Twins Tale

In today's episode, Nat chats with  twin mom and former pro snowboarder Tiffany Marshall. Tiffany is mom to mo di twin boys who are 2 1/2 years old, born at 32 weeks gestation, and had a NICU stay. Tiffany reveals she is miserable with her twins' sleep schedule, so Nat flips the script on Tiffany and gives her advice on how to get her twins to bed before 11 pm.  Tiffany Marshall is twin mom to mono-di twin boys living in Park City, Utah. Tiffany spent many years as a professional snowboarder. After several years competing on the World Cup circuit she decided to finish up college and earn an MBA. She is now a writer and is in the process of getting her first two novels published. Tiffany's Top 3 Pieces of Advice for Twin Parents: 1. Learn to be the best advocate not only for yourself but for your babies. As a twin parent, you will most likely have to jump through more hoops than if you were only giving birth to a single baby. It only took me a few days to realize that I had to be bold. Not rude, but bold and transparent with my care team. If you think something is wrong, speak up and advocate for your babies. You are their only voice! I feel like a lot of us have this awe of doctors. We approach them as if they are gods (and some of them are) but you have to learn to think of them as part of your team; all trying to win at the same game. Use their expertise to help you succeed with the best possible outcome – healthy babies.  2. Create an environment at home that makes life easier for you. Moms go through a lot to bring life into this world. Take some time to set yourself up for success.  3. Being a parent of multiples is such an incredible journey and everyone will want to give you advice (because everyone knows someone with twins and they raised their kids to be absolutely perfect – please, sense my sarcasm here) Do what works for you. Breastfeed for one week or through toddlerhood, allow screen time or don’t, dress your kids the same or don’t, let your kids sleep with you or don’t…Do whatever works best for you and tune out all of the bad vibes. Being a twin parent is challenging enough!  What She Wishes She Had Done Differently: 1. I wish I would have allowed myself the opportunity to celebrate my pregnancy. Having a miscarriage definitely changes you and your perspective. I was terrified. Looking back, I wish I had those bump pictures and I allowed myself to celebrate those small milestones.  2. Because I was on bedrest for pretty much my entire pregnancy, I wish I hadn’t left so many balls up-in-the-air. My Jeep was fourteen years old and I meant to really take some time to look at cars before the boys arrived but being on bed rest didn’t allow me to check that off my list. Once the boys arrived, I was so preoccupied with recovering from my C-section, traveling back-and-forth to the NICU, and pumping every three hours, I didn’t have the time or energy to tackle buying a car. So long story short, check off big tasks on your to-do list at the very beginning of your pregnancy if you are able to.  3. I wish I would have purchased my Willow pumps sooner. I bought them four months after my boys were born and they would have been amazing to have on the drive to and from the NICU every three hours. Know a twin parent who'd like to be a guest? Have them apply at Twiniversity.com/podcast [https://www.twiniversity.com/podcast]. SUBSCRIBE Make sure to SUBSCRIBE [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-twins-tale/id1521305632] to A Twins Tale for more awesome stories of twins at ages and stages from birth to college, from the creators of Twiniversity. If you liked this podcast, check out the Twiniversity Podcast with Natalie Diaz [https://www.twiniversity.com/twiniversity-podcast/]! CLASSES Expecting twins? Check out our twin pregnancy and breastfeeding twins classes here [https://www.twiniversity.com/classes]! MEMBERSHIP Sign up today for a Twiniversity Membership! Choose from 2 levels starting at $6.99/month to connect with other parents of twins in a monthly Zoom twin club, build your twin parenting community in our private Facebook group, and expand your twin parent knowledge with our video learner library. Click here for details. [https://www.twiniversity.com/twiniversity-membership/] FIRST YEAR WITH TWINS Are your twins in their first year? Check out our free First Year with Twins resource [https://www.twiniversity.com/firstyear] to learn tips, advice, and ideas for getting through your first year with twins! BABY SAFETY COURSE Offered on-demand, the Complete Baby Safety Course includes 30 instructional videos on infant, toddler, and child CPR, a variety of first aid techniques you may need with kids, a full explanation about different kinds of car seats and how to install them, and a room-by-room description of how to best childproof your home. Click here for details. [https://www.twiniversity.com/baby-safety-course/] CONTACT US VISIT Twiniversity.com [https://www.twiniversity.com/] for tons of free twin tips! FOLLOW us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/Twiniversity], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/Twiniversity], Pinterest [https://www.pinterest.com/Twiniversity], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/Twiniversity], and Twitter [https://www.twitter.com/Twiniversity]. SUBSCRIBE to our email newsletter! [https://www.twiniversity.com/subscribe/] Visit the Twiniversity Etsy Shop [https://www.etsy.com/shop/twiniversity]

