Two Months Old

Silas and Ezra are now two months old. I've always heard that times goes faster the second time around and with twins, I think this is even truer. Somehow, all of a sudden, they aren't newborns anymore. Their faces are filling out with chubbier cheeks and their thighs are developing squishy rolls. They seem sturdier, more alert and aware of the world around them. They can hold their little heads up for longer periods of time and their individual personalities are starting to shine through. While Silas demands that his presence be known, Ezra is more easy going.

Silas and Ezra Two Month Update

Silas Reid

11 lbs 9 oz

23 in

Ezra Jack

10 lbs 15 oz

22.5 in

Mutual Likes: Being worn or held, bath time, lap naps, nursing all day every day

Mutual Dislikes: Most swings or baby seats, loud noises, wet diapers

Milestones

Both boys started rolling from belly to back at a few weeks old. I couldn't believe it! It's still pretty infrequent but Ezra does it more often than Silas.

They have also started smiling socially and it just melts my heart every time. Along with those sweet smiles, they are beginning to coo in response to us.


Health

The last month has been a rocky road in terms of health. It seems like we are constantly at the pediatrician's office for one thing or another. At about six weeks old, both babies came down with a virus consisting of coughing, running noses, and low grade fevers. They had all the symptoms of RSV, but tested negative for it. Silas' cough lasted for weeks and was really worrying us. He ended up needing an antibiotic as it developed into a secondary infection in his chest.

Unforunately, at a few weeks old, Ezra was diagnosed with a lacrimal cyst, which is basically a lump in his tear duct area. While it is common for babies to have clogged tear ducts, cysts such as these are extremely rare. We were referred to a specialist who told us that Ezra would most likely need a minor surgery to probe the area but he scheduled it a few weeks out to see if it would start to get better on its own.

About a week before Ezra's scheduled surgery, I noticed his cyst was looking red and inflamed. I was having a hard time clearing it as the doctor had taught me to do, so I sent a photo of his eye to our pediatrician because I was worried it might be infected. After consulting with the ophthalmologist, our pediatrician told me to take Ezra to the emergency room. He ended up needing emergency surgery in his eye due to a rapidly developing infection. Later test results showed an uncommon and dangerous bacteria that caused us to stay two nights in the hospital while doctors from Infectious Disease worked to determine the right kind of antibiotic for my little peanut.

Ezra responded well to the antibiotics and his eye cleared up before we even left the hospital. The cyst had been causing tightness on the entire left side of his face, so it was really incredible to see his whole look change as he healed. I'm happy to say both boys are healthy and thriving now. We are crossing our fingers that there are no other health issues in our near future.


Sleeping

Surprisingly, Silas and Ezra are great sleepers. This is something I worried about endlessly in the months leading up to their births. Ever since I got the all clear to stop waking them every few hours at night to nurse, they have been doing longer and longer stretches. At two months old they have a long nursing session at about 6:30/7pm and then sleep until 4/4:30am most nights. Then they go back to sleep until 7am most days.

These two could teach big brother Asher a thing or two about sleeping; he STILL doesn't sleep through the night. We inevitably end up with Asher in our bed every morning. I know the four month sleep regression is looming and don't even get me started on teething. I'm just trying to appreciate these restful nights while I can.

Naps are another story and something I am still figuring out with twins and a toddler. Because they have no real nursing routine, they haven't fallen into any sort of predictable napping schedule yet either. They usually nap at the same time, but not always. Sometimes one will nap in the swing and the other in the baby carrier. Sometimes both snooze in the Weego or their car seats while we are out and about.

I started stressing about getting them on a good nap schedule but I'm realizing lately that it's just different this time around. As the second and third children, Ezra and Silas are sort of required to be more flexible by default. They sleep great at night and are happy babies so I'm trying not to worry about it too much right now.


Eating

Ever since they had their tongue and lip ties corrected, Silas and Ezra have been nursing like champs. I nurse them on demand and they have no real schedule. It's funny because Asher ate every two hours on the dot for almost a year. Maybe it's because I'm tandem nursing and just following their cues more, but they range from eating every hour to sometimes giving me four hour stretches if they take a good afternoon nap.

