It’s been so long since i updated this blog….A LOT has happened since the last posting…I finally gave birth to my beautiful baby boys on January 9, 2010. They were 34 weeks so they were a bit early according to Singleton standards…I was admitted to the hospital twice before i even gave birth. The first time was on December 2, 2009 at 30 weeks. I was at the Dr just getting my routine ultrasound when they noticed my cervix was shortening so they admitted me to stay for a couple of days to monitor me and gave me a Fetal Fibronectin test that basically is a swab of my insides to see if i’m secreting what shows that labor might be imminent. My test came out Negative which was a good sign but they had still kept me there for bedrest and monitoring…Babies heartbeats and everything was perfect, they  just wanted to make sure i wasn’t going to deliver any time soon…(who knew that i’d be delivering 4 weeks later). They released me 3 days later because nothing was changing so they put me on bedrest at home.  I took it easy, sitting on the couch with my feet propped, laying down, watching tv..no housework, no driving..i was confined…but it was ok cuz i wanted the babies to stay in me for longer.

Second time i was admitted to the hospital was again after a routine ultrasound on January 6, 2010. I was clear of the holidays and was glad didn’t have to spend my time in the hospital.  Anyhow, at my ultrasound they did notice again that my cervix was shortening and was at 2cm and slightly effaced. I was at 34 weeks by this time which dr assured me is more of a safe zone for twins if delivered at this time. She did let me know that if they were delivered within the next couple of days that they would spend some time in NICU just to be on the safe side…Knowing this i wanted to just stay put and make sure the kids stayed in me a little longer…My cervix was shortening every day from 2 cm to 4cm and 80%-90% effaced by Saturday the 9th. My contractions were getting stronger and closer together…It was not painful just yet but i did feel it getting stronger and closer together every moment…Nurse checked me and contacted my OB to let her know my status…OB said that she was not going to try to stop my labor by this time and ordered an ultrasound to see how the babies were positioned..this was to determine if she was going to let me go full on labor or just do a c section ASAP.  Ultrasound was done and determined that both babies were breech so this meant a C Section…Once that was ordered my mom came and at the same time i had to call mario to come back to the hospital cuz this was it…I swear as soon as the U/S was done everything went by soooo fast…They poked me with the IV (which i hated with a passion) and did all the necessary pre surgery stuff, like give mario his scrubs and things…As they were preparing me i could not help but cry, i’ve never been in major surgery and i was scared and just wanted to make sure i was safe as well as the babies…Saddleback has a GREAT staff, all the nurses and doctors are amazing and it made me feel more comfortable…i couldn’t help but cry cuz i was scared and realized in about an hour i was going to be a mother..

As they wheeled me into the Operating room i saw all the lights, all the nurses, all the equipment going to be used to open me up..HOLY CRAP i was thinking…jeeze, i cant believe i’m gonna be sliced up in a few minutes! Nurses and the Anesthesiologist were funny, they made me laugh, making jokes and just making me feel more comfortable…Anesthesiologist instructed me on my anesthesia which was actually a Spinal block…This is a little different from Epidural (same area) but a Spinal block was used for CSections cuz it’s just one shot and no catheter was going to placed in my spine. So i sat at the edge of the operating table and held on to the nurse with my head down…Dr prepped my back, cleaning it and then putting the numbing shot for the area…honestly, all i felt was a prick…i was pretty scared for nothing…then after that he put in the other needle for the medicine…honestly, didn’t feel a thing…the numbing needle i felt a prick but after that i felt nothing..they laid me down and stretched my arms out….after about 5 minutes i started getting numb….Dr checked the areas taht were supposed to be numb with an electrical shock (so it felt like) and i was completely numb in the areas i was supposed to be because he had shocked me up where my chest is and i felt that…but when he did it below my chest i felt nothing…Mario came in at this time and they were still prepping me for surgery…they put in the catheter which i did not feel but they had told me they were doing. My dr came in and said hi and said it was time…Mario watched the whole thing, making faces like “damn, that looks like it hurts”..i felt nothing but pressure, pulling and tugging, but no pain whatsoever. Noah came out first at 6:34pm..i didn’t hear his cry at first and kept asking mario if he was ok, but at this moment they were just cleaning out his mouth and nose..then i heard his first cry..wow, how amazing was that!? It’s such a feeling you can’t even describe until you are in that moment yourself….i teared up cuz i realized i was a mother…FINALLY! Then Nicolas came next, he was a little stubborn coming out and took the drs a longer time to pull him out…(you’ll see this in the video if you want to see it.) When he came out they need to give him an extra boost of oxygen…I met my little boys after all was done, weighing, oxygen and all that…I helt Noah in my arms and kissed Nicolas because he had to go to NICU to make sure he was breathing alright…It was good to know that he was fine within 2 hours and was breathing on his own the rest of the time…They took NOah to NICU for examination..i knew that they would have to stay there for a couple of days for observation cuz they were preemies. I was getting all stitched up in the operating room while mario followed the babies to NICU and to greet all our visitors in the waiting room and announce that the babies were finally here.

