Twins Support Group in Vancouver
I think expecting twins is very different than a singleton. I will discuss the differences with twins in another post. For my first pregnancy I didn’t join an online support group. But now I think a support group is important for every woman who is expecting (especially for the first time).
There are different kinds of Support Groups. With some, you meet people in person and others is just by email.
Since I am expecting twins, every time I see identical twins at the playground, I try to speak with the mom. And a few weeks ago, I meet a Mom that advised me to join a twin parent support group that is mainly an email based group.
So two days ago, I asked to join the group. We are living in Vancouver, BC so it is mainly for people in Vancouver BC (and neighborhood of course!).
If you want to learn more about the Vancouver Twins Group, please visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vancouvertwins.
This group is composed of 197 members (as of today).
I am glad I joined the group because yesterday I decided to send an email.
Here is my email to the Twin Support Group:
Hello Vancouver Twins group
I am a new member and I’m expecting twin girls. I’m almost 31 weeks pregnant (31 will be this Thursday!) and I am looking for clothes and items that I will need.
What do you recommend? How many clothes do I need to begin with?
Did some of you do cloth diapers?
I have a toddler 28 months old and I never used cloth diapers for him but with two babies I was thinking maybe I should.
What are your thoughts?
Also can you tell me a little bit about your experience at the beginning? What you did and what you would have done if you knew better?
Thank you for your help and advice
Valerie
Expecting girls twins and a boy 28 months old
I am so happy that I sent this email. I have received more than 10 answers so far and all are useful.
I’ll write below a summary of some of the advice I received from the twin support group.
For cloths diapers:
The answer was quite different for everyone so I think if you feel like trying cloth diapers you should try it and see. It is what we are going to do.
A friend of mine recommend not to do it the first few weeks because Meconium poo is very sticky and not easy to wash. So we are going to use disposable diapers for the first 3-4 weeks and then we will switch to pre-fold diapers.
Some recommended to use a cloth diapers service. One person recommends using Diapers Naturally – A Vancouver Diaper Service (www.diapersnaturally.ca) and someone else uses Happy Nappy (www.happynappy.ca) .
We might try them but a little later on because we already bought some prefold diapers!
For clothes: Almost everyone told me that for the first few months just use onesies and sleepers as you are so tired that you dont really want to take time to put day clothes! They really suggested to have a lot of them… I am lucky because via the Vancouver Twins group, two moms gave me a lot of sleepers. I am set for sure!
Breastfeeding: That will depend on you and your babies. Some moms wanted to breastfeed but their babies never latched so they have to bottle feed ( by pumping and formula). One mom said “Don’t beat yourself up if things don’t go the way you want. You’ll have too much stress anyway, just do the best you can do!”
Some moms exclusively breastfed and they recommend to buy San Diego Bebe Twins Nursing Breastfeeding Pillow. I am happy because I already bought this one!! They also recommend to bring it to the hospital.
Strollers: Everybody has a different answer so far. Some like side-by-side strollers and some like tandem strollers. I think you have to do your own research and select which one will be the best for you. We chose City Select double stroller with car seat adapters. No side by side will be able to go in our entrance and I really didn’t feel to close and open it each time I want to go outside, especially in the front door!!
I will write a review on it as soon as I use it!
Help and Support: All are saying the same: if you have family and friends, try to line them up for help… If they can bring you some meals so that you can avoid to cook it is cool! Also, you will need help for laundry, housekeeping… The first 6 months are very tiring especially with a toddler in the mix. Some said that they were grateful for the little things friends did for them, so let them help!
The key is getting as much support as possible, simplifying everything so you can focus on your babies and get some rest!!
Night Doula: Some had (for the first few weeks) a night doula. She would come and help them with breast feeding, tidy up, and get them to eat and drink. It was really nice company. Then they would go to bed and she would handle a night feeding so they could sleep. A night doula is very expensive at around $25/hour… We will not be able to afford it but maybe you will. If you are interested go to http://motherme.ca.
One mom said that If she was doing it again she would hire someone personally and just pay them directly so she will not have to pay the agency fee. There are lots of nannies in Vancouver who would help you out nights to get some extra hours as well.
And honestly I would go with whatever you think will be easiest. Be easy on yourself. Anything you can do to simplify is good.
I will tell you my experience and let you know in couple of months! In the meantime, I still recommend you find a support group!
