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You are expecting twins. So now what do you do?!

Congratulations! You are expecting twins. So now what do you do?!

Contributed by Shannon O’Reilly-Fearn. Shannon is a mom to identical twin girls and the Founder of Twin Love Concierge – the USA’s only twin exclusive maternity and parenting consultancy.

Finding out you are expecting twins is a blessing and a shock rolled into one. Your initial reaction of ‘wow, we are having TWO babies’ will likely be followed quickly by ‘HOW are we going to do it?!’ You are not alone – these are the initial, confused feelings of ALL expecting parents of multiples.

Preparation is essential. As a mom to identical twin girls I’ve learned firsthand how important it is to be ready for twins. Unlike singletons you can’t just hope everything falls into place, because it doesn’t. Here are my five key points to keep in mind when preparing for your new babies: 

1. Be as prepared as you can by 28 weeks: close to 50% of moms expecting multiples are placed on some form of bedrest and it is often around this time. Make this your cutoff point and save yourself the stress of being stuck in bed and unable to test strollers or pick out bedding. At the very least, make sure you have had your baby shower by then (if you are having one) and have taken your maternity pictures if this is part of your plan.

2. Don’t buy two of everything – it is a myth that twins can’t or don’t share. This is especially true when it comes to activity toys such as rockers, bouncers or anything electric. Instead buy different types so that you can rotate the babies between each. This will also ensure that you don’t give over space at home to two jumperoos that neither baby enjoys, and saves you a trip to the store to return them!

3. Take advice from other moms of twins. You will find great comfort hearing from moms that have been through it, whether they’re new moms or more experienced moms. Parenting techniques evolve so recent experiences and techniques are useful to hear. But the backbone to your twin learning may well come from older moms who are a wealth of amazing information and can often act as our lighthouse.

4. Chose a medical support team that has experience with multiples – this applies in all areas from OB’s to pediatricians. Multiple births, twin development, even twin milestones can vary greatly from singletons so try to find professionals that are experienced in this so you can feel 100% comfortable in their care.

5. Finally, if possible, plan to schedule everything from the moment the babies come home. Keeping the twins on the same feeding, sleeping, activity schedule means you can plan your day effectively and don’t feel like you are running around 24/7 with no respite. This also allows you to schedule times when your partner, family and friends can take turns feeding as you will know what time the babies’ awake periods will be.

 

A note about Shannon:

Her mission is to help as many families of multiples as possible by creating a professional service of support groups locally as Twin Love Concierge was created for moms and dads who are expecting multiples. Visit her site to find the next Expecting Twins Classes or New 2 Twins Playgroups in your town. Right now live events are offered all over New York, Connecticut, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Texas, and Pennsylvania. Don’t live in these areas?  Shannon offers skype consultations so that all Twin parents can take advantage of her unique services.

For more details see www.twinloveconcierge.com and follow them on facebook, twitter and instagram as they continue the mission to help as many families of multiples as they can!

And join Twin Love Concierge at the Yummy Mummy Store in NYC on Saturday, October 3rd for a special Expecting Twins Workshop. http://twinloveconcierge.com/new-york-expecting-twins-classes/

 

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