", 15-25 minutes max. Supplement with Formula 1-2 ounces (more if your baby is older). Pump 10-15 minutes no matter what to boost supply, and store it in a bottle in the fridge.

1:30am: Don't Pump SLEEP if your baby is asleep

3:00am: Offer the Breast- Make sure they "Get the Brown", 15-25 minutes max. Supplement with Formula 1-2 ounces (more if your baby is older). Pump 10-15 minutes no matter what to boost supply, and store it in a bottle in the fridge.

4:30am: Don't pump SLEEP if your baby is asleep

6:00am: Start the entire process over!

Now when you first read this your probably thinking...who in the world has time to do this, but when you have low supply and your trying to boost it the constant pumping will help dramatically. After a couple of weeks you can minimize the in between pumping sessions down to maybe 2-3 in extra sessions a day. Use these pumping sessions to store milk and start your freezer supply, as well as, using any extra pumped milk to add to those. Finally, if you feel like your baby is beginning to get enough breast milk from nursing you can start minimizing the bottles given at each feeding.

For example, Josi nursed way better than Libbi so sometimes I would just offer her the breast only at feedings. Next, if you want to just do bottles overnight you have the freedom to pump and make bottles for overnight instead of having to nurse.

I decided at 8 weeks to go strictly formula simply because I was spending too much time pumping and nursing and I wanted the freedom to play with Charli, and not be cooped up nursing/pumping all the time. I told myself the whole time that the minute I started to dread nursing or get anxious about it then I would stop. I think that when you are anxious about nursing your baby can sense it and it makes them anxious too. I was extremely happy to make it to 8 weeks, and my doctors both my OBGYN and pediatrician were amazed I made it that long with twins. So it was completely my own decision, and now they are happy bottle babies! Dr. Brown's to be exact.





Grab from the fridge and go! Super Easy!

Now I set up 14-16 bottles once a day, 8 per baby, they eat every 3-4 hours during the day. I try to feed them on demand during the day to boost calorie intake which I think helps them to sleep longer at night because they are getting all their calories during the day. I store them in the fridge so I can just grab and go! Plus I can do one load of dishes, and set up bottles once a day BONUS!!!

If you have twins get 2 of these baskets seen below (Target or Walmart I assume) they will help to keep the nipple clean and clear, and use the "Sanitize"-mode if the dishwasher has one:



I found one of these at the flea market in White Settlement for like $2 bucks! They have super-clean baby clothes, gear, and toys. They wash, hang, and clean everything before selling. You can get things really cheap, and even request items and get on a wait-list. It is located on Cherry Lane across from that antique gas station, and it is super quaint looking but packs an awesome array of great finds!!!!




As for ways to increase milk supply:

Look online for lactation cookies! Here is the link to the ones I made and I was convinced they increased supply. They are very yummy!

http://www.food.com/recipe/oatmeal-chocolate-chip-lactation-cookies-by-noel-trujillo-192346

Next,

Note the location of the Mother's Milk tea, while it increase milk production, it also increases the production of something else! I felt like I had done a cleanse!!!! Plus when you are running to the bathroom every 15 minutes, you might have issues watching your three children! I was hurting that day! Use this stuff with caution.

Breastfeeding Dieting:

I had the luxury of twins which meant I could down 2700 calories a day and still lose weight. But, I still wanted to lose the 50 pounds I gained quickly. I drank TONS and TONS of water and I am convinced this helped. I would wake up in pools of sweat and have to change my clothes, I think I lost 5 pounds one night, your body retains so much water while pregnant and I learned in the hospital to get rid of swelling you have to flush it with water. Also, I ate almost no fast food while breastfeeding, I didn't want the girls eating processed foods, and it seemed when I did eat it, they would be fussy, gassy, and more irritable than normal. This is also true for spicy foods. My biggest recommendation would be to eat a healthy, clean diet, but DON'T count calories. And PUMP!!! if you trick your body into making more milk it might just help burn calories, but remember to eat healthy foods and do not starve yourself.

I also used a Belly Bandit to bind my tummy. I did this with Charli and now the twins, you wear it for 6-8 weeks. I absolutely believe this helps, and I am convinced that it pulls those muscles back together. My belly button, on the other hand, will never be the same, rest in peace cute belly button. And for stretch marks I was blessed to only get two small ones on my left side down by my waist. I am treating those and my c-section scar with Bio-Oil.

