Losing Weight After Twins (Or "Does 'Twin Skin' Ever Go Away"

Is it possible? I am not sure. I am going to bear it all here folks... no, you aren't going to see any photos of my "twin skin". It's safe. I am going to tell you about my weight. Maybe I will feel more accountable if I tell the world all about it. Or at least maybe someone else out there will feel better if they see I am not doing so well...?

I weighed approximately 126 lbs before my latest pregnancy. I weighed 191 lbs the day before I gave birth to my sweet twins. The day they were born, I weighed myself after delivery - 161 lbs. That is awesome! Last Friday I had my 6 weeks (which was actually postponed to weeks), and I weighed in at 145 lbs, I think.

Now, my goal is to exercise and eat properly while still getting enough calories to continue exclusively nursing my twin boys at this time. Notice there is no weight loss goal in this statement. It happens slowly but surely for me. I just don't know how different it will be this time after twins. I gained the weight differently.

Oh, wait, I just thought of a weight loss goal - I want to be able to wear my wedding rings again. Yes, that would be nice. I really miss wearing them.

So I heard about this program Lose Your Mummy Tummy. Anybody heard of this? Better yet, anybody used it successfully? The 'Mummy' who told me about it couldn't say enough positive about it. I'm curious...

The problem has been that I haven't had an appetite, at least not for anything healthy. I crave sugar and lots of it. I want to eat ice cream, cake, cookies, candy, you name it. This is how I found out I can't eat chocolate because the twins don't do well after that.

But I think I am turning the corner. I think my appetite is coming back around with a little self-discipline and some prayer. I actually felt hungry this morning. I haven't felt hungry since I was pregnant.

And, we are getting back into the routine of going for walks. My sister-in-law is letting us borrow their double stroller so we can go on walks with all four little kiddos in a stroller.

They say twin-skin doesn't go away without, say, a tummy tuck. Since I am not even 2 months post-partum, I think I still hold on to naive hope.

What is 'twin-skin', you ask? Well, it kind of reminds one of a raisin, only maybe a little plumper. It can be viewed a couple of different ways. I like to see it this way: Battle scars of a battle fought well and something to be worn proudly. After all, I would do it all again, and looking at those two babies makes it all worth it.

So, How DO You Nurse (as in Breastfeed) Twins?

You get one of these nursing pillows - EZ-2-Nurse Twin Nusring Pillow. I don't think I could nurse my twins at the same time without this pillow. And I don't know whether I could keep my sanity if I didn't nurse my twins at the same time, at least most of the time. So, this pillow is a sanity-saver for me.

I think there are other similar twin pillows out there, but this is the one I have and use day and night.

With a singleton at night, the baby is in the bed with me and can nurse, and I don't have to get up. But I couldn't figure out how to do that with two. I have read about women who did and even read a short tutorial but still couldn't figure it out.

Speaking of tutorials, I came by this pillow second-hand (it was generously given to me in exchange for my regular Boppy nursing pillow) and didn't get any of the paperwork that may have come with it. But I did find this online tutorial which was immensely helpful.

There is even an inflatable double nursing pillow that I think would be a good investment to take on the road with me.

I also found an online site that sells a pattern to make your own twin nursing pillow. I can't find the link, but when I do, I will add it here.

Then, there are nursing tops & dresses... but maybe that will be another post.

I also want to add this link for others expecting twins. There is some great advice on having twins in three parts. It is geared toward a big family with more children than I have, but I found it so helpful anyway!

They say nursing (babies) sucks your brains out...

I haven't blogged in so long... But I really do have good reasons! Homeschooling a 13-year old who would rather not right now (can't blame her!), a two-year old boy that loves to learn about his world in a physical way, an almost four-year old little girl who wants to know what happens to everything and why, a house that doesn't clean itself, laundry that multiplies all by itself, shopping lists, groceries, and meal planning and preparation... the list goes on and on. Oh, and did I mention my newborn twin sons, and the sleepless nights that come with them?

I guess they aren't exactly newborns anymore; they just passed their one month "birthday". They are so sweet and adorable and cuddly... until sometime in the middle of the night. I am not entirely sure when it happens, but all of the sudden my angels don't seem to be as cute as I remember from just a few short hours earlier.

I have never experienced sheer exhaustion until the last few weeks. Fortunately, it is not daily. Some nights are much better than other nights. But I can definitely tell when I am running on a large sleep deficit - my brain just doesn't work. I can't think clearly and I have "tired voice" all day. I have started to keep a "While I Am Thinking About It" notebook. I try to write down everything down so I don't forget.

Yesterday was the worst case of forgetfulness yet. We went to the library a few days ago, and the librarian told the kids about a bug party they were having to kick off their summer reading program. The kids could wear bug costumes, there would be face painting, bug crafts, special guests bringing exotic bugs for the kids to see, and a popular storyteller telling, yep, bug stories.

Kynzie loves bugs, or at least most of them most of the time. She loves to play in the garden, and any dirt patch is a garden to her. She likes to find bugs in her gardens. She loves to learn about bugs. We have a great 3-D book about bees and another one about ants. I would like to have more of those for her. But I digress. My point here is that she was sooooo super excited about that party.

And guess what Mommy forgot. It is still that saddest thing. She prayed two or three times that Jesus would talk to the library and ask them to have another bug party. I am so upset that I forgot.

So, we are going to try to recreate the bug party at home, minus the exotic bugs.

In other news, Max turned two! I will try to load some pics of him in a bit. We didn't have a party. I originally planned to have a double party for Max and Kynzie later in June. But I don't think that is going to happen either. There is so much going on and the idea of a clean house is very enticing but a little overwhelming at this point. We are doing pretty good keeping the living room mostly clean. That's about it.

Also, more than a few people at a time at our house wouldn't fit comfortably pre-twins; post-twins we need a whole room for all the baby equipment! I had good intentions, but I just don't think a big party is going to happen this year.