TWINS - ok ladies i need some help here

boyohboyohboy wrote: no not twins for me...i have only a few weeks to go until andrew gets here, but he has pretty removed most of my own brain cells at this point!
my ordeal is, my best friend who has been trying to have a baby for over a yr and had no success, has also been attempting to adopt for that same amount of time. she was pretty sure she was never going to be a mom..
well today she got a call that she was just picked by a birth mom to get twin girls!
she will get them in 12 days. they are new jersey born to a crack mom so they are tiny, but so far no health issues.
i need help getting her ready for these little girls to come home.
she has two car seats, one crib (is it ok to put them in one crib at this point?)
i told her to call and find a pediatricain right away to get them seen.

so what else are we missing? she has tons of onsies and receiving blankets,
i am going to make her two diaper bags to take to the hosp for the trip there, and i am not sure how you decide what formula to use?

anyway, my mind is going a million miles a minute, with excitment for her, can you help me make some lists?
thanks

luvbug00 replied: MY BRAIN IS MUSH RIGHT NOW SOO I WISH HER ALL THE BEST

gr33n3y3z replied: WoW she is going to have her hands full thats for sure
I'm glad the girls are not showing signs of crack problems

swings

stella6979 replied: I've heard that putting them together to sleep is a good thing. With twins, sometimes that's the only way they will sleep.
I definitely recommend the boppy pillows. Those things are awesome! Other than that, maybe some washcloths and towels, pacifiers, cloth diapers (to use as burp cloths). Hmmm....if I think of anything else I'll let ya know.

Edited to say: Congratulations to you and your best friend.

PrairieMom replied: what a blessing! Maybe you could get some formula samples from the hospital or Ped to find out which one they will tolerate? Are they being released from the intensive care nursery? they may already have feeding issues figured out for you.

if I were to bring twins home tomorrow I would want

1 just one diaper bag, you already have 2 kids to lug around, one less bag is one less thing to worry about.

2 bottles, and different shaped nipples

3. Pacifiers

4. diapers and crack Spackle (diaper rash cream)

5. baby monitor

6. bouncy seat. maybe 2 of them, and extra batteries These totally saved my LIFE!!!

and most of all this book, actually it comes on DVD. I could not have survived either of my babies with out this.

http://www.thehappiestbaby.com/

boyohboyohboy replied: thank you for your help!
i am writing down as you type!

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Wow conngrats to your friend! I would load her up with newborn diapers. If the girls are small, they will use the newborn size for a while...And she will need A LOT. I don't want to repeat anything already listed, but the things that come to mind:

double stroller
small bath or one large so both can go in together
diaper champ
bottles and bottle warmer
yes, definitely bouncy seats (two)
pac n play

momofone replied: baby wipes, baby bath, shampoo, cloth for bath, bath towels

Kentuckychick replied: Aww... congratulations to your friend and my prayers will be with her and her two new baby girls that they have the healthiest and best of lives with their mommy!

As for suggestions I would definitely say a double stroller, a swing(s), and definitely the bouncy seats.

I would find out if they've had pacifiers already and what kind (if she can find that out from the hospital where they are) and also I would do that with the formula. I'm sure her pediatrician can give her advice on that. If she can find a ped. in time I would see if she couldn't get an appointment for the babies the day of or the day after they arrive (or very shortly after)... that way she can get them fully checked over and the ped. can answer any questions she has. They also may have a ped. there to answer her questions when she picks up the babies (I'm not really sure how they do that).

Good luck to everyone involved!

boyohboyohboy replied: i dont know much about the health of the babies, except that the mother confessed to doing crack, they were born early, and weighed 3 pounds each. they didnt have any breathing problems and i guess are eating ok. but they want them to gain more weight before being released.

the mother isnt being real upfront with the info, so the adoption agency is having to just find stuff out.

its so exciting though. my friend and her husband are so happy.

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
I choked on my sandwich.



maybe some soothing music cd's or tapes for the car ride or plane ride... different formula samples... i know you can register at like, enfamil, nestle etc, they'll send you some sample cans, they did for me... diapers, diapers, diapers, wipes wipes and more wipes, blankies, clothes...

luvmykids replied: ITA with one diaper bag.

They are fine to sleep in a crib together, I did that until they started moving around and bugging each other LOL.

Sleep positioners

I also let them sleep in the pack n play in my bedroom for the first few weeks.

The boppy pillows were a lifesaver, I could prop them both up on it, that way my hands were free to hold two bottles at once.

Bathing when they're so little is easier one at a time but I liked the bouncy seat so I could have one in the tub and one in the boucy seat next to the tub.

A swing was a must....very handy for keeping one soothed, contained, occupied while I was doing something with the other one.

For formula, I really loved the Parents Choice from Walmart...it was the only inexpensive one that didn't seem inexpensive. Lots of the others were foamy or grainy (JMO, no offense to others who like them).

Also, I loved the insulated bottle holders....I could prepare the bottles at home and keep them warm for an outing.

Those waterproof lap pads, I had them everywhere....on the changing table, so if we had an accident all I had to do was replace and wash the dirty one instead of the whole cover. Also put one inside the sleep positioner so if they leaked at night it saved the sheets. Less laundry is good!

Thats all I can think of for now. Many congrats and best wishes for your friend!

MommyToAshley replied: I don't have anything to say, but I wanted to say congratulations to your friend. It sounds like a blessing for all involved. Keep us posted how they are doing, and pics too... of course.

Oh...I did think of something... don't forget to give her PC web address.

Calimama replied: Everybody covered the basics but I wanted to say congratulations for your friend! That's awesome!

Anthony275 replied: sharing one crib is fine, i shared one with my brother for awhile

are the babies healthy enough to not be on any medication?

Sam & Abby's Mom replied: Just wanted to pop in to say 'congratulations' to your friend. Its really sweet of you to help her get prepared like this.

Good luck !

boyohboyohboy replied:
so far only one girl has tested positive for cocaine in her system. i have no idea if they are on any medication or if there are any lasting effects. all that my friend said was that the babies were doing really good and didnt need any help breathing.

i was going to do some research today and see what kind of effects drugs can have on these kids in this type of situation.

Anthony275 replied: how old are they, how premature were they? im assuming that since she's taking them home in a few days they're healthy to not be connected to any machines, right?

Hillbilly Housewife replied: I wonder if they'll have the typical crack baby foreheads.

boyohboyohboy replied:
they are not being released for 12 more days, whether that is due to the paperwork of the adoption or else if its medical i do not know.
i dont think she said they are connected to any tubes. and they are eating

boyohboyohboy replied:
i have never heard of this, what does that mean?

stella6979 replied:
That is such great news! And I'm sure that being with two loving Parents is only going to help them thrive even more.