It was International Blog Swap Day on April 28, which means this week there has been swapping happening all over the world! I thought I would join in the fun (I always was a fan of pen pals, and this is reminiscent of that!) UK site Tots100 and Digital Parents here in Australia have been pairing blogs together. I have been delighted to meet Karen from Tales of a Twin Mum. Check out her blog, it’s a wealth of information about multiples, plus she’s about to move to our very own Australia! It’s interesting reading about the effort she and her family are going through to emigrate. (I’m sure it will pay off!)
Karen and I thought we would reminisce about the newborn days of having multiples. Stay tuned, my blog post will be posted on her site on Saturday. (Probably UK time!) So without further ado, I’ll hand you over to Karen.
When I heard I was expecting twins, I was unbelievably excited. Having twins had never even crossed our minds, so it was a massive shock, but a really fantastic surprise
We didn’t have any other children, so had nothing to compare it to – instead we were told by lots of ‘supportive’ people that it would be hideous. We’d never get any sleep. We’d never be able to make it out of the house before noon. Our lives would be filled with stress, screams and poo. We’d never have any spare money again. The more people say these things to you, the more you start to wonder if maybe they’re telling the truth.
As the birth approached, people started to ask if we were excited. Erm, excited at the prospect of a potentially difficult and dangerous birth (I developed obstetric cholestasis and pre-eclampsia over the last few weeks of pregnancy) or excited at the fact you’ve just told me our lives are about to be over the moment we welcome two screaming small people into our lives?
Anyway, I just wanted to let you in on a little secret: *whispers* the reality of having multiples is nothing like what people WITHOUT multiples tell you. Somehow, the moment you announce you’re expecting more than one, everyone is an expert on the subject. But it really isn’t something you can understand unless you’ve actually been through it. Even then everyone’s experience is different depending on how many babies you’re expecting, whether they’re boys, girls or a mix of both and what they’re all like as individuals. The only advice I will offer you on the subject is to join a multiples club and only listen to the things the parents there tell you about having more than one at a time. If anyone else tries to tell you what it’s going to be like, I suggest putting your fingers in your ears and singing “lalala” very loudly until they walk away. Try it; I’m sure they’ll soon get the hint.
Having your first child is a pretty scary experience for everybody, whether it’s one, two, three or more babies at once. It’s a bit nerve-wracking, but it really isn’t hideous. In fact, I’ll let you in on another little secret: *whispers again* having multiples is an amazing, no, an INCREDIBLE thing that very few people are privileged to experience.
Apparently having one newborn can be very stressful, so people assume that having two or more of them at the same time is going to be so much harder. Each baby is different. Whether your babies ends up being easy or tricky, it won’t really matter. You’ll get through the night feeds (they’ll pass in a blur before you know it), you’ll work out a way to make it out of the house before noon (just pack your changing bag the night before and get clothes out ready). I can’t promise you’ll ever have any spare money again (multiples are expensive!) and there certainly will be lot of poo and screaming, but in between there is also double cuddles (which are just THE BEST) and double the love, and seeing small people grow up together as best friends (and occasionally worst enemies) is one of the most special experiences in the world.
If you’re wondering what to expect from newborn twins, all I can say is expect the time of your life and you won’t be disappointed.
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1 Comment
Thanks very much for hosting me! I’m looking forward to reading your post and sharing it with my readers. Happy #IBSD14! xx