When everything was said and done in the operating room they wheeled me back to recovery in the huge suite i was staying in before i gave birth…I was there for about an hour being observed to make sure everything was ok with me. I was still kinda numb so i still felt no pain at all….as the medicine wore off i could start feeling some pain…nothing that was as bad as later on in the night…I was sooooooooooo thirsty but i couldn’t drink anything but chew on ice chips…i wanted to drink a whole gallon of water but was not allowed to cuz of all the medicine that they pumped in me through IV. When that hour of recovery was up they wheeled me down to Postpartum..this room was waaaaaaaaaay smaller than what i was used to but it was ok i guess. I started slowly feeling the pain from my surgery and still haven’t taken any after pain medication…I met the nurse that was going to take care of me through the night and she explained to me what was going to happen….After a CSection you are supposed to get up after 8 hours and try to walk around….So this meant around 3am that morning…The nurse woke me up at around 2:30am to give me a pill for pain to make it easier for me to get up….didn’t work that well cuz once 3am rolled around the nurse came back in and said “ok time to get up”…Holy mother of pain! This was the worst pain i have ever felt in my whole life….just trying to get out of bed was a “pain” i swear i wanted to cry and said “i can’t do this!” but then i thought of my children that i wanted to be strong for them and i wanted to see them in NICU that morning…so i swallowed the pain and just got out of bed…this was not easy, not easy at all, and i don’t think anyone will know the extent of it unless you have gone through a csection….i felt like i was gonna rip open and my insides were gonna fall out…HONEST! I walked from the bed, hunched over cuz i was scared of straightening up in fear that my incision would open up..the nurse assured me this was not going to happen and to heal faster and better i had to stand up straight, so stand up straight i did and yes, it was not comfortable but in the back of my head i was thinking i needed to be strong for when the kids come home. I walked to the bathroom which was honestly less than 5 steps from the bed but at that moment felt like 50! i was still connected to the catheter and the IV so had to drag all that crap along wiht me. For those of you who have experienced childbirth know what happens afterwards..i will not explain it here but just to kinda remind you all..there is a lot of blood that is involved after childbirth..whether it be a vaginal delivery or c section….theres lots of things happening when giving birth and there are after effects. YUCK!

So after i was done getting cleaned up in the bathroom, which yes, the nurse had to do for me cuz i could NOT bend down  yet…they got me a wheelchair so we can go see the babies in the NICU. Sitting down was easier than standing back up…we went to the NICU and saw my beautiful little babies….my pain went away for  those couple of minutes i was with them….then we went back to my room and had to get back on my bed…yes, this was a feat in itself as well…the pain i felt was a pain i have never experienced in my life…it’s so hard to explain…luckily the Norco made me sleepy so as soon as i laid back down i fell asleep.