In today's episode, Nat chats with Jayme Wise,  mom to 20-month-old twins, about conceiving her twins a few days apart thanks to multiple ovulation, symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), preeclampsia, delivery at 37 weeks, a rocky start to breastfeeding,  a partner who suffered from dad postpartum depression, and so much more. Jayme Wise is a catastrophe claim rep who works about 50-60 hours a week from St. Louis, Missouri. She and her husband Andrew have been married since June of 2018 and have 20-month-old twins. They enjoy lots of walks in the park and reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear approximately 600 times a day. Jayme's Top 3 Pieces of Advice for Twin Parents: 1. Talk about EVERYTHING with your partner before the babies are born. And I mean EVERYTHING. Talk about an action plan for preterm labor, talk about your hospital bag and what it should contain, talk about worst case scenarios for pregnancy/delivery, talk about what your partner would need to do to advocate for you in the event that you can’t advocate for yourself, and talk about what life is going to look like when you bring them home. And have a back up plan for ALL of that.. set expectations with your partner about distribution of housework, baby care, etc. and make sure to discuss PPD in as much detail as you can to be aware of the symptoms / signs. My husband actually got PPD after delivery but we were able to recognize it because we’d discussed it in detail.  2. GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. When you are comfortable enough after delivery to push the stroller, get used to putting both babies in & out of car seats and taking them for walks, on midday drives, etc. Getting out of the house and into the sun whenever possible truly helps to make you feel like a human being again. Going for a walk in the park with your tiny human beings marveling at nature somehow feels 6000 times more amazing when you’ve got millions of postpartum hormones coursing through your body!  3. Love your partner truly, madly, deeply - sounds so cheesy but just try to remember at every single step that this is the person you’ve chosen to be your partner in crime, your love, and your other half. Your babies were born out of the love you share with that person and they’re going to go into the world (hopefully) exemplifying that love to everyone they meet. I heard so many pieces of advice about “not getting a divorce in the first year because you can make it!” And I was honestly a little horrified? Having twins definitely made my husband and me closer and I’m so grateful for that! What She Wishes She Had Done Differently: 1. Wish I would not have given up on breastfeeding both babies. My hospital stay was rough, and the lactation consultant that we had was just... mean. The day nurses weren’t that helpful in terms of getting babies to latch and I couldn’t stand hearing “well they only need a couple of drops of colostrum! Their bellies are so small!” anymore, so on the second night we finally had to beg a night nurse to order formula, and the twins were eating but then they made an assumption that I just didn’t WANT to breastfeed so I no longer got help. It was such a frustrating and saddening experience. My son refused to nurse most of his first year and would actually scream every single time I tried. Sometimes he’d settle down and nurse and other times he’d fight until I gave up and just gave him a bottle.  2. I wish I would have worked out more and created a time for myself to actually focus on my health.  Know a twin parent who'd like to be a guest? Have them apply at Twiniversity.com/podcast [https://www.twiniversity.com/podcast]. SUBSCRIBE Make sure to SUBSCRIBE [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-twins-tale/id1521305632] to A Twins Tale for more awesome stories of twins at ages and stages from birth to college, from the creators of Twiniversity. If you liked this podcast, check out the Twiniversity Podcast with Natalie Diaz [https://www.twiniversity.com/twiniversity-podcast/]! CLASSES Expecting twins? Check out our twin pregnancy and breastfeeding twins classes here [https://www.twiniversity.com/classes]! MEMBERSHIP Sign up today for a Twiniversity Membership! Choose from 2 levels starting at $6.99/month to connect with other parents of twins in a monthly Zoom twin club, build your twin parenting community in our private Facebook group, and