Hi Girls,
Here;s my second attempt as I woke before the babies this morning.
GPN - I want to say this before anything else. We did the harmony test and were given a 65% chance of one of our twins having trisomy 13. It put us through hell for about two months. Thankfully, One of the ladies on here pointed me to the website which showed that the actual probability of a false positive was 68%. Meaning that the theoretical likelihood (there you go sporty - stats!) of a baby NOT having trisomy 13 when they ARE given a high risk ratio was 68%. I was very cross to be honest - I wasted £500 and was very distressed to boot. On the other hand, if the test comes back negative it is very reassuring - i.e. likelihood of a baby having a particular chromosome problem if blood test is negative is extremely rare.
Bundles - how is your little one and how are you coping with two. I have to say, people do say to me "how do you cope with two", but I really think twins is easier than two little ones, but then my two have been amazing sleepers and I couldn't breast feed due to my ulcerative colitis.
Magic - are you still breast feeding. Ihave to say, I really take my hat of to ladies who manage to breast feed twins - how on earth do you cope with the sleep deprivation. Your comment re explaining experiencing a new baby again really rings true for me too. I really really want more children now I have tasted being a mum but at the same time, I do relish not having to balance attention for a new born with that of a toddler.
Theo - how lovely that TBD is feeding himself now as well - omg time passes so quickly - I will be where you are next April
Jelly - Wow how time passes - I am so thrilled for you. I second Sporties advice about getting jobs finished and de cluttering. I have been given so many baby clothes, it was like a jumble sale in the nursery for a while. Other tips would include definitely thinking about food. If you can, perhaps cook joints of meat, slice them up and then you can stick them in the oven with a jacket spud or similar. I have found it very very difficult to find the time to cook and I still need to lose 2 1/2 stones. I also eat one handed a lot as evening tends to be when the babies are awake and won't be put down.
Also, I would recommend considering the following:-
- [size=78%]Multiple feeding pillows (I take one with my in the bugaboo so when I get in a cafe with chairs with no arms I can rest the baby and my arms don't kill from holding)[/size]
- [size=78%]Buy minimal clothes as people buy you so much stuff - I took a load back[/size]
- [size=78%]Don't over buy on the nappies as they grow out of them so quick[/size]
- [size=78%]Cocoonababy http://www.johnlewis.com/red-castle-cocoonababy-nest-white/p429422 - I personally think this has made a difference to how long the babies sleep[/size]
- [size=78%]take a photo of the presents next to piece of paper with their name (or the gift card) so you don't forget who bought you [/size]what[size=78%] - I got so busy, when it came to writing thank you cards, it was a great reminder[/size]
RB76 - congrats on your cycle - Did you use the same donor as your little girl
Eluji -huge congrats - how exiting - have you done any more bloods?
AFM - Well the last few weeks have been a whirlwind - the days pass like hours and hence it has been really hard to get on here. The babies settled down very quickly at home and we never fed them any more than every four hours. DH and I initially took it in turns to feed at night - so we did the 10pm feed together, he did 2am and I did 6am and we both did 10am together. Josh then started to not wake after four hours so DH insisted we let him sleep - he took the midnight to 6am slot, no matter how many times they wok - I then took over at 6am. So the night sleeps got longer until individually they were having the odd night sleeping through. About three weeks ago, both of them slept through and have done pretty much ever since. Josh now sleeps 12 hours from around 8pm to 8am and Scarlett from around 10pm to 8am. I am not sure how much their genes are responsible for this or whether it is due to what special care did for us or what we did - DH thinks it is a combination of all three. Whatever the reason, I count my blessings!
Bonding took quite while for me as the babies don't have my genes nor did I carry them, but as I got to know they little personalities and as they started cooing at me and I was able to sooth them, I now feel like their mum
Scarlett is a stroppy little madam and lets you know if she doesn't like what you are doing. She is very alert and turns her head from side to side absorbing the world - she now does infectious giggles when you play with her. Josh is the complete opposite - he is the most chilled baby I have ever come across - he does exactly what I try to get him to do. He loves the baths and I am desperate to take him swimming. DH is being a bit OCD about the swimming and wants all three sets of jabs done even though the NHS are saying that is unnecessary. Scarlett looks very much like Richards mum, she is often mistaken for a boy because she is yet to develop a very feminine look, Josh tends to get lots of lovely comments. Josh is somewhat more introverted and serious - we get nice smiles, especially in the morning, but no giggles yet
SHXT, I have run out of time
Hi to Angel and SLYSeattle
Back for part three later
https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B065VaUrzYdF6c/links