The next day i had a lot of visitors, i loved it…it’s so great to know that all these people care about us and were so eager to meet the babies. Harry flew from SLC just to be here one day to meet his new nephews..they didn’t get to bond as much as we’d liked cuz they were still in the NICU but he did meet them and hopefully he will be back soon so he can actually hold them.  I got up out of bed cuz they said it was ok for me to shower…It did not hurt as much as the first time that morning when i rolled out of bed but y es, there was still pain…getting in and out of bed was very hard…Everyone told me that the more i walked around and was mobile, the faster and better i would heal…i barely used the wheelchair after the first time i did cuz i wanted to heal faster so i walked around the hospital more than i thought i was ever going to.  I was released from the hospital a few days later but sadly, the babies stayed there…yes it was hard to leave the hospital with out my precious little boys but i knew this was best for them…the NICU nurses assured me that the babies were doing so good…they had nothing major wrong with them and the IV’s were already taken out and they have breathing on their own since they got admitted. The only thing that they were there for really was feeding…since they were a bit early they didn’t have the Suck, Swallow and Breathe reflex down yet so they had to teach them how to do that…they learned so quickly!!! The nurses and doctors were so amazed at how fast they learned. They also had a mild case of jaundice which is yellowing of the skin so they had to be under bilirubin lights for a day..they recovered from that so fast as well…They came out of their isolettes and were in an open crib for the rest of their stay….i hated that they had to have tubes stuck up their nose down to their stomachs cuz they weren’t bottle feeding each time…this lasted a couple of days, switching from gavage feeding to bottle feeding..the babies stayed there a total of i think 12 days….12 days of which mario and i were there everysingle day to help feed and learn how to take care of our precious darlings. In a way i was so glad that it happened this way…honestly, the hospital taught us so much..these are our first babies and they taught us how to change, feed, burp, hold the babies and even sponge bathe them..they taught us signs to look for and even had a CPR class. The boys advanced so fast that they were home in no time. I can’t lie, there were days that we had to leave them there and i would cry cuz i just wanted to take them home…but our boys were the biggest and healthiest babies in the NICU and were only there to make sure they could bottle feed at every feeding..and that they did, SO FAST! also the days that the boys were in NICU i was recovering from my surgery at home, i couldn’t imagine having to do all those things while i was still in pain. By the time the boys went home on January 21, 2010 i was able to move around more and take care of them.

The first night at home was difficult, we did not have a plan, all we knew was that we had to feed the babies every 3 hours so that meant we had to be up in the middle of the night to feed them a couple of times…this was hard…but as they days passed we figured out a routine to help both of us get some sleep at night..although it was broken sleep, it was still sleep.

It’s now February and the boys will be 1 month old on February 9, 2010. I can’t believe how fast time flew! When people told me to enjoy this time with them cuz it will go by in a flash, they were so right…next thing i know we’ll be celebrating their 1st birthday.

Here is the video of my surgery, this is not for the weak at heart..don’t worry, it doesnt’ show any private parts, but it shows lots of blood so don’t watch if you can’t see that kind of stuff…when i watch this  all i can think is the miracle that is childbirth…it’s not gross to me anymore…i just can’t believe i went through this and now looking back on it how proud i am of myself. I now look at my babies and smile because they are the most precious things in my life and i would do anything to protect them..the love of a mother is indescribable…i love my childre and i love my hubby for being there for me through everything.

UPDATE:  click on YOUTUBE link to view Video..can’t post it on here for some reason.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRP8COnkvVE#

Here is a rendering of what the twins look like in my belly @ 28 Weeks…crazzzzzzzzy!

1. 2 For 1 Bonus

Short and sweet …. one pregnancy = two babies! Such a deal! Although a pregnancy with multiples may have more risks, and sometimes more complications, it truly is a two-for-one deal. I’m thankful that my pregnancy had a healthy outcome.

2. Single-Mindedness

Parenting happens in stages. For people with a one-track mind, like me, it’s much easier to manage two infants, two toddlers or two ‘tweens, than to juggle the needs of a baby and a preschooler. The phases of parenthood are experienced more intensely, sometimes, because they are simultaneous, but I am thankful for that.