expand your twin parent knowledge with our video learner library. Click here for details. [https://www.twiniversity.com/twiniversity-membership/] FIRST YEAR WITH TWINS Are your twins in their first year? Check out our free First Year with Twins resource [https://www.twiniversity.com/firstyear] to learn tips, advice, and ideas for getting through your first year with twins! BABY SAFETY COURSE Offered on-demand, the Complete Baby Safety Course includes 30 instructional videos on infant, toddler, and child CPR, a variety of first aid techniques you may need with kids, a full explanation about different kinds of car seats and how to install them, and a room-by-room description of how to best childproof your home. Click here for details. [https://www.twiniversity.com/baby-safety-course/] CONTACT US VISIT Twiniversity.com [https://www.twiniversity.com/] for tons of free twin tips! FOLLOW us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/Twiniversity], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/Twiniversity], Pinterest [https://www.pinterest.com/Twiniversity], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/Twiniversity], and Twitter [https://www.twitter.com/Twiniversity]. SUBSCRIBE to our email newsletter! [https://www.twiniversity.com/subscribe/] Visit the Twiniversity Etsy Shop [https://www.etsy.com/shop/twiniversity]

In today's episode, Nat chats with Anita Chaudhari, mom of 4-year-old twin boys, about her pregnancy and planned C-section delivery at 38 weeks, how her twins are alike and how they differ, why she naps her twins in separate rooms, what she's planning for her twins in Kindergarten, and her top advice for new parents of twins. Anita Chaudhari is a stay-at-home mom to four-year-old twin boys, Ashton and Noah.  After struggling with fertility for many years, Anita and her husband Manny found out they were pregnant with twins and it was the greatest blessing of their life! Anita left her corporate job in Human Resources to be at home with her boys and, along the way, she developed a passion for respectful parenting and non-toxic living.  She is intentional about how she chooses to live her life and is looking to pass this approach down to her boys.  She continues to practice her HR skills on a part-time basis by assisting her husband at his company and is a Brand Partner with Young Living where she helps other families and moms transition to a low-toxic lifestyle.   Find Anita on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ani_twinmama/ ], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100026704536955 ], and her website [http://25332150.lifestepseo.com].    Anita's Top 3 Pieces of Advice for Twin Parents: 1. Have a game plan for how you will be taking care of your new babies once they arrive! Make sure you have help lined up (family, night nurse, au pair, etc.) and talk it over with your spouse so that you are both on the same page.  2. Get out and do things with your twins and don't let the fear stop you from living life! Having twins is harder than having a singleton but don't let that stop you from getting out and about with your twins. If one cries, then you attend to that one and both are crying, that's OK too. You can handle it!  3. Stick to a routine/schedule and write everything down! We had a notebook where we logged every feed, every diaper change, and their naps and it was super helpful! 3 Things She Wishes She Had Done Differently: 1. I would have limited the visitors at the hospital. We were there for seven days and it felt like someone was always there (with the best intentions) but that made attempting to breastfeed very difficult and awkward at times.  2. I wish we would have had a night nurse lined up to help at least a couple of nights a week as our babies did not sleep well and we were absolutely sleep deprived in those first five months (before we sleep trained).  3. I wish we had connected with other twin parents by joining twin groups or organizations such as Twiniversity. Read as many books on twin parenting that you can and soak up the knowledge before the twins arrive because you won't have much time afterward. Know a twin parent who'd like to be a guest? Have them apply at Twiniversity.com/podcast [https://www.twiniversity.com/podcast]. SUBSCRIBE Make sure to SUBSCRIBE [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-twins-tale/id1521305632] to A Twins Tale for more awesome stories of twins at ages and stages from birth to college, from the creators of Twiniversity. If you liked this podcast, check out the Twiniversity Podcast with Natalie Diaz [https://www.twiniversity.com/twiniversity-podcast/]! CLASSES Expecting twins? Check out our twin pregnancy and breastfeeding twins classes here [https://www.twiniversity.com/classes]! MEMBERSHIP Sign up today for a Twiniversity Membership! Choose from 2 levels starting at $6.99/month to connect with other parents of twins in a monthly Zoom twin club, build your twin