My fifth guest post Twinterview is with the fabulous Beth who blogs over at ‘Twinderelmo‘. She’s given some fantastic insights into what it’s like to be a mama of twins; with some lovely positive thoughts on her birth experience plus top tips — and advice — for any new mum (or dad) of multiples.
How did you feel when you first found out you were having twins?
We found out at our routine 12 week scan.
Our babies are honeymoon babies so it was the most amazing thing to happen! I had no idea I could have twins — naively I thought twins run in families and your parents/grandparents had to be a twin for you to have them — so I was gobsmacked when we saw two heartbeats on the screen. An absolutely amazing memento from our honeymoon.
Did you have a straightforward pregnancy?
I had very bad nausea and sickness but luckily this stopped around 17-18 weeks.
I had terrible heartburn and acid reflux making it hard to lie down and sleep but about 34 weeks I was diagnosed with Obstetric Cholestasis which drove me mad itching but luckily it didn’t cause any other problems.
How was your twin birth experience?
Wonderful. I had an emergency c-section with my son which was very positive so I was happy to have an elective section, pretty much from our first scan.
I loved knowing when they were going to be here — and be able to plan — and they were born healthy so, yes, it was incredibly positive!
How did you cope with having twins in the early days?
I had experienced the sleepless nights before, so I think the thought was incredibly daunting with there being two but my husband was an absolute rock and got up every night feed and change the twins with me.
It actually went by so fast and people kept telling me that it’d soon be over but I didn’t want them to be, as it’s the easiest part!!!!
Did/do you have an essential ‘must-have’ item and what is it?
Car seat bases. My son started school when the girls were 3 months old so two school runs a day, getting them in and out of the car, at least 4 times a day… I don’t know how I would have coped with seat-belts; especially in the rain! They were without a doubt my best friend.
What is the best thing about being a parent of multiples?
Any child is amazing but it’s utterly fascinating seeing two babies that are genetically the closest anyone can be (mine are identical!) yet are so so different. Their relationship is now developing and its heart melting to see how much they love each other (most of the time!).
And the worst?
I think people treat you differently. They think you are some kind of superhero when, in reality, you just crack on like you would with one baby.
But with this I’ve found that people don’t talk as freely with you because they always have to point out ‘oh I’m sure it’s harder with two’ and always feel like they have to acknowledge the fact you have twins. I don’t want to be any different — all babies are hard, 1 or 10!!
And finally, what would your top tip be for any new — or soon to be —parent of twins?
It’s not as hard as you anticipate.
I had so so many points in my pregnancy when I was absolutely petrified. How could I hold, feed, change two babies? It all seemed utterly impossible. But you get there. You’ll make mistakes — you’ll do so much trial and error to find a system that works — but the unknown is much more daunting than reality. And it’s an absolutely amazing reality with two ridiculously awesome, amazing, little people that will stop you in your tracks everyday and say ‘oh my god I have twins!’!
To get to know Beth a little better and read all about her happy family, pop over to her blog or follow her on Twitter.
If you’re a parent of multiples— twins, triplets or more — and would like to share your experiences, in a ‘Twinterview’, please get in touch, I’d love to hear from you!
Great interview, this series is fascinating! x
Thanks Kate — I love reading the answers for the first time! It always amazes me how diverse they are! x
Great interview both. I wish carseat bases existed when we had our twins, would have made our lives soooo much easier!!! Thanks for linking up with #MultipleMadness xxx
Thanks so much Katie!! No car seat bases?! You really are a supermum!!Thanks for hosting x
I heart this series! It’s so nice to read the bits that sometimes people forget to mention :-) xx
Thanks lovely!! It’s amazing how many different answers there are for the same questions! X
Another great interview but scary that it didn’t run in the family! I shan’t tell my other half about this one ;) Thanks for linking up with #twinklytuesday
Identical twins are a total fluke — the egg splits and it can happen to anyone!! You’d better be careful Lisa!! ;) X
Brilliant interview. I love Beth and this interview has just made me love her even more. Her comment about babies being hard if you have one or ten really made me think. I often applaud twin parents for being amazing and feel inferior because I struggle with one. I really shouldn’t. We’re all mummies and we should support each other in exactly the same way no matter how many kids we have. Hugs Mrs H xxxx
Such a lovely comment Luce — in some ways being a mama of twins is easier, as your babies entertain each other! I take my hats off to the parent of a singleton child, who always needs attention and entertainment!! I was a bit lazy in that respect!! My boys entertain each other!! :) X
I love the Twinterview! xx
Thanks so much Jemma! :)
I completely agree with the tip about the car seat bases, a life saver. Impressive getting out twice a day, my eldest was 13 months when my twine were born so I often didn’t need to leave the house!
Me too Karen! I didn’t have another littlie, but my Isofix bases were a godsend! Particularly as I’d struggled with seat-belts when my goddaughter was a baby!! I had no idea how to secure the seats properly! ;)
It’s always lovely hearing other peoples twin stories and feelings. I agree with everything said and I definitely think the early days are easier than the toddler days!
It’s great, hearing about everyone else’s experiences, isn’t it? If you’d like to join in and add your experiences to the Twinterviews, Karen, please get in touch! I’d love to have you :) caro@thetwinklediaries.co.uk
You’re so right, it’s much easier in the early days. Although, when I was expecting my twins I was so concerned about the logistics of looking after a toddler and TWO newborns. Like you say, you just get on with it. I’m finding it quite tough now they are three and have really strong personalities. We sailed through ‘terrible twos’, but I think I have two ‘threenagers’ on my hands :-)
#MultipleMadness
Aaah bless you Francesca — I cant imagine having a third toddler in the mix! I have one lovely placid boy at the moment and the other has been in terrible two mode since he was about 16 months!! x
Such a positive story!! Agree with you that it’s easier in the early days!! How lovely and amazing to read this. Jess x
Yep — third that sentiment!! It certainly get’s a little more challenging as the naps start to get fewer and they get more active! More fun though too then!! :)
Fantastic interview, I agree with so much of it! I had imagined it to be much harder than it actually was which is good in a way as I prepared myself for the worst :) Twin mums always just crack on I think! Rather naively I didn’t realise just anyone could have twins either, I don’t know why I thought that! xx
Thanks so much Hayley — me too! I totally agree that twin mums just get on with it!! Like Beth, I thought it would be a million times worse — actually it’s been fantastic and so much easier than I anticipated xx
Great Post! I always love hearing other twin mom stories. I’m so glad you had such a positive experience in the early days. One of my babies had severe acid reflux and cried day in and day out so it was a little hard to deal with . They are now almost six months and it’s getting much better :)
Thanks so much Krista, me too. When I was pregnant, I scoured the internet looking for something like this and now I have my twins I still love to hear the experiences of other twin mamas! Thanks for your comment! x
Great interview Beth and Caro, I have a few friends with twins and it looks so hard but like you say 1 is hard xx
It’s a lovely Twinterview isn’t it? Really positive! Made me smile when I was reading it — so nice when someone’s had such a great experience! :)
thank you soooo much for having me! xx
Aaah it’s my absolute pleasure — thanks so much for getting involved! Yours is SUCH a lovely story too!! To conceive twins on your honeymoon is just fabulous.
Your experience seems to be as positive as mine, which is so lovely to see! Thanks so much Beth, Caro X