In this episode of the Twiniversity Podcast, Nat talks with Amanda – mom of fraternal twin boys who are now grown men, one of whom is autistic – about what twin parenting looks like from the far side of it. Amanda found out at 23, in college and on birth control, that the two heartbeats on the ultrasound meant twins, and she raised them with almost no internet, no twin-mom circle, and no mother of her own to call.

She and Nat go straight at the things twin parents rarely say out loud: the colicky 3 a.m. thought that she could not do this, the fear of being judged in the Target parking lot, and the one decision she would make differently if she could go back.

What is left after 24 years is not a system or a hack – it is patience, presence, and the kind of consistency that still has her son heading to bed at 9:00 on New Year’s Eve.
 

A QUICK SHOUTOUT 📣

This series is brought to you by CordBlood.com — and since July is Cord Blood Awareness Month, there's no better time to talk about it. Your babies' umbilical cord blood is a one-time source of precious newborn stem cells, and once the cord is cut, it's usually thrown away. Banking it lets you collect and preserve those cells right at birth — and with twins, that's two once-in-a-lifetime chances you only get on delivery day. 👉 https://cordblood.com Use code DUO2 for special twin-family pricing. 💙

This episode’s break is brought to you by the Twiniversity Virtual Twins Meeting – because the one thing Amanda never had was a room full of other twin parents. Meet Nat and Lauren each month and bring them your biggest twin life challenges, whether your twins are two weeks old or twenty-two. 👇

https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/MKse3EVR/checkout
 

EPISODE THEMES 📝

⦿  Finding out at 23, in college and on birth control, that there were two heartbeats

⦿  “I have a baby with two hearts?” – the first reaction so many twin parents have

⦿  Dropping out of school, getting married, and rebuilding the whole plan around two babies

⦿  Raising twins before the internet, when the library was the only twin resource there was

⦿  Fraternal boys who look nothing alike – and the classmates who never knew they were brothers

⦿  Separating the cribs early because one twin was a wiggler, and trusting that instinct

⦿  Noticing a difference in one boy and pushing her pediatrician until someone listened

⦿  An autism diagnosis 24 years ago, back when almost nobody knew what that meant

⦿  The colicky middle-of-the-night thought she was terrified to say out loud – and why it is more common than anyone admits

⦿  Parenting through it without her mom, without a twin-mom circle, and without a break

⦿  Toddler leashes, a Target runaway, and letting go of what strangers think of you

⦿  The one thing she would do differently: giving the boys more time apart

⦿  How the brothers look out for each other now, and the “would you take care of him?” conversation

⦿  Routine as comfort – why her son still puts himself to bed at 9:00

⦿  Labels and diagnoses keep changing; the kid in front of you does not

⦿  What she thinks she got right: patience, presence, and a face-to-face world
 

GIVEAWAYS 💰

🎉 YOU’RE INVITED: Need more support? Join us each month for our Twiniversity Virtual Meeting. Meet Nat and Lauren and bring them your biggest twin life challenges each month of the year. For dates and more details visit: 

https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/MKse3EVR/checkout
 

✔️ Subscribe to the Twiniversity Email Newsletter! https://www.twiniversity.com/subscribe/

Expecting twins? Twiniversity has you COVERED with online classes! ⬇️

Breastfeeding Twins: https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/HTaVcGhH/checkout

Twins After Singletons: https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/hegrd8Ez/checkout

Baby Safety (CPR, First Aid, Car Seat Safety, Childproofing): https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/AccFMLk8/checkout
 

CONNECT WITH AMANDA 💬

Amanda does not have public social accounts to share, but she said yes to hearing from parents who are where she was. If her story sounds like your life, reach out through us and we will pass it along: [email protected]
 

CONNECT WITH US 🎙️

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Twiniversity

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/twiniversity/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Twiniversity/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@twiniversity

X: http://twitter.com/Twiniversity

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/60TDcDJoEtQHwqLzZ8L9rX?si=9734d507f23845e6

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/twiniversity

Email: [email protected]
 

In this episode of the Twiniversity Podcast, Nat talks with Connie Rutherford — a Wall Street–turned–tech mom, author of Searching for Tadpoles, and a solo mom by choice raising twin girls she was told she had almost no odds of having. Connie walks through the whole road: freezing her eggs at 38, choosing a sperm donor in secret from her traditional family, three IUIs, a failed transfer, and a fresh cycle at 40 where she skipped genetic testing, transferred two embryos at less than 1% odds, and got both.

