Twins/Triplets/Multiples Mum to be!

hey,



both my twins are currently in their fussy phase also...crying in hunger, but dun want to drink, either that is dun want to finish their milk. so frustrating..when feeding the fussy twin with the hungry one in the background crying.



and they keep sucking the teats like pacifier but the milk is not moving at all.



Don,

how many mls are ur boys drinking now?



MomMe,

they say when u BF, try to avoid cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower cos these are known to cause colic..how bout try eliminating spicy food as well..and garlic. could be dairy as what the PD say..and don't let other pple put you down, yes Pinky is rite, you are their mother and you know what is best for them.



i also dun eat anything special before i BF. i just drank lots of water and increase my intake by about 500 calories to meet the BF demands..

 


Varies.. can be from 500ml to 800ml... we feed when they cry for milk so it depends on their mood.



I'm trying to keep to 150-200ml per kg of weight as a rough guide.. but preference is still with them..

 
Don,

not really allergic to breast milk, more of allergic to what we mummies eat, which can be transferred to baby through the breast milk. My girl was allergic to egg, so I had to refrain from eating egg (including anything that contained egg) when I was BFing her.

 
A gentle reminder to mummies who are bottle feeding their babies EBM. Whatever we pump out per session is usually around 70% of what we really have. If I remember correctly, in order to make sure we maximize the milk we express, have to use hand to express along with the final minutes of the pumping session. [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]



If you're directly latching on baby, how much baby drinks will not be measured in ml, but by the duration of the feeding.



Hope this helps!

 
For those whose babies were in the right positions to try for natural delivery, when was the cut-off time for babies to make it head down before the doctor decides whether or not you can do natural delivery/c-section? I remember with my 1st one the cut off was 36 weeks, think for twins should be earlier? Forgot to ask my gynae on Monday. =/

 
Don,



yeah i gave up on force feeding them to drink all their milk finish...its so exhausting..so when i get that look from their face, when they turn their heads, i stopped feeding..PD says that means they dun want to drink liao., but i make it a point to feed them at least 50-70% of the feed amount. and i feed them more frequently as well.



btw their growth spurts is draining me...ur boys got growth spurts so far? mine had theirs at 3 and 6 weeks.

 
Hi Gera.. u mentioned ur twins sucking the teats with no milk coming out? Is it becos the flow of the teats are too slow for the already?



I'm also bf-ing but i eat anything in moderation, even coffee, curry fish head. Are there any food that we really need to avoid? I'm so worried my bm is not nutritious enough for them.

 
Hi Pinky, Kate and all,



Thanks for the tips. I'll try to read up more on breastfeeding twins.



Kate, I was also very adamant about not giving pacifier to my girl last time. In the end, she found her thumb and is sucking it until even now when she's trying to sleep. She's already coming to 5. It's very hard to wean off. So, my next kid i will definitely choose pacifier over thumb. Of course it'll be best if they dun like any of those...



Sorry, back to confinement lady question... it's very hard to find one who's willing to take care of twins. Any recommendations? There's one lady intro by another confinement lady but she has a condition, that someone will help her to take care of the babies at night, meaning she can only feed 1 baby, so someone got to help feed the other one. is this reasonable?

 
mail,

we gave in eventually about the pacifier too, but nowadays we only restrict it to bedtime & naptime. Exceptions is when she's teething and it helps her to feel better. Some toddlers when they suck 1 pacifier till it's very 'seasoned' and u change to a new one, they will reject the new one & automatically wean themselves off it. But I'm not sure about this cause haven't wean mine off yet. hahaha.



