Twin Pregnancy and the Research Rabbit Hole

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If you’re like me, pregnancy sent you down a research rabbit hole. I think this would have been the case for me even if I was having one baby, but finding out I was pregnant with twins definitely hastened my descent down that Google spiral.

I wanted to read firsthand accounts of what I was in for with twin pregnancy. I was hungry for information.

Some of what I found was helpful, but there was a lot that added to my anxiety. If you are so inclined, let me save you time by sharing my top resources that will get you the information you crave while avoiding info overload. 

Let Me Google That for You

Find good, reputable websites that have gathered this information for you! My first go-to was always Twiniversity. This site, founded by a twin mom, offers week-by-week overviews of what to expect in your pregnancy (because guess what — your handy little pregnancy app has no clue what to tell you about gestating two fetuses!).

Happy twin babies wearing hats

You will also find timelines to prepare yourself for the arrival of your two bundles of joy. Other pregnancy-related websites left something to be desired when researching twin pregnancy and birth. Their timelines were based on a 40+ week pregnancy, while I knew my twins would be arriving earlier. And especially in those early days, I just wanted someone to spell out for me what I should expect. Twiniversity provided that.

The founder also wrote a book, and the site offers twin-specific birthing, newborn, and sleep courses, which I did not take but could definitely have been helpful. 

Another favorite website to prepare for babies was Lucie’s List. This baby/kid product review site has tons of great info for anything baby-related you’re looking for. What I found to be invaluable was its incredibly comprehensive twin registry “cheat sheet.” It tells you what you need two of, what to skip, and offers different price points of each item. I cannot recommend this list highly enough! I send it to anyone I know who is expecting twins.

>> RELATED READ :: The Baby Stage :: Twin Edition <<

Local MoMs (that’s Moms of Multiples)

Pretty early on in my twin pregnancy, I got connected with my local Moms of Multiples club. Pandemic-times have meant I have mainly interacted with the group through its active Facebook community. This allowed me to ask questions and get advice from experienced twin moms. It also offered the opportunity to get some twin items second-hand. Buying two of everything is EXPENSIVE! 

Also, check out Fort Worth Moms community group, Tarrant County Moms of Multiples. This free, online Facebook group is a great source of information and support.

In these groups, I’ve gotten advice on sleep training and feeding, as well as support and validation when the twin mom struggle has been real. Now that my girls have reached the toddler stage, we are gearing up for playdates with all the other multiples (cue every single person at the park telling us we’ve “got our hands full”). 

Mom is 35 weeks pregnant with twins

Take It Virtual

Find a twin mom birth club that shares your due date. I know I just talked about my local twin mom’s Facebook group, and the support of those ladies has been wonderful. However, I also came to find a special camaraderie in my 2020 Twin Moms group.

This was a group for all mamas who were pregnant or due with twins in 2020. This meant that many of us were going through the same stages at the same time, whereas my local twin mom group includes everyone from those pregnant with twins to moms whose kids are grown. 

There was something especially validating to have a supportive group of mothers on the other side of my phone screen after being up all night with two four-month-olds going through a sleep regression. This is a group that has celebrated the joy of making it through the first year parenting twins and calmed the fears that inevitably come up during parenting. It was also a go-to place for researching twins, with advice and real-life examples of what works for two.

>> RELATED READ :: What’s in a Name? {Raising Identical Individuals} <<

Book Club

Again, research is definitely one of the ways I cope with the unknown, so I wanted to read all that I could get my hands on when it came to twin pregnancy and parenting. The book that was most helpful in pregnancy was When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets, Or Quads. This book came highly recommended and gave helpful, evidence-based recommendations that I could put into action. This included a plan to gain all the weight I could, and led to me drinking a fortified chocolate shake every night (complete with Bluebell ice cream), so if that sounds like your jam, you’re welcome. 

What to Do When You’re Having Two is the book written by the founder of Twiniversity and was endorsed by twin moms I knew. This book was less scientific  and more of a first-person account, which gave me a different perspective. I found it less practically helpful, though it did have some sample schedules (because if you didn’t know, with twins, schedule is king). 

This last one is a favorite of many moms, whether they have one baby or 10. Moms on Call was recommended to us by our (godsend of a) night nanny service. The practical guidelines helped us with all the basics, such as sleeping, feeding, and illness. It’s a new mom’s best quick reference guide. 

twin babies swaddled to sleep

The Bottom Line

No amount of research will fully prepare you to take home these two itty bitty, very needy, bundles of joy. My biggest recommendations when researching twins are to not overthink things and to look for support in whatever way you can find it. You can do this.  

Join Fort Worth Moms community group Tarrant County Moms of Multiples for support, community, and resources! 

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