From there it is a twin pregnancy in a boiler-room career, a 17-hour flight home from Taiwan in a face mask as COVID hit, and a book written almost entirely while pregnant. It is a funny, unfiltered, deeply reassuring conversation about building the family you want without waiting for anyone else to show up.

Grab her book, Searching for Tadpoles — her full solo-motherhood and fertility journey, written the way she wished someone had written it for her.

Website: https://www.connierutherford.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/searchingfortadpoles

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@searchingfortadpoles

Email: [email protected]

A QUICK SHOUTOUT 📣

This series is brought to you by CordBlood.com — and since July is Cord Blood Awareness Month, there's no better time to talk about it. Your babies' umbilical cord blood is a one-time source of precious newborn stem cells, and once the cord is cut, it's usually thrown away. Banking it lets you collect and preserve those cells right at birth — and with twins, that's two once-in-a-lifetime chances you only get on delivery day. 👉 https://cordblood.com Use code DUO2 for special twin-family pricing. 💙

This episode's break is brought to you by the Twiniversity Virtual Twins Meeting — the exact community Nat invites Nicole into. Meet Nat and Lauren, bring them your biggest twin-life challenge of the month (parent preference absolutely counts), and remember you are never doing this alone. 👇

https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/MKse3EVR/checkout

EPISODE THEMES 📝

⦿ Freezing your eggs at 38 as an insurance policy — and why it is okay to shop clinics

⦿ The wake-up call: a stage four diagnosis and the fear her kids would never meet their grandfather

⦿ Choosing a donor when the pool is small — ethnicity, CMV status, and the letter about his dad

⦿ Three IUIs, a hybrid cycle, and four embryos that came back abnormal

⦿ The PGS question: are we throwing away embryos that would have self-corrected?

⦿ Going old school at 40 — morphology, ranking, and “it only takes one”

⦿ Transferring two at less than 1% odds and getting both

⦿ Being pregnant with twins in a high-pressure, male-dominated career

⦿ A pandemic pregnancy, a 17-hour flight, and a face mask she never took off

⦿ Writing Searching for Tadpoles — 95% while pregnant, the last 5% over five years

GIVEAWAYS 💰

🎉 YOU’RE INVITED: Need more support? Join us each month for our Twiniversity Virtual Meeting. Meet Nat and Lauren and bring them your biggest twin life challenges each month of the year. For dates and more details visit:

https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/MKse3EVR/checkout

✔️ Subscribe to the Twiniversity Email Newsletter! https://www.twiniversity.com/subscribe/

Expecting twins? Twiniversity has you COVERED with online classes! ⬇️

Breastfeeding Twins: https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/HTaVcGhH/checkout

Twins After Singletons: https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/hegrd8Ez/checkout

Baby Safety (CPR, First Aid, Car Seat Safety, Childproofing): https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/AccFMLk8/checkout

CONNECT WITH US 🎙️

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Twiniversity

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/twiniversity/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Twiniversity/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@twiniversity

X: http://twitter.com/Twiniversity

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/60TDcDJoEtQHwqLzZ8L9rX?si=9734d507f23845e6

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/twiniversity

Email: [email protected]

In this episode of the Twiniversity Podcast, Nat sits down with Nicole Kernan — mom to fraternal twin girls Ollie and Lou (two and a half) — to talk about the thing so many parents feel and rarely say out loud: parent preference. Nicole did everything as a team — exclusive pumping, a husband who took full paternity leave — and one twin still gravitated hard toward Dad, leaving her buried in guilt. Nat meets her in the eye of the storm with the reframe that changes everything: stop trying to be equal, start being fair, and shift the story from "them vs. me" to we — because a child with two parents they can fully depend on isn't a rejection, it's a gift.