I think it's a reasonable condition. After all when the CL leaves you and hubby will have to take turns during the night feeds. If you are intending to breastfeed, then most likely both babies will be latching onto you for every feed during the first month in order to establish milk supply. For us we're intending to ask the CL to help at night only if needed, otherwise we want to handle them on our own. Think it will also be better, as CL can sleep better and handle them in the daytime when I catch up on sleep. [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]

 
no swollen feet for me so far. [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]



i'm 25 weeks but tummy looks like full-term single baby. lol

 
crown,

i had book cl with aunty who stay near my house. She is an agent and she told me she hav many aunties experience in handling twin. I not gv birth yet cannot commend her service. But she quite caring, sometimes passed by my house will come visit me. If u need her contact can pm me.



Crown,

i started my swollen feet in wk 20th. So far is mild one until this week, 34th week, the swollen feet like elephant feet now. Ichy somemore. Mayb can put a pillow underneth ur legs when sleep.

 
Hey everyone,



I'm confused, is there 2 twin threads going on?



Anyway for those who are not on the other thread- I'm expecting my 2nd set of twins - end Sept. (two non identical boys) and I already have a set of girl/boy twins 3.5yrs.



I know with 4 kids under 4 it;s going to be a bit of work but its all worth it!



Hope everyone's pregnancies are going well, and for the mommies that have given birth already- hope all is going smoothly!



My first 2 were born at just 30 weeks- premature membrane rupture... they were 1.2kg and 30cm long. Stayed in NICU for 7 weeks. But by the time they had reached their 2nd b'day, they had caught up with a full term baby, and now...well you wouldn't even know they were preemies!



CL- I had swollen feet also, the pressure stocking really helped- it began to subside within a few days of wearing them 24/7. Had to stay in the AC though, as too hot to go outside with them on, plus it was painful to walk as the swelling was in my feet also.

 
carla,

yes apparently there's 2 Twins/Triplets threads going on, but this one dates further back.



i'm sure mummies here with premies will be encouraged by your experience. Thanks for sharing!



Do take care of urself. I'm sure ur doctor will want u to do everything u can to prolong the pregnancy this time. [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]

 
hi carla, since you've already got another set of twins you're more prepared than the average mum-to-be expecting twins! No amount of reading prepared me for this I'd say! All the best in your pregnancy! [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]

 
Gera,



not sure about the growth spurts.. some days they drink quite a lot of milk but not sure if they are on a spurt or just hungry.. we just visited the PD and their weight is on track so i guess they might have...



Pinky,



I see. So how do you know that she is alergic to what kind of food then?



CL,



how are you feeling now? Don't be too concern about the weight.. it might be a case of over measurement last round and under measurement this round.. [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]

 
As though I'm not stressed enuf , now I think my gal having cough!!!

Can u believe it first colic now cough. Maybe her fussiness due to the onset of a cough.

V heartpain... 2 mth old n oredi sick ... Sigh

 
Hi Don,



I'm fine now recovered almost 90% from the flu+cough. My c-sec dated on 10 Aug and 3 more weeks to go. Hope really can tahan till that time. I was hoping my gynae measurement not precise for last week one as the twin seems cannot settle during the scan. Keep hiding and kicking aduring the scan nd they did make my gynae laugh so much during the scan. looking forward for next week scan to see whether they gain further weight anot as I had put on some weight after "eating hard" these few days. I wish by the time I deliver they are out from NICU requirement (2kgs)!



Hi Carla,

Are both ur twin pregnancies by nature?? So after this round you can 'close factory' already. lol. My mum mentioined that if the swollen feet subsidied 3rd times then is the time the bb r coming out. I think I'm soon to reach the goal line. Is the swollen feet really ichy? I just worry my feet got infected by bacteria or wat that's y so ichy.

 
dear mummies, what doc are you all seeing when you are pregnant cos i am really pissed off with KKH liao. very pissed off, i wan to change doc!!!!!!!!

 
MomMe,



they sound worse than they are though.. so don't worry too much [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]



CL,



Good... ya.. mine even "shrink" once... haha.. think at this point more important is the heartbeat rate and the blood flow in the cord but those are usually too chim for us to understand.. [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]



Crown,



What's making you so piss?



We see KKH and we are pretty happy with our docs. Maybe you can consider changing docs in KKH first? Having said that, Thomson Medical seems to have the best review overall in terms of service..

