Twin Discount

For those of you who have twins, are having twins or know someone with twins:

Some stores offer twin discounts on the big purchase items like: car seats, cribs, strollers etc, and possibly on swings and other big toys(I'm not totally sure on that one)

The stores we have found so far that have this discount are: Burlington and Babies R Us.

We never really purchased anything from Babies R Us because we figured that, even with the discount, Wal-Mart would be cheaper.

We instead bought our things at Burlington because their prices are about the same as Wal-Mart's (sometimes less) and plus you get the discount.

We haven't really used it a lot because the only big purchase item we had to get two of were the car seats. Unfortunately we didn't get a discount on the stroller, even though it's a duo glide, because we only bought one :P

Anyway. . .thought I'd pass this info along.

How to Fix a Fried Post Pregnancy Brain

They may be cute, but these two sucked the life out of me.

For a while now I have not felt that good. I'm sure that comes as no surprise. There's the norm that you'd expect from a mother of twins:

-Fatigue
-Headaches
-Overworked
-Stressed

But there were a few things that I thought were a little out of the norm. Could pregnancy really be the only answer? I'd climb stairs and when I reached the top I'd be dizzy and feel like I was going to pass out. Bending and twisting to give the boys a bath would completely exhaust me. I was always tired even after my wonderful hubby would let me sleep in. It was like I was running on auto pilot. I couldn't even put energy and concentration into singing (I know that sounds weird, but I love to sing in the shower and when I'm alone in the car and I couldn't do it anymore).

Then one night I went out running and on my way back home something strange happened. It was like my mind got tired and just shut off all communication to my feet. I know that sounds crazy but that's really how it felt. My foot rolled a little- don't worry I didn't fall- and I suddenly realized something. Maybe during pregnancy my mind had gotten lazy.

You see normally I'm a gung-ho, endure to the end, army boot camp woman when it comes to attaining certain goals. I think it stems from being compulsive and a little stubborn. If I set a short term goal, like doing 100 sit ups before I go to bed, then I will do sit ups until I reach 100. And if I can't reach 100 I will do them until I absolutely cannot do sit ups anymore- to bad I can't apply this to long term goals.

Well during pregnancy this mind set kind of went out the window. I didn't push myself at all- except with work I worked right up till the end of February like I had planned. So I thought that maybe since my mind had gotten used to not being pushed it had grown lazy and sloppy.

Well I explained this all to my mother one morning while we were walking, and she gave me the real answer to my problem. She said that she had heard about an article that said you brain needs this oil, and pregnancy just sucks that oil right out. So she told me to start taking Omega 3 Fish Oil. I have to tell you I can't believe how much better I feel. I actually feel normal. I can walk upstairs! I can run! I can even sing again! I was truly amazed at the effect, so I had to let everyone know how wonderful Omega 3 Fish Oil is.

If you're feeling a little low it just might help. Yeah, I know, I sound a little like an infomercial. Really, though, you should try it.

An Unconventional Mom: I had a C-Section and I LOVED IT!

I just watched a clip about a 19 lb baby born in Indonesia. The baby was delivered by c-section- I'm sure that was a must- and it reminded me that I've been meaning to post about c-sections. I have put it off mostly because there seems to be a lot of politics behind c-sections. I will try to handle the subject delicately ;)

My mom had all her babies by c-section, so I kind of grew up with the idea my whole life. I never once assumed that what happened to my mom was a wrong doing, or that the doctors had just sent her in for a c-section because they didn't want to deal with a long labor. But then I got older I discovered c-sections were high on the controversial pregnancy list.

Here's my mom's story-

With her first baby she went into labor. I don't know how long she was in labor, but the baby wasn't descending and I believe that he was under stress. So they took her in for a c-section.

For her second pregnancy her doctor said that she could try to go naturally, but that he didn't think her hips were wide enough to get a baby out. It would be like trying to put a square peg through a round whole. She said she'd just rather schedule a c-section, and she did the same with me.

She later told me that some women gave her some heat for making this decision. They told her she should have tried to go vaginally with her other babies.

***

As I got closer to marrying and baby baring age I started to realize that my gene pool might require me to have my babies by c-section as well. So I just got used to the idea.

Here's my story-

I wasn't sure how my labor and delivery would go, but I was assuming that a c-section might be in the picture. I went to the doctor and he said that my pelvis was great for delivering babies. But I still had this feeling that a c-section might take place. And I also had to take into consideration that there was a chance that, since I was having twins, I would end up with both a vaginal delivery and a c-section. I decided to ask around.

I asked people who had only delivered by c-section. They all told me that it wasn't that bad at all.

I asked people who had delivered vaginally and by c-section. I heard both "Don't get a c-section," and "Definitely go for the c-section."

I asked a friend who had gone into labor naturally, been induced and just had a scheduled c-section. She said she didn't really know which she preferred and all had their pros and cons. She said neither way seemed better then the other.

I discussed the idea with my doctor, and he told me that I could have a c-section since I was pregnant with twins, but he really wanted me to try and deliver them vaginally.

Well on the day I was induced I wouldn't dilate, and the babies were stressed, so I went in for a c-section. I feel I have to make one thing clear here, my doctor is not one to just hand out c-sections. The nurses told me he was the most patient doctor they knew. He once waited 3 days for a girl to deliver vaginally. So when he wanted to take me in for a c-section I figured it really was the best option. And to tell you the truth, I really wasn't that disappointed.

The Recovery-

My recovery went very smoothly. I often times forgot to take my pain pills- I could have one every 4 hours, and I think I took one about every 6-8 hours. By the time I felt ready to take a pain pill the pain felt compared to the pain of a tired sore muscle.

