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Raising identical boys - First Time MomNov 12 '03 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Have fun and realize that it is not twice as hard, you just need to do everything twice (it's only hard the first time)
Having one baby or multiples is daunting for any first time mother. Everyone always asks me how I handle two at once and the easiest answer is "I don't know any different." My first (and only) birth were twins - I have nothing else to compare it to. I brought Iain and Noah (identical boys) home two days after they were born and so began the trial and tribulations. It is a learning process which quickly becomes a routine. They slept in the same crib for the first 6 months and then they started becoming mobile - this is when we separated them into separate cribs, but same room. They needed the comfort of knowing their brother was close by (plus they "twin talk" to each other as they are falling asleep). The separation was not as difficult as I thought it might be - it was actually pretty easy. The hard part was everything else. How do you feed them? Change them? Bathe them? Love them? Play with them both at the same time? Feeding was not too hard. I attempted breastfeeding, but either I was too tired or impatient. I know that breastmilk is best, but I had two! When they woke up to be fed, I would sit on my bed and hold one in each arm. It may sound tough, but in the beginning, they are both small enough that you can support their head and hold the bottle all in the same arm (try it, it works). As they got older, I would prop them up against me on the bed and either hold their bottles for them, or they would hold it themselves. Their is a trick to everything. When you get to spoon feeding, I recommend the 2 highchairs side by side. It may get messier, but it's easier and saner than listening to one cry while the other one eats. You cannot really change them at the same time. This is something that they need to take turns at - it gets harder as they get older because they start to crawl away (when changing them on the floor)and you have to chase after a half naked baby! It's all still fun, though. We didn't start bathing them together until they were able to sit up on their own. When we brought them home, we used the infant tub and bathed them one at a time. They hated getting baths at that age, but now they scream when I take them OUT of the tub. The past couple of months have been fun in the bathtub - two boys, rubber duckies, splashing and laughter. It is one of my favorite activities with them. The love is easy to go around - never had a problem with that one. The cool thing about the love, you get more and more everyday. From the time you bring them home and all they can do is snuzzle and hold your finger with their tiny little hand until they start crawling over to you and climbing up on your lap and giving you a hug. It makes everything worth it. The whole day of moodiness and thrown baby food on the wall melts away. Twins entertain each other. I still get on the floor and play with them, but a lot of times I hear them playing and talking and when I walk in the room they just become silent and stare at me. Kind of like, "Hey, mommy, you're interrupting..." All children are a blessing and having twins gives you a double blessing. I do not promise you flowers, sunshine and 8 hours of sleep every night, but I do guarantee a joy and awe that you have never experienced. Their world is different than any one I lived in and watching them explore it together is incredible. Good luck to all parents if multiples and I hope I have giving some insight to raising twins. Please feel free to respond if you have any questions you may like answered.  |
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