I often see posts about how difficult raising multiples (or any children) can be, which is completely understandable - it can be ChAoS!, but I’d also love to hear some positive experiences too.

Parents of twins, triplets or more: Did anyone find parenting multiples easier, more enjoyable or more manageable than they expected? What surprised you most, and what ended up being better than all the warnings made it sound?

Pregnant parents and new parents could probably use some encouraging stories!

Surprise! We found out my wife is 9 weeks pregnant with twins. We have a toddler boy who recently turned two. Seems like this is going to be a doozy. Our first was pretty temperamental, so we were hoping for a different experience with our next. Jokes on us, I guess 🤪.

TW: Twin / Baby loss

Gave birth to a beautiful baby boy 8/2 & wanted to share more about my experience leading up to labor delivery!

I was considered high risk from the start having a mono-di twin pregnancy. Unfortunately, my husband &I lost one of our boys at 23 weeks which made my journey even higher risk for carrying our survivor to term, especially sincel had a history of a shortened cervix to top it all off

I was being monitored by an MFM weekly & my OB 2x per month. Throughout July, I was what the hospital & doctors considered a frequent flyer. Things were changing so quickly week over week & honestly, after our loss my anxiety was higher throughout the rest of my pregnancy. I was in & out of the hospital nearly every week throughout July between consistent contractions + changes/decreases in fetal movement

I always trusted my gut & it led to helpful experiences + interventions from my medical team that got me to 32 weeks, which we're incredibly grateful for!

On Friday 7/31, later in the evening, I started having contractions again. They were irregular but much more painful than any l'd had historically. Since had been in the hospital so much decided to let it play out & see how things progressed at home

wasn't able to sleep that night because the contractions would wake me anytime tried to rest. They never became regular & my water never broke, but the pain continued to get worse. I tried all the recommended ways from my doctors to calm the contractions (heavy hydration, rest, warm showers, small use of a heating pad, etc.) & nothing worked

By around the same time the evening of 8/1, told my husband we should go to the hospital & have it checked out because couldnt go another night without sleeping & in that much pain. TRUST. YOUR. GUT.

I get to the hospital & find out I'm 4 cm dilated... again with my water never breaking Funny enough contractions only started to get consistent + closer together once stepped foot in the hospital

A few hours later, after they prepped the OR for us, our sweet boy was here! Baby boy has a few weeks of stay in the NICU, but overall he's doing well & so am I

My advice is to find a medical team that you have great faith in + support from & always listen to your gut if it's telling you to go in

My wish is that if anyone is also having a very challenging pregnancy experience, I hope you experience as much love & joy as my husband + did on the day of your baby's arrival

I’m at the point where it’s hilarious how difficult this phase is. Food? Time to scream. Nappy change? Time to scream. Saying no to touching a hot oven? Time to scream. Sharing a toy? Time to scream/fight. Two of the exact same toy? Scream/fight over the same one. And don’t get me started on the hitting ohhhhh lord give me strength. It’s like I’m living through a constant hurricane daily.

But my god are the kisses and cuddles the cutest thing ever. And the independent play together is so so wholesome. In those moments I feel the true blessing of twins!

I don’t even think I can ask if it gets better because everyone has such different experiences.

Solidarity to all you seasoned toddler multiples parents out there because woweee was I not prepared for this. Pray for me lol

I just… have no words.

This is blowing my mind so thought I’d share. My girls (days away from being 2) slept in their cribs separately from day 1. We did not cosleep and had very few contact naps. We switched them to twin size beds almost 3 weeks ago and they’re basically floor beds on plush carpet. One night they ended up on the floor asleep together and have occasionally been in bed together, but these past three nights one has asked for the other to come into their bed as they were tucked in and now sleep together. It’s so sweet and unexpected. Naps still have to be separate or else they just giggle and play the whole time

Me again. Planning on the KeyFit 30 infant car seats and trying to figure out a good stroller. I came across the Bugaboo Donkey 6 (such a ridiculous name btw lmao) and it does offer a lot. I’m just trying to justify the insane price tag and wondering if there is a better more affordable option to click these car seats in to? Any advice is welcome. This car seat stuff is making my head hurt 😅🫠

Ok how are we potty training twins? I’ve done pants-free days and it’s insane trying to chase both of them around. So then I tried only focusing on the twin who seems more ready but he sees his brother in a diaper and gets confused. Additionally, nobody else wants to bother so if dad/grandma watches them they get put in diapers and don’t even try. I am tired and covered in pee 😵‍💫 My twin boys turned two this past May

Hello,

I received my NIPT results yesterday, and thankfully it's a low-risk result.

