Two at once. If those three words land as equal parts thrilling and terrifying right now, you're in exactly the spot I was a few years ago. My twin boys turned up two days before my eldest turned two, so for a while I had three boys under two and a half. I genuinely don't know how I got through it — but they're three and five now, and I'm here to tell you it's completely doable. You might even love it. Here's what helped me: not expert wisdom, just hard-won notes from someone who came out the other side in one piece.
Twin pregnancy
Let's start at the beginning. I'll leave the medical detail to the professionals, but the headline is simple: you're growing two humans at the same time, and that is no small feat.
The downside is that, for some of us, double the babies can mean double the rough symptoms. Everyone's different — plenty of twin parents sail through, others really struggle. Having already had one singleton pregnancy, I landed somewhere in the middle, though I won't pretend the twin one was fun.
Bad morning sickness is common. A few things worth trying: nibbling ginger biscuits or cookies, sucking on ice, or anti–travel-sickness wristbands. They each took the edge off, but mine eventually got bad enough that I was put on medication — which I'd think twice about, since the constipation that came with it was worse than the sickness ever was. The tiredness, meanwhile, is on another level, especially early on. Rest whenever you possibly can; even ten minutes with your feet up while someone else takes over counts.
Looking after newborn twins
So they're here, and you're staring at two newborns wondering how on earth you'll manage. You will. My single biggest tip is to say yes to every offer of help, however small — a load of laundry, someone holding a baby while you shower, a friend dropping off dinner. Don't try to do it all alone; you've got twins, you're already doing plenty. The two things I most wanted to crack early on were sleeping and feeding, which is more or less all newborns do anyway.
Sleeping
This is where the advice differs depending on where you live, so it's worth knowing both sides. In the UK, Twins Trust says similar-sized newborns can share one large cot — co-bedding — and that research suggests they don't wake any more often, and may even settle into similar patterns. In the US, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises the opposite: each baby in their own separate sleep surface from birth, citing suffocation and SIDS risks. So check your local guidance and ask your midwife, health visitor or pediatrician. Mine shared a crib by my bed at first, then moved into separate beds in a shared room as they grew.
Either way, the basics are the same everywhere, and matter even more if your babies came early: always on their backs, on a firm, clear surface, sleeping in your room for the first six months — room-sharing without bed-sharing is linked to a much lower SIDS risk. I swaddled mine at first, then moved to baby sleeping bags. Beyond that it was pure trial and error, and at the very start nothing worked — which is completely normal. It took weeks of stubborn persistence (my two hated sleep), but I got there.
Feeding
I won't pretend otherwise: feeding twins swallows up huge amounts of time. The reassuring news is that it's entirely possible to breastfeed two, often right up until solids, with the same benefits as for a single baby — and feeding often in the early days (roughly eight to twelve times in 24 hours) is what builds your supply.
My top tip is to feed them together where you can. Many parents find it easier to feed one at a time at first, nailing latch and position, before moving to tandem feeds with a good twin feeding pillow — and tandem bottle-feeding works just as well. In the day I'd feed mine in their bouncers while sitting facing them, or sit between them on the floor against the sofa; for night feeds, that W-shaped twin pillow was a lifesaver.
One safety note: never prop a baby with a bottle, feed them lying down, or leave them unattended during a feed.
And sync those feeds, or you'll be feeding someone every waking minute. When one wakes at night, gently wake the other and feed them together so they (hopefully) settle back at the same time. If you've a partner, take shifts — one sleeps the early stretch while the other covers, then swap.
Getting out and about
You really can leave the house — honestly. Research double strollers (side-by-side versus tandem; both have trade-offs), and consider a sling if an older child still needs the stroller. Car seats that clip onto the frame are brilliant for moving sleeping babies indoors, and a big backpack as a changing bag keeps you hands-free. Buy diapers and wipes in bulk when they're on sale, because you'll tear through them.
Above all, brace yourself for attention wherever you go — and remember, you've got this. Good luck!
