Planned for one, but got two? Having twins is exciting and scary at the same time. I feel you as a twin mom myself.
One of the best things to do when you find out you’re having twins is to read up on it! In this post I am reviewing the best twin pregnancy books and the best twin pregnancy journals available today. Let’s take a look at why it’s a good idea to pick up at least a couple books that are twin specific.
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Do You Have To Read Twin Pregnancy Books While Pregnant With Twins?
You are carrying two babies! That makes it that much more important to take extra care of both yourself and your little ones. I mean you obviously don’t “have” to read books about being pregnant with twins, no one is going to make you and it’s not a requirement to give birth.
But I would recommend it, especially if you are the type of person that likes to be prepared. By learning about facts specific to twins pregnancy and how to handle the early days after your twins are born, you can take better care and manage things more efficiently.
What Are The Benefits of Reading Books on Twins Pregnancy?
As everyone knows, a twin pregnancy is riskier than a single pregnancy. When you are pregnant with twins, reading twin pregnancy books can help with the following:
- A better understanding of the changes your body is going through
- Managing the nutritional requirements for mom and her babies
- Learning how to avoid pregnancy complications, which are more common with a twin pregnancy
- Exercises that are safe for twin pregnancy
- How to plan for a twin birth
- Learning the warning signs of preterm labor
- Managing postpartum twin pregnancy
- Tips for caring for newborn twins
The Best Twin Pregnancy Books To Read Right Now
Now that you know why it’s beneficial to read books on twin pregnancy, let’s review the best twin pregnancy books available today. This is actually quite an extensive list and there is much more available now than when I was pregnant with my twins back in 2014.
That’s great news to have so many available resources for parents of multiples. So, let’s see what’s recommended.
1. When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets, Or Quads
When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads is written by Dr. Barbara (Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Medicine) along with the help of her fellow doctors, Dr. Tamara and Dr. Roger. It contains a nutrition-based program that is not only suitable for twins, but for triplets and quads too.
By reading this book, you will learn almost everything about twin pregnancy including after-birth care for you and your newborns. Here is a list of other helpful information:
- Nutritional requirements and exercises that are safe for all 3 of you
- The risks that are associated with twin pregnancies
- Warning signs if you’re moving towards preterm labor
- What to expect during and after twin delivery
- Taking care of your babies and yourself
I recommend this book for all twin moms-to-be because all the information is provided by experienced doctors.
2. What To Do When You’re Having Two
What To Do When You’re Having Two is written by Natalie Diaz, who is the founder of Twiniversity. This is the ultimate resource to kill the overwhelming feeling you can get when you are expecting twins.
Natalie breaks down all the stages of pregnancy and taking care of newborns in an easy to digest way. Unlike our first book recommendation that is written by a doctor and will get you through the medical things you need to understand, this book is written by an experienced mother. You will learning the following by reading it:
- Managing the birth of 2 babies
- Managing your sleep schedule (which is a big feat even with a single child)
- Breastfeeding multiples (tandem breastfeeding)
- The best baby gear for welcoming your babies
- Tips for how to bond with 2 babies at the same time
3. Holy Sh*t…I’m Having Twins
From a mom who has been there, TWO TIMES! Her name is Elizabeth Lyons and she is a mom of 5 including, 2 sets of twins. So, I understand if she wants to say “holy sh*t!”.
In Holy Sh*t, I’m Having Twins, Elizabeth has a very different perspective. She delivers knowledge about unique things which are not usually found in other twin pregnancy books. This books covers the following:
- Taking care of your relationship with your partner when you are doubly occupied
- Breastfeeding vs. bottle feeding
- How to respond to unsolicited pieces of advice
- Schedules for taking care of twins
- Returning to work after the newborn twins stage
4. You Can Two!: The Essential Twins Preparation Guide
You Can Two! is a blend of knowledge of two moms who gave birth to two. Jennifer and Meghan are mothers of twins and they run a twin blog together called Two Came True.