parenting community in our private Facebook group, and expand your twin parent knowledge with our video learner library. Click here for details. [https://www.twiniversity.com/twiniversity-membership/] FIRST YEAR WITH TWINS Are your twins in their first year? Check out our free First Year with Twins resource [https://www.twiniversity.com/firstyear] to learn tips, advice, and ideas for getting through your first year with twins! BABY SAFETY COURSE Offered on-demand, the Complete Baby Safety Course includes 30 instructional videos on infant, toddler, and child CPR, a variety of first aid techniques you may need with kids, a full explanation about different kinds of car seats and how to install them, and a room-by-room description of how to best childproof your home. Click here for details. [https://www.twiniversity.com/baby-safety-course/] CONTACT US VISIT Twiniversity.com [https://www.twiniversity.com/] for tons of free twin tips! FOLLOW us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/Twiniversity], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/Twiniversity], Pinterest [https://www.pinterest.com/Twiniversity], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/Twiniversity], and Twitter [https://www.twitter.com/Twiniversity]. SUBSCRIBE to our email newsletter! [https://www.twiniversity.com/subscribe/] Visit the Twiniversity Etsy Shop [https://www.etsy.com/shop/twiniversity]

In today's episode, Nat chats with Vanilynne Gulla, mom of 3-year-old twin girls plus a 6-year-old singleton boy.  Vanilynne shares all the details of life with a "pair and a spare", including a bumpy twin pregnancy that lasted to 37 weeks, how well her son did when bringing home the babies, how different her twins are, what their bedtime routine looks like, and much more. Vanilynne Gulla is a former military brat, having lived in 10 different homes and gone to 10 different schools by age 10. Because of this childhood, she's come to appreciate the culture and diversity around her, from food to customs to points of view. This knack for observation led her to a career in TV research, where she analyzes what people like and want to see more of on TV. She lives in NYC, living her best life with her husband Dan, 6-year old son Eli, and twin 3-year old daughters, Alma and Ramona. She prides herself on raising her children to know and be proud of their multicultural background, and once they're old enough to appreciate it, hopes to take them to the places of their heritage. Vanilynne's Top 3 Pieces of Advice for Twin Parents: 1. Breathe! Diaper changes, endless amounts of laundry, getting food on the table aside, take a moment to realize what a superhero you are bringing these wonderful human beings into the world. You, yes you, are doing an amazing job.  2. Make time for yourself to show your children you are your own person too. Whether it's fitness, leading an advocacy group, maintaining a fashion vlog, DJing, or selling your creative wares on Etsy, don't forget to do you! It is definitely easier said than done in the first precious months, but when you are ready to give yourself permission to carve out time for you, do it.  3. Taking photos of your kids is great, but, moms especially - make sure you are in photos with your children. Posed photos are great, but don't overlook the value of photos of you and them in everyday situations like mealtime, bathtime, etc. Think of the feelings that you and your kids will have seeing these photos again 20 years down the road. It won't matter whether you didn't have makeup on, or had spit-up on your shirt, or that you didn't have time to otherwise pose. Polished or not, make sure you are in photos! 3 Things She Wishes She Had Done Differently: 1. I need schedules and routines to feel like I have a sense of control. There have definitely been some times I wish I were looser to feel more in the moment. One day, I'll find that right balance!  2. I find I sometimes give in too easily to the twin who's demanding something or crying more. Doing so rewards that twin in the wrong way - being more intentional with boundaries and rules is something to focus on!  3. I wish I exposed my twins to a variety of foods a lot sooner. I was brought up as a child to not waste any food and that made me hold back from making new foods for my twins anticipating we'd have a lot of leftover food on the floor. While my girls are certainly not the pickiest kids in the world, I do think their palate would be much wider if I worked a little harder at providing them more types of food. Know a twin parent who'd like to be a guest? Have them apply at Twiniversity.com/podcast [https://www.twiniversity.com/podcast]. SUBSCRIBE Make sure to SUBSCRIBE [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-twins-tale/id1521305632] to A Twins Tale for more awesome stories of twins at ages and stages from birth to college, from the creators of Twiniversity. If you liked this podcast, check out the