Tummy time is even more important now that it is the paediatric standard to put your babies ‘back to sleep’.
Morning sickness is a bit of a misnomer; while morning is the most common time to experience feelings of nausea, morning sickness can be experienced at any point in the day – especially if you are carrying twins. Researchers aren’t entirely sure what causes morning sickness, but there is a general consensus that morning sickness is at least partially related to hCG, (human chorionic gonadotropin), a hormone produced during pregnancy. During a multiple pregnancy, hCG levels are higher than in a singleton pregnancy which explains why episodes of morning sickness tend to be elevated in twin pregnancies. This leaves many moms asking how to cope with morning sickness.
During the first year, your baby’s digestive system is in training. It is maturing and they may have allergies to certain foods that you have yet to realize, or some foods may cause choking hazards. Given these parameters, parents have a lot of questions, asking what can’t their babies eat in their first year?
Black or green tea, which prevents absorption of iron;
Honey, which can harbor spores of Clostridium botulinum, which cause botulism that your baby is too young to fight;
Getting out of the house with infants can be a challenge. It takes lots of preparation and a carefully orchestrated strategy to leave the house without forgetting something and with everyone still smiling. Traveling with babies is the same, but with more stuff. You have to consider whether your destination has the equipment you use at home, specifically cribs, high chairs, bouncy chairs, play mats, toys, and anything else you may need on a daily basis.
To give your child the best chance of healthy teeth, you need to make sure to get into the habit of cleaning your baby’s mouth every day. Healthy habits lead to good dental health for your child. Here are some ways to keep your baby’s teeth healthy.
If you are planning to get creative and make baby food, it may be a good idea to try the bottled variety first to make sure that they like it. It is recommended that babies try vegetables first before they develop a preference for the sweeter fruit. We have some tips on introducing baby’s first foods.
Naming twins can be double trouble for parents who are already having problems picking out just one name. You never realize how many people you don’t like or have memories of until you try to name a baby. Likewise, it can be hard to pick who to honour with a name when you have so many special people in your circle. It can be hard to know how to name your twins.
Another challenge faced by twin mothers is the increased chance of having one or both your babies in the NICU. You might wonder how that works – breastfeeding in the NICU.
If you intend to breastfeed and these are your first children or if you have not attempted breastfeeding before, be prepared
When I was about 10 weeks pregnant I was very excited to see my doctor, because the pregnancy was advanced enough to be able to hear my baby’s heartbeat on the Doppler. We heard it, and it was unbelievable. It made everything seem real – there was, in fact, a baby on the way. I joked to my practitioner at the time, ‘there’s only one in there, right?’ She laughed and said no way was I having twins, I had barely gained any weight and besides, we could only hear one heartbeat.