 
Donk, the sonograhpher really pissed me off. Today is the 2nd time I encounter her. Duno how she scan, keep moving all over my tummy, I cant even take a good look of my babies. Then she still dare to comment that whoever do my detailed scan will have a hard time. Please lor, the baby dun cooperate, what can I do. As if I love lying down there, super uncomfortable…..



My dh is gg overseas trip at last week of Jul and they insisted me to go back after 2 weeks which I am only week 19. I ask if I can go back on week 20, they say cannot. What the hell!

 
Donk, the sonograhpher really pissed me off. Today is the 2nd time I encounter her. Duno how she scan, keep moving all over my tummy, I cant even take a good look of my babies. Then she still dare to comment that whoever do my detailed scan will have a hard time. Please lor, the baby dun cooperate, what can I do. As if I love lying down there, super uncomfortable…..



My dh is gg overseas trip at last week of Jul and they insisted me to go back after 2 weeks which I am only week 19. I ask if I can go back on week 20, they say cannot. What the hell!

 
Kate,



I am giving my twins pacifier. Actually my mil was adamant about not giving them because of fear that it'd be difficult to wean them off it. But I really needed them to help me cope when I was alone and both twins wanted my attention. Now we use the pacifier to help them sleep and nap. They still want their thumbs and fingers though when awake, but at least we are almost sure that they won't have a thumb-sucking habit.



mall,



when I engaged my CL, she also asked about whether we ahve a maid, and I said we were in the process of getting one. However, she came and left and we still did not have a maid until only 3 weeks ago, and my twins are 5.5 months! My CL did not complain about not having a maid, I think mainly because we were paying her quite a bit due to twins and CNY period. She was still able to do the nappy and baby clothes washing on top of bathing my girls and feeding them. I also helped out when I am not resting. If you are interested, you can PM me and I can let you have her contact.



Addy,



I started my girls on rice cereal a month back. I think can start rice cereal when about 4 months. They did not take it very well initially, but now, depends on their mood and whether they are willing to curl their tongue to pass the cereal to the back of the mouth. Sometimes can be quite difficult to feed them. But we try not to force them if they don't want so that they will not develop a phobia of eating. But my twins are 35 weekers so they might be just taking a while longer to handle eating.



Pinky,



Not sure if there are any cut off dates for natural delivery. But as you go for your gynae visits and elarn about your twins' orientation, you get an idea whether they can be delivered naturally or not. Mine were in 69 position until dunno when they went head to head, both heads down. Even though both heads may be down, ultimately, one of the twins must engage to deliver naturally. Otherwise, a c-section is still necessary. I was lucky one eventually engaged when I checked in with a burst water bag.

 
Crown,



I am also with KKH, but I am seeing dr at TPS and regular scanning at KKH ADC at Level 2. So far the sonagraghers are fine. They will explain what are the area they are scanning and which twin. After the scans, there will be a dr on duty, who will briefly explain the results.



But I see Gynae Dr Loh once very 5weeks. For MC twins, the scans are every two weeks minimun, till week 26 then from then on, depending on the situation the frequency may or may not change.

I think that's why they are insisting that you go for your scan on wk19 (once every 2weeks) to check closely heart beat and the blood flow etc.

 
Don

thanks.





Really stressed. Everytime I hear her coughing n see her throw up milk I start to tear. Such a useless mummy righht. Extremely tired with 3 kids to handle Liao n now this cough. Praying hard she doesn't get a fever. She still so small, really tough to handle if sick.



Don't have anyone to consult on this..

 
Don

thanks.





Really stressed. Everytime I hear her coughing n see her throw up milk I start to tear. Such a useless mummy righht. Extremely tired with 3 kids to handle Liao n now this cough. Praying hard she doesn't get a fever. She still so small, really tough to handle if sick.



