The featured blogger this week is Jamie of Senner 2+2. Jamie is the proud MoM of almost 2 year old identical boys, Ethan and Nolan. Jamie’s boys were MoMo twins, which is very rare when having boys. Jamie told me that while she has never written a post about her boys being MoMo’s she loves reminding herself what a miracle they are!

What was your reaction when you found out you were pregnant with twins?

I was shocked but not really…

I took my first pregnancy test on a Thursday night, which was day 1 of week 3. I took it because I was standing up in a wedding that weekend and wanted to know if I could drink or not.

Initially I didn’t think I was having twins but the more it sunk in how early I tested positive and the more research (scanning the internet) I did the more my husband and I started wondering about it.

Ever since I met my husband he always said he was going to have twin boys so this just played in to it. Everyone was joking that we were going to have twins.

I was shocked and surprised but not 100% since we had been “acting” like it was twins all along.

Your boys are MoMo twins, can you talk a little bit about this and how this changed your pregnancy?

We learned very early in the pregnancy that I was carrying monochorionic / monoamniotic twins. The specialist explained the risks and from that point on I began preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.

I am not an expert but this is how I have explained it to family members in non-medical terms. The boys were in the same amniotic sac and they shared a placenta, which meant that their umbilical cords could tangle and that one could get more nutrients than the other. From the moment this was confirmed everything about my pregnancy changed for me…I didn’t want a shower before they were born, I didn’t want the cribs set up until a certain week in the pregnancy, any time I had a long period of no movement I would panic and dance to wake them up. I never really wanted to get too attached because everyday I feared I would lose them. It was a huge struggle within myself. I wanted them to know I loved them more than anything but I still wanted to protect myself from great sadness.

Due to the cord entanglement risk I chose to go in-patient at 28 weeks for monitoring. Physically I was doing fine, I just wanted as much monitoring as possible so that if a heart rate ever dropped I could have an emergency C-Section right away. We were VERY fortunate to make it to 32 weeks and on 32 weeks 1 day we elected to have the boys born via c-section.

What tips do you have for expectant MoM’s who are on bed rest for an extended period of time?

Take advantage of it! 🙂 I was not on bedrest but I was confined to a hospital room so it was basically the same thing. I suggest stocking up snacks, bringing all of your personal comforts with you, lots of books and DVD’s. Use this time to rest, relax and grow your babies. It can be tough but just kept reminding yourself that as your babies Mother this is just another one your jobs!

How are your boys today?

Normal, healthy growing toddlers! We have been very fortunate.

What is your favorite thing about being a twin mom?

Everything. I love watching them interact with each other. I love holding them both at the same time. I love knowing that they will always have each other no matter what. I love having double cute-ness!

What are some of your favorite things to do as a family?

We love to just play and be silly. The boys laugh at all kinds of crazy noises and they love to be chased. I honestly, just love it best when my husband and I are both home playing with the boys together and it can be something as simple as doing a puzzle or reading a book.

What question(s) do you have for the other families in the community?

Too many to list here! Our current struggle is with hitting. How do you handle it when your kid hits your or their sibling and when you tell them not to they just look at you like you are insane? Our pediatrician recommended time outs at this age but we haven’t been successful with that yet.