Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Has it really only been one week?

'Cuz it feels a lot longer to me. I am absolutely exhausted.

It's interesting, having twins after having a singleton. DH and I both agree that even with double the newborn, we have done much better this past week than we did the first week with Bean. Currently we are beyond tired, constantly running in a hamster wheel of feedings and diaper changes. It is SO much more work having two, we can't help but think how much easier it would be to just deal with one of the twins. But we are a lot more comfortable in our roles as parents because of our experience. Our lives have changed again, but not as much as when we had our first child. We aren't scared when the babies cry, we are more confident in how to respond to their needs. One of the biggest advantages perhaps is that we already know that it will get easier over time -- we have Bean running around our house as a constant reminder. When he was a newborn, we couldn't see out of the fog enough to understand or imagine how wonderful life with this little person could be. But now we look at the twins with more appreciation, discussing their emerging personalities and all the fun things we want to do in the future as they get older. I don't know how the next few weeks or months or years will go, but despite the extreme sleep deprivation and overwhelming feeding stresses, this first week has been filled with The Wonderful too.

Breastfeeding is going marginally better. The boys' latches are improving, and they are getting more breastmilk every day. We still use the supplemental nursing system (a syringe and tiny tube that provides formula at the breast) because they are so young, I don't want them to develop a preference for the bottle and then refuse to nurse. It's an absolute pain to use, but I'm hoping to hold out another week or two. Ideally at that point my supply would be great enough that we could be off the formula entirely, but in the likely case that doesn't happen, at least we can throw in a bottle with less risk of messing up what we have built. The hard part is finding time to pump in between feedings, which increases demand (and thus my supply). I have one twin or another at the breast constantly, and who wants to spend the brief time in between at the pump? I want to simply be in the moment and enjoying my boys. And Bean is so patient that when he asks for "mommy hugs," I think it's important to snuggle with him on the couch instead of brushing him off in favor of the pump. We'll see where this goes, I am not going to give up but I'm daunted at the task of building up enough milk supply to grow two infants.

On a random note, Red asked how we chose which twin would have which name. No great reason. We came up with one name, so it just kinda naturally went to Twin A without intention. Then we came up with the second, Twin B. The more we got to know them in the womb, the more the names seemed to fit, so we never switched them.

And a couple of pics...

Grandma snuggles her grandbabies.


The twins (duh).


Twin A. (Still working on their nicknames.)*


Twin B can't wait to go to the pediatrician.


Photobucket




*DH just informed me that this is Twin B. Still looks like Twin A to me. We'll have to agree to disagree. (It's really Twin A. I'm pretty sure. But not really.)

23 comments:

Mary said...

Awww, I LOVE the pics, especially the one with your mom and D. They just bring back SO many memories of those itty bitty days. Hang in there mama it gets SO much easier!! You are doing awesome and all 3 of those boys are lucky to have you!

Kristina P. said...

So cute, Sunny!

Lori Lavender Luz said...

Sunny, they are so beautiful! They don't even look like newborns any more. Full fledged infants already.

Beautiful Mess said...

Very cute pictures! Glad things are going well, despite the lack of sleep.
*HUGS*

Erin said...

Aww, what a precious family!! Keep up the good work, you are doing awesome.

I hope your milk comes in like an erupting volcano ;).

Thanks for the update. I was wondering how you were making out.

AFD said...

They are SO CUTE!!! Yay, you just brightened my day (at work.) :)
I can't wait to hold them.

Lisa said...

awww, mommy hugs! adorable, love that little bean! and the twinks, well, they are just adorable. chuckling over the is it twin a or b debate!! ;-)

Nadine said...

they are adorable! I also bought the sns as I know i will need to supplement my little ones, and i am cool with it (but I may need advice on how to use the darn thing).

Furrow said...

I'm glad to hear that seconds are easier than firsts, even if there are two of them. I kind of had that suspicion myself. They are so freakin cute.

Sarah said...

Well, whoever the second from the bottom's picture this is, he looks lots like DH! I just love seeing them looking so good! It is funny isn't it, even with twins, the biggest change is from going from none to one, the rest of them, you're just adding to the pile. Pumping stinks, but you'll be there soon enough! I always heard that once your milk comes in, you actually produce enough to feed triplets, even if you had just one baby. I heard that from multiple sources..not sure I believe it 100%. Happy Tax Day! Glad to see that you all are doing so well!

K said...

YAY pics!!! So cute!!!! Congrats Sunny! It's so amazing to meet the little ones that you did so much for!

Coffeegrljp said...

Wow! Has it been a week? The boys are adorable! What a whirlwind it must be there.

Corrie said...

Glad to hear the BFing is improving, and good for you putting up with the SNS - I'm sure it is a PITA!
I'm sure your supply will pick up once they are latching and sucking more effectively, then you can slooowly decrease the supplements. Hope you get a nap one of these days ;)

Kristi said...

OMG-these photos just brought back so many memories. I had forgotten what two tiny newborns look like!

I'm glad you're coherent enough to write. Your boys, as you know, are beyond adorable. And your mom is so photogenic!

Get some sleep, MO3. ;)

LC said...

So glad to hear that you're settling in with your boys at home. They are such little cuties. I hope I get to meet them in person some day! Maybe they'll come to college in Boston. Haha.

Michelle said...

AWWW they are just so cute! You have some Beautiful boys!

I would think that it is better to have twins after you already have had one. I really want twins but it is only because I am not getting any younger and I figure if I have had this much trouble having one I would love to just have 2 right off. Anyone that has twins that I know tell me this is a mistake but it is usually coming from people who got pregnant without a thought. I know it must be very difficult but I am sure the blessings far out weigh the bad.

((HUGS))

Nicky said...

Man, I remember during those early weeks, I started counting the days until things got easier at 3 months. After one week at home with her newborn, one of my friends could tell you exactly how many days until the baby was old enough to leave for college! So if you still want the babies around the house after a full week of taking care of them, you're doing great. :) And yeah, it does get easier.

AFD said...

PS...cute outfits! :)

Jericho said...

What adorable pics!! And your commentary on figuring out which twin it is for sure (maybe) cracked me up. Glad you're all doing so well!

Red said...

They are still adorable. Hope you will get some good sleep soon and the feeding gets easier. You are doing a great job at giving it a go.

Thanks for answering my question. And here I thought you spent hours and hours contemplating the personalities of boths twins before deciding. ;)

Jingle said...

adorable twins,
they seem big and understand things...

lovely post!
Thrilled about your babies and successful recovery.

Anonymous said...

Oh!! So cute!! You still have time to Blog, or is Blogging helping your sanity? Breast feeding can get easier. They are so cute and beautiful you guys are so lucky. Such a sweet family!
Gerardine

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

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awards for you.
Happy Monday!