A QUICK SHOUTOUT 📣

This series is brought to you by CordBlood.com — and since July is Cord Blood Awareness Month, there's no better time to talk about it. Your babies' umbilical cord blood is a one-time source of precious newborn stem cells, and once the cord is cut, it's usually thrown away. Banking it lets you collect and preserve those cells right at birth — and with twins, that's two once-in-a-lifetime chances you only get on delivery day. 👉 https://cordblood.com Use code DUO2 for special twin-family pricing. 💙

This episode's break is brought to you by the Twiniversity Virtual Twins Meeting — the exact community Nat invites Nicole into. Meet Nat and Lauren, bring them your biggest twin-life challenge of the month (parent preference absolutely counts), and remember you are never doing this alone. 👇

Join the next Twiniversity Virtual Twins Meeting

EPISODE THEMES 📝

⦿ Why "my twin prefers Dad" is far more common than you think — and often a person preference, not a snub

⦿ How the preferred parent can flip overnight (first Ollie, then Lou)

⦿ The guilt and shame nobody names — NICU guilt, pumping guilt, and "why not me?"

⦿ Don't force it — but don't let the preferred parent "rescue" either

⦿ The crib standoff, the tantrum only Dad can calm, and the story-time lap meltdown

⦿ Trying to be fair instead of equal (you'll never hit exactly-equal, and that's okay)

⦿ The orange on the counter: how moms and dads carry the mental load differently

⦿ Shifting the whole story from "them versus me" to we

⦿ Why a parent preference can actually be a gift, not a rejection

⦿ Building your bench — twins are not a solo sport

⦿ Protecting your own time, friendships, and sense of self

⦿ It's a phase: your present, not your always — and awareness means you're already doing it right

GIVEAWAYS 💰

🎉 YOU'RE INVITED: Need more support? Join us each month for our Twiniversity Virtual Meeting. Meet Nat and Lauren and bring them your biggest twin life challenges each month of the year. For dates and more details visit:

https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/MKse3EVR/checkout

✔️ Subscribe to the Twiniversity Email Newsletter! https://www.twiniversity.com/subscribe/

Expecting twins? Twiniversity has you COVERED with online classes! ⬇️

Breastfeeding Twins: https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/HTaVcGhH/checkout

Twins After Singletons: https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/hegrd8Ez/checkout

Baby Safety (CPR, First Aid, Car Seat Safety, Childproofing): https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/AccFMLk8/checkout

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Twiniversity

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/twiniversity/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Twiniversity/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@twiniversity

X: http://twitter.com/Twiniversity

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/60TDcDJoEtQHwqLzZ8L9rX?si=9734d507f23845e6

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/twiniversity

Email: [email protected]

In this episode of the Twiniversity Podcast, Nat sits down with Zach Achatz - a small-business owner, woodworker, pie maker, and dad of six-month-old boy-girl twins - for the conversation she wishes more dads would have: how partners actually show up. After navigating his wife’s PCOS and a fertility journey that ended in a very big surprise (two little black dots on the ultrasound), Zach came ready to talk through every stage of the twin journey.

The heart of it is advocacy - his wife fired all her providers by 36 weeks to get the vaginal twin birth she wanted, and they found their yes at U of M with baby A head down and baby B breech. From there it turns practical: dividing the labor by "who’s fastest at what," home automation, honest talk about co-sleeping and sleep deprivation, the doula who steadied their birth, and Nat’s north star for every papa bear who thinks they can jump in later - there is no jumping in later. You jump in now.