They took their first bottles at 8 weeks old. I was nervous because we waited so long but I wanted to be sure their latches had improved and they were nursing well before bringing a bottle into the mix. Luckily they took the bottles fine and Josh really enjoys the bonding time. They lock eyes with him when he feeds them and it just melts my heart.


Big Brother

Asher loves his brothers (or bruvers, as he likes to say.) He is gentle with Silas and Ezra and so patient with his mama during the seemingly endless tandem nursing sessions. He loves doing tummy time with his brothers and lying on the play mat showing them the various toys. He often asks to hold them and tells me how much he loves them.

Asher tries to comfort Silas and Ezra when they cry, offering them kisses or stuffed animals. He is always telling me, "They need their milkies," and, "They want you to wear them." He loves to help with diaper changes and bath time and really is the best big brother.


Final Thoughts 

Even though it's often chaotic having three children under three years old, I'm trying as hard as I can to breathe in the smell of the babies after their baths, to take mental pictures of the way they smile up at me while they are nursing, and not to take for granted how it feels to have them fall asleep in my arms. I know that before I know it, my babies will be toddlers and my toddler will be a preschooler, and I will be missing this crazy, challenging, but oh-so-worth-it time of my life.

Our First Month Home

Introducing Silas Reid and Ezra Jack

Silas and Ezra were born December 8, 2016 when I was 38 weeks, 3 days pregnant. Silas Reid came first, at 2:43 pm weighing 7 pounds 5 ounces, 20 inches long. Ezra Jack arrived next at 2:59 pm, weighing 6 pounds 7 ounces, also 20 inches long. I will never forget the moment that I was finally able to hold my two babies on my chest after carrying them in my belly for what felt like an eternity.

The end of my twin pregnancy was incredibly difficult due to intense heartburn, carpal tunnel, and swelling. My labor was long but I ended up with two big, healthy, squishy baby boys who got to go home less than 48 hours after delivery. I had the vaginal birth that I advocated for so long for with no complications. I feel so fortunate to have had such a positive twin birth experience and plan to go into my birth story in more detail in a separate post soon.

The Early Days

The early days had a steep learning curve. Even though we had been parents for a few years already, Josh and I had no idea how to raise twins. All of the literature and advice that we received suggested trying to get the twins on the same eating and sleeping schedule as early as possible but like most things in life, this was easier said than done.

Despite having breastfed Asher for 20 months, tandem nursing is a completely different experience. Getting Silas and Ezra on the same schedule meant when one showed hunger signs, both babies nursed. Due to significant weight loss in the days following delivery, I woke them up every two hours around the clock for the first month. I experienced a lot of pain and developed mastitis, both of which made me question whether I would really be able to exclusively breastfeed twins. At about a month old, we took a trip to Albany to have both boys' tongue and lip ties corrected by a renowned pediatric dentist. From this point on, breastfeeding got much easier. We eventually found our groove as the boys now nurse like champs and I am so thankful that I didn't give up.

The twins both had their days/nights confused initially, so first few nights home from the hospital were sleepless for all of us. We pulled out some of the tricks we learned the first time around and developed a bedtime routine. We quickly scrapped the idea of having Silas and Ezra sleep in the twin pack and play we had purchased and let them sleep in rock and plays. We swaddled them, kept the sleep environment dark and used white noise to help them stay asleep. When I woke them to nurse, we kept the room quiet and dark except for a nightlight. It only took a few days for the boys to be on a better sleep schedule and by a little over a month old, they were doing four hour stretches in the night.

Honestly, looking back, the first few weeks are a blur. It was a big adjustment to go from a family of three to a family of five. Asher accepted his new role with some initial apprehension and uncertainty, but eventually embraced it and is the sweetest, most loving big brother to Silas and Ezra. Josh and I dove back into being the parents of newborns and remembered how difficult it can be to function on little to no sleep, just this time with a toddler in the mix and two babies instead of one. Having twins means twice as many diaper changes and twice as much crying, but also two times the snuggling and love to go around.

Unexpected Challenges

We unfortunately dealt with some unexpected challenges in our first month home with the twins. Both boys had high jaundice levels though Ezra's were higher, and we ended up having to treat at home with a biliblanket for over a week. Ezra had to be on the blanket 24 hours a day, which meant he was stationary because it was plugged into the wall with a relatively short cord. Because of this, I couldn't do any babywearing or skin to skin with him. While we anticipated spending our first few weeks cuddling the twins and easing into our new life, we instead spent our time going to the hospital and pediatrician's office daily for blood tests and weight checks.

