My Sweet Escape

Hands down, one of the best pieces of advice I received while pregnant with twins was to make sure to get car seats that started at 4 lbs. Most infant car seats are for babies 5 lbs. and up (to a specific weight, depending on the brand and model). You might not think that this is an important detail- whether the car seat is for a 4 or 5 pounder baby- but when you are expecting twins, there is greater potential for premature birth and lower birth weight. Therefore, you will want a car seat that will accommodate potentially smaller babies.

I was lucky to go 38 weeks before giving birth, and my babies were 5 lbs 2 oz and 6 lbs 1 oz. My daughter, the 5 pounder, dropped below 5 pounds in the days we were in the hospital. Weighing only 4 lbs, 10 oz, I was told that it was hospital protocol that she be subjected to a “seat belt test” before I would be permitted to bring her home. The test required me to bring in the car seat and the baby was placed in it for an hour to make sure she was able to breathe properly. I wasn’t worried about the test because I had purchased the Graco Snugride 30, which is for babies 4-30 lbs, and easily accommodated my tiny newborn. She passed the test, and we were able to bring her home in her car seat, rather than being required to get a car bed. I was so glad I listened to the advice of another new mother of twins, because it likely spared us additional worry in the frazzled first few days of my babies’ life.

This post has been a long time coming. I mean really, my beautiful, healthy babies are 7 months old already! Being a mom of two babies with their own personalities is both challenging and rewarding. I am very lucky to be a stay at home mom, but that is not to say that it is easy!

When I first found out I was expecting twins, I reached out to and spoke with all of the twin moms (and dads) I could find. I had lots of questions- some about twin gear like strollers and logistics of whether to put them in the same crib, or even the same room- and others more general, like what to do when both babies are crying at the same time. I got a lot of opinions on the gear, but not any satisfactory answers as to my general questions about how to handle having 2 babies.

I will be using this space to document what has worked for me and my family in taking care of 2 babies. I recognize that my opinions are different than most. For example, I do not buy into the “twin mystique.” I truly believe that my babies are two individuals who happened to be born at the same time. They have distinct personalities and I never generalize their behavior by calling them “the twins.” Regardless, I am excited to share my thoughts on parenting 2 babies. They are amazing already, and I know it’s only going to get better.

Happiness is your newborn sleeping on your chest after successfully breastfeeding for the first time.

And my husband wants to change who the twins are named after, effectively changing both the English and Hebrew names we already chose. I don’t ever know where to begin….