A twin pregnancy has some unique challenges of it’s own, from the increased frequency of prenatal appointments to likely measuring full term as early as 6 months along! Here are some of my top 10 twin pregnancy essentials that helped me throughout my twin pregnancy, in addition to something I wish I had to help me with my toddler at the time!
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Maternity Belt
When pregnant with twins, you often end up measuring full term by the time you’re about 5 months along. This means your belly will get HUGE and you’ll need a lot more support than one needs with a singleton pregnancy. Granted, plenty of women pregnant with one baby may use these as well but seems to be rather essential when pregnant with twins.
I purchased mine when I was about 6 months pregnant, already measuring full term for a singleton pregnancy, and feeling such pressure already that I felt my pelvis was going to completely disintegrate and fall out of my body. Of course, and luckily, that didn’t happen but the pressure was intense.
I would suggest getting this belt much earlier in pregnancy than I did, maybe around 3 or 4 months along, to get more use out of it. I found that it helped me significantly more when I was standing or walking than when I was sitting. I also found that as I got bigger, it didn’t help as much. Starting to use it early on helps the most.
Adjustable : Easily adjust the belly band pregnancy support to your growing baby bump for maximum comfort and support throughout pregnancy. SIZING: See our pregnancy belly support description below.
Breathable : Stay cool and comfortable with the breathable fabric of the maternity support belt. This belly band for pregnancy is the perfect complement to your maternity clothes.
Durable : This pregnant belly support belt features new reinforced hooks and loops fabric fasteners designed to last throughout your entire pregnancy and adapt as your belly weight increases.
Heartburn Support
When I was pregnant with my twins I got heartburn so badly it felt like there was someone stabbing me in my shoulder. That sounds odd for heartburn but it traveled from my tummy straight to my shoulder and was very intense. My chiropractor told me of some great, more natural, things to try.
Take EnzymixPro from Apex Energetics (on the left) before you eat and Chewable Super Papaya Enzyme Plus by American Health (on the right) after you eat if needed. This took my heartburn from debilitating as it was shooting up to my shoulder like someone had stuck a sword in me, to absolutely nothing, I was just fine when I took these. I got them through my chiropractor, and quite honestly, the best place to get supplements is your local co-op or chiropractor if they sell them. Amazon has EnzymixPro but it costs about twice as much as it would through my chiropractor.
The Papaya Enzymes are more widely available, including through Amazon for a reasonable price.
- A Natural Digestive Aid; Contains freshly ripened papaya fruit with papain, amylase & protease enzymes, which aid in the digestion of proteins and carbohydrates
- Promotes Nutrient Absorption; Ideal after meals to aid in nutrient absorption and support digestive health; Chewable enzyme blend
- Convenient & Delicious; Take these great-tasting, naturally-sourced papaya enzyme chewables after any meal to promote gastrointestinal wellness
- Ideal "After-Meal" Supplement; Chewable papaya enzymes are ideal after any meal when looking for extra digestive support
- Suitable For Vegans/Vegetarians; No gluten, no yeast, no wheat, no milk or milk derivatives, no lactose, no soy, no egg, no grapefruit, no artificial colors, no sodium
Body Pillow or Pregnancy Pillow
During my twin pregnancy, I slept best when I would use a body pillow. I really like having a body pillow between my legs to help my spine be straighter as I sleep and to cuddle as well.
STUFFING: Unique shredded memory foam stuffing makes it possible to adjust the level of pillows in certain space to meet your various need, promotes an aligned spine. The fluffy body pillow is suitable for side, back, and stomach sleepers!
EXQUISITE & SOFT SUPPORT Our long body pillow is filled with memory foam can perfectly contours your curves and helps to reduce pressure on muscles, pressure points, and joints for deep and rejuvenating rest.
Many other pregnant moms prefer an actual pregnancy pillow, like the one below. Keep in mind they are quite big so depending on the size of the bed and if you have a partner sharing the bed with you, things might become a bit tight.
