Real Talk with Real Twin Moms

Raising twins can be an overwhelmingly joyous adventure from the very beginning.  Hopefully myself and other moms of twins can help you out, with our brand new Real Talk with Real Twin Moms series that kicks off today!

In 2017, I’m joining fellow moms of twins to bring you Real Talk with Real Twin Moms! On the 15th of every month, each of us will bring you real answers to questions most moms of twins have. Everything from finding out you are having twins, to delivering twins, the struggles and rewards, and even marriage after twins. We are ready to get real about what it’s like raising twins, and hope it helps you through this adventure! To kick off the Real Talk with Real Twin Moms Series, learn a little bit about these moms, along with their answers to this month’s question.

Real Talk with Real Twin Moms

January: When did you find out you were having twins?

Sarah at SarahintheSuburbs.com

Sarah was born into a military family and raised all over the world, but will always call the southeastern United States home. After graduating from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in Apparel Merchandising, Sarah married her husband, Neil, in January of 2009, and they began to make plans to build their life together in Montgomery, Alabama. Little did they know that twins, a job change, and a move further north to Birmingham were in the not too distant future! Sarah and Neil welcomed their fraternal twin girls in February of 2011, and, just over a year later, Sarah and her family moved to Birmingham following her husband’s acceptance of a new job. With Neil’s love of the mountains and Sarah’s love of the beach, Birmingham is the perfect location for them to raise their family and be equidistant from the two places they love the most. Sarah’s blog focuses on her love of travel, parenting, with little bits of pixie dust thrown in for good measure!

When did you find out you were having twins?

We had tried to get pregnant for a while, and didn’t seem to be having much luck. In an effort to speed things up, my doctor suggested I try a few different things. They still didn’t seem to be working (or so I thought) so I asked for a change in medication. When my monthly visitor was delayed, I chalked it up to the medication. After taking a pregnancy test as a compulsory measure, I was surprised and delighted to find that it was a positive test. I went in for bloodwork like normal, but then received a call from my doctor’s office for a requested ultrasound the next day. I was a bit nervous because of a family history of medical issues, so I had no idea what to expect or why I could possibly need an ultrasound so early in my pregnancy. Lo and behold, my HGH levels were very high and two little beans stared back at me from the ultrasound that day. I cried on the table (not necessarily tears of joy either). What was I going to do with TWO babies at once???

Nakisha at NakishaWynn.com

I’m Nakisha, an African-American mom blogger, and mother of four; a 12-year-old son, a 4-year-old son and 2-year-old twin girls. I am a Florida native, currently residing in Orlando. In early 2016 I began chronicling my life as a self-sufficient single mother of four; sharing my methods on how I make it work. Since then it has become a space to encourage, relate and connect with women who want to have it all, and understand that life doesn’t have to be perfect to do so.

When did you find out you were having twins?

I found out I was pregnant and having twins as a single mom with 12 and 6-month-old sons, having just left a very unhealthy relationship. There was already so much going on so I was in denial for weeks. I’d finally convinced myself that I wasn’t just so tired that all I could do was sleep. I came to realize that I could no longer survive off soda and crackers. So, I decided to stop the denial and go to the doctor for a pregnancy test. Once I gathered the strength to get out of bed and go, not only did I find out I was having twins but that I was already in my second trimester!

Stacy at FancyShanty.com

Stacy is a lifestyle blogger and brand ambassador in Southern California who shares her experiences homeschooling her four children, raising multiples, supporting her two children living with multiple food allergies, and helping her children with special needs thrive. 

Somewhere between wrangling her four children (twins born in 2008, a boy in 2010 and their first girl in 2012), her dog (a reverse brindle boxer) and her husband (a red-headed Spaniard), she still finds the much-needed girl time for a glass of wine while crafting or creating a new, delicious recipe.

When did you find out you were having twins?

We found out we were pregnant in late July of 2005. I remember we had been struggling to get pregnant, so we were cautiously optimistic with the news. August came and before we knew it the doctors began to question a few of the test results we had. Our number were running high, really high, and we were all starting to wonder just how many babies we were having. Then, in late August/early September, it was confirmed. We were having twins! We couldn’t believe it, and we couldn’t be happier! Not only were we blessed with our first child, we were blessed with two children. Two little miracles who would grow up to be two amazing children!