This book prepares moms to take care of two heartbeats mentally, emotionally, and physically. It has a step-by-step guide for dealing with two babies, including sleep and “eat” training. The best thing about this book is that it contains a perfect planning toolkit that includes:
- Checklists
- To-do lists
- Answers to twin FAQs
- Insider hacks from other twin parents
5. Raising Twins: Parenting Multiples From Pregnancy Through the School Years
Shelly Vaziri is a pediatrician and twin mom at the same time. Her book, Raising Twins, is a combination of both medical knowledge and real-life experience.
The book on sale now is a revised and updated edition of her original book. Shelly walks and guides you through the following:
- Preparing for your twin babies’ arrival
- The first months of infancy
- Twin toddlerhood (double trouble)
- Helping your toddler to establish individual identity in society
Another benefit of Shelly’s book is that contains published interviews with other twin parents.
6. The Mommy MD Guide to Twins, Triplets, and More
Not only is the name Mommy MD, but this book is written by a twin mommy and an MD. Dr. Sonal Patel is a certified pediatrician and Heather Karpinsky is a mom of twins.
Heather is the inventor of the twin feeding set and the founder of Baby A & Baby B LLC. This book is filled with over 200 tips from moms of twins that are also doctors. You’ll learn many things, with topics including:
- Twin pregnancy
- Twin birth
- Feeding twins (tandem breastfeeding)
- Dressing twins
- Diapering twins
- Sleeping for twins
- Schooling for twins
- Returning to work after twins
- Traveling with twins
- Possible health problems (and how to cope with them)
- Products that both mommies and MDs recommend
- Identifying and fostering the unique personalities of twins
You’ll get further insights on how to relax and de-stress, plus tips for knowing when you should call your doctor immediately. This book also includes some fun facts about multiples.
7. Twin Sanity
The author of Twin Sanity, Susanna is an air force wife and a mom of identical twins. It was hard taking care of TWO kids all alone.
However, she found many perfect solutions to save her sanity while dealing with double trouble without any help. Then, she was brave enough to share her tips. She helps new twin moms with:
- Preparing for multiples without breaking the bank – what to buy and what to not
- Maternity wear for expecting twin moms
- Taking care of yourself when expecting twins
- The possibility of having preemie births and how to handle it
- Tandem breastfeeding
- Sanity-saving tips to manage daily life routine and chores
Susanna’s book is an excellent resource for expecting twin moms who don’t have any or have little help.
8. The Holistic Guide to Twin Pregnancy
BreAnn is a mom of twins and when she was first told that she was expecting twins, she was shocked! She decided to learn, but every resource she reached out to was only telling her that a twin pregnancy is the scariest thing in the world.
High risk, preterm labor, and premature babies were all she was hearing, but she refused to accept them for her pregnancy and the end result was writing The Holistic Guide To Twin Pregnancy. In this book you will find a natural approach to choosing a birth plan and nutritional information from leading experts.
Also included are studies that support the full-term gestation of twins and delivering them naturally. So, if you are scared of preterm labor or want an all natural twin birth, go through her book to ease your mind.
Before we move on, you might want to go ahead and grab these FREE Twin Baby Registry & Pregnancy Checklists by filling in the form below. Understand exactly what to include on your twin registry and when to complete items in each trimester.
Best Twin Pregnancy Books For Fathers
Things are going to change for twin moms, but what about the twin dads? Even though they are not carrying the babies in their tummy, they are still going to be taking on a lot of responsibility.
Even if dads-to-be don’t express their feelings in words, they might still be stressed. Let’s review two good books that will help fathers of newborn twin babies save their sanity and do a better job of taking care of their families.
1. Dad’s Guide to Twins
This is one of the best resources for new twin dads. Dad’s Guide To Twins is written by Joe Rawlinson, who is a dad of twin identical girls. It covers topics like saving money with twins, preparing for twins, pregnancy surprises, and the newborn daddy phase. This is a wholesome guide, I could write a full article explaining what is included in this book but keeping things short, here’s the summary:
- Where and how to save money, including finding cheap must have good quality baby gear
- The reality of twin pregnancy and how it affects dads
- Preparing other siblings for the arrival of twins
- Keeping your relationship strong with your partner
- Medical conditions related to twin pregnancy and how to handle them
- Possible NICU time for twins
2. A Dad’s Guide to Newborn Twins: Unleash Your Inner Super Dad
A Dad’s Guide To Newborn Twins is more focused on taking care of twins after birth. But this could be what twin dads need the most because the real “dad challenges” start when the babies are born.
