During the first year of my twins’ lives I learned how to save time, energy, and money with two babies in the house. Through lots of prayers, cups of coffee, and conversations with other mommas, I am on the other side of the newborn/baby phase as my twins are now almost four years old.
I am all about efficiency. If there is a way to complete a task and shave some time off and/or make it flow more smoothly – I am all ears.
Here are some ways I survived the first year of having twins.
Nursing
Before having kids I was passionate about nursing. When we found out we were having twins, I started contacting any twin momma I knew and asking if it was even possible!
After talking to other moms of twins I was confident I could breastfeed my twins. I am not going to sugar coat it – nursing was hard, especially at the beginning. I did not know what I was doing, and our 37 week old babies did not know what they were doing either. But I stuck with it and we got the hang of it.
If you can, purchase a twin nursing pillow; this was a lifesaver. This giant green pillow traveled with us everywhere we went! It also worked great as a safety net while they were learning to sit up.
The most efficient use of my time and energy as far as nursing goes was to feed the girls at the same time – no matter what time of day it was. For example, early on, if Grace woke up in the middle of the night I would also wake up Kalei so I was using our time as wisely as possible (especially when cutting into my beauty sleep)!
A trick I used to build up my supply and also have extra milk on hand, was to pump after their morning feeding – EVERY DAY.
There were days when I really dreaded hooking myself up to the pump, especially because I would likely be nursing them again within 90 minutes. Overall, it was beneficial for the girls and me as I was able to get out of the house alone and not worry about their nourishment, because they took a bottle just fine.
Sleeping
When we brought the girls home they slept in a cradle together, which was great when they were itty bitty. As they grew we had them sleep together in one crib for the first three months; then put them in separate cribs to ensure they had plenty of rolling room.
We were graciously gifted a Rock N Play before the girls were born; little did we know this would be one of our favorite pieces of baby equipment. We liked it so much that we ended up purchasing another one!
The Rock N Play was a safe bassinet for the girls to hang out in, nap in, or even sleep in over night. Because it has a slight incline, it was a good place for the girls to sleep especially when having upper respiratory congestion.
Accepting Help
Another way I efficiently used my energy and time was to get over my pride and ASK for HELP. That is right – ask for help, and if someone offers to help in any way – say YES!
I was not one who readily sought out help before having children, but after bringing the twins home from the hospital and not sleeping at all the first night, my mom got an urgent call the next morning to bring in the cavalry!
It seriously takes a village to raise twins.
I also had friends who kindly set up a meal train for us. We fully appreciated people’s willingness to help out, and we were grateful to have one less thing to worry about during the day.
Taking Care of Yourself
All of the above would not be possible without taking care of myself. As mommas, we need to find time for ourselves sans children. I love our three children with every ounce of my body, but many days this body cannot take one more snotty nose wiped on me, or whiny voice asking for me to get back a toy that is ‘theirs.’
For me, if I can get a decent workout and/or meet a friend for coffee I feel as if my battery is recharged. Whatever helps your clock tick – do it; you are worth it!
Having twins isn’t easy, but you can do it!
Moms of twins, what tips do you have?
Here are some more great posts about being a twin mom!
Preparing for Twins: What You Do and Don’t Need Two Of
Chelsey is blessed to be the mother of two beautiful fraternal twins, Grace and Kalei (born May 2013), and a charming son, Bo (born June 2015). Chelsey is from the small town of Readlyn, Iowa, and attended the University of Northern Iowa, where she met her husband, Cole. They live in Grimes and attend Johnston Evangelical Free Church.
Chelsey is thankful to be able to stay home with her children. She formerly taught physical education and health to middle school students; and is able to substitute teach from time to time. Chelsey enjoys personal training part time at the YMCA Healthy Living Center.
Chelsey has a passion for health, wellness, and relationships. In her free time she enjoys blogging about her pursuit of joy in the ups, downs, twists, and turns of life at chelseypederson.blogspot.com.