Kimberly at ThingsIThoughtIdNever.com

Kim Gillespie is a Chicago native, whose life journey has taken her from the classroom as an educator, to being a missionary and event planner to stay at home mom. Although she initially earned a degree in economics, she discovered while at Dallas Seminary that she is educator and writer at her core. She loves telling stories about life – and now pursues her love for writing as the mastermind behind Things I Thought I’d Never, an inspirational parenting lifestyle site dedicated to finding the lessons, joy, and humor found in everyday life. She recently relocated to Atlanta, GA with her husband, 6 year- old son, and 3 year old twins girls – who give her plenty of material.

When did you find out you were having twins?

I walked into my first midwife’s appointment a bit concerned. “I feel like I’m bigger than I should be. Could it be twins?” After an examination, the gentle elderly woman smiled and affirmed, “No. I only hear one heartbeat. This is your second baby. You have fibroids. You can expect to be a little bigger.”

Within a week I walked to my closet to grab a pair of jeans. “Hmph. I can’t zip these…or these…or these.” Off I was to purchase maternity clothes. At 10 weeks. My grandfather passed away shortly thereafter and I flew from California to Chicago for his funeral. In the midst of the grieving, there a sweet gift of being able to surprise several family members with a visual announcement of my pregnancy.

“Ohhhh my, you’re expecting!! Is it twins?” (my aunt)
“No, my midwife said she only heard one heartbeat.”

“Wow, how far along are you? Are you pregnant with twins?” (my grandmother’s friend)
“No, my midwife said she only heard one heartbeat.”

“You’re having twins. ” (Bigma, my maternal grandmother, who had a set of twins)

“Those are twins.” (My sister who had TWO sets of twins)

“Yeah.” (My dad, laughing, who IS a twin)

Nope. Nope. Nope. My midwife only heard one heartbeat (cue the knowing side eye from all).

13/14 weeks I walk into my appointment (I missed the window for the screening that would have revealed twins because I was in Chicago). “Are you sure I don’t have twins. I feel a lot of movement and it’s too early.” She continues the exam. Runs the doppler over, and over. One heartbeat. “No, only one heartbeat. The fibroids must be growing, and the baby is positioned in a way to allow you to feel more.” “Humph. Well it’s either twins or an alien.” She erupts into laughter.

20 weeks. Finally, halfway there. Time for the 20 week ultrasound. Ultrasound tech, looking at my belly as she squeezes the gel all over, “How far along did you say you were?” She grabs the wand, places it over my belly. Runs it up one direction, down the other. Then freezes. She looks at the screen with her head tilted. Looks at my chart. Back to the screen. Frantically flips through my chart. Looks at the screen – again. Looks at my husband and I, and begins to stammer, “Um…”

Me (laughing): “You see two babies don’t you?”

Tech (yelling): “YESSSSS!!! Did anyone tell you that?

Me: (with a smirk) Yes. Everyone did. Just not my midwife.

Apparently, throughout my entire pregnancy the girls’ heartbeats were synchronized. They were never able to detect two heartbeats so I always needed an ultrasound to ensure both were thriving. And by grace, thrive they did. They were born at 7lbs 1oz and 7 lbs 11oz.

Ashleigh at DashofEvans.com

Ashleigh Evans is a blogger at Dash of Evans, a site that shares delicious recipes, family tips and more…on a budget. She has three girls: almost 8 year old twins, as well as a 5 year old. Aside from being a bargain shopper, she also loves to share cooking tips on SnapChat.

When did you find out you were having twins?

I found out I was pregnant when I was 24. It was quite a surprise and we were finally coming to terms with it, then I had my first ultrasound at almost 21 weeks. (Still not sure why they waited so long!) The tech assumed this was our second ultrasound and she said “here’s a girl…and here’s another girl!”. My husband started laughing and I turned ghost white. TWINS!? Since they don’t run in either side of our family, this news was even more shocking.

Jana at MerlotMommy.com

Jana Seitzer is founder and editor-in-chief of MerlotMommy.com. She’s a full-time mom to 4 amazing kids (13, 11, 9 & 9), wife, writer, speaker, photographer, marketer, designer, Disney podcaster, LuLaRoe fashion consultant, and social media maven. She loves to travel all over the world—solo and with her family—and tell stories about her travel adventures—adventures that often involve a glass of wine or bourbon.

MerlotMommy.com is a lifestyle and travel blogazine. Whether we’re traveling or enjoying our time at home, you’ll find something there about our travels or our life between trips. We feature stories related to travel destinations, beverages (wine/beer/cocktails), food, parenting, tech gear, entertainment, home, DIY, crafts, travel gear, fitness/health, children, and more. Our next adventure is just around the corner.

When did you find out you were having twins?