Don't have anyone to consult on this..

 
tulips_hope, yes you are right, i every 2 weeks must scan cos i am having MC twins. which sonographer did for you? i dun like the china woman

 
Crown,



Don't usually have a fixed one to do the scans. Depends on who is allocated. So far other than oscar scan, I have 3 scans, every 2 weeks, and one quick ad-hoc scan when I was admitted a day due to dehydration. So far, both my husband and I are ok, except sometimes need to wait.

Each visit they will ask you to do urine test, take your weight and blood pressure also.

 
MomMe,



haha.. that is common actually.. my wife also cry very frequent as my younger one is struggling with blocked nose at the moment..



Babies are pretty resilient beings though so they can cope much better than we give them credit for..



Crown,



actually, it is advisable to do the scan at least once per 2 weeks since twins is considered a high risk pregnancy... however, the choice should still be with you [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]



Getting rude nurse/doc/sonargrapher is pretty much 50-50 irrespective of the hospital that you go to... but you do get more chances to meet them in govt structure hospitals due to the stress that these staff have to go through simply because of the sheer number of patients that they see... [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]



but do give it some thought because for high risk pregnancies, you get the best medical care at KKH, though not necessary the best service [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]

 
MomMe,



cannot remember... are you a SAHM or will you be going back to work?



Not sure about Thomson but KKH have a 1900 nurse hotline that you can just call to enquire about your kid's condition...

 
CL,

you're almost there! Will pray for you that babies will stay inside until the date of your scheduled C-section. Think by then they'll definitely be able to escape from NICU! Anyway do remember that the weights are just estimates, they can be quite off the real weights due to babies' positions. Don't worry just eat well, rest well, drink well!





MomMe,

hope your girl gets well soon! Don't worry babies are actually hardier than we think they are. When #1 was down with a flu I felt very guilty cause she couldn't sleep well with the blocked nose, even during BFing she would have to take pauses to breathe. But within a few days she recovered. Don't doubt your ability as their mother! Just shower them with lots of TLC & get as much rest as you possibly can!





crown,

I'm seeing Dr. Adelina Wong whose clinic is at TMC. If you need the contact let me know. Care to share your experience with KKH?



As Don mentioned, TMC has quite good reviews, but of course there is a "premium" to pay for the service. So far I think we've spent almost $1k in scans & doctor's visits, excluding vitamins cause I take my own. Think this is a vast difference from being subsidy at KKH.



And as Don mentioned, KKH is still the most equipped with neo-natal facilities, although all of us here wish you won't need them, just the basics. [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]



Maybe you can request to have your detailed scan done somewhere else like TMC? Not sure if the doctor can make such a referral though. If not, see if you can ask for a different sonographer.





MLPY,

glad to see that you are coping well with the twins! Think the arrival of your maid has lightened your load?



I'm just praying that they'll eventually both be head down, but I think what you said is also true, someone must be engaged into the cervix. I've read of stories when both babies are head down but fighting to be the first one to come out, end up also had to do a C-section.





Don,

my girl had eczema which started on her cheeks. Initially we listened to the old folks who said it was "milk rash", then my MIL even had the cheek to say that I don't maintain cleanliness & hygiene during BFing that's why my daughter has it. Everytime she came over she would remind me to wipe my breasts clean before feeing my daughter and I was soooo annoyed.



In the end it was really bad that she couldn't sleep well due to the itch and we brought her to the polyclinic, where they referred us to the specialist (yes it was that bad!). With some steroid cream and moisturizer (her skin was also dry) she recovered soon enough. They even did a patch test on her to see what she was allergic to and we found out it was egg. If I remember correctly she was tested for wheat, soy, egg, and can't remember the others.



So end up I have to avoid eating egg, and anything with egg in it. At 8 months I couldn't introduce egg yolk to her, but occasionally I'd "try my luck" to see if she develops a reaction. Thank God by her 1st birthday we're happy to say she is no longer allergic to egg. Egg allergy was also of concern to the nurses at the polyclinic as they didn't want her to develop a reaction when she takes her MMR jab which is cultured in egg white/contains chick embryo. Generally if one is allergic to egg yolk, most likely will be allergic to egg white as well.

