Blessed With Twins? Here's What You Should Know

Blessed With Twins? Here’s What You Should Know Having a baby is in itself quite a herculean task when it comes to taking care. What if you add one more to the list? Yes! I’m referring to being blessed with twins. Many shudder at the idea of having and taking care of twins but with a little care and smart planning, it is possible. You just need to keep in mind a few basics and everything will be easy. Of course, this is not to say, it is less tiring. It is all of that and more. But if you are reading this and expecting twins here are some things you need to know.

Scheduling:

With twins, while it may seem overwhelming at the start, you will gradually get settled and used to it. But what is very important is to sync both up, have a schedule and follow it religiously, especially their sleeping and napping schedules. Gradually they adapt to it and things get a lot easier for you. If you don’t sync them up, one may sleep while the other just gets up and you will be on a non-stop, round the clock duty, which will completely exhaust you. Here are some tips that might help you get started with syncing up the two:

1. If your babies have been on neonatal intensive care for a while before returning home, it is best to continue with the routine that was being followed at the hospital because by now they must be used to it
2. If one baby wakes up crying to feed, wake the other one as well. You may think that the other one might sleep through the night and feel guilty to wake the sleeping one. But trust me, after about an hour of putting the first one to sleep just when you’re ready to doze off, the second one will be up. So, it’s best to sync their feeding time
3. It’s best not to plan outings that disrupt their napping or feeding time. Sometimes it may be unavoidable or you may have people visiting over, but as far as possible try to stick to the routine at least in the first few months

Don’t Separate Them When They’re Sleeping:

Once your twin babies start sleeping, it’s quite tempting to separate them so that they don’t cry and disturb each other. Don’t give in to it. That way they learn to sleep through anything and through a lot of noise around.

Feeding:

Many new moms get nervous at the whole idea of feeding two babies at a time. Initially, it is indeed quite a task, but gradually it gets easy as both the babies and you get a hang of it. Don’t worry about milk supply because increased demand leads to increased production. And even if there is insufficient milk, you can always opt for top-up feed. It is possible to feed both at the same time, one on each breast, but it requires lot of coordination and patience.

Bonding With The Babies:

Bonding with children comes with time and don’t worry, even when you have twins you can bond perfectly with both. You can cuddle them, get cozy while putting them to sleep or even alternate holding one and putting one on the blanket on the floor. Make the most of the bath time and diaper change time to sing and have small baby chats with them. Learn infant massage techniques and massage them alternately before bath every day. All this will ensure that gradually you are bonding very well with your little ones. Don’t stress too much over it.

Also Read: Handling Twins- A mother's account

Become A Smart Shopper:

Remember to keep a list of things you need. It’s a good idea to stock up on essentials, particularly because you don’t have the luxury of going out when you want to. But remember don’t double up on everything. Because though twins may be very similar, they could be very different from each other as well. So for instance if you are getting a swing, see how both take to it. Only if you need, buy separately for both otherwise, one is just about enough. Be cautious not to go overboard. If you are not able to go out often, you could order things online too, to save on time.

Twins may be very different from one another so never compare one with the other. Allow them to grow into separate independent individuals. At one stage, as they grow up, it is a good idea to separate them so that they get their own group of friends and explore their interests. As they grow up, parenting twins gets a lot easier because they have each other to sleep with and play and therefore are better than a single child. If you are pregnant with twins remember to get enough rest, eat well, exercise and visit the doctor regularly. Once they are born, get some help from other family members or even your spouse to make things easier. Don’t fret and panic if you’re pregnant with twins—remember you get double of everything joys, hugs, cuddles and lots of love.

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