What about raising twins is actually easier than you thought it was going to be? Looking back at my own experience and talking with dozens of other twin parents, I share what was a pleasant surprise about raising twins. Depending on who you talk to, raising twins is a nigh impossible task. Extremely difficult. Now, I’m not going to sugarcoat it, those first months with newborns and even that first year with twins is crazy intense, but it’s not impossible. And some things may turn out actually easier than you think they’re going to be. Built-In Friends Let’s get a common one out of the way to ..read more

Should your twins sleep in your room when they come home from the hospital? The answer depends on several factors. Benefits of Having Infant Twins Sleep in the Parents’ Room You may consider having your infant twins sleep in your room for several months. Twin parents will sometimes use a bassinet or Pack-n-Play in their room to sleep the twins. These temporary sleeping quarters won’t last forever, but they will serve you and your twin babies for some time. There are some advantages of sleeping twins in your room: Easy to access – When your twins are in your room, you don’t have to go far to ..read more

I got an interesting question recently: Do twins get upset at the same time? The answer, as with many questions on twins, is that it depends. Here are a few factors that help you know if your twins will both be upset at the same time. Personalities Our identical twin girls have very distinct personalities. As such, they react differently to similar things. One will take offense and get mad, and the other won’t care at all. Study your twins’ personalities. Each may have a short temper or be patient. Shared Circumstances Twins will both get upset if they are in the same place and expecting the ..read more

Twin pregnancies can get complicated. The nature of carrying two babies can wreak havoc on poor Mom. While there are many common complications of a twin pregnancy, don’t stress out too much about them. Modern medical care can help you overcome most of these. Complications during twin pregnancy consist of those unique to twins plus those regularly associated with any pregnancy like high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, and anemia. However, you may experience complications that are unique to a twin pregnancy or even those related to an identical twin pregnancy. Read about each of these co ..read more

When can you be induced with twins? As a reminder, induction is when the doctor encourages Mom’s uterus to contract and thus start the labor process. Inducing labor may be done via many different methods so talk to your doctor about what that means in your situation. So that begs the question, when is it safe for Mom to be induced to bring those babies into the world? Induction of your twin babies is really up to you and your doctor. You may find that your twins arrive even before you have a conversation about induction. Twins can be born significantly early, particularly when compared to a s ..read more

If you’re expecting twins and you want to get ready for them it’s important to have a stash of clothes ready to help them transition from the hospital back to your home. Onesies The primary thing that your twins are going to wear as infants or onesies or body suits. Get about 10 of these because that’s going to be the primary thing that your kids are wearing almost every single day. And if they’re not wearing it as a sole piece of clothing, it’s going to go underneath whatever else they’re wearing. These can come with short sleeves, or long sleeves depending on the type of weather that you’re ..read more

Twin pregnancies are automatically higher risk than normal pregnancies. To put it simply, having twins increases the odds that something will go wrong during the pregnancy. But that doesn’t mean that moms with twins are doomed to have problems or need to suffer extreme stress worrying about how early can twins be born. Many twins are delivered without any major problems. How Early Can Twins Be Born? How early can you have twins? Twins can be born much earlier than a normal, singleton baby. It’s possible to deliver twins after less than 25 weeks of pregnancy. The earlier twins are born, the hi ..read more

Episode 275 of the Dad’s Guide to Twins Podcast Show Notes Today we continue our father of twins interview series with Paul Gewuerz, father of twin boys. Listen as we explore his twin parenting journey, including: Ultrasound surprise of twins after thinking they had miscarriage Visiting with a high risk specialist. One baby not growing as fast as other Weekly ultrasounds to determine what was going on with Baby A At 24 weeks, had to go across state to get MRI so see what was wrong with baby. Babies had IUGR Checked in at hospital so Mom could be monitored three times a day Handling work and ..read more

Episode 266 of the Dad’s Guide to Twins Podcast Show Notes Today we continue our father of twins interview series with Shawn Armstrong, father of twin girls. Listen as we explore his twin parenting journey, including: Getting through numerous miscarriages leading up to twin pregnancy Wife sent to hospital at 26 weeks with preeclampsia for 30 days Balancing work while wife in hospital Why twins had to be delivered early Experience during delivery as a father Twins in the NICU for 78 days to grow and gain weight Having twins as a older father (46) Challenge with crawling twins (and now walking ..read more

Episode 264 of the Dad’s Guide to Twins Podcast Show Notes Today we continue our father of twins interview series with Scott MacDonald, father of fraternal twin girls. Listen as we explore his twin parenting journey, including: Shared parental leave between parents and deciding who would take what time off Scheduled c-section at 36.5 weeks Encouraging fun and creativity at home Starting day care at 11 months old Putting the twins in separate preschool classrooms Speech development differences Why toilet training was a big milestone for making life easier Packing the right gear for the twins ..read more