Finding Out There’s Two and Founding a Baby Registry for Twin Moms

Our Story: Finding Out There’s Two

Covid had literally just kicked off when my husband and I found out we were pregnant.

I can remember going to the first ultrasound appointment together to find out if we were even pregnant at all…which I was pretty sure we were since I took three separate at-home pregnancy tests. Every single one of them came back positive.

Those were still the good ol’ days.

He was allowed into the appointment room with me, masks weren’t a thing yet, and social distancing was just something voluntary you did if you didn’t feel like leaving the house.

But back then it was just beginning. The ultrasound tech waved her magic wand and said, “Congratulations! You’re about to double the number of your family’s grandchildren!”

My husband’s sister already had two kids at the time, so some quick math told us that meant we were having two.

I’m pretty sure I laughed out loud. My husband was in disbelief, shock and probably having an “oh crap” moment. Sitting there next to me in that exam room, too.

I thought, “Of course we’d be pregnant with twins. Why wouldn’t we be? We never do anything easy or simple. Why not have two babies at the same time!”

Experiencing Twin Pregnancy Symptoms

The next few weeks were a blur.

I was trying to figure out what prenatal to take, what not to eat to avoid throwing up and what smells I had to avoid to also not throw up the food I was lucky to keep down.

There was about a 5-minute window between feeling like I was starving and not eating fast enough. Before that starvation turned into nausea. Therefore, I always carried crackers in my purse and had some in every room of the house.Iin case the feeling hit me.

I also kept peppermints in my pockets so I could eat one if I started feeling queasy. I avoided fried food like the plague. Just catching a slight whiff in the direction of my normally beloved Chick fil A on a hot day sent me into a gagging fit.

But give me literally all the fruit a grocery store could hold and an Oreo Cement Mixer from Culver’s, and this girl was on cloud 9.

The only major issue I ran into during the end of my first trimester was my MFM doctor spreading a little bit of fear and paranoia every time I visited.

Because I was having twins, that automatically meant I was a “high-risk” pregnancy. In addition to seeing my regular OB for ultrasounds, I would also need to go to a Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor (MFM). Read more about that story, here.

Second & Third Trimesters

The second trimester of my twin pregnancy was great, to be honest. I was living life at a pretty normal pace.

Aside from Covid shutting everything down, my husband and I were still able to spend time together and took a road trip to the beach for a week for a “babymoon” vacation.

The second trimester was when I got all my nesting done.

We painted and decorated the nursery. I did countless hours of research for what I would need to prepare for twins.

It was because of that intense preparation and my experience now after having had twins for 3 years, that allowed me to start TwinBabyRegistry.com and design a baby registry tailored for twin moms.

I had my hospital bag packed by week 28 and was ready to go! I knew that twin pregnancies commonly end earlier than singletons, so I wanted to be prepared for anything to happen.

The third trimester hit me like a ton of bricks!

I had cankles, lived in compression socks, and didn’t leave the house without my wireless leg compression device so that I could still walk whenever I got out of the car.

At 34 weeks, I got a steroid shot just in case the babies decided to come early, that way their lungs would be better prepared.

Sure enough, at 34 weeks and 4 days, they made their appearance!

My water broke at 10pm on the evening of the 34 week and 3 day mark and off to the hospital we went!

I wasn’t entirely sure that’s what had happened, so when we got to the hospital, my husband and I didn’t know if we’d be welcoming the babies, or if we’d be sent home under a false alarm.

It was the real deal.

Having a Surprise C-Section

I had a c-section the next morning and our babies were born into the world two minutes apart. They were whisked off to the NICU immediately.

I didn’t have time to hold them or do any of those things pregnant mamas probably dream about. All I did was touch each of their faces with my hand for just a moment, and then they were gone.

I had my own complications, hemorrhaged, lost a lot of blood, and had to take a couple of extra days to recover than what would be normal for a c-section, I believe. If you want the details of my experience, I dive deeper into it in this post on my blog. 

Overall, the girls only spent a total of two weeks in the NICU as growers and feeders. This was reassuring news to us.

That just meant there were no foreseen health complications at birth. They just had to be monitored because they were born prematurely to make sure they were eating properly and gaining weight.

Baby A was the smallest, at 3 lbs 3 oz, and Baby B was 5 lbs 6oz at birth.

Baby B went home after only one week. But Baby A was there for two weeks until she reached 4 lbs and could pass the car seat test to be released to go home.

During that time we had to juggle the back and forth process of caring for Baby B at home, and coordinating with my MIL for her to watch twin B while we went back to the NICU to be with twin A every day.

Babies and children were not allowed back into the NICU once they were released. I’m not sure if this was always the hospital policy, or a new restriction that was being enforced due to it being in the height of Covid.

So it was a challenge to balance this routine. But, we are grateful it was only for two weeks. I know that many parents have been in the NICU for much longer.

Why Twin Baby Registry was Created

One of my frustrations when planning for twins was not knowing what I needed.

A registry for twins didn’t exist. The majority of websites and blogs are geared toward moms of singletons.

No offense to any singleton mamas, but being a twin mom just isn’t the same. We need specific products and certain accommodations that singleton parents don’t.

I remember spending countless hours doing research for the items that we needed in order to make twin life the best it could be.

When you’re pregnant and dealing with hormones, hot flashes, and swelling, the last thing most of us want to do is homework!

But all that time I spent, has been worthwhile. I really enjoy meeting new expecting twin moms and other twin mamas who are already well on their journey to raising their twins.

I love helping you know what to expect, answering questions when I can, and learning from those wiser twin mamas who have been there and done that.

So, in addition to raising my own family, I’m creating this Twin Baby Registry® site in the hope that it serves you in helping to ease the stress of trying to raise yours. Because, I believe, planning for two-can be so much fun!™

I want to help you avoid the frustrations and confusion of planning for your twins that I dealt with. I hope that this website will be useful to you in your twin pregnancy journey–and beyond!

Join Our Online Twin Support Community

One thing I know for certain, is that we are all in this together.

You don’t ever have to feel like you are alone.

If you have questions you can always get in touch with me or connect with other twin moms in our free Facebook support group for twin mamas, here.

I’ve also created a free twin mom pregnancy checklist guide as a resource for you to use if you are just finding out you’re pregnant with twins and don’t know where to begin.

Click here to download your free twin mom pregnancy guide.

I can’t wait to meet you and learn more about your twin parenthood journey!

Best wishes and all the twin mom love,

Shelby