Just when we thought we were in the clear, we woke up in the middle of the night to change and feed the boys and Josh noticed that Ezra seemed really warm. Upon taking his temperature, we discovered that he had a fever of 101.7. Fevers over 100.4 in babies up to 3 months old warrant a call to the doctor. We were instructed to take Ezra to the emergency room at the children's hospital, so we packed up the whole family, dropped Asher at grandma's house, and headed straight there.

Ezra was subsequently hospitalized for several days with what ended up being a common virus. Because of his immature immune system, Ezra couldn't fight off the virus in the same way that even an older child could. It was heartbreakingly sad to see our little peanut hooked up to all the machines in his hospital room. We were immensely relieved when we were finally home from the hospital and reunited as a family of five.

Despite all of the up and downs in our first month home, Josh and I just feel so lucky to be the parents of our three beautiful boys. It's amazing to see how much they love each other already.

37 Weeks Pregnant

My babies are officially considered full term as of today! While I am so happy to have made it this far, I am feeling so, so ready to meet my babies and not be pregnant anymore. I thought the last few weeks of being pregnant with Asher were difficult but I really had no idea. Carrying two full sized babies inside me is starting to feel almost unbearable. 

My doctor has said that as long as everything continues to look good on my weekly NSTs, as well as with my blood pressure, she is willing to let me wait it out to go into labor on my own. Typically, doctors recommend induction (or even more commonly, c-sections) with twin pregnancies, especially once they hit about 38 weeks. I'm sure induction will be mentioned at my 38 week appointment but I'm still hopeful that my babies will come on their own time. 


Babies at 37 Weeks 

At 37 weeks, the babies are most likely around 6.5 pounds each and up to 22 inches long! Asher was 20.5 inches long when he was born, so I'm guessing they will be a similar length. Apparently, they are the size of honeydew melons so just picture having two of those shoved into your belly with no room to spare and that's about where I'm at.  I'm still waiting to feel the "lightening" that happens at the end of a singleton pregnancy, when the baby drops into the birth canal. Somehow I don't think this happens when you're pregnant with twins because I haven't dropped at all and can barely breathe due to the pressure on my lungs and constant kicking of my ribs. 

Weight Gain

As of my appointment last week, I was up 3 pounds from the week before. I'm at the point where I'm far more concerned about water retention than actual weight gain. I swelled up a lot after I delivered Asher, mostly I think because of the pitocin they gave me after Asher was born (which apparently is extremely common with twin births as well.) At this point, I'm expecting that I'm going to look like a human water balloon. Should make for some interesting photos. We actually have a photographer lined up to do a Fresh 48 session, meaning she will get some photos of the babies after their births, but while we are still in the hospital! 


Eating

My stomach is so squished that eating anything kind of stinks. Plus everything gives me heartburn. I am having no cravings these days and instead am just daydreaming about what I'll eat once I feel relatively normal again. I was starving when I was breastfeeding Asher, so I can just imagine how I'll be feeling nursing two babies instead of one! 


Feeling

In the last few days, my body has been sending signals that I need to slow way, way down and take it even easier than I had been previously. I've been swelling up to the point where it's kind of scary and it hasn't been going down. Even just sitting up, rather than lying down, causes my feet, ankles, and legs to swell almost instantly. 

I'm also just exhausted and feel way too tired to do any of my normal activities. Poor Asher has watched a Christmas movie two days in a row, which I feel guilty about but he is completely thrilled. I'm hoping this exhaustion is a sign of labor and that the babies will be making their grand entrance sometime in the near future. 


Sleeping

I basically spend the night in a half awake/half asleep dream-like state. I stress about things at 3am that seem somewhat silly in the light of day, like worrying that I won't remember how to care for a newborn, or wondering how I will manage to take all three kids to the doctor at once. 