 
Don

im planning to go back to work early aug. Waiting for another maid to come. My elder boy is so hyper too so we dun get much rest till he sleeps. Ha.



I guess I'm mentally v tired too coz have to oversee everything for the children. Sometimes certain things I'm not v sure but no choice. Really envy those that have their mums ard... Sorry I'm a bit of an emo today...

 
Pinky,



haha... or your hubby should brush his teeth first...:p



think the mil/dil combination really is not working for a lot of mums...

 
Addy,



No la, they are sucking but not drinking the milk cos the milk kept spilling out from their mouths. One twin is on the NUK teats, I tried a different teat on her but she kept crying and choking on her milk. Another twin is on the medela soft teats cos the NUK is too slow for her.

 
Hi MLPY,



Sorry think you hv disabled your PM. Can you PM me the contacts of your CL please?



The other lady that expressed interest actually has no experience w twins.



Thanks.

 
Don,

I think MIL & DIL will usually have conflicts one, after all each have their own thinking. Initially I was also very uptight about certain things my MIL does but over the months I've learnt to let go & my MIL has also learnt to respect that I am my girl's mother & therefore I have my own choices. So things are much better. I don't think I can say the same if we're living under 1 roof though. Anw it's my hubby's idea to not live with his mum, so I won't complain lol.

 
MomMe is yr bb seeing the doc for the cough? My boy has lost his voice so his cries are like a cat. Very pitiful. We brought him to the PD yesterday.

 
Pinky,



your hubby is wise... haha



Spiffy,



similar problem with 1 of my kid.. what did your PD said?



All,



My younger boy always sleep on 1 side and refuse to turn the other way.. when i try to turn his head, its like there is a rubble band that brings his head back to his preferred side... you got such experience? Wondering if it will go away in time...

 
Pinky,



Yes and no. The arrival of the maid does relieve us of major household chores. But because ours is a 4A flat with not many things, the maid can finish her chores in half a day and will ask what other things she can do. We have to crack our heads to find things for her to do. Till now, my pil are still very much taking care of the twins, so the maid is really to just help with the housework. Cooking is still done by my mil, but the maid is picking up slowly. We still do baby and adult laundry separately using washing machine, because not sure whether the maid will rinse the items properly or not. Better to avoid this risk.



Anyone has suggestions on things to get the maid to do? My mil has even asked her to go around to clean the top of our socket boxes due to lack of things to do. Headache ah! In such cases, a cleaning service once a week or once a fortnight should suffice, but our intention is also to relieve my pil to do their own things once the maid can help to handle the babies, like mil can still go for her yoga and fil and maid take care of babies. But the twins need to get used to her first. THe first time my younger twin was carried by her, she cried very badly... I think they are getting more familiar now...

 
Don,



That happened with my younger twin too. We used a nappy to try to wedge her head to prevent her turning her head to her right. But she can still manage to do so after somehow moving her head to the left so that the nappy no longer obstructs her.



The only way is to keep at it. Keep turning his head to the other side and use something to prevent him from turning his head back. It may go away with time but it also affects his neck muscle development. And also one side of the head will be flatter than the other side. Also take note that the ear on the preferred side is not folded, or else the ears won't look nice ;p



Baby shops like kiddy palace sell some sort of pillows that prevent the head from turning. The cheap option is as the one I described.



Good luck!

 
Hi Don..



This happens to me too!! They've been sleeping with heads to a preferred side since birth, now 3.5MOS, their heads flat on preferred side. PD advised must let them get use to the other side too, coz if not as MLPY mentioned, it will affect their neck muscle development, and the shape of their head will look unbalanced too. I've tried using those pillows (with a hole in the centre) but useless coz they will shift their head out of the pillow. I've also used a baby blankie, fold it to a pillow shape, and wedge baby's head. Useful, but takes time. Intially they cannot sleep well coz not use to not able to sleeping with their heads turned to the other side. My younger twin keep shifting his body to another direction, so slowly he can turn his head again as he shifted away from the blankie!! Elder twin used his head, like a banging notion, bang on the blankie, slowly pushing his head away from the blankie!! Now they are ok with it.