- One pillow that takes the place of multiple pillows
- Can help provide support for neutral positioning
- Can help provide support to lower back, hips, and tummy
- Use for upper or lower body elevation
- Zippered removable cover for ease of use
- T-shirt soft jersey cover is machine washable and dryer safe
Journal
As previously mentioned, twin pregnancies often require significantly more appointments than a typical pregnancy. I have MoDi twins, they had separate sacs but shared a placenta, and I needed to have appointments every other week from weeks 14-30, and then weekly from 30 weeks until I delivered. This was on top of my regular OB appointments. All of those appointments mean a lot of information to take in and keep track of as well, especially if any issues arise. Having a journal that fits in your purse is ideal so you can take it with you, along with some snacks and water, to all of your appointments.
This journal is small enough to fit in a purse, just 7″ tall x 5.2″ wide x 0.7″ thick. It also has a nice elastic enclosure to ensure it doesn’t come open in your purse when you put it in and the pages get bent. It has 160 pages and is lined.
Spiral journals are great if you have a bigger purse and can fit them. I find them easier to write in, but also are bulkier.
Package includes: 3 abstract quicksand spiral notebooks, single-sided printing.
Cover: Brightly colored abstract quicksand is used as the main body of the design. The font of the notebook is bronzing. The cover is made with thick cardboard and high-end materials, which can not only protect the inner pages but also waterproof. The edges are designed with more humane rounded corners.
Pages: The size 5.5x8.3 inches/14x21cm is portable, and 80 quality sheets are used to avoid ink spreading and leakage.
Maternity Clothes
I already had maternity clothes from my first pregnancy so I wrote those until I got too big for them. I was measuring full term when I was just about 26 weeks along, or 6-1/2 months along in my pregnancy, and still had a while to go yet. I suggest getting maternity clothes that fit of course but realizing that you may need to get bigger ones by the end. I was originally due in October but that was moved up since I had twins, but by about July/August I needed to be finding tops that would fit my massive belly. Luckily it was summer so I just grabbed some soft maternity tank tops from Target that I really loved. I actually still wear those even now but now that I’m not pregnant with twins, they are more like mini nightgowns for bedtime. Haha!
Buying Second Hand
I had gotten a lot of my maternity clothes through second-hand maternity shops for my first pregnancy, which if you can find any in your area I highly recommend doing so! We had a great second hand shop here in Minnesota but sadly it has closed now. Really though, second hand is where it’s at if you can find some.
Buying New
Especially for a twin pregnancy, I highly suggest the full panel pants and shorts instead of the partial panel. Though they’re spendy, I loved the Motherhood Maternity Full Panel jeans the most during both of my pregnancies. They can be purchased through Motherhood Maternity or apparently Amazon carries them as well. I especially like these because they have petite sizes, which are hard to find. Even though my belly was massive, I was still short so needed petite pants for sure!
One nice thing about buying these through Amazon is they qualify for Amazon Wardrobe so you can try them and send them back at no cost if they don’t fit.
SUPER STRETCHY JEANS - The Motherhood Maternity Women's Super Stretch Skinny Denim Jean is designed for casual everyday wear or can be dressed up with a blouse or blazer for a more polished look. The super stretchy fabric provides comfort and flexibility throughout your pregnancy.
SECRET FIT BELLY - Motherhood Maternity’s exclusive secret fit belly is a seamless stretch maternity panel that grows with you throughout your pregnancy. The panel provides support and comfort to your growing belly while also ensuring a seamless look under your clothes. The exclusive, patent secret fit belly features our signature waistband that can be pulled over or folded below your bump.
Shirt Extenders
I so wish I would have come across these when I was pregnant with twins!! These shirt extenders could make it so that your originally size small body could possibly stay in size small maternity clothes throughout your pregnancy by adding these under your clothes! Worth a try!
For best fit, measure just below bust and use the sizing chart
Seven Fashionable Colors: Choose from our seven stylish colors to match any maternity outfit.
Our belly band comes in eight different sizes to accommodate women of all body types and sizes.
Our belly band is a pregnancy must-have that provides cover for pregnancy and can be worn with maternity jeans, tank tops, and shirts and skirts.
Target Maternity Clothes
I also found that my local Target store had some great maternity clothes. When I was pregnant with my first child back in 2015/2016 I don’t remember them having many options but by the time I was pregnant with my twins in 2018 they had a decent selection.