A QUICK SHOUTOUT 📣

This episode is brought to you by Baby Brezza - a Twiniversity top pick for about eight years running. Their Formula Advanced Pro WiFi starts a warm, perfectly mixed bottle from bed, and their all-in-one Bottle Washer Pro washes, sterilizes, and dries in 88 minutes. 👉

babybrezza.com

This episode’s break is brought to you by Twiniversity’s Twins Delivery Day Bootcamp - the exact advocacy and birth-plan prep Zach and his wife lived out here, taught by Nat. 👇

https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/DeliveryDayBootcamp

EPISODE THEMES 📝

⦿ Why raising twins is a two-person sport - and why partners can’t "jump in later"

⦿ Firing every provider by 36 weeks to fight for the birth she wanted

⦿ Getting cleared for a vaginal twin birth when baby B is breech

⦿ Dad as the mouthpiece in the delivery room - the BRAIN approach

⦿ Dividing the newborn labor by "who’s fastest at what," not by gender

⦿ Co-sleeping honestly and safely, and modeling real partnership for your twins

RELATED VIDEO 🎥

⦿ Want more of the dad’s side of things? Watch Twins Twice with Twin Dad Josh Longmore on our channel:

https://youtu.be/YCFempGZeyM 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE 🔗

⦿ Astrid & Co Podcast - Zach’s wife’s show on finding her voice:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/astrid-co-podcast/id1866448311

GIVEAWAYS 💰

✔️ Subscribe to the Twiniversity Email Newsletter!

https://www.twiniversity.com/subscribe/

Expecting twins? Twiniversity has online classes! ⬇️

Breastfeeding Twins:

https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/HTaVcGhH/checkout

Twins After Singletons:

https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/hegrd8Ez/checkout

Baby Safety (CPR, First Aid, Car Seat Safety, Childproofing):

https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/AccFMLk8/checkout

CONNECT WITH US 🎙️

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Twiniversity

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/twiniversity

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/60TDcDJoEtQHwqLzZ8L9rX?si=9734d507f23845e6

Email: [email protected]

In this episode of the Twiniversity Podcast, Natalie talks with Laurie Donohue, a twin mom of boy-girl twins, about how often standard pregnancy education leaves twin parents out.

When Laurie learned she was having twins, she went looking for real data and practical guidance. Instead, most pregnancy books gave twins little more than a passing mention. She eventually found a multiples-specific resource, leaned on family support, and asked her medical team detailed questions to advocate for the birth experience she wanted.

Natalie shares how that same information gap helped inspire Twiniversity. Even professional childbirth and lactation training often treats multiples as an afterthought, leaving parents and educators without the support they need.

The conversation also covers the fear that comes with the “high-risk” label, the challenge of finding trustworthy twin resources online, and why real support from local twin clubs and other multiples parents matters so much.

Most importantly, this episode reminds new twin parents that they do not have to do everything perfectly. Some days, success simply means everyone is fed, safe, and making it to bedtime. You can do this.

A QUICK SHOUTOUT 📣

This episode is brought to you by Baby Brezza – the maker of the Formula Pro Advanced, the automatic formula dispenser that makes a warm, perfectly mixed bottle in seconds. No measuring, no scooping, no lumps – just press start and it's ready. It works with virtually all formula brands and bottle sizes, which is a real sanity-saver when you're prepping bottles for two around the clock (some parents lovingly call it the "baby Keurig"). 👉 babybrezza.com/products/formula-pro-advanced

This episode is also brought to you by Twiniversity's FREE online Twins Delivery Day Bootcamp – the twin-specific birth prep. Nat walks you through twin birth plans, what to actually ask your medical team, and what to expect whether you deliver vaginally, by C-section, or both – so you head into delivery day feeling ready instead of winging it. 👇 https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/DeliveryDayBootcamp

Shop Nat's books and more Twiniversity resources: https://www.twiniversity.com/shop/

⦿ What to Do When You're Having Two: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1583335153?linkCode=sl2&tag=twpgemail-20&creativeASIN=1583335153&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.9EL8HFRXIDLU&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin

⦿ The Newborn Twins Sleep Guide:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1637744420?linkCode=sl2&tag=twpgemail-20&creativeASIN=1637744420&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.9EL8HFRXIDLU&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin

EPISODE THEMES 📝

⦿ Why twin parents get left out of standard pregnancy books and classes

⦿ The hunt for real data (not "Chicken Soup") the moment you find out it's twins

⦿ Pushing your medical team with specific questions to protect the birth you want

⦿ How the "high-risk" label can send your brain straight to worst-case thinking

⦿ Why the resources you need already exist – but stay buried in internet white noise

⦿ Finding your people: local twin clubs, a multiples mom friend, even a triplet friend

⦿ Letting go of control when you're a type-A planner having twins

⦿ Combo feeding, dishes in the sink, and redefining "winning" as alive and fed

⦿ Why real humans beat the algorithm (and AI) for twin support

⦿ The reassurance every new twin parent needs: there's a way, and you can do it

RELATED VIDEO 🎥

⦿ Want more on advocating for yourself in a twin pregnancy? Watch Black Maternal Health and Twin Pregnancy - How One Mom Advocated for a Safer Birth with Tracey on our channel: https://youtu.be/ksRv-pgBnAI

⦿ Want the long-view reassurance of a twin dad who's been through it all? Watch He's a Twin Dad, a Doctor, and Proof That Fatherhood Changes Everything with Charles on our channel: https://youtu.be/6Tjxo_M5Mxg

GIVEAWAYS 💰

🎉 YOU'RE INVITED: Need more support? Join us each month for our Twiniversity Virtual Meeting. Meet Nat and Lauren and bring them your biggest twin life challenges each month of the year.

For dates and more details visit: https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/MKse3EVR/checkout

✔️ Subscribe to the Twiniversity Email Newsletter! https://www.twiniversity.com/subscribe/

Expecting twins? Twiniversity has you COVERED with online classes! ⬇️

Breastfeeding Twins: https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/HTaVcGhH/checkout

Twins After Singletons: https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/hegrd8Ez/checkout

Baby Safety (CPR, First Aid, Car Seat Safety, Childproofing): https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/AccFMLk8/checkout

CONNECT WITH US 🎙️

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Twiniversity

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/twiniversity/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Twiniversity/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@twiniversity

X: twitter.com/Twiniversity

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/60TDcDJoEtQHwqLzZ8L9rX?si=9734d507f23845e6

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/twiniversity

Email: [email protected]

In this episode of the Twiniversity Podcast, Nat talks with Mallory Reeves – a nurse and twin mom of boys, plus an older daughter – about something the internet loves to call impossible: exclusively breastfeeding twins. Mallory breastfed her singleton first (a rocky, painful start that a second lactation consultant completely turned around, leading to 18 months of nursing), and when she found out she was expecting twins she decided to give it a try with a simple rule: if it works, amazing, and if it doesn’t, a fed baby is a good baby. Five months in with her boys, it’s working. 

Nat and Mallory walk through what actually got her there: ditching the myth that you must tandem feed from day one, learning to feed and teach one baby at a time, leaning hard on her husband as her number-one support, and booking lactation help early so she had validation and a safety net. They get into the meat scale her hunter husband rigged up for weighted feeds, why poops and pees are the real proof your babies are thriving, and why babies – like the rest of us – choose their own meal sizes (a “potato chip” feed one time, a “tomahawk steak” feed the next). 

The conversation also clears up a lot of noise: breastfeeding should not hurt for more than a few seconds, oversupply is not the flex social media makes it out to be, you need almost no special gear, and the right breastfeeding pillow depends on your torso, not the trend. Nat shares why the right lactation pro – ideally an experienced IBCLC with multiple-birth experience – matters so much, how virtual consults can solve everything from latch to flange size, and the truth that lactation support has been a covered benefit since 1994. Most of all, this is a reassuring, funny, myth-busting episode for any twin parent who has been told they can’t – with Nat’s north star throughout: the goal isn’t exclusive breastfeeding, the goal is no regrets.