Also, eat sweet fruits, lots of protein, and whole grains (I ate 2 bowls of oatmeal a day) I found it boosted production, and made the breast milk taste sweeter. If I ate fast food it tasted bitter. And yes I got a taste when I checked the temperature of the bottles occasionally.

Now that I am no longer breastfeeding I am doing Shakeology and eating smaller portions. I tried working out to a work out video, that was a joke, as it took me 3 hours to do a one hour video because of breaks to tend to the twins. I still have 10-15 lbs to go. I got up to 190 with my twinnies and now I am stuck at 140. I am trying to watch what I eat now but, I'm not over-doing it.

Remember:

This schedule worked for me and made me feel comfortable with how I breastfed. I think we get scared sometimes to quit because of what we feel inside about stopping. I had tremendous guilt about quitting with Charli and I felt like a failure. But, with the twins I just said if it happens, it happens. I'm very happy with my choice and how it turned out for me.


Happy Supplementing-Breastfeeding-Bottlefedding-Pumping to you!

The Sacred Twin Bedtime Routine

When it comes to nighttime routines it seems I am as OCD as Jack Nicholson in the movie "As Good as it Gets."

Every expecting mom should volunteer to spend 24 hours in the NICU at their local hospital to learn just how to care for a newborn. I wish I would have with Charli, and I am not even sure if this is allowed but it would have certainly helped me as a first time mom. The nurses get the babies on a better schedule than any book or website could suggest, and you actually get to see it. They change, feed, bathe, and rock like clockwork and it works. So now I have adopted this super-duper strictness in my bedtime/feeding routine. I have a strict regimen that I stick to now and if you try to call me at 9:00pm chances are I will pick up and hang up on you!

First, we put Charli down to bed about 8:45pm. (This time will move up once I head back to work, but for summer time it works perfectly.)

Second, prep the overnight bottles.We place 4 bottles in a large bowl with ice (This number was 8 bottles, then 6 bottles, and now that they are bigger only 4! Woo Hoo!). I place them next to the crock-pot in my bathroom.



Third, I change both girls' diapers, place their Snuza Halo Baby Movement Monitors on their diapers, and get them ready for bottles, making sure to have room temperature formula, burp cloths, and boppies ready for Troy and me. Turn on the fan and a noise maker, a Homedics Sound Spa: I use the rain setting on loud with the blue projection disc.


















These are the Halo monitors a sleep-saving gift from my mother-in-law. From: http://www.babyearth.com/snuza-halo-baby-movement-monitor.html "If there is no movement sensed for 15 seconds, Snuza will gently vibrate to stimulate your baby. If no further movement is sensed within 5 seconds, an audible alarm will alert you to act. Specifically, this monitor helps prevent SIDS deaths and lets new parents get a good nights sleep":
















Fourth, We feed the girls, and make sure to get a good burp. We give Josi Little Tummy's Gas Relief drops and this seems to help her with the gas sometimes.

Fifth, a tight swaddle. I swaddle both girls in the Aden and Anais swaddling blankets. They sell these at Target:






Sixth, we rock the girls for about 15 minutes. Then place them still drowsy in their sleep sling thingies (Fisher Price Rock n' Play Sleeper):






They usually fall asleep within thirty minutes, sometimes we give them their pacifiers to soothe them, and sometimes they just fall asleep on their own.


During the night feeding...this is the tricky part:I do everything in the dark, using just the light of the projector.

Josi usually wakes up first because she is smaller and gets hungry much faster.

I hold her out 3-4 times with a pacifier before I actually get up to feed them (I think this helps to build up their tummy stamina, and this was a helpful tip when I had Charli from my cousin, who is a daycare director, and who I consider the baby-guru). Plus the pediatrician recommends to let them cry for 10-15 minutes until feeding them to see if they will go back to sleep, and I can't do this yet because Troy is sleeping next me the whole time and I don't want to wake him.

Then I follow my routine:

First, warm bottles to room temperature.







Second, change diapers.