Something to Be Happy About

We managed to go cut down our tree AND get our house decorated for Christmas this weekend. This is a relief because I was worried that if the babies arrived before we got our Christmas tree, it might not happen. Asher is so excited for Christmas this year and I think it's the first time that he really understands the holiday. We have read 'The Night Before Christmas" several times a week for the past month or so. He was so adorable decorating the Christmas tree with his special ornaments and so far hasn't messed with the tree much (fingers crossed that it stays that way.) 

Asher also met Santa for the first time! It was so cute because despite his excitement of meeting Santa, he refused to sit on Santa's lap and clung to Josh's leg during the whole interaction. He did show Santa his stuffed Santa Claus that he brought from home with him. Later, he proudly told another little girl, "I talked to Santa!" 

Here are some photos from our holiday themed family weekend...

Something to Look Forward to

I can't stop thinking that no matter what, in just a few short weeks, my babies will be here! As rough as the end of this pregnancy has been, this is what has been keeping me going. Soon the discomforts of a twin pregnancy will be a distant memory and I'll be living life as the mama of three boys! 

36 Weeks Pregnant

Did you know the average twin pregnancy lasts 35 weeks? According to the March of Dimes, more than 60% of twin births occur before 37 weeks. I am so happy to have made it this far in my pregnancy and am really hopeful that these babies stay put for at least one more week so they won't be considered pre-term. My doctor keeps telling me that the babies could come any time, so I'm trying to take it easy as much as possible to increase my chances of having full term babies. 

Babies at 36 Weeks 

I had an ultrasound at my appointment last week (probably my last one before the babies come!) and they were both measuring over 5 and a half pounds! They are gaining about a half a pound a week each at this point, so they are probably around 6 pounds now. 

Weight Gain

Last week at my appointment, I had lost a pound despite being incredibly swollen. It's unfortunate because the long drive to my doctor's office usually means I'm swollen by the time I get into see my doctor just from sitting in the car! At this point, I know the babies are growing at a good pace and that water retention is common with twins, so I'm trying not to focus so much on the number on the scale. I'm healthy and my babies are healthy; that's what matters most! 


Eating

I'm still finding that I'm hungriest around lunchtime. I try to just go with it and eat whatever sounds good to me, while trying to stay healthy. By late afternoon and evening, my heartburn is so unbearable that I really don't want to eat anything. The list of foods I have to stay away from is growing daily but currently includes red sauce, red meat, and anything spicy or rich/buttery. 


Feeling

I think I'm officially at my limit physically with this pregnancy. I am just so incredibly uncomfortable all the time. My back is killing me, making it difficult to stand, sit, even lie down comfortably. I can't even find a way to relax in the bathtub or my bed. I'm trying to stay positive because I really am so happy I made it to 36 weeks but I really just can't wait to hold my babies and not be pregnant anymore. 


Sleeping

I'm barely sleeping these days between the back pain, heartburn, and swelling that causes my feet and hands to go numb all the time. I have to roll from side to side often because I get crampy from the weight of the babies. Plus I get out of bed almost every hour. 


Something to Be Happy About

We got SO much snow over the past few days! We have over 30 inches and it's really adorable how excited Asher is to go out and play in it. He and Josh have been having so much fun shoveling, sledding, and building a snowman. The snow is now officially too high for Asher to walk around in, but he's still enjoying himself. The cold doesn't seem to bother him one bit! 

Something to Look Forward to

As long as the babies don't come in the next few days, we are planning on getting our Christmas tree on Friday! It's been a tradition every year that we have lived together in New York that we go to a certain Christmas tree farm (one where Josh went as a child) to cut down our tree. Though it is kind of early to get it right after Thanksgiving, we figure we might as well do it while we can! I am so looking forward to it and I know Asher is going to love the entire experience. 

35 Weeks Pregnant

Just for comparison's sake, at 35 weeks pregnant with Asher, I was still taking the dog on nightly 3+ mile walks. This time around, I feel like I deserve a trophy when I walk downstairs to the basement to do a load of laundry. The end of the third trimester with twins is no joke.

Babies at 35 Weeks 

I'll know more after my ultrasound at my doctor's appointment tomorrow, but these babies are getting big. I know this because my belly is so huge and heavy that it takes my breath away at times. No wonder, because my apps estimate that the babies are around 5.5 pounds each. The good news is that with every passing week, the babies are developing more and more and preparing for life outside the womb. As of this week, their kidneys are completely developed and their livers are functional. 