Nursing Bras
You may think that you don’t need nursing bras until the babies are born but let me tell you, your boobs will grow before babies are born as they prepare, and your old bras will become VERY uncomfortable. Especially if you currently wear an underwire bra.
Throughout both of my pregnancies, breastfeeding, and pumping journeys, I loved these bras from Motherhood Maternity. You may want to size up when you have twins, as I think I eventually went from a size small bra to a medium, from what I could remember. With twins, my boobs were producing 4oz of milk each breast every 3 hours so got pretty big and a size small would no longer comfortably contain them.
- COMFORT AND SUPPORT - Motherhood Maternity’s Women's Seamless Clipdown Nursing Bra is a customer favorite for both expecting and new moms. The soft fabric, seamless design, and full coverage provide comfort and support all day long.
- CONVENIENT NURSING FEATURE - The adjustable strap and clip down nursing feature offer comfort and ease for breastfeeding mothers. No need to remove the entire bra when feeding your baby.
- LIGHTLY LINED FOR COMFORT - Seamless nursing bra features lightly lined cups, providing comfort and support for average, full, and plus-sized busted women. Ribbed bottom band offers additional support.
- HOOK AND EYE CLOSURE - The bra features a hook and eye closure for a secure fit, ensuring the bra stays in place throughout the day. The removable cups allow for easy washing and flexibility in fit.
- MEDIUM SUPPORT - Average busted silhouette provides medium support, ideal for cup sizes A-D. Full busted & plus size provides coverage for D+ cup sizes & beyond. Whether pregnant or breastfeeding, nursing bra offers support & comfort for everyday wear.
Shoes
It may seem odd to need different shoes while pregnant but it surely happened to me and it might happen to you! I was a size 7.5 since my late teens and maintained that size while pregnant with my first child. My twin pregnancy was a whole different story though. I got to the point I could only fit in my flip-flops by the time I was 7 or so months pregnant because my feet were so swollen. It also was summer so that didn’t help with the swelling. Even after the birth of my twins, I ended up gaining a half shoe size which is a bummer since none of my old shoes fit me now that I’m a size 8…or more preferably a size 8 wide when I can find them.
Whether or not your feet swell as much as mine did, you won’t want to be trying to bend down to get shoes on. Having slip-on shoes that require no bending is ideal. If you’re pregnant in the summer or in a climate where it doesn’t get horribly cold and snow in the winter, I highly suggest flip-flops for the second half or so of your pregnancy. No matter the shoes, I’d suggest getting flat shoes. When pregnant, especially with twins, your body is very off balance and falls could potentially hurt the babies so avoiding heels, wedge, or platform shoes would be wise.
Quality Prenatal Vitamins with Folate
When possible, it’s ideal to start taking prenatal vitamins at least 3 months prior to becoming pregnant. However, it’s completely understandable that not all pregnancies are planned! Whether you start at 3 months prior, right when you get pregnant, or once you find out, a quality prenatal vitamin is important.
Many cheaper prenatal vitamins contain Folic Acid but what isn’t widely known is that not everyone’s body is able to break down Folic Acid into Folate, which is the activated form and what your baby needs. Folate supports healthy neural tube development in the fetus’ brain and a healthy spinal cord. Without it, health conditions such as spina bifida or anencephaly may occur, especially within the first month of pregnancy. It’s important to get a vitamin that has Folate. If you’d like to learn more about the difference between folate and folic acid, more about the vitamins recommended for pregnancy and lactation, and/or how to get these vitamins from foods, check out The Paleo Mom.
If you don’t feel that you’ll be able to get enough vitamins from eating healthy foods, you may opt to take a prenatal vitamin. Even though I was eating healthy, especially during my first pregnancy, I always took one. Here are my two favorites:
Thorne Basic Prenatal
I took Thorne Basic Prenatal when I was pregnant with my first child and continued for many months after he was born to support lactation. These are gluten, dairy, and soy-free (which was important for me due to my dietary restrictions) and are high-quality vitamins that were recommended to me by my chiropractor who also practices functional medicine. As you can see, these vitamins do contain Folate and many other essential vitamins needed for pregnancy.