3. Shared Accomplishments

It’s always exciting to see your child meet a milestone. But when two or more multiples accomplish their goals simultaneously, it’s a wonderful experience for a family. For example, I was bursting with pride when both of my twins made honor roll on their last report cards, but the achievement was even sweeter because they were happy for each other. I’m thankful for the joy of shared accomplishments!

4. A Beautiful Bond

The twin bond is more enduring than any other relationship on earth, starting even before birth, and often outlasting many friendships and even marriages. Despite their squabbles, it’s comforting to know that they will (hopefully) enjoy their unique relationship for all of their lives. As their mother, I am thankful to be a witness to their special bond, and to have the opportunity to nurture it.

5. Armfuls and Handfuls

Every child fills their parents’ hearts and home with joy. That’s why I’m really thankful to have twins. The love and joy are compounded. Cradling two twinfants in my arms was so incredibly, almost unbearably, sweet. Holding hands with two toddlers — one on the right, and one on the left — while crossing the street made me feel complete. Double hugs, double kisses, mommy-in-the-middle “sandwich” cuddles on the couch… life just doesn’t get any better than that.

6. Sharing

Twins share everything — their birthday, their parents’ attention, and many of their belongings. Although they may get frustrated with their situation, as a parent, it’s very gratifying to witness their “what’s mine is yours” attitude in a moment of unselfish benevolence. I’m thankful that my twins have had the opportunity to learn the joys of giving to others.

7. Private Jokes

It’s such fun to hear them share jokes, call each other by nicknames and role play their special scenarios. Once when they were babies, 10 months old, we were driving down the road, when giggles erupted from the car seats in the back seat. As one laughed, the other broke out in giggles; they spurred each other on the entire ride home. What a sweet sound those baby giggles were; it is still sweet to hear them laugh together, not at each other, but with each other. I am thankful for the special shared moments by twins share with each other.

8. Alike but Different

It’s fascinating to be an observer of twins. With so many similarities, but such stark differences, it’s always interesting to see how they develop as individuals. Where parents of singletons may say, “Oh, you are just like your sister was at that age,” parents of multiples have an instant basis of comparison and contrast among their children. I’m thankful that my twins are two unique individuals with surprising similarities.

9. A Sense of Status

Okay, I admit it. I get a little thrill of pride in being a mom of twins. It’s like being a part of an elite club. You feel an instant bond with other parents of multiples. I love the reaction I get when I tell people I have twins. “Wow!” “I always wanted twins…” “I don’t know how you do it…” It’s almost like we enjoy an exclusive status in the parenting world, earning a slight nod of respect for pulling double duty. I’m thankful that I was chosen for this role.

10. Confidence in Companionship

I love the confidence that my twins exhibit simply because they have always had each other to rely on. I love to watch them enter new, unfamiliar situations with total surety because they are together. I love seeing all the ways that being a twin shapes their personalities, both as an advantage and a disadvantage. I’m thankful that they have never known loneliness because they’ve always had each other as a companion.

After the shower festivities a couple of friends and fam came over to our place to watch Pacquiao VS. Cotto. This was no match for Pacquiao…he is at his peak and he kicked ass!! It was such an awesome fight and watching it with all the PacMan fans makes it all the better..I wish i could have jumped up and down but i couldn’t cuz well you know haha.. i did show my support by yelling a lot and throwing my hands up in the air…everytime everyone would cheer i could feel my boys move in my tummy..yes they can hear everything..it was pretty crazy…so everytime i’d feel them move i’d rub my belly to assure them everything was ok. Champs i tell ya, i’m carrying some champs in my belly.

Thank u to everyone who shared this weekend with us…it was unforgettable…many more memories to come with the upcoming Segura Twins coming to this world…we have quite a rollercoaster ahead of us and we are ready..so here we go…

I’m 27 weeks today and according to all the books this is my last week in my 2nd trimester…so yes, that means next week as i turn 28 weeks i will be in my 3rd trimester..how crazy is that?? 37 weeks is considered full term for twin babies so if i’m counting right…today marks 10 more weeks till these babies make their appearance…i can’t wait! i’m so excited to meet these little ones that have been growing in my belly the last few months.