Twiniversity Podcast with Natalie Diaz [https://www.twiniversity.com/twiniversity-podcast/]! CLASSES Expecting twins? Check out our twin pregnancy and breastfeeding twins classes here [https://www.twiniversity.com/classes]! MEMBERSHIP Sign up today for a Twiniversity Membership! Choose from 2 levels starting at $6.99/month to connect with other parents of twins in a monthly Zoom twin club, build your twin parenting community in our private Facebook group, and expand your twin parent knowledge with our video learner library. Click here for details. [https://www.twiniversity.com/twiniversity-membership/] FIRST YEAR WITH TWINS Are your twins in their first year? Check out our free First Year with Twins resource [https://www.twiniversity.com/firstyear] to learn tips, advice, and ideas for getting through your first year with twins! BABY SAFETY COURSE Offered on-demand, the Complete Baby Safety Course includes 30 instructional videos on infant, toddler, and child CPR, a variety of first aid techniques you may need with kids, a full explanation about different kinds of car seats and how to install them, and a room-by-room description of how to best childproof your home. Click here for details. [https://www.twiniversity.com/baby-safety-course/] CONTACT US VISIT Twiniversity.com [https://www.twiniversity.com/] for tons of free twin tips! FOLLOW us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/Twiniversity], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/Twiniversity], Pinterest [https://www.pinterest.com/Twiniversity], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/Twiniversity], and Twitter [https://www.twitter.com/Twiniversity]. SUBSCRIBE to our email newsletter! [https://www.twiniversity.com/subscribe/] Visit the Twiniversity Etsy Shop [https://www.etsy.com/shop/twiniversity]

In today's episode, Nat chats with Brittany Bezore, mom to 3-year-old twin boys and a 9-month-old boy, about the trials of having a 3rd baby that the twins don't like, understanding twin language, getting her twins into speech therapy, her twins' bedtime chit chat, and the mistake of comparing herself to moms of singletons. Brittany Bezore is a stay-at-home mom to three boys, 3-year-old twins, Maverick and Murphy, and 9-month-old Major. She lives in Savannah, Georgia where she was born and raised. She is married to a Captain in the Georgia Air National Guard. She loves to lift weights, take the boys on walks, visit state and national parks, and spend time with her family. She is currently studying to be a Certified Personal Trainer so she can help other moms feel better about themselves and reach their health and lifestyle goals. Find her on Instagram @brittanyl.bezore [https://www.instagram.com/brittanyl.bezore] Know a twin parent who'd like to be a guest? Have them apply at Twiniversity.com/podcast [https://www.twiniversity.com/podcast]. SUBSCRIBE Make sure to SUBSCRIBE [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-twins-tale/id1521305632] to A Twins Tale for more awesome stories of twins at ages and stages from birth to college, from the creators of Twiniversity. If you liked this podcast, check out the Twiniversity Podcast with Natalie Diaz [https://www.twiniversity.com/twiniversity-podcast/]! CLASSES Expecting twins? Check out our twin pregnancy and breastfeeding twins classes here [https://www.twiniversity.com/classes]! MEMBERSHIP Sign up today for a Twiniversity Membership! Choose from 2 levels starting at $6.99/month to connect with other parents of twins in a monthly Zoom twin club, build your twin parenting community in our private Facebook group, and expand your twin parent knowledge with our video learner library. Click here for details. [https://www.twiniversity.com/twiniversity-membership/] FIRST YEAR WITH TWINS Are your twins in their first year? Check out our free First Year with Twins resource [https://www.twiniversity.com/firstyear] to learn tips, advice, and ideas for getting through your first year with twins! BABY SAFETY COURSE Offered on-demand, the Complete Baby Safety Course includes 30 instructional videos on infant, toddler, and child CPR, a variety of first aid techniques you may need with kids, a full explanation about different kinds of car seats and how to install them, and a room-by-room description of how to best childproof your home. Click here for details. [https://www.twiniversity.com/baby-safety-course/] CONTACT US VISIT Twiniversity.com [https://www.twiniversity.com/] for tons of free twin tips! FOLLOW us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/Twiniversity], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/Twiniversity], Pinterest [https://www.pinterest.com/Twiniversity], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/Twiniversity], and Twitter [https://www.twitter.com/Twiniversity]. SUBSCRIBE to our email newsletter! [https://www.twiniversity.com/subscribe/] Visit the Twiniversity Etsy Shop [https://www.etsy.com/shop/twiniversity]