I found out I was having twins at our first ultrasound, around 8 weeks. I wasn’t positive when I was due. I was seeming big (closer to 12 weeks in size) and super sick compared to what I was with my first two pregnancies. The OB couldn’t get a heartbeat with the external ultrasound, so they had to use the internal wand. And they found two heartbeats and two separate sacs, which explained my size and sickness (double hormones and babies).

Melissa at SippyCupMom.com

SippyCupMom.com is where Melissa shares the adventures of raising an energetic and YouTube obsessed 8 year old son and sassy and sometimes stubborn 3.5 year old twin girls. She also love to share more about parenting, travel adventures, recipes, crafts, technology, product reviews and more!

When did you find out you were having twins?

I had been having a lot of back pain and nausea when I was about 7 weeks pregnant, so my OB wanted me to come in and run some tests. She ran some blood work and told me she would call me when it came back in. The next week, she called me and told me that she wanted me to come in for an ultrasound after looking at my lab work. My husband and I came in after hours, a little nervous why she wanted an ultrasound so early! When it started, it showed two sacs – one was empty and one had a little one in it, but it was very low in my uterus. My OB thought that it was possible that I might miscarry and told me to go home, rest and come back in a week.

That might have been the longest and most emotional week we have had! I was so worried that we would lose this baby that I didn’t even think much about there being TWO sacs – especially since one was empty. When it came time to go to the second ultrasound, I laid back and held on to my husband’s hand tightly to see how that little baby was doing. The ultrasound tech pointed out that the baby was doing just fine and there was a reason she was so low in my uterus – because there were TWO babies! Sure enough, that second sac wasn’t empty anymore and Baby B had appeared! We couldn’t believe it!

Natasha at HousefulofNicholes.com

Natasha is an African-American blogger living right in the heart of Chicago, where she was born and raised. She’s currently raising four children who were born in 2000 – a boy, Nathaniel, 2008 – a girl, the ladybug , and twins (boy and girl) Lil Miss and Sir Twizzler 2010. She has been with her husband, Shomari since 1994, with one Ross and Rachel break somewhere in there.

Houseful of Nicholes came to be in 2010 when she found out that she was pregnant with twin children. She couldn’t find a place on the internet that she resonated with, as far as planning for expanding a family by two people at once, let alone one that came from the point of view of an African-American family. Since then, she’s shared their growing pains, their wins (potty training) and everything in between that it takes to be a wife, and mom of four in the city.

When did you find out you were having twins?

I found out that I was having twins at about 13 weeks gestation. I was considered high risk because of a previous miscarriage the year before. I remember having a WICKED allergy attack that morning and calling my midwife to make sure that I could take Benadryl before coming in for my ultrasound. I didn’t think anything of it, but after being told that we were having twins, Mr. Houseful and I walked back to our car in silence and sat there for what seemed like eternity. I finally broke the massive quiet growing behind us by looking straight ahead and proclaiming, “We’re gonna need a bigger car.

Lisa at MomontheSide.com

Lisa is a wife and mother to four, including four year old twins, a tween son, and teen daughter. Lisa began blogging almost seven years ago, and has enjoyed sharing parenting advice, easy recipes, printable scavenger hunts, and most recently, a Thirsty Thursday series and a Me Time series becomes moms need to take care of themselves in order to be great mothers. 

When did you find out you were having twins?

About two weeks after I returned from a business trip, I started to feel sick. Having two kid previously, I instantly knew I was pregnant. I booked an appt with my OB for a pregnancy test, which was scheduled for the following week. The next week was spent with the worst morning sickness I had ever experienced and I knew something was different.

The day arrived for our appointment, ad we brought our oldest along. She was 11 and we thought it would be fun to include her in some things, as well as be amazing birth control for the years ahead. 😀 So, we get in the room and the first thing I say is “I don’t know what’s going on but this morning sickness is horrible.” The OB laughed and joked that it was probably two babies. No way I thought, twins don’t really run in the family. Let me tell you, that doesn’t really matter when you are over 30 with a tipped uterus.

We move into the ultrasound room and they placed my husband and daughter behind a curtain because it was an early ultrasound that had to be done on the inside. The OB gets in and is looking around and right away says, “Well, I won’t joke anymore…there are two babies!” I could lie and say that I said something really sweet and inspiring, but truth be told, my words were “Excuse me, but what the f&*^ did you you just say?” Shock took over my language and I instantly apologized for it, but my OB found it quite comical. We saw Baby A and Baby B that day, my oldest heard me swear in a professional setting, and we walked out of there with no clue how our lives were going to change 9 months from then.