I see the dr every 2 weeks now and that includes several different appointments…i see my Perinatologist who does my ultrasounds for growth of the babies and then another dr that measures my cervix and then my regular OB to check pretty much everything that is going on with me and the babies. Everything has been good so far except for the fact that yes my cervix is a little shorter than it should be but that’s why the dr took me off work so early….better to be safe than sorry..i can’t complain.

I don’t have anything crazy to report today so i guess i’ll leave it at this…

Till next time folks….

I hear people talk about how hard it’s gonna be (from singleton moms) and yes I know it’s gonna be hard..but singleton moms that don’t have twins can’t really compare as I can’t compare myself to them. These are my first babies so I cant even begin to think how different it’s gonna be cuz this is all I know. One try and I come out with 2 babies….that is just a miracle in itself. We can handle this, we don’t’ need pity from other people saying “wow, they are gonna have so much fun with 2 babies” (saying sarcastically of course) if I hear this come to me in person I will just say “I KNOW, IT’S GONNA BE A BLAST CUZ THESE TWO LITTLE GUYS ARE GONNA HAVE A BEST FRIEND IN EACH OTHER FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES, HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN SAY THAT!?” People will say “Better you than me” and I will say “I TOTALLY AGREE!” I wouldn’t change my life for anything right now, I am happy and content and blessed to have been given this absolutely awesome gift.

UPDATES:

Last weekend I came down with a nasty soar throat and runny nose…I woke up Saturday morning having a scratchy throat and made Mario get me “my” medicine that I’ve been taking since I was little…ORANGE JUICE. Yes, when I start feeling like I’m getting sick I drink LOTS of OJ…and YES it helps because by the end of the night my soar throat was gone and was just plagued with my runny nose and NO FEVER. I woke up on Sunday feeling great with NO soar throat or FEVER. Thank the Lord! I’m still getting over my runny nose but my body feels fine, I haven’t gotten a fever and I don’t feel one coming on either *knock on wood*.

Speaking of Flu’s….Pregos are supposed to be getting the regular flu shot and the H1N1…I have NEVER ever gotten the regular flu shot and never really believed in it….H1N1 however is fairly new, actually BRAND new and I’m kind of scared of it…I know that us pregos have to get it and all the flu shots have the NO preservative thing in it..so it’s a special kind of shot I guess. I’m still debating on getting both but I hear it’s good for me and helps protect the babies as well. With carrying twins I want to be more cautious but I’m also kinda freaked out by it, not the needle, cuz I can take the needle, I don’t care, but the medicine itself is wat freaks me out a little. I see my OB in 2 weeks so I will talk to her about it.

It’s Halloween this Saturday…I grew a love for Halloween last year cuz I actually went to a really costume party with a bunch of friends…had way to much fun and was so looking forward to dressing up this year…things happen though right? Hehe. I’d rather be where I’m at today then anywhere else, so no regrets on this side. But this year we are going to Yorba Linda to my cousins house to trick or treat with the kids…I can’t wait to see my nephew as a boxer and my Goddaughter as a vampire! Kids are too cute…It makes me so excited because this time next year I will have kids to dress up and take trick or treating…best thing is…I GET TO EAT THE CANDY! J/K! LOL!

3 more months folks and the Segura’s will be a family of 4 + 1.

Now I’m feeling like a butthead. While I’ve always been very honest, I am not a gushy person. I’m not the type to say, “Being a twin mom is the BEST thing to EVER happen to me EVER!!!” But that’s what I think. I believe having twins has been the biggest blessing of my life. Some days, I am stunned at how much love I have in my heart for both my boys. Sometimes they hug each other or laugh together and I can’t believe this is my life. I hear them call each other “brother” and I feel all melty and weepy and I wish everyone could see the instant replay in my head. Because having twins RULEZ.