Hey MLPY, maid issue hor, must start to let her do more coz if not she will get use to being so free. Next time with more duties included, she will feel overworked. When she's free can ask her to start hands on with babies while your MIL guide her along. See if there are anything u want her to do before she gets real busy with babies & housework. Erm,, maybe wipe windows, wipe cabinets, like things u havent been moving out to clean for the longest period of time, ask her clean lor.

 
Don and Addy,



Another trick to use is to ensure that any activity is done on their non-preferred side. Talking to them or putting toys on the non-preferred side. But you would have to turn their heads first to catch their attention.



Addy,



We have done almost everything we can think of. Ceiling fans, check. Lamp covers, check. Blinds, check. Doors, check. Windows inner side, check. Window and door grilles, check. etc etc. These are things that are not done on a daily basis. Even with rotation, still not enough things to occupy her.

 
Hi MLPY



Ya i did that. Works!! I purposely sing/tease them, then slowly walk towards the other side & they slowly turn their head!!



Aiyo as for the maid issue huh, i think let her learn to care for baby. OTJ training.

 
MLPY,

that's also 1 of the reasons why we're reluctant to hire a maid cause we feel that she'll be too free. Currently we've a PT cleaner who comes once a week to do thorough cleaning like wiping windows, vacuum + mop, wash toilets, clean air-con filters, ironing, etc. I'm a clutter-free person so over the week I will make sure things are tidy & do a quick sweep in the living room area where we eat & play. & since i hate clutters there really isn't much to do.



My grandma-in-law has a maid who does these chores on a daily basis & she is still very free by afternoon, even with cooking involved. We stayed with them for about half a year, & even with extra 2 people in their house the maid even still has leisure time during the afternoons.



My eventual aim is for my children to be able to play among themselves with some adult supervision, like how my #1 is now. So until now we are not taking any action to hire a maid until we see/feel for ourselves what the twins are going to be like. My hubby is works from home most of the time & he can easily take over me if I need to have my back against the children.



We reckon the first few months are going to be really tough, but are optimistic about how things will improve once they're trained to sleep through the night (this is another dreaded part of the twins that I have to force myself to accomplish!)

 
Oh, my girl lost her voice at around 4 months old. It was quite a horrible period cause we had terrible eczema to deal with as well. I think she felt the most miserable. We had to bundle her up so that she wouldn't reach out to scratch her face, then she couldn't scream to express her emotions cause no more voice, plus she couldn't sleep well due to her blocked nose. But we're glad we pulled through!

 
Mmm... we are starting to rotate the head from today.. hope it is not too late.. if it doesnt work, probably we will arrange for an appointment with the theraphist at KKH.. my elder son is currently seeing 1 there but i think he is doing much better than his brother..



with regards to the maid.. my maid is a great help to us.. she started off having difficulties but recently she can bottle feed and change diapers without much supervision... but we still won't leave the babies alone with her.. guess we are bias so will still put them in the childcare after..

 
Don,

ya. Even if I have a maid I will not leave my children alone with her. I'm thinking of putting my girl for playground once she's 18 months, which will give me a few hours off from her to spend time with the twins. But I have to remind myself she is also undergoing a transition period & I don't want her to feel left out too, or that mummy is throwing her aside with these new babies' arrival.

 


MLPY,



tried to attract him with sounds and toys etc but he is not interested enough to turn his head... [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/sad.gif]



Current we are using small pillows to prevent him from turning back to his preferred side but he is not happy with that at all... kinda pissed actually... haha





Pinky,



we are trying not to start them on medication so early though...

 
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