For Mom and Baby: Pre-conception, pregnancy, and nursing are critical times to ensure a mother's health and nutritional support are being optimized. Thorne’s Basic Prenatal provides folate, choline, and 18 other nutrients that support health without the unnecessary additives in mainstream prenatals
Active Folate: Folate is provided for brain and spinal cord development.* Basic Prenatal includes 5-MTHF, the bioactive form of folate for optimal absorption; especially indicated for women who don't get sufficient folate because of their genetic makeup*
Smarty Pants Prenatal
If you prefer to have a gummy vitamin instead of one you have to swallow, the Smarty Pants Prenatal may be a good choice for you. It still has the activated Folate and other essential vitamins for the baby’s development but is a chewable gummy instead of a capsule.
I started taking these because I was having a hard time sourcing the Thorne brand, I think Amazon kept being out of stock. I took these during my twin pregnancy and while I was nursing them and liked them a lot. It was nice to have to swallow as many pills since I was also taking a calcium supplement and a couple of others as well.
A bonus to this as well is that it contains Fish Oil so you can get your EPA and DHA along with your prenatal vitamins. Previously I had been taking them separately so it was nice to combine the two.
Prenatal Formula with new premium ingredients, all in one delicious serving: Beta Carotene, Vitamin B6, Vitamin K2 & Choline (Packaging May Vary)
18 essential nutrients: folate (methylfolate) for fetal development, vitamin D3 for immunity, vitamin B12 to support energy metabolism, omega-3 EPA/DHA (from fish oil), vitamin K for bones
Pregnant with Twins? You’ll want my Twin Pregnancy Journal!
Twin Pregnancy Journal
When I was pregnant with twins I was using a regular pregnancy journal but there was no place to keep track of all the extra appointments, all the measurements, ultrasounds, etc. Years later, I decided to make the twin pregnancy journal I wish I would have had when I was pregnant!!
The twin pregnancy journal has over 100 pages you can use digitally on a tablet or iPad or print it out and put it in a binder to hold even more info. It includes a page for every week, ultrasound pages you can duplicate if you need more, places to keep track of Baby A and Baby B’s measurements, weights, etc. each week, birth plan pages, and even the hospital bag checklist I created from when I had my twins!
Here it is below, click the button or image below to learn more and purchase. It’s much less expensive than the pre-printed ones, that’s for sure! I know you’ve got enough expenses right now, though this took me a lot of time to put together, I’m ultimately here to help.
For Your Older Child
If you’re pregnant with twins and also have an older child, even a toddler like I did, here is a game I wish I had back then because it doesn’t require me to get off the couch! As I mentioned before I was massive during my twin pregnancy and it was often so painful to get off the couch so anything I could do from the couch and still be a good mom to my toddler was ideal.
The Kids Scavenger Hunt in a Box is a set that is for indoors and outdoors so it’ll have you covered no matter where you are. There are different things to have the kids go find and each card has a picture and the word of what they need to go find. We got this from my mother-in-law for Easter and my kids, twins age 3-1/2 and 5-1/2 year old, LOVE it!! I think they would have loved it as early as two years old for anyone wondering how young they could do this.
When using with younger children I’d suggest being the keeper of the cards and just showing them to them. As they grow older, it may help to have separate piles for each child so they aren’t all looking for the same thing (learned that from experience!!).
- PLAY INDOOR OR OUTDOOR: Game includes an indoor deck and an outdoor deck of hunting cards.
- EASY TO PLAY: Game includes 220 cards featuring items that players actively seek. Simply deal out some cards to each player and get hunting. It's that simple!
- TEAM OR INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS: Play individually or you can divide up into teams for more a collaborative atmosphere.
- GREAT FAMILY FUN: Fill your holiday celebrations with action and laughter! For 2 or more players ages 6 and up.
- DEVELOPS GROSS MOTOR SKILLS: Kids will run around the entire house or neighborhood searching for items listed on the cards.
As a mom of identical twins and a son two years older, I have gained invaluable experience in the realm, and chaos, of parenting. With a Master's Degree and Education Specialist Degree in School Psychology, I spent years as a school psychologist, helping children navigate through their educational and emotional challenges. Now as a stay at home mom and professional blogger, I combine my areas of expertise to help you in your parenting journey.