One of my real life friends is going through fertility problems. Her number one question about every option is – what is the multiple rate? I feel horribly guilty because I am sure I’m the one that scared her about twins. I’m sure hearing my daily battles with sleep regressions, illnesses, and the general insanity of twins has been a large part of scaring her. And I am a jackoff because I should be talking about the many positives of twins as much, if not more, than the negatives. I need to stop being real and start being gushy.

Here they are, LauraC’s Favorite Things About Being A Twin Mom:

* There is always someone in a good mood. Inevitably if one kid is having a tantrum, the other is being an angel. Mommy’s little angel.

* One pregnancy (albeit ROUGH), two babies. Only one childbirth, one childbirth recovery, and one newborn sleeplessness period, and you get TWO kids out of the deal.

* Baby interaction. Oh goodness, I miss two babies crawling, chasing each other around our kitchen island and laughing. Those are some of my favorite memories in my life. They would chase each other forever, giggling and panting. Best ever.

* I pretty much feel like I can accomplish anything after surviving that newborn period. Bring it, 3 year old tantrums.

* Listening to the boys talk to each other over the monitor after they go to bed has lifted me up so many times when I’ve had a rough day. Their sweet little voices talking about their toys and their day, oh man it makes my heart overflow.

* Not sweating the small stuff. I simply don’t have time to do it. I’ve tried my entire life to accomplish this.

* Jon is a much better father for having played such a large part in caring for the boys as infants. If I were a singleton mom, I would have been a much bigger control freak about my baby.

* Memories of nights, sitting with Jon, each of us holding a baby and talking to each other while we fed them. Imagining what our life would be like when they were boys instead of babies. Having twins brought me and my husband together in a way I can’t explain. We’re in this for the long road, together, every baby-feeding-puking-cleaning-up-poop-crying step of the way.

by Melissa Overbey

I think that any woman in any given time during the course of her pregnancy wonders if she would be carrying twins. When her belly grows and she feels baby’s movement she must wonder if she was carrying an octopus, much less twins! Twins occur on an average, 1 in 85 births. Now with modern technology, and infertility drugs, those numbers are rising, and twins are occurring much more often.

Shock, fear, elation, and even sadness are all normal reactions to the news that a mother is carrying twins. Most twin pregnancies are diagnosed now during the pregnancy. You don’t hear of surprised moms on the delivery table too much anymore with our prenatal testing and technology.
I suspected I was carrying twins (or at least a girl) when I was about 5 weeks along. I was very ill with morning sickness (had only a touch of it with my son), and couldn’t zip my jeans at 7 weeks. At the time, we were a military family, and living overseas in Panama. I saw my OB the first time when I was 7 weeks. He did my prenatal exam and wrote down that I was 10 weeks. I saw this, and told him no, I am 7 exactly, I know this. My husband had been gone the previous 5 months on a deployment and I was sure of my dates. He told me again that I must have my dates wrong.

He couldn’t find the baby’s heartbeat with the Doppler. He told me to come back in 10 days or so, I should be close to 12 weeks then, and we should be able to hear. Ten days later, I was back in there, and he couldn’t find the heartbeat again. He pulled out the ultrasound and BAM there were two babies!

I was alone, and I just said “Oh my God!” and started to shake and laugh. I was very nervous, and excited and wanted to yell it out to the world. I just knew something was different about this pregnancy!

Now that you know my story of finding out I was carrying twins, I will try to give you some ideas on how to cope with a twin pregnancy.

Listen to your body. When you are tired, rest. When you are hungry, eat. Try to be in tune and listen to whatever your body is trying to tell you. It takes a lot of energy to be pregnant, and grow a child, much less two!

Be ready for comments. Comments on your growing belly, people’s reactions to your news, etc. I had thought about this ahead of time and always had something to say back, so I wouldn’t sit there, dumbfounded. When I was asked, “Did I have two in there?” I simply replied “Yes!” When I was asked at 6 months gestation, I was asked if I was overdue, I told them I was 24 weeks with twins. When I was told “Better you than me!” I replied, “I think so too!” You will get comments, welcomed, and unwelcome, during your pregnancy, and especially when the babies come. Prepare while you are pregnant, and you won’t be so surprised when the babies are here.

