Getting ready for her first at home bath.
Napping the in the Pack-n-PlayDay 2 is in the books. All continues to go well, but I am really beginning to wonder when I am going to sleep once my mom leaves. The twins are fed every 2 1/2 to 3 hours and it usually takes an hour to feed both (feed, burp multiple times, change diaper, cuddle & put back to bed). We are talking more and more about hiring a day nanny to help me out a few days or hours a week...especially since Mark is travelling so much right now. If I am doing day shift and night shift (so Mark can sleep for work), when I do sleep? Do any experienced twin moms have advice on this topic...sleep, nannies, time management? A NICU nurse suggested placing an ad with the UT School of Nursing. Good nanny help might be found there. Thoughts?
Here are some photos from today...including Kate's first bath at home. Overall she appeared to love the bath, but it's funny how it took three adults to determine the proper water temperature! The rest are posted on Kate & Carson's Flickr page (link in the sidebar).
4 comments:
Having one is hard enough, but two? I would die. Especially if your husband can't help out much.
I think if you had even a four hour nanny in the day so you could have a long nap it would help a lot.
The nursing idea is a good one, and if it is part time, they may be able to fit it into their schedules.
Congratulations! The babes are so sweet and cute. We have a similar photo of ours in the car seats when we first got home. I am so glad you are all home together.
About sleep -- there isn't a ton those first couple of months. You learn to do it in 1 hour chunks and somehow survive. It does eventually get better, though sometimes it gets harder first (those put back to sleeps after feedings got harder for us, and I learned to catnap with a baby or two on me).
Multitasking is good, like making phone calls while feeding, or checking e-mail, etc.
You definitely should find a nanny -- that's how I was able to do things like shower and eat those first couple of months. Ours was there 3 days after we were home from the NICU. If there is a moms of multiples group there you might try asking around for recommendations -- though some people hoard nannies. The college newspaper is a great idea. Also, if you find out which buildings on campus have education, psychology, and human development, you can post flyers and get responses that way. Also, you might want to try craigslist: http://austin.craigslist.org/kid/
Good luck!
You might also consider a postpartum doula - they're especially good with little babies, and you can probably find one with multiples experience to help you out. We were lucky to have one or both of the grandmas with us for most of the first 6 weeks, but still used a doula a couple of times then. If you can swing it financially, you can also get one to cover a night for you at some point so you can sleep. Not cheap, but worth considering so you can catch up.
Locally, people seem to have found help at a local college with a nursing program. My babysitter is a child development major, but she didn't start until the babies were 3 or 4 months old (and I still don't really leave so much as get things done around the house).
Like Cass, I used a post-partum doula. Dona.org is (I think) the best site to try to find doulas in your area. Ours saved my sanity as well as our breastfeeding. Loved her. But, even with help, you aren't going to get a lot of sleep for the next few months. Sorry. It does get better, though, and you will survive.
And those pictures are adorable!
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