Twin Tips: 6 Twin Pregnancy Essentials

It's time for the second installment of Twin Tips. If you missed my first post, you can read it here. Today I'm writing about twin pregnancy must-haves.

5 Surprising Things About Babies

Babies love being swaddled. They also need to be burped after each meal and only sleep two hours at a time. These are some of the most common things people tell you when you're going to have a baby. So you try to perfect your swaddling technique, read about the best ways to burp a baby and sleep in while you still can. You think you've prepared enough but there's still so much that will surprise you! People who've been there probably don't tell you about them because they're kind of gross and embarrassing to share. As for me, I've gotten so used to talking about icky baby stuff so here's a list of 5 surprising things about babies that you won't read in pregnancy books:

Twin Tips: 5 Things To Do When You Find Out You're Pregnant With Twins

I'm so excited to share a 12-part series I'm starting here on my blog called Twin Tips. Every Saturday, I will be writing a post with practical suggestions and stories on how to prepare for the arrival of your two bundles of joy as well as tips for surviving your first night and first few months of twin parenting. To kick off the series, I will be going back to the beginning and writing about things you should do when you find out you're pregnant with twins. So, without further ado, here are my tips!

The first thing I did when I found out Joey and I were expecting twins was worry. Yes, I'm such a worrywart and learning that I had two lives growing inside me just doubled all my worries. A lot of things were running inside my mind.

5 Things A NICU Mom Should Know

September is Neonatal Intensive Care Awareness Month. It's a time to honor families going through a NICU stay and the health professionals who care for them. 

Our twins, Audrey and Antonino were born via C-section. They were 3 weeks early which required them to stay in the Intermediate Care Unit of the hospital's NICU. The twins are now 9 months old but I still find it difficult to look back at those 3 weeks without remembering the fear that I felt. A stay in the NICU can be one of the most stressful experiences in a mom's life and I think that one of the best gifts a NICU mom can receive is hope to help her get through it. Here are 5 things every NICU mom should know that can help her keep going. 

The Secret To Changing Your Wiggly Baby's Diaper

A few days ago, a friend asked me if I tested multiple diaper brands to see which one performed best with my twins. Yes, that seems like something an OC mom like me would do but the answer is I didn't have to. I think I got lucky because their skin didn't react to the brand that they used in the NICU so that was one thing I no longer had to worry about. Then, when we were able to bring them home after their NICU stay, we had lots of Pampers Baby Dry tape diapers in newborn size waiting for us -  a baby shower gift from friends. We tried them and we were impressed with the softness, absorbency and fit. Since the twins are premature, they're a bit small so getting the right diaper fit is a challenge. I remember back in the NICU, the nurses had to fold their diapers to fit them. Pampers on the other hand, just fit around their waist and legs really well which meant less leakage and diaper blowouts - yay for us!

Making Life Grand

I come from a tight knit family and my grandparents are a major part of my life. When I was younger, my Lolo (grandfather) and Lola (grandmother) would always be ready to babysit me and my cousins whenever our parents were at work and we didn't have nannies.

Lolo would spoil us by cooking our favorite food and giving us special treats like chocolates and ice cream.  He would also tell us stories from his childhood which we would all enjoy listening to. Lola, whom our family said goodbye to early this year is a saint! Aside from going to mass everyday (sometimes even twice a day) to pray for us, she would always make time for us. She played with us, sewed our costumes for school activities and even tutored us in Math.

My childhood was enriched because of my Lolo and Lola which is why it's important to me that the twins have a great relationship with their LaMom and Mima. The twins are very lucky to have two doting grandmothers. And since it's grandparent's day today, I made a list of how I think grandparents make life grand.

10 Faces of Twin Parenting in Emojis

😱Shock the moment you first find out.

😃Excitement when you realize you're doubly blessed.

😩The first time you're left alone with the twins and they start crying at the same time. 

😨When one twin is sleeping and the other is crying. You're so scared the crying twin will wake the sleeping twin up.

🤔Telling them apart (for identical twin mamas).

☺️The first time you feed them simultaneously on your own. 

🤗 The first time they notice each other. 

😍The first time they smile at you together.

🙄Getting asked weird questions. All. The. Time "Are they natural?" "Boy and girl? So are they identical?"

😉The first time you figure out how to pick up and carry two babies at once.