Weight Gain

I don't have anything to note here as I haven't had my doctor's appointment yet this week. I can update this section later in the week.


Eating

I feel really hungry mid-day and then hardly hungry at dinner time most evenings. Between chasing after Asher and my total exhaustion, I don't snack between meals, so I try to make myself eat dinner every night even though I don't always feel like it. With how much the babies are growing these days, I'm trying to focus on getting more protein into my diet. I've been eating a lot of cheese and yogurt these days.


Feeling

I swear, every day gets harder as these babies get bigger. Standing or even sitting up for extended periods makes my back ache and my legs/feet swell. Getting up off the floor feels nearly impossible at times. I just want to sleep all day every day, which unfortunately isn't an option for me.


Sleeping

I'm starting to have dreams about the babies coming. I'm not sure if this is a sign or just occurring because I'm constantly thinking about it when I'm not sleeping. A lot of my dreams center around my anxiety about induction and c-sections, basically all of the unknowns associated with the twins' birth that could possibly be different this time around.


Something to Be Happy About

We got some art hung on the walls in the nursery this weekend, including some beautiful prints that were a gift from my sister, Sarah! I'm still waiting on an ottoman to arrive for in front of the nursing chair but things are really starting to come together. Here is a sneak peek...

Something to Look Forward to

I am so looking forward to hitting the 36 week mark in my pregnancy, my next goal for my babies! I am at the point where every day that passes where I am still pregnant with two healthy, growing baby boys feels like a triumph.

34 Weeks Pregnant

As evidenced by my photo this week (complete with giant belly, Josh's sweatshirt, slippers, and excessive swelling) being 34 weeks pregnant with twins is not easy. Every day that goes by, I tell myself that I am one day closer to meeting and holding my babies. It's so wonderful knowing they will be here soon. As uncomfortable as I am feeling, I don't want them to come until they are good and ready.

Babies at 34 Weeks 

According to my apps, the babies are officially the size of pineapples. Each is between 19-22 inches long and approximately 5 pounds. At 34 weeks, I am so relieved to have made it to my first goal for this pregnancy. The babies' lungs are nearing maturity, which is excellent news! My next goal is to make it to 36 weeks, as I was informed on my hospital tour that babies born before this point are required to spend time in the NICU no matter what. Here's to hoping for at least two more weeks...

Weight Gain

I've mentioned a few times that I knew I had been retaining a lot of water lately but it wasn't until this week that it really showed on the scale at the doctor. Last week I started swelling pretty severely. My feet, legs, hands, and face are all swollen and the more active that I am the worse it seems to be. On Friday, I was starting to get concerned (my feet were starting to look like purple bricks) so I went down to Rite Aid to check my blood pressure. My BP continues to be excellent, so despite the discomfort of all the swelling (not to mention the difficulty of seeing the scale change pretty dramatically in just a week), my doctor isn't overly concerned. She did mention that this could be my body's way of preparing me for labor.


Eating

I haven't had any new cravings, and everything gives me heartburn to the point where I just don't want to eat anything (don't worry, I still eat; I have to help these babies grow!) Plus I'm so exhausted by late afternoon that cooking is really starting to feel like a chore when it's typically something I enjoy.


Feeling

I'm really not sure if I've ever been this tired in my life, including how exhausted I was in those first few weeks after Asher was born. Being pregnant with twins is truly a unique type of exhaustion that affects your entire body head to toe.

Honestly my swelling is my biggest complaint this week because it's making it hard to do anything. Even just something as simple as a trip to the grocery store results in my feet and legs swelling up to the point where I can barely walk. My hands have carpal tunnel from all the excess water. I experienced some swelling when I was pregnant with Asher but never to this extent. I had no idea how awful it could be!


Sleeping

Sleep has been a challenge lately but it is to be expected at the end of pregnancy. It's difficult to get comfortable, especially with two babies in my body. I constantly have to roll from side to side because I start to cramp and I'm getting up about every hour to go to the bathroom.


Something to Be Happy About

Josh and I met our doula last week and we are really excited to have an extra support person and advocate, especially with all of the unknowns associated with a twin birth. We'd been going back and forth about using a doula this time and were apprehensive because of the cost, as well as the increased risk of cesarean this time around.