This book is actually written by two moms, Meghan and Jennifer. So, the information in it is more focused on “what moms want dads to understand and do for them.” In this book dads will learn:
- How to apply for paternity leave and how to spend this time productively
- How to track milestones
- What dads can do to help mom at home, at the hospital, and during delivery
- Guidelines for choosing the best twin baby gear
- Finding ways to sleep with two infants
Best Pregnancy Book Overall
What about pregnancy books not meant for those expecting twins? Are they useful? Yes, they are still helpful for twin parents. I recommend purchasing just one of these and the best one is probably the most popular book out there.
What To Expect When You’re Expecting is not exactly a twin pregnancy book but it’s a bomb of useful information for pregnant women. The reason I recommend this book is that it doesn’t contain information about carrying a single baby. It has general information like:
- What is safe to eat in pregnancy
- How to eat while being nauseous
- How to take a pregnancy test at home
- What kind of job can you do while pregnant
- How to take care of your skin
- What medicines are safe while pregnant
But wait! It’s not like that this book doesn’t contain any twin specific information. There is a full chapter that guides moms of multiples. To sum it up, I consider What To Expect When You’re Expecting a must have for moms pregnant with multiples or moms pregnant with one baby.
Best Twin Pregnancy Journals To Document Your Pregnancy With Two
Keeping a pregnancy journal is not only a good idea for making sweet memories, but it can also benefit you in terms of taking notes for reaching milestones and knowing how your body is changing. Here are some great journals and planners that were created specifically for expecting twin parents to document their pregnancy journey.
1. There’s Two! Twin Pregnancy Journal & Planner
With the There’s Two! Twin Pregnancy Journal & Planner, you get a weekly journal page with the size of your babies and a different journal prompt each week. On top of that, you also get over 20 pages of checklists and trackers so you can stay organized, reduce stress, and keep everything related to your pregnancy in one place. This twin pregnancy journal and planner is a digital download pdf file that you print at home or at a copy store (like Staples).
2. It’s Twins! Pregnancy Journal
The It’s Twins! Pregnancy Journal is great for documenting a full 40 weeks from finding out about the pregnancy to food ideas. You can also document your to-do lists and notes to stay organized. The cover of this journal is so beautifully designed too!
3. Heart Twin Pregnancy Journal
The Heart Twin Pregnancy Journal is built like a notebook and you can even personalize the hard cover page. There are six standard cover designs to choose from and they are super cute.
The journal allows you to document all trimesters of your twin pregnancy and it allows you to take notes and add checklists. You can add your ultrasound pictures and your baby’s first pictures too. The best thing about this journal is you can simply expand the journal to add more memories like the gender reveal and baby shower pages.
4. My Twin Pregnancy Week by Week: The Ultimate Planner for Moms Expecting Twins
With the My Twin Pregnancy Week by Week planner you can document everything and you get a chance to plan for two. It also includes a nursery planning toolkit that will help you to stay organized. Some of the things you will document include:
- Weekly weight gain
- What to ask your doctor at the next appointment
- To-do lists
- Twin babies budget
- Your thoughts and feelings, if you want to write them
5. Pregnancy Journal Twins On The Way
The Pregnancy Journal Twins On The Way is so simple. It comes with a beautiful cover design with the next page containing a “this book belongs to…” section. The pages inside are white with black lining and there are a total of 110 pages.
This journal is different because you can document anything you want. Just make your own personalized layout. If you want something simple where you can write freely this is the journal for you. If you want a little more guidance pick from the other twin pregnancy journals listed above.
When you’re pregnant with twins, picking up a few twin pregnancy books and journals can help you more easily survive pregnancy and the start of your new life caring for two newborns.
Carrying, giving birth, and taking care of one baby is much different than doing those things for two babies. This means you need different care and different information.
Reading some books specifically about twin pregnancy will give you better insight into what is going to happen in the next few months and even years. This way you can plan well and be mentally prepared.
There are even books out there for expecting dads of twins and twin pregnancy journals to help save your sanity. Be sure to grab one, two, or more of these books today!