Third, get into my lone ranger feeding position seen here but remember in the DARK! (forgive my attire!):




The"Lone Ranger" set-up is simply two of the king size pillows from our bed, and then my two pillows I sleep with in the back. I lay each baby sort of in between and on top of my thigh to create a "pocket" to hold the baby, this helps to keep their head turned to keep the burp cloth under the bottle. This saves the hassle of changing the girls clothes in the middle of the night when I realize that one of them has let all their milk spill out of their mouth and all over themselves! And, also helps in case I need to go "hands-free" for a minute to get a drink of water, scratch my nose, or even check Facebook!!

Fourth, alternate burping each baby.

Fifth, re-swaddle and then immediately back into the sleep slings. This has been great! And they usually fall asleep within 15 minutes sometimes needing their pacifiers to help.









Sixth, THE BEST PART!!!! I go back to sleep.

This routine as helped me to get them to sleep from 10:00pm-3am and 4am-7am consistently for about 2-3 weeks now, and last Friday they slept from 10:30pm-5:30am!!! I think it was a fluke. I am so thankful for the lessons learned in the NICU, they taught me how to breastfeed and supplement my preemie babies, and how to get them on a schedule. I started this routine at about 2-3 weeks old, sometimes it didn't work and sometimes it did. But, I had a completely different sleeping set-up because the girls were a little small for the sleep slings then. I still have that system set-up if anyone wants me to post it.

P.S. We were told at the hospital that swaddling is no longer recommended by the APA, but I swaddled Charli until she was 6months old. Libbi actually smiles when we swaddle her, and don't forget we also use the Snuza movement monitors. I also read online that the reason swaddling may be less beneficial is for breastfeeding mothers. But, when I was breastfeeding I woke the girls up to feed them every three hours no matter if they were awake or not. When you have twins you don't have to worry about supply issues! They will demand more breast milk simply because there are two of them...supply meets demand when it comes to breastfeeding. And, if you are breastfeeding, I recommend renting the hospital grade pump. This will boost supply, and reduce pumping time dramatically so you don't feel like you are hooked up to a machine all day!

If you'd like me to post step-by-step swaddling tips I will:) and I can give my specific breastfeeding/supplementing schedule too. I may just do it anyways since I find all this information helpful to myself, and so I don't forget all my lessons learned from the NICU. Here I am at 10:27pm about to snuggle myself in bed next to my twinnies!!!






And here I am at 7:30am




No they didn't sleep until 7:30!!! I wish! But, they woke up at 4:00am to eat and went right back to sleep! and I'll take that any day!!


I hope this helps other twin mommies to get some much needed sleep and sanity.