A QUICK SHOUTOUT 📣

This episode is brought to you by Dr. Brown's — the #1 pediatrician-recommended baby bottle in the U.S. Their anti-colic internal vent system is clinically proven to reduce colic, spit-up, burping, and gas while helping preserve the good stuff in breast milk. The breast-like nipple shape supports a proper latch and makes going from breast to bottle and back so much easier — exactly what you need when you're feeding two. 👉 drbrownsbaby.com 

This episode’s break is brought to you by Twiniversity’s online Breastfeeding Twins class – everything Nat coaches Mallory through here, in a self-paced course built just for twin parents. Get the latch, positioning, and tandem-feeding confidence before your babies arrive. 👇

https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/HTaVcGhH/checkout

EPISODE THEMES 📝

⦿  Why “you can’t breastfeed twins” is mostly noise – and how Mallory did it anyway

⦿  Breastfeeding a singleton first as the best set of training wheels (but not a requirement)

⦿  The IBCLC difference – getting the right lactation support, not just any opinion

⦿  Letting go of the tandem-feeding pressure and feeding one baby at a time first

⦿  Husband-as-number-one-support, and booking a lactation visit for a day or two after home

⦿  Weighted feeds, the hunter’s meat scale, and trusting poops and pees as proof

⦿  Babies choose their own meal size – the “potato chip vs. tomahawk steak” feed

⦿  Breastfeeding should not hurt for more than a few seconds – pain means a fixable problem

⦿  Why chasing oversupply (and over-pumping) can backfire into mastitis

⦿  You need almost no gear – picking a pillow by your torso and skipping the nipple-shield hype

⦿  Trusting your body again after IVF and a hard first start

⦿  Taking it one day at a time – and the rule that ties it all together: no regrets

RELATED VIDEO 🎥

⦿  Want the full breastfeeding-twins walkthrough? Watch Breastfeeding Twins on our channel: https://youtu.be/SJz9sIYUj5g

GIVEAWAYS 💰

🎉 YOU’RE INVITED: Need more support? Join us each month for our Twiniversity Virtual Meeting. Meet Nat and Lauren and bring them your biggest twin life challenges each month of the year. For dates and more details visit: 

https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/MKse3EVR/checkout

✔️ Subscribe to the Twiniversity Email Newsletter! https://www.twiniversity.com/subscribe/

Expecting twins? Twiniversity has you COVERED with online classes! ⬇️

Breastfeeding Twins: https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/HTaVcGhH/checkout

Twins After Singletons: https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/hegrd8Ez/checkout

Baby Safety (CPR, First Aid, Car Seat Safety, Childproofing): https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/AccFMLk8/checkout

CONNECT WITH US 🎙️

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Twiniversity

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/twiniversity/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Twiniversity/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@twiniversity

X: http://twitter.com/Twiniversity

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/60TDcDJoEtQHwqLzZ8L9rX?si=9734d507f23845e6

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/twiniversity

Email: [email protected]

In this special Father's Day episode of the Twiniversity Podcast, Natalie sits down with Dr. Charles Glassman — internist, life coach, podcast host, and twin dad of identical girls now in their late 20s. Charles and Natalie cover the full arc of twin parenting from the moment of the surprise diagnosis (spoiler: his wife was "just pregnant" until a 16-week sonogram revealed two heads) all the way through the extraordinary milestone of his daughters celebrating their 21st birthday together in Paris — and the business partnership they've built since. It's an honest, warm, and deeply encouraging conversation for twin parents at any stage, told from the rare perspective of a dad who is also a physician, a middle child, and someone who has learned — sometimes the hard way — that patience, perspective, and knowing when to take a time-out are the best parenting tools in the kit.