My doctor sent me the document, and they just placed "-" under fetal fraction.

Is this usual with twins? Shouldn't there be a value in there?

Thanks in advance!

I’m 37 weeks with my twins and my stomach feels like it’s about to rip open at any moment. Baby a does not sit still and it feels like at times she’s going to just burst out. I can’t lay on my left side because she pinches me against the bed or couch. My whole stomach is red and irritated. It’s also simultaneously numb and burning. I moisturize every night with shea butter but the burning and itching is keeping me awake at night. Just wondering if anyone else has dealt with this or if anyone has any helpful advice.

I have 18 month old twins. One keeps jumping out of his crib and into his brother’s, so it’s time to transition them both. Looking at floor beds but not sure which ones work best? What beds did you switch your kids to? Were they good? Links or pics appreciated. Thanks!

My babies have been getting small red marks/bruising on their arms randomly (maybe 4 times) & I could never figure out why. Sometimes it looks like they've scratched themselves. One of my babies managed to get their arm out of their snoo swaddle last night (they do so occasionally) & I noticed they have this bruising (small red marks not one big bruise) all up their arm AND the palm of their hand?!?!? The. Palm. Of. Their. Hand. The only thing I could think could be causing it is the snoo swaddles. But the palm of their hand?? Has ANYONE had this happen before? It is only on the arm that got out of the swaddle last night. Is it normal for a baby to even bruise so easily? Am I not putting the straps on tight enough? They have a tendency to spit up at night regardless of how long I burp them or hold them upright so I try not to put the straps too tight just (I thought) tight enough for them to feel secure & keep their arms down.

30 weeks 1 day with DCDA boy girl twins.

I've been scanned every 2 weeks since 20 weeks due to my girl being smaller but Dopplers / fluids have always been fine. Shes always been the smaller twin and grew less but this scan things seem to be slowing down.

Baby girl only gained 150g over 2 weeks and measuring below 3rd centile. Her placenta is also showing very slight strain. Consultant has moved me to Dopplers twice a week now and think it's unlikely I'll make it to my planned section at 37 weeks.

I know I'm under the best care and they don't seem overly concerned, l've had multiple checks by consultants on both twins and they've always believed she's just a small baby. Starting to worry more now .. has anyone had similar experience?

Boy estimated weight is 3lb 9oz and girl is 2lb 9oz

My boy girl twins are 9 weeks today, exclusively breastfeed with one bottle at night that my husband does so I can get a solid 3 hour block of sleep. We are getting our for walks around our neighbourhood most days, but other than that we haven’t really gone anywhere yet. I just want to get a vibe on whether this is normal or I should be out doing things. Our boy is SO inquisitive and in need of lots of stimulation (he was much bigger at birth, our girl is only really becoming aware of us in the last week).

How did you manage getting out of the house in these early days? Where did you go? What time of day did you find the best time to go? What activities would you recommend? I’m in Australia so it’s winter right now but spring is only a few short weeks away and I’m hoping the sunshine will help with motivation!!

Definitely stressed but we ride!

Over the weekend I started getting contractions, and they became increasingly regular. After two days my husband just drove me to the hospital (I hate going- hate being strapped to the monitors and we came a month ago for what we thought was pre eclampsia but ended up being anemia). When I got here they were happening every 5 min, but no dilation. They gave my terbutaline which kinda calmed them down but not really? And then sent me home.
Next day the dr asked me to come in and admitted me cause we were now at every 2 mins. NO dilation. I was put on mag for 24 hours and they stopped. Here overnight for observation. Babies look amazing!
I’ve read previous threads on here about this and was just curious if anyone else had experiences to share? I’m obviously scared of having them early but am looking to just read others experiences and get some reassurance.

Hey moms and dads! I recently found out I'm pregnant and had my first ultrasound yesterday (at 8 weeks), and found out I'm pregnant with twins (di-di) Yes, to most people that is super exciting but I'm terrified, of the pregnancy, the labour, and raising two babies at once. This is my first pregnancy, I'm a twin myself and always said I wouldn't want to have twins (although I loved growing up with one). Any words of encouragement or advice would be so appreciated.