The first day was really hard. I had to get out of bed at least once, and it did hurt. But the next day I felt even better. I could walk if I took baby steps. By the third day I was walking normal. It was still hard to sit up. It took about a week, maybe two, until I could sit up normally. The hospital beds helped wonderfully for this stage, and when I got home, I propped myself up with a lot of pillows.

The Scar-

My doctor did an amazing job sewing me up. You can't even tell there's a scar. Whatever scar is left is camouflaged by all the stretch marks.

That's another reason a c-section didn't bother me. My stomach was already destroyed from pregnancy.

***

I know that a lot of people feel that c-sections are just handed out because doctors are lazy. But that would make lazy doctors the problem wouldn't it?

My grandma told me that while she was in labor with her first she heard the doctor say to the nurse, "Give that woman something so that she doesn't deliver tonight. I want to go home." So they gave my grandma something to slow her labor and she didn't deliver until the next morning. She didn't end up with a c-section, but her doctor didn't have her best interests in mind. Bad and lazy doctors are always going to be bad and lazy whether they are handing out c-sections or not.

OK, this post is probably getting a little heated. So I'll try to wrap it up.

My intent is not to try and encourage woman to have c-sections over delivering vaginally. The chose is yours. For some people a c-section wouldn't be the best option. And I know that women have had c-sections and hated them. I mostly wanted to write this post so that woman who have to have a c-section, or are afraid they might end up with a c-section, know that it's not something to be afraid of.

My c-section was great. In fact I feel like I got off easy. I didn't have to push, or do anything. The doctor did all the work. My recovery went great. I don't know if my recovery was normal, or if I was really lucky to have such a good recovery. I do tend to recover well from certain things. The only other major surgery I've had was getting my wisdom teeth pulled, but I did recover very well from that. I didn't swell up and I was eating pasta the next day.

Anyway. . .back to the subject at hand. I loved my c-section. I know all women don't, but I did ;)

Stroller Falls and Babies go Boom!

I recently decided to quit work and stay home with the boys. And since I'm staying home, and we're living with my parents, I decided to earn my keep by getting my Nephew ready and walking him to kindergarten.



Well last Thursday, upon returning home, I decided to pull the stroller into the house since the boys had fallen asleep and I wanted them to stay that way. We have a huge stroller- as you can imagine- and, instead of asking my mom for help, I decided to try and wheel it in by myself. I took it up the steps front, back, front, back, I then got out my keys, unlocked the door and went inside to set stuff down. I turned around to get the stroller, but it was too late. My parents steps are round and apparently one of the wheels did not make it on the top step all the way. Slowly the stroller started to lean and, before my mind could totally compute what was wrong with this scenario, the stroller fell and tumbled down the steps. There are only two or three steps so it wasn't a huge fall, but my heart stopped. My life flashed before my eyes. Their lives flashed before my eyes, and I ran out to see what the damage was. Both boys were crying, of course,- so much for that staying asleep thing- so I took them inside and showered them with kisses. They both had bumps on their heads, but everything else seemed fine, and within minutes they returned to their happy normal selves.



I gave them both Tylenol and fed them a bottle. My hope was that they would just go to back to sleep. Well my little boy started to cry hysterically. And, while I'm trying to give him attention, his brother started to moan for some love. I called my mom to ask if she could come home and give me a hand. She had left for work about an hour ago, but luckily her work is only 10 minutes away. She came home and, as always, the boys calmed right down and acted as happy as could be :P


We got the situation under control, but I was pretty shook up. When these situations happen- falls, bumps, sick babies, etc.- I always get slightly disappointed that I can't handle it better, or that I don't have better judgment as a mother. I always have a raging battle going on in my mind: "Should I take them in? They're probably fine. They're acting a little weird? No, look they're smiling. Is this something serious? Maybe I should just take them in."

I never know what to do, and it simply drives me crazy. I don't want to be a hysterical and frantic mom, but I sure feel that way sometimes.

Moving is a Whole Different Story When You Have Two Babies Instead of None

Towards the end of August I started working, the boys went to a sitter and we had to move out of our apartment. As you can imagine it was so much fun!

Craig and I are moving pro's. We've moved a combined total of 12 times since we've met. But moving with babies is a lot more difficult.

Here are a few things that made this move hard:

- I had just started back at work
- We have twins.
- We moved to my parents house, so more stuff had to actually be packed so it could go into storage- as opposed to other moves where we could just throw random stuff in the car.
- We have twins
- Having twins has caused us to also have more stuff- imagine that :)
- Oh yeah, we have twins ;)

I have to say two babies does not an easy move make. I felt like crying most of the time, and I think I did cry a lot of the time. Not only did we have to pack up the house, we had to pack of the boys, their toys and their food, so that we could go pack up the house. And, of course, I never packed enough food because I was always thinking, "Oh I'll be home before. . ., so I just need to pack. . ." And then of course the boys needed attention even though I packed them every toy imaginable.

Well at least it's done and over with. Now we just need to move one more time into our house come mid October. Hopefully this one will be smoother since everything is already packed.

More on Crying Babies

So one of my boys is sick and, even though its just the one, I find my heart breaking when either of them cry. I think it's part of trying to be equal and fair to both of them. This is one time I find it incredibly hard to leave my babies all alone crying in their crib.

It kind of gives me comfort because it lets me know that I won't be frustrated and angry when I have to stay up all night with a sick little baby- which is how I thought the scenario would play out until this weekend. Instead of being irritated and resentful I give little thought to me getting sleep and more to comforting my little boys.

It's good for me to know as a mom!