Connect with Dr. Charles Glassman:

GIVEAWAYS 💰

✔️Subscribe to the Twiniversity Email Newsletter! https://www.twiniversity.com/subscribe/

Expecting twins? Twiniversity has you COVERED with online classes! ⬇️

Breastfeeding Twins: https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/HTaVcGhH/checkout

Twins After Singletons: https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/hegrd8Ez/checkout

Baby Safety (CPR, First Aid, Car Seat Safety, Childproofing): https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/AccFMLk8/checkout

CONNECT WITH US 🎙️

00:00 Twenty-seven years of twin dad wisdom

In this episode of the Twiniversity Podcast, Natalie talks with Maddie Rahlf, a twin mom of three girls, about the "double whammy" delivery - giving birth to one twin vaginally and the other by C-section in the very same hour.

Maddie shares how her twins were a complete surprise - a natural, spontaneous twin conception with no twins in the family, discovered at her 12-week ultrasound - and how reading Nat's book helped her find solid ground once the shock wore off. Because Baby B had a marginal cord insertion and was measuring under the 10th percentile, Maddie's pregnancy included weekly maternal fetal medicine (MFM) monitoring and an induction at 36 weeks.

Natalie and Maddie walk through the delivery almost minute by minute: an easy vaginal birth for Baby A after only a few pushes, Baby B flipping transverse the moment she had the womb to herself, the attempts to turn her, a cervix that closed back up, and the placenta concern that finally made a C-section the safest call. Then comes the twist - it was Baby A, the vaginally delivered twin, who ended up in the NICU on CPAP, while Baby B stayed right with mom.

The conversation also gets into recovering from a vaginal birth and major abdominal surgery at the same time, the empowerment of being given the choice to try for a vaginal delivery, and Nat's "use your BRAIN" framework (Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, Intuition, Nothing) for making decisions in the moment. Maddie's biggest takeaway: if it happens, it happens - you figure it out one day at a time, and you'll have a pretty cool story to tell.

This episode is a reassuring, myth-busting conversation for any twin parent who feels anxious about the possibility of a double whammy delivery.

EPISODE THEMES 📝 

RELATED EPISODES 🎧 

GIVEAWAYS 💰

✔️Subscribe to the Twiniversity Email Newsletter! https://www.twiniversity.com/subscribe/

Expecting twins? Twiniversity has you COVERED with online classes! ⬇️

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CHAPTERS 

In this episode of the Twiniversity Podcast, Natalie talks with Christy-Faith, homeschool advocate, author of Homeschool Rising, education expert, and twin mom, about home-based learning, school-aged twins, and why homeschooling looks very different today than it did a generation ago.

Christy-Faith shares her own path to motherhood, including secondary infertility, IVF, fraternal twin girls, a surprise fourth baby, and the hard reality of parenting twins through the early years. She also opens up about her professional background in education, including running a learning intervention and tutoring center in Los Angeles before eventually choosing home education for her own family.

Natalie and Christy-Faith talk honestly about the fears many parents have around homeschooling - socialization, academics, family support, whether it is “too weird,” and whether parents are qualified to do it. Christy explains why she prefers the term home-based education, because modern homeschooling can include co-ops, live online classes, outside teachers, homeschool pods, interest-led learning, and a strong community.

The conversation also explores what happens when school is not working for your child. Natalie shares her own regrets about not exploring more flexible school options when her twins were younger, including the feeling that her kids were on a “runaway horse” in a system that did not always fit who they were.

This episode is a validating and thought-provoking conversation for twin parents who are questioning the traditional school path, wondering what options exist, or simply wanting permission to ask: Is there another way to educate my kids?

Connect with Guest:

⭐ New to Christy-Faith? Start with Episode 101 - the New Homeschooler Series is the best place to begin.https://youtu.be/K9XUTDsiB70

The Christy-Faith Show www.youtube.com/@christy-faith
tiktok.com/@christy_faith
instagram.com/christy_faith_homeschool 
facebook.com/ChristyFaithHomeschool
pinterest.com/ChristyFaithHomeschooling

⦿ Why the newborn twin phase can feel impossible - and why it does get better

⦿ The pressure twin parents can feel around breastfeeding, education, and “doing it right”

⦿ Why homeschooling is more mainstream and flexible than it used to be

⦿ Why Christy-Faith prefers the phrase home-based education

⦿ How co-ops, live online classes, pods, and outside teachers can support homeschool families