Through the multiples group that I joined, I heard of a doula who is one birth away from finishing her certification and looking to attend a vaginal twin birth. I immediately jumped on this opportunity and luckily, we ended up being a good fit. She seems very knowledgeable and I'm certain she will be a calming presence while I'm in labor.

The catch is that she had a few scheduled vacations during the last few weeks of my pregnancy, so I'm crossing my fingers that she will be available when I go into labor. She was up front about this and Josh and I decided to move forward with her, even though we are taking the risk that she may be out of town when the babies are born.

Something to Look Forward to

Lately everything has been so challenging for me because of my constant swelling that I am really just looking forward to feeling like myself again, even though I realize this will take a while. I miss running after Asher, scooping him up into my arms when he asks me to hold him, going on long walks or hikes with my family, and so much more. I know being a mom of three is going to be demanding, but I look forward to not having the physical limitations that come along with being pregnant with twins.

33 Weeks Pregnant

My doctor keeps telling me my minimum goal is 34 weeks, so I'm pretty happy that I'm almost there! I'm now having weekly doctor's appointments with non-stress tests and am still having monthly sonograms as well. The NSTs have been going pretty well. Because of the positioning of the babies and the fact that they are both boys, it's sometimes hard for them to distinguish between the two heartbeats but overall everything has looked great with the babies so far.

This week, my doctor also noted that I was having contractions during my NST, which I wasn't too surprised to hear. Lately I have been having contractions that are more intense than Braxton Hicks but still pretty mild in general. They have still been irregular and not very painful, so my doctor didn't seem overly concerned.

Babies at 33 Weeks 

The babies are estimated to be about the size of honeydew melons this week, at approximately 19 inches long and 4.5 pounds each. My apps informed me that over the next four weeks, the babies will each put on another half a pound per week. This is great news because the bigger the babies are, the better chance they will have at being healthy and avoiding NICU time. But my belly feels so tight and stretched to the limit already, so I really can't imagine how it's going to feel as they get bigger and bigger. 

Weight Gain

I gained two pounds last week, which puts my total weight gain at 36 pounds. I'm inching closer and closer to the weight I was at when I had Asher. The nurses keep reassuring me that I have two babies in there and I will simply gain more weight this time. Still, I wish they just wrote down the number and I didn't have to see it every week, yikes!

I'm retaining a lot of water these days. My legs and feet feel incredibly swollen by the end of the day each day, especially if I am on my feet a lot. I've been nervous about pre-eclampsia but my blood pressure continues to look good, so hopefully it's just water retention.


Eating

My heartburn has been so bad that it makes me not want to eat dinner. Even with taking Zantac and Tums, I'm miserable by the end of the day. For a while it seemed like acidic foods like tomato sauce or spicy meals were the triggers, but lately I feel like everything is giving me heartburn no matter what.

New cravings this week include Halloween candy (of course) and homemade macaroni and cheese.


Feeling

I pretty much just feel like I'm eight months pregnant with twins. For a while this pregnancy felt no different, if not easier, than my pregnancy with Asher. Now, I can't even go trick or treating with my son because I am having too many contractions after walking a block and a half. My belly is huge, which makes everything more difficult, plus I'm completely exhausted. I feel bad for poor Asher, who will come up to me when I am resting on the couch and sweetly ask me, "Mama not feeling well?"


Sleeping

Sleep is overrated, right? I get up every few hours no matter what and have difficulty getting comfortable. I've also been woken up by cramping and contractions several times this week.


Something to Be Happy About

Asher was so adorable trick or treating in his fire truck costume this week. It was the first year that he really understood Halloween and got into wearing a costume and being part of the festivities. Between school, his play group, and Halloween night, he got a lot of wear out of his fire truck costume.

He also adored carving pumpkins with Josh and was especially interested in removing the pumpkin guts by hand.

Something to Look Forward to

I am really looking being able to put on my own shoes again in the near future. And just fit into my shoes in general. I hit an all-time low this week when I couldn't even get my Toms on my fat feet. Josh lovingly referred to my pinky toes as Vienna sausages today. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be that pregnant woman wearing flip flops in December in upstate New York.