The Arrival of the Twins

The twins are asleep and I should be sleeping too, but instead I decide to start a blog? On top of having three little ones under 3, attending graduate school to become a principal, and working as a teacher this just puts another something on my plate. But, I find that I thrive on being busy, and the more on my plate the better sometimes. Who would have thought that when I took that picture of my tummy at 36 weeks with the twins that night I would have gone into labor. I had been on bed rest since February 1st, 2012, and now it was April 13th. We went into the hospital because I had major pains and contractions and decided not to wait them out like I had usually done. When we arrived at Harris Southwest, we were quickly told that I had dilated to a three and my doctor wasn't going to let me leave until she saw me. That night she came in and gave me three options: first, go home and labor some more at home, second, wait until the next afternoon and re-evaluate, or third, have a c-section at 9am the next morning. Being that this was the longest pregnancy known to man (well to me anyways) bed rest was horrible on me! We decided to go with the third option to deliver in the morning. Thank the Lord we did. I went into the OR and got prepped for surgery, I absolutely hate anesthesia and when the spinal block set in--my body seemed to go into panic. I always think...."What if something happened and I need to get off this table and run!?" I did the same thing when I had my epidural with Charli and even when I go to the dentist I say NO to the gas. I was nauseas the whole time, and shook like a mad women. I could barely see, and I think that is a good thing because of what happened next... Josi Mae was delivered first at 10:40am weighing 4lbs 10oz and 18.5 inches. Libbi Sue born at 10:41 weighing 5lbs 13oz and 19.5 inches. The Neonatal Intensive Care charge nurse was called because of the girls colors. Josi extremely pale and Libbi extremely red, almost purple. They were whisked off to the NICU. We had just become parents of twins, and no idea what was happening with our babies. Thank God for pain medication and any woman who has gone through a c-section twice! I had Charli normally and the pain is much worse with a c-section. Anyhow, I think me being on meds helped to sedate me from what was going on in the NICU. At first we didn't know what exactly happened and my placenta was sent off to pathology, and meanwhile Josi was severely anemic and Libbi looked like a giant swollen tomato. Both girls were breathing on their own without help, but their blood was the problem. Josi had almost no blood, and the nurse explained it was as "thin as KoolAid" and Libbi had thick blood she referred to as "barbecue sauce." They were going to need to give Josi blood and pull blood out of Libbi. SCARY! and still being on the pain meds thankful I wasn't fully mentally stable. We agreed to do whatever would help our babies and trusted these doctors and nurses with our new-found loves. The transfusion took, and the blood-pull went through successfully. I began to make trips to the NICU and watch them get better. A few days later my doctor came to me in the NICU and said that I had ONE placenta and that the specialist must have missed this. I didn't know if I should be mad or just happy the girls were alive, but I can say I was upset that the whole time I was told I had the safest form of twins and now they had missed something. Our girls were identical twin girls who had what is called "Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome" or TTTS-- google it and you'll get the picture, I will try to post the link to the website. From TTTS.org: Twin to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) is a disease of the placenta (or afterbirth) that affects identical twin pregnancies. TTTS affects identical twins (or higher multiple gestations), who share a common monochorionic placenta. The shared placenta contains abnormal blood vessels, which connect the umbilical cords and circulations of the twins. The common placenta may also be shared unequally by the twins, and one twin may have a share too small to provide the necessary nutrients to grow normally or even survive. The events in pregnancy that lead to TTTS - the timing of the twinning event, the number and type of connecting vessels, and the way the placenta is shared by the twins are all random events that have no primary prevention (see section on The Monochorionic Placenta), is not hereditary or genetic, nor is it caused by anything the parents did or did not do. TTTS can happen to anyone. The placenta is the only biologic structure that can cause the death or injury of more than one person at the same time. Depending on the number, type and direction of the connecting vessels, blood can be transfused disproportionately from one twin (the donor) to the other twin (the recipient). The transfusion causes the donor twin to have decreased blood volume. This in turn leads to slower than normal growth than its co-twin, and poor urinary output causing little to no amniotic fluid or oligohydramnios (the source of most of the amniotic fluid is urine from the baby). The recipient twin becomes overloaded with blood. This excess blood puts a strain on this baby’s heart to the point that it may develop heart failure, and also causes this baby to have too much amniotic fluid (polyhydramnios) from a greater than normal production of urine. TTTS can occur at any time during pregnancy, even while a mother is in labor at term. The placental abnormalities determine when and to what degree a transfusion occurs between the twins. Chronic TTTS describes those cases that appear early in pregnancy (12-26 weeks’ gestation). These cases are the most serious because the babies are immature and cannot be delivered. In addition, the twins will have a longer time during their development in the womb to be affected by the TTTS abnormalities. Without treatment, most of these babies would not survive and of the survivors, most would have handicaps or birth defects. Acute TTTS describes those cases that occur suddenly, whenever there is a major difference in the blood pressures between the twins. This may occur in labor at term, or during the last third of pregnancy whenever one twin becomes gravely ill or even passes away as a result of the abnormalities in their shared placenta. Acute TTTS twins may have a better chance to survive based on their gestational age, but may have a greater chance of surviving with handicaps. I believe we had acute TTTS, and it occurred about week 32-34 when the girls weights were getting further apart. This is a picture of them and you can clearly see that Libbi is the receiver twin she got the majority of the blood, and Josi is the donor who was transfusing all her blood to Libbi. The NICU doctor said if we had waited 24-48 hours we could have lost one or both girls. Thinking about this always makes my heart stop for a beat or two, I get nauseas in my stomach, and I thank God for keeping my little miracles safe and healthy. When I was pregnant with all my girls my daily prayer was for God to keep them safe and healthy in their minds, bodies, and souls. With prayers from family, friends, and co-workers we got through the toughest five days of our lives. Here is a picture of the girls when we brought them home from the hospital: At one month: Today at ten weeks: I feel so blessed that God has given us our three little angels, and am so excited to watch them grow in love together!