Going from a Singleton to 3 Under 3 With Twins

What would you do if you found out you were halfway through a pregnancy – with twins – while your first baby was still in diapers?

In this episode of the Twiniversity Podcast, Natalie talks with Sasha, a mom who went from one baby to three under three in about a year’s time. Her daughter was born in 2023, and her twin boys arrived in 2024 – one week before her daughter’s first birthday.

The wild part is that Sasha didn’t know she was pregnant with the boys until about five months in. At the time of this episode airing, her daughter is two and a half and the twins are one and a half. Sasha is honest about all of it: the chaos, the stares, the help that keeps her going, and the joy of watching three kids grow up almost side by side.

Keep reading below for the biggest takeaways from this episode or watch the full episode here!

Takeaway 1: You can be pregnant and not know it, especially right after a baby

Sasha’s partner was the first to notice. He looked at her one day and said, “You know I love you, but what’s the deal with your stomach?” She laughed it off. Then one night out she suddenly got sick, and that made her stop and wonder.

She picked up a pregnancy test while grocery shopping, and it came back positive. Blood work a few days later said she was about nine weeks along. Then her midwife said she was measuring closer to 26 weeks and sent her for an ultrasound right away.

That Friday, the technician dropped the bomb: twins, and she was already 20 weeks. Nat says this is not as strange as it sounds. After you have a baby, your body is healing and everything feels a little off. Sasha never got back to “normal” before she was pregnant again, so the signs were easy to miss.

Takeaway 2: Breastfeeding is not reliable birth control

As an IBCLC, Nat wants parents to remember that you can get pregnant soon after delivery. Many people believe they can’t get pregnant while they’re breastfeeding or before their period comes back, so they “play with fire.”

As Nat puts it, “That’s not a thing, and here we are.” If you’re not ready for another baby yet, talk to your provider about your options after delivery, and don’t count on breastfeeding to protect you.

Takeaway 3: Set a feeding goal that works for your family

Sasha tried breastfeeding with her daughter, and while it was a cool experience, it wasn’t for her. So she pumped instead. That let her partner and mother-in-law help with bottles. Her goal was six months, and she even built a one-month freezer stash.

With the twins, she set a new goal of three months of pumping, then moved to formula. Sasha says it “wasn’t for me” – but Nat points out that six months is longer than many parents in the U.S. manage, often because they have to go back to work after only a few weeks or months. There is no single right answer. Pick a goal that fits your life, and be proud when you reach it.

Takeaway 4: Lean on your village – and learn to triage

In the early months, Sasha’s mother-in-law lived two blocks away and batch-cooked meals so Sasha never had to think about food. A nanny came twice a week to help with cleaning and let Sasha catch up on sleep. Her partner owns his own business, so his hours are flexible, but there are still late nights and overnight trips.

Sasha estimates she does 85 to 90% of the parenting. When all three kids cry at once, she doesn’t panic. She picks who comes first. A diaper change or a baby who needs sleep might go first, and a hungry baby waits a moment.

Her advice for new parents: take advantage of your village. If friends want to visit, they bring food or something useful.

Takeaway 5: Get gear that grows with your family

In the beginning, Sasha used a tandem stroller with her daughter in one seat while she wore one of the boys. She also had to walk the dog two or three times a day, so she was well known in the neighborhood as “the person with three kids.”

Later, she bought a four-seat stroller wagon. It’s heavy, but she calls it a rock star and a smart investment, and Nat agrees it will go the distance, even once everyone can walk.

Takeaway 6: A sense of humor helps with the comments

When Sasha is out with just the twin boys, people ask, “Oh my gosh, are they twins?” Every fourth or fifth time, she answers, “Actually, they’re triplets. I just left the ugly one at home.”

She has also heard plenty of “You’ve got your hands full” and “You must be a super mom.” Mostly she rolls her eyes and keeps going. Nat admits she gets why people comment. Three under three can be confusing to a stranger. But it helps to have a comeback ready, or to let it roll right off.

Takeaway 7: Close spacing comes with real perks

Sasha says the best part of 3 under 3 is doing it all in one go. Her kids can share toys, share clothes, and go through the same stages together. She has a 20-year age gap with her younger sister, and they aren’t as close, so she loves the idea of her kids being tightly bonded—maybe even on the same sports or dance teams one day.

Nat says most moms she knows with twins and singletons close together find real joy in the chaos. Like twins, everything happens at once.

Takeaway 8: Make one-on-one time a priority

Nat asks a question many twins-after-singleton parents wonder about: does the older child miss out?

Sasha says she tires not to lose sleep over it. Her daughter may miss a few things right now, but she believes it’ll all even out by the time the kids are about four.

What she does protect is one-on-one time. On weekends, Sasha and her partner rotate—one takes their daughter swimming, the other takes one of the boys for at least an hour. That way, each child knows they’re not just part of a unit and gets special attention from each parent.

Takeaway 9: Protect your mental health – and drop the judgment

All three kids are in daycare now, and Sasha says that’s been good for her mental health. On stressful days, she asks her partner to take over for a few hours so she can lie down and decompress. She also makes time to walk at least 30 minutes a day, go to the gym, or journal.

Is this life for everyone? Sasha’s honest answer: it takes the right kind of person. She credits her confidence and her outgoing personality, a healthy support system, and a willingness to stop people-pleasing. The first year, she says, can make or break you.

Nat adds that every family has to find what works for them, and Twiniversity is never a place of judgment. People may judge a family with three under three – but plenty of others plan their families exactly that way on purpose.

Takeaway 10: Everybody’s hard is their hard

Sasha has a few close friends who have been trying to conceive for years, and she sometimes feels guilty that it happened so easily for her. Nat understands both sides. As someone who struggled to get pregnant, she remembers seeing a mom with five kids on the train and feeling envious and frustrated.

Infertility, she says, makes it hard to think clearly and so does running three kids through sleep, daycare, and swim lessons every single day.

Her reminder: we’re all going through our own stuff. Sasha’s own rule for family size is simple: have as many kids as you can give the time, care, attention, and support they deserve. For some families that’s one. For hers, it’s three.

Want to see this full Twiniversity Podcast episode!

Watch it here!

Check out more Twiniversity Podcast episodes on YouTube!

Want to read more articles for having 3 under 3? Check these posts out too:

• Best Strollers for 3 Under 3
• What’s the Best Car When You Have 3 Under the Age of 3?
• Flying With 3 Kids Under 3

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