Three Tips to Tackle Never-Ending Baby Laundry

When it comes to parenting a baby, there are some tasks that seem repetitive and never-ending. Laundry is one of them. In fact, there are even times when I feel like right after folding and putting away a whole basket of baby clothes, another mountain of dirty clothes has already piled up.

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say our laundry more than doubled when the twins arrived. When they were newborns they would spit up regularly which meant we changed them multiple times a day. And that's not just their side-tie tops. We also change their socks, mittens, caps, burp cloths, bibs and swaddles. Now that they're older, more active and and eating solids, everything from milk, to mashed vegetables to sweat to drool come into contact with their clothes on a daily basis. We're lucky if the twins are still in the same outfit by mid-day.

Thankfully, there are several tricks that can help busy parents like us save time, our sanity and hands when it comes to the overwhelming task of baby laundry.

Twin Tips: Surviving Your Twins' Newborn Phase

I'm not going to sugarcoat things. Caring for newborn twins was the most exhausting thing Joey and I have ever experienced in our whole lives. Because of their tiny tummies, the twins needed to be fed every few hours round the clock. One of them even had spit up issues which made feedings longer. And when we finally got them to sleep, there were a lot of other chores waiting to be done. But with 11 months of twin parenting under my belt, I can say that it truly gets better and eventually your twins will learn to sleep for longer stretches. In the meantime, here are some tricks that helped me and Joey survive caring for newborn twins.

Preemie Strong

Will my baby ever catch up? This is a question most preemie parents ask themselves. So in honor of Prematurity Awareness Month, I would like to shine the spotlight on popular preemies who have accomplished greatness in their chosen fields despite the challenges of being born early. Hopefully, this will help ease the minds of preemie parents out there and show them that no matter how fragile-looking and tiny preemies are, they can still be strong and capable of achieving big things.

Twin Tips: What to Prepare for Your Twins' First Night Home

Walking into a baby store can get really overwhelming. You're presented with so many choices and so many things that you didn't even know existed and you're tempted to buy them all because you want to be fully prepared. But the truth is, you don't really need much for a newborn. Do I hear fellow twin parents everywhere breathing a sigh of relief? Below is the list of things you will really need for your twins on day one.

5 Ways To Help Preemie Parents

The birth of one's child is one of the happiest moments in a new parent's life. But for the parents of the 348,900  babies in the Philippines who were born prematurely, the moment is bittersweet. Worry immediately takes over as the baby is separated from his mother to receive proper care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). As a mom to preemie twins, I can tell you that the experience of having preemie babies in the NICU is terrifying. There are times when you feel isolated because your experiences are very different compared to your family and friends who gave birth to full term babies. This is why preemie parents also need a lot of help and support from their loved ones. November is Prematurity Awareness Month so if you know a family with a premature baby, here are some ways you can show them support:

Twin Tips: Managing a NICU Stay

Four days after giving birth, I was cleared by my OB to go home. Except I didn't want to. You see, my twins were born early at 34 weeks and 2 days. This meant they had to stay in the NICU for at least 3 weeks before we got to bring them home. I wanted to be with them 24/7 but I couldn't.

The first time I saw my twins in their incubators, I was scared to death. They were so tiny and thin that their ribs were visible. I was nervous when the NICU nurses were teaching me how to do kangaroo care because I kept thinking I might hurt their tiny bodies. But later on, it helped build my confidence as a mom because I was able to provide something that could improve their well-being. And while I still think it's impossible to fully prepare for a stay in the NICU, I would like to share a few tips to make your NICU stay more manageable.

Date Night In Under An Hour

During the twins' first few months, Joey and I suffered from date deprivation. Even so, we still both know that it's very important to have one-on-one time and reconnect. This is why we try to squeeze in a dinner date every week. We try soooo hard. Even if those dates look like this:

Twin Tips: Signs of Preterm Labor

Preterm labor is often a topic of concern in twin pregnancies. I remember my OB telling me that a complete full-term pregnancy lasts 40 weeks but since I'm carrying twins, she'll be happy if I reach 38 weeks. Giving birth at 38 weeks meant that my twins wouldn't be premature and wouldn't need to spend time in the NICU. With that in mind, she told me that I should familiarize myself with the signs of preterm labor such as: