Twiniversity Podcast with Natalie Diaz

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: community@twiniversity.com

 

CHAPTERS

00:00 More twin dads, please

01:00 PCOS and the fertility road

03:40 Supporting her through pregnancy

04:30 Firing the doctors at 36 weeks

06:35 Cleared for a vaginal birth

09:15 When baby B is breech

11:00 Dad as the mouthpiece

12:40 The patronizing dad books

16:40 Supporting her on delivery day

19:20 Why we hired a doula

22:20 Her podcast and his

26:10 Dividing the labor at home

31:00 Surviving the sleep deprivation

34:00 Co-sleeping, safely

40:00 Recommendations, not laws

44:30 Riding the waves together

52:00 Come on in, papa bears

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

NAT'S TWIN BOOKS 📚

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: community@twiniversity.com

 

CHAPTERS

00:00 Why Twin Parents Get Overlooked

01:00 Pregnancy Books Skip Twins

03:00 The Reassurance Twin Moms Need

06:00 Finding Real Twin Resources

07:00 Advocating for Your Birth Plan

09:00 Why Childbirth Classes Fall Short

14:00 Fear, Risk, and Letting Go

22:00 Redefining Success With Twins

31:00 Building Better Twin Education

33:00 Why Twin Parents Need Community

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: community@twiniversity.com

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.

Charles opens up about the regret he carries most (not carving out enough individual one-on-one time with each twin), the moment he confirmed his daughters were monozygotic at Disney World, why discovering their identical DNA at age 12 may have accelerated their drive for independence, and how — after going to different colleges on purpose — they ended up choosing the same semester abroad rather than spend a year apart from each other's best friend. Plus: the "Daddy takes a time-out" technique that every twin parent needs to hear.

Connect with Dr. Charles Glassman:

Website: www.charlesglassmanmd.com

The Coach MD Podcast: Listen on Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-coachmd-podcast/id1728326555

His daughters' creative agency: Aperitif Collective — sister-owned branding & design, Miami - https://www.aperitifcollective.com/

Instagram: instagram.com/coachmdofficial

Facebook: facebook.com/CoachMD

X (Twitter): @CoachMDofficial 

YouTube: youtube.com/@CoachMDofficial

EPISODE THEMES 📝

Parenting four kids (two singletons + twins) and learning to navigate the balance

Why clumping twins together as a unit can feel necessary — and why twins may eventually push back on it

The power of the 'Daddy takes a time-out' discipline technique for parents who feel triggered

Discovering at Disney World (age 12) that the girls were 100% monozygotic — and how it may have changed them

Going to different colleges to establish independent identities — but then refusing to go abroad a semester apart

Celebrating their 21st birthday together in Paris: the twin bond that always wins

Why individual one-on-one time is Charles's biggest parenting regret with the twins

What birth order as a parent does to your parenting style (the middle child theory)

How parenting shaped Charles as a physician — and as a human being

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. www.twiniversity.com/Membership 

✔️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: community@twiniversity.com

CHAPTERS

00:00 Twenty-seven years of twin dad wisdom

01:55 Meet Charles: an intro to today's guest

08:20 The twin pregnancy surprise nobody saw coming

10:10 One twin in the NICU: the blur of those first months

12:25 From two boys to four kids: navigating the zone defense

14:00 'The boys and the girls': grouping twins and why they push back

16:50 Finding out at Disney World they were identical all along

19:30 Age 12, a DNA swab, and 99.9% monozygotic

22:00 Different colleges, same soul: the drive for independence

26:35 'I can't miss a year with my best friend': choosing the same semester abroad

28:30 'Daddy takes a time-out': the discipline technique every twin parent needs

33:10 Parenting under pressure: how Charles kept calm coming home from a heavy shift

37:00 The twin bond through high school — and why it matters so much

38:10 His biggest regret: not making more individual time for each twin

44:00 His daughters today: Aperitif Collective and living in Miami

47:40 What fatherhood did for him as a doctor and a human being

51:55 Wrap-up and where to find Twiniversity

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 📝 

⦿ Finding out it's twins by surprise - a natural twin pregnancy with no family history 

⦿ A twin pregnancy with a marginal cord insertion and weekly MFM monitoring 

⦿ Being induced at 36 weeks and choosing to try for a vaginal birth ⦿ The "double whammy" - Baby A vaginally, Baby B by urgent C-section an hour later 

⦿ The surprise twist of which baby actually ends up in the NICU 

⦿ Recovering from a vaginal birth and a C-section at the same time 

⦿ Why being given a choice in how you deliver matters so much 

⦿ Using your "BRAIN" (Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, Intuition, Nothing) to make decisions 

⦿ Life now with twins plus a toddler - taking it one day at a time

RELATED EPISODES 🎧 

⦿ Curious what a postpartum doula actually does? 

Listen to Your First Night Home with Twins with Postpartum Doula Lauren Oak: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-first-night-home-with-twins-postpartum-doula/id1382948352?i=1000501133817 

⦿ Wondering whether a doula is right for your twin birth? 

Check out Should I Have a Doula with Twins? with Guest Doula Kim Collins:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/should-i-have-a-doula-with-twins-with-guest-doula-kim-collins/id1382948352?i=1000429208724

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. www.twiniversity.com/Membership

✔️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: community@twiniversity.com

CHAPTERS 

00:00 The "double whammy" delivery

03:00 Choosing your provider and your birth

06:45 Meet Maddie

07:35 A surprise natural twin pregnancy

09:50 Twin pregnancy vs. a singleton pregnancy

10:45 Baby B's marginal cord insertion and weekly MFM visits

13:20 Induced at 36 weeks and choosing to try vaginal

14:45 An easy vaginal birth for Baby A

15:45 Baby B flips transverse: trying to turn her

17:45 The placenta concern and the call for a C-section

20:35 Inside the C-section: the shakes and the epidural

22:30 The surprise: Baby A goes to the NICU

25:00 Recovering from a vaginal birth and a C-section at once

26:35 Advice for moms anxious about the double whammy

27:55 Born an hour apart: every twin story is different

28:35 Delivery day boot camps and the "use your BRAIN" method

34:25 How life is now: twins at nine months

35:20 What we stress about as twin parents

36:45 A house of girls and chasing milestones

38:25 The twin community: making friends with a double stroller

42:00 Wrap-up and where to find Twiniversity