Preparing to be postpartum with twins is something I honestly never considered when I learned we were expecting two. I am a classic “fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants” kind of girl who inherited a double dose of the “how hard can it be?” gene from my parents! When I was anticipating the birth of our fifth and sixth babies, I knew some things would be more challenging. I would undoubtedly sleep less and nurse more. Since I’d experienced severe tongue tie issues and nursing aversions with past babies, the only preparation I really thought about was related to breastfeeding.
You see, I’m a home birthing hippie mama. When I give birth, it’s in my home. My baby and I are classically skin-to-skin all the time in those precious early weeks. My four singletons taught me all I really needed was a few Frida Mom favorites, (seriously, get the peri-bottle, it’s a game-changer!) , a couple of onesies, a bunch of cloth diapers, and some wet wipes! An experienced mom like me would never buy things like a bouncer (just get the bouncer, as a two-armed mammal, bathroom trips will be impossible without it!), a swing, or a wet-wipe-warmer. Then everything changed; enter: twins.
I am writing this post in my sixth week postpartum with twins. I value living an eco-friendly lifestyle and prefer to keep consumerism in check. However, there are quite a few things that, while “extra” with singletons, I found absolutely necessary with twins. In today’s post, I am going to share all my must-have items with you. It includes a few things I had from the start—mercifully. But it also includes many things I desperately wish I’d had the foresight to have from the start.
So What Products Did I Need Postpartum with Twins?
1. A Larger Than You Think Collection of Cloth Diapers
Of course, if you plan to use disposable diapers, that’s your prerogative. For us, living abroad in Mexico—we don’t have easy access to our favorite natural brands. We also exclusively produce offspring with sensitive skin, so cloth diapers were a necessity. What I learned in the early days is that we needed more than I had initially thought. Within the first week, we changed over 200 diapers and saved over $100 on diapers.
While pocket-style cloth diapers are my favorite and the most like disposables – prefolds, flats, and covers are more practical with twins. I had 80 diapers on hand that first week, and that was barely enough for our daily usage. Especially when you consider line-drying time, and washing time. A buffer of 100-120 diapers is an absolute necessity with twins. You can achieve this by purchasing a modest amount of diaper covers—I prefer velcro covers (they can be wiped clean and reused) for quieter nighttime changes! Plus a large number of the cheaper flats and prefold diapers. You will also want to buy a few diaper pins and/or snappies.
2. A Wet Wipe Warmer
The most “extra” seeming baby product in the universe turns out to be incredibly useful. Especially for quiet nighttime changes if you happen to have a baby that is averse to cold wet wipes. We co-sleep with our babies in the same room and need to be able to quickly, quietly, and comfortably change one twin while the other sleeps. I highly recommend having a wet wipe warmer loaded and ready to go for this very purpose. Plus, if you use cloth-wet wipes, it is the perfect environment to store wet wipes that are ready to use. When you are postpartum with twins, you will do whatever you can to ensure extra sleep and fewer interruptions!
3. Hands-Free Breast Pump
I have exclusively breastfed all of my babies in the early months, including my twins. I only anticipated using my usual at-home breast pump. Here’s the problem—with exclusively breastfed twins, you will have little to no hands-free time. You will not be able to fit in a pumping session easily! Some women like using a Haakaa on one side while a baby is latched on the other breast, but I don’t. This is where I realized I would need a hands-free pump to build up a small supply for my freezer. Now, just having the option of giving one bottle a day while I write, do yoga, or rest is absolutely sanity-saving! The Willow Hands-Free pump is the most loved brand; however, some women prefer the Elvie Double Pump because it is quiet.
4. Gripe Water
I like to make my own gripe water—it’s extremely easy, and I will share it in a future post. However, I still recommend having a bottle of gripe water on hand waiting for postpartum with twins because when you find yourself needing it, you need it right away. Be sure to follow instructions and give it to your babies that are old enough to consume it. Each of my babies has benefited from gripe water as early as two weeks old. It helps with gassy, colicky nights. For me personally, I have to eliminate certain allergens from my diet while breastfeeding to eliminate colic, but I still have managed to accidentally get exposed to eggs, and the 72 hours after would’ve been utter chaos without gripe water on standby!
5. Wind Baby Tubes
In our house, we call these “fart-whistles.” If you purchase and find yourself needing to use them, you will understand why. These little tubes are pediatrician-approved and safe to use when the baby is dealing with extra gas pain. I suggest a small tummy rub, burping the baby, then lubricating the tip of the tube with coconut oil to “fart the baby” as we call it in our house. I know, all the potty talk is disgusting, but when you have a 2 out of 8 ratio of females in your house, you learn to accept fart humor fast. In all actuality, however, these tubes are absolutely life-saving, and I’d even recommend them above gripe water! When we have needed them for either twin, we all sleep so much better after using them!
6. Twin Z Nursing Pillow
A fellow twin mom and friend of mine recommended this life-saver to me when she had her twins just a few weeks ahead of mine! Some twin moms prefer to nurse their babies one at a time; others prefer tandem feeding. In our house, we do a combination of both. In the first two weeks, it was especially hard getting the hang of tandem nursing. I used multiple pillows, baby blankets, and towels to prop accordingly. With the Twin Z Pillow, you have all you need to successfully and comfortably position two young babies to nurse!
7. Silver Nursing Cups
Some breastfeeding soreness is normal, especially postpartum with twins who spend more time latched than not! I highly recommend these silver nursing cups to help encourage healing and are anti-bacterial. In the past, I used coconut oil, special nipple balms, and so many other things. But with twins, I was nursing so constantly that I was never able to leave balm on for any helpful length of time. These nursing cups are great because they work and are easy to pop in your bra each time you unlatch your baby.
In addition to each of the above items, I highly recommend a good pair of earphones, an Audible subscription, and someone to bring you snacks and refill your water each time you are nap-trapped nursing babies. I found myself, as an experienced mom, being horribly under-prepared for what life with newborn twins was like. Most of these items weren’t even on my radar until the boys arrived, and I learned that what I was doing wasn’t working. So, I highly recommend adding them to your baby registry or shopping cart and having them ready to go when your twins arrive! If you are a twin mom, what other products would you add to the list?