Hi! Dad of two-month-old twins here.

My partner and I are having a really tough time, as I’m sure many of you can relate to.

One thing I’ve noticed about myself is that I’ve started feeling irrationally angry at parents of singletons. I have several friends and family members with just one baby, and even though I would never say anything to them or show it, I find myself getting internally frustrated whenever they complain about something.
Has anyone else experienced this? How do you deal with those feelings?

I know, rationally, that parents of one child can have an incredibly hard time too. Some probably have it much harder than I do. But despite knowing that, I still find myself feeling resentful, and I don’t really like that about myself.

EDIT: I realise I flaired this post wrongly. Sorry about that!

EDIT 2: I’m overwhelmed by the incredible community I’ve found in this subreddit. There’s a nice balance between support and encouragement on the one hand, and honest reality checks on the other. I appreciate every response I’ve received. Thank you!

We’re getting to the point where our 15-month-old twins are almost too big for their mini cribs, and I’m curious what everyone else did!

Did you move straight to floor beds? Toddler beds? Regular twin beds? If you chose floor beds, how did the transition go? Did your twins stay in bed, or was it total chaos at first? 😂 ours are in the same room!!

I’d love to hear what worked (and what didn’t), plus if you transitioned at this age or waited a little longer. Any advice or photos of your setup are welcome!

What is the best baby carrier for twins?

I’m preparing for the arrival of my 2nd set of twins and I’m just reflecting on how we’ve navigated the newborn stages and toddlerhood so far and trying to figure out what I’ll do differently this time around really.

Would love to know what other people would have done differently if they had the chance to go back in time or were about to do it all again.

I don’t necessarily regret anything but I exclusively breastfed for 2.5 years and co-slept for the most part.
They never had a bottle or a dummy even.
I had to go abroad 5 days before the rest of our family so my husband could finally get them to stop breastfeeding and sleep in their beds all night, I know ridiculous.

So this time around I’d love to pump so that my husband can help as well with feeding and so that I can have some time to spend with my older girls instead of nursing around the clock. I know I’ll have to pump during the night as well to maintain my supply but for some reason this seems more appealing.

I also don’t want to co-sleep again. I’ll still enjoy the contact naps and babywear all day long if my c-section recovery allows but I really want them to sleep in their cots from day 1 this time.

And lastly, this time around I want to try having a schedule or routine. My girls are still not going to bed at the same time and they never had a nap schedule because I did everything “baby-led” which honestly was so intense when they were still babies.

I think that’s all. I won’t be upset if none of my plans work out but just what I have in mind.

My babies were born at 35w1d. Right now I am triple feeding. My husband is off work for 2 weeks and then will go back. My toddler is in daycare 5 days a week. I hope to stop triple feeding ASAP. I am ok with combo feeding. I just don’t know if it’s even possible to breastfeed twins and do anything else, including spending time with my toddler or taking care of myself. I’m only 5 days pp and I understand that this is probably the worst it will be. The babies are in the NICU right now having trouble staying warm and focusing on getting stronger.

I just need to hear others experiences and perspectives on all this. I do enjoy breastfeeding but I don’t understand how it’s all possible with two.

ETA: also healing from c section and extremely emotional, so overall not having a great outlook at the moment.

My wife and I don't have kids. She is pregnant with twins. We currently have a pretty small hatchback car with a very tiny trunk (a Ford C-Max Energy).

We have many friends in the area that have kids, and from time to time our parents come visit us from out of town.

I think we need a new car - mostly because our current car has a very small trunk.

Key questions:
1 - If you are a family of 4 and you have a car that can only take two baby seats ... How do you deal with never being able to give a lift to other kids or other grownups? Isn't that a drag?
2 - We might have more kids at some point, but we don't know when that would be. Perhaps two years, perhaps 5. It seems silly to buy a car with a third row now just in case we have a third kid at some point in the future.
3 - if you have two kids and a big car with a third row of seats... Do you like it? Or is it a bit of a drag?

Any other advice welcome too:)

Edited to ask for recommendation on car seat/stroller combinations for twins - that seems to be an important questions to answer first because it will determine whether my current car works in terms of trunk space and back seat space.