⦿ The difference between running from school and running toward something better

⦿ Why school may not reward every child’s strengths

⦿ Nat’s honest reflection on education regrets with her own twins

⦿ How parents can start asking better questions about what their kids actually need

GIVEAWAYS 💰

✔️Subscribe to the Twiniversity Email Newsletter! https://www.twiniversity.com/subscribe/

Expecting twins? Twiniversity has you COVERED with online classes! ⬇️

Breastfeeding Twins: https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/HTaVcGhH/checkout

Twins After Singletons: https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/hegrd8Ez/checkout

Baby Safety (CPR, First Aid, Car Seat Safety, Childproofing): https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/AccFMLk8/checkout

CONNECT WITH US 🎙️

CHAPTERS 

00:00 - Why more parents are considering homeschooling today

01:40 - Christy-Faith’s journey through infertility, IVF, and twin motherhood

05:35 - Surviving the newborn twin years and finding hope after NICU life

08:00 - Breastfeeding twins, feeding pressure, and letting go of mom guilt

15:35 - Breaking the old myths about homeschooling and socialization

20:30 - Modern homeschool resources, online classes, co-ops, and dual degree options

25:20 - Nat’s honest regrets about school struggles and parent advocacy

27:05 - What home-based education can actually look like for families

32:00 - Creating a customized, holistic learning experience for each child

35:00 - What to do when school is no longer working for your child

40:00 - Helping kids feel empowered and have a voice in their education

45:55 - Why skills-based learning matters in an AI-driven future

46:35 - Rethinking ADHD, dyslexia, learning differences, and neurodiversity

48:10 - Asking what’s strong instead of what’s wrong with your child

50:35 - How to start the homeschool conversation with your family

51:35 - Where to find Christy-Faith’s book, Homeschool Rising

In this episode of the Twiniversity Podcast, Natalie talks with Laura Liepold, a registered dietician and twin mom, about premature twins, NICU life, and the reality of feeding babies who arrive much earlier than expected.

Laura shares how her identical twin boys were born at 29 weeks and 4 days after signs of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, also known as TTTS, appeared suddenly during a routine appointment. What followed was an urgent C-section and a long NICU stay - 63 days for one twin and 86 days for the other.

Natalie and Laura dive into what NICU feeding can really look like, from pumping and feeding tubes to fortified breast milk, bottles, triple feeding, and thickened liquids. Laura explains how her background as a registered dietician helped her understand the medical side, but nothing could fully prepare her for experiencing it as a mom.

The conversation also explores the emotional weight of feeding premature twins - wanting to breastfeed directly, realizing bottles were working better, learning sideline feeding, managing different calorie recipes, and eventually choosing to exclusively pump for the first year.

This episode is a practical and validating conversation about NICU survival, preemie feeding, and learning to adapt when your birth and feeding journey looks nothing like the plan.

⦿ Laura’s unexpected identical twin pregnancy and early delivery at 29 weeks

⦿ Navigating TTTS, an urgent C-section, and a long NICU stay

⦿ What feeding premature twins can actually look like in the NICU

⦿ Pumping, fortified breast milk, bottles, and feeding tubes

⦿ Why triple feeding twins can quickly become overwhelming

⦿ Letting go of the original breastfeeding plan and adapting to each baby

⦿ Managing thickened liquids, sideline feeding, and different calorie recipes

⦿ Coping with NICU life by focusing on what you can control

GIVEAWAYS 💰

✔️Subscribe to the Twiniversity Email Newsletter! https://www.twiniversity.com/subscribe/

Expecting twins? Twiniversity has you COVERED with online classes! ⬇️

Breastfeeding Twins: https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/HTaVcGhH/checkout

Twins After Singletons: https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/hegrd8Ez/checkout

Baby Safety (CPR, First Aid, Car Seat Safety, Childproofing): https://twiniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/AccFMLk8/checkout

CONNECT WITH US 🎙️