Be ready for possible bedrest. Not every twin mother gets sentenced, but many do. For differing reasons, but all the less, bedrest is bedrest. It’s not fun. I started with Preterm labor at 28 weeks and was on strict bedrest until I delivered at 36 weeks. I spent about 5 or 6 times in and out of the hospital, admitted for labor. If you are lucky enough to go home, set up a little station around you. Phone, TV remote, books, journals, and laptop or your PC. I spent a lot of time on the internet while on bedrest. It kept me connected to friends and family I would not otherwise see.

The best thing I started doing was buying stuff early on in pregnancy, as soon as I knew I was carrying twins. Collecting hand me downs and going to yard sales was a lifesaver! Since I couldn’t go out and shop past my seventh month, it was important for me to be ready for the girls. Beware of people who tell you that you have to have two of everything now. It’s simply not true. My girls slept in the same crib until they were both nearly a year old! That is the way they preferred it. You can get by on so much, of just having one.

When delivery day came, I was lucky enough to have both girls vertex, or head down. Make sure you are informed, of what can possibly happen. I knew that Baby B could turn transverse, or sideways, and get stuck after Baby A was born. I knew that this could possibly result in me giving birth to Baby A vaginally, and then needing a C-Section for Baby B, if they could not manually turn her back. I was lucky, and she stayed head down, with some help from my nurses. I succeeded in giving birth vaginally to both girls.

If you spent a lot of time on bedrest, then be ready to not feel up to par after delivery. My muscles were emaciated, and I just generally felt bad. I was weak, and just didn’t feel as good as I did after my first delivery. It took me longer to recover.

Be prepared and informed of an early delivery. If you had experienced preterm labor, then you had a taste of it. If you do, request a wheelchair ride to the level II or NICU, just to be prepared. I toured the NICU when I was 32 weeks, after they got me stable. Then I wouldn’t have been so terrified and overwhelmed, if by chance the next time, they could not stop my labor.

My girls were early, at 36 weeks. They were sleepy babies, and they would not latch on for me to breastfeed them. If you want to breastfeed your twins, I urge you to enlist the help of a lactation consultant. They can be lifesavers! You may feel like you are nursing around the clock, and you probably nearly are. It’s not easy in the beginning, but very much worth it!

After delivery, take it easy, and rest as much as possible. If anyone offers you help for when you get home, by all means, accept it. Twins can be overwhelming, especially in the beginning. Most of all, revel in the beauty of twins!

Melissa is a part time working mother of three. Christian is 4 1/2, Kamryn and Kendyl are identical 18 month old twin girls. She is now pregnant with baby #4, due 12/5/00! She works as a tech on a mother/baby unit at a nearby hospital in Louisville, KY. She also highlights as a doula, in her spare time. She attended the doula workshop given by Birth, Babies, and Beyond in Atlanta, GA., in April of 1999. She has since then attended five births, (not including her own). She is currently working on her certification with DONA. (Doulas of North America) Melissa has an apprentice/backup doula working under her, who will also attend Melissa’s delivery in December. They plan on trying to start up their own business in the near future! Melissa has experience being a doula in labor and delivery, as a tech on the postpartum unit, newborn nursery, special care nursery, and gives breastfeeding support to new mothers. 

*What a great article…Everything i feel and all my fears rolled into one little blog…*

Tomorrow we have our ultrasound to check on the boys growth…these guys are moving around everyday and we are starting see them thumping on the outside of my tummy..i can’t even describe the feeling…all i know is that i can actually distinguish which baby is kicking me…mothers instinct? who knows! hehe

I’ll update you guys when we get our new Ultrasound pix tomorrow! This is the joy of being prego with twins, lots of ultrasounds and checkups..hehe i get to see my boys so often!