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Author: Jenni from Big Vans, Kids and Camping

So, you’re thinking of going camping, but are you crazy considering it with twins, triplets or more?

Short answer…….NO YOU’RE NOT!!!

You are definitely not crazy, in our opinion, if you are organised and have thought it out, then it’s definitely a winner.  Camping comes in all sorts of forms and doesn’t have to mean a tent, and why should it be any harder than someone else taking their children.  If you are keen then we say “GO FOR IT”!!  

Here are some of our tips.

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Backpack harnesses or wrist style leashes for twins or triplets

Backpack harnesses or wrist style leashes for twins or triplets can sometimes be a controversial topic.  As the ‘perfect parent I was before I had children’, I certainly ‘judged’ those that used them. 

And then I had children of my own, and not just one child, but two.  At once. And now I understand.   With that said I want to apologize for being the perfect parent (who had no kids!) and was judgy. I never made snide comments to people nor was I rude about it to them about it but in my head I was totally judging.  Which was wrong.

Backpack harnesses or wrist style leashes DO NOT make you a bad parent.  Remember, your babies your rules.  No one has a right to shame you for it, not even family!

As a multiple birth parent myself, I have realised that there is no one way or easy way to take care of your babies.  So if something makes your life simpler, then do it!

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Conjoined twins are identical twins who are joined together somewhere in the body, most often at the chest, abdomen or pelvis. They are monozygotic twins, in the sense that they share the same zygote.

The formation of this twin type is believed to be the result of late twinning. When the twinning occurs more than 12-13 days after fertilization of the egg, it may lead to the formation of conjoined twins because the embryo may not split completely.

Conjoined twin births are very rare, amounting to around one birth in every 100,000 births. The ratio of female and male sets was found to be three to one.  There is a slightly higher chance of conjoined twins from Africa and Southwest Asia.

Depending on where they are joined, some may share some vital internal organs.

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Author: Naomi’s Dad, Rick

I know Naomi likes to commiserate with you all, and tell you what a heavy cross raising twins is to bear; that’s because she’s an Internet Mum, not a Traditional Mum. 

Phrases like “age appropriate behaviour” (really an excuse for letting them get away with murder) roll off her lips like gentle waves on a tropical beach, calming, even ‘mindful’ but not achieving much.  And yet, for many years I was her Mum and Dad, raising her in my  own ‘age appropriate’ way, and look at her now, she’s perfect, the best daughter in the Southern Hemisphere!

All without an online forum from which to seek understanding and enlightenment. Nor did I even once stress about her having too much screen time.

Being a Twin Grandad

Twins are wonderful, let’s begin with that as a basic premise.  When they jump out of the car and come running toward us, shouting “Hello Grandad, Hello Nanna” and throw their skinny little arms around us, what’s difficult about that? 

Or when they start taking their first lurching, staggering steps, who can say that’s tough? When Ollie is so proud to show me he’s learned to do a bunnyhop on his scooter, or Lexi speaks with such shy pride about her swimming achievements, I feel like my world is about as good as it gets. It’s enchanting, truly.

Seeing the intimate psychological bond they share, realizing that they are understanding each other, communicating with each other, even before they have learned to speak is such a wonderful revelation. And then, as they learn to speak, their capacity to interpret the needs of their twin to a baffled grandparent, that’s special to behold.  Even being tied to my chair with a string a beads for the twentieth time in one day is still a gift of life.

A Twin Grandad’s Perspective of Modern Parenting

Parents of twins can of course be a chronic pain to grandparents. They know so much, and yet so very little, it’s truly amazing the helpless little kiddles survive at all. If it wasn’t on the internet it’s obviously just old fashioned folklore, Presocratic nonsense, not relevant to modern twins. Nonetheless, our own little prodigies have grown up and we must allow them to metaphorically stumble and learn from their mistakes, even though at times our tongues bleed from selfharm, and we see how we could do the job so much better.  Poor us. And yet, at the same time, secretly so proud that our own children are caring, loving parents, doing their very best in their own fashion.

Fortunately, as we age we mellow, we too are still learning, learning to be grandparents, to be the provider of wheelbarrow rides, the  tellers of tales to our credulous grandchildren, telling them stories about their own moms and dads, and hearing them ask of them, “Mum, is what Grandad said really, really true?”

The privilege of being a twin Grandad is like winning Lotto. Twice.

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Author: Naomi Dorland

September is Desmoid Tumour Awareness Month. 

What is a Desmoid Tumour I hear you ask?  I didn’t know either, until I was diagnosed with one. And I certainly never expected to be diagnosed with a Desmoid Tumour after twin pregnancy.

A lump under my c-section scar

When our twins were about 17 months old, I was laying in bed and I realised that there was a solid “bump” at one end of my c-section scar.  I’m not talking about an infected hair follicle sized bump, I’m talking about something that was firm, and felt like it was about the diameter of a golf ball.  

I was lucky in that my stomach went all the way down, back to pre-baby size, very quickly.  Also, I am of fairly slim build. When I lay on my back, my hip bones protrude.  So this lump was easy to feel when I was laying down.  When I stood up though, you could barely feel it.  I was busy with our 17mth old twins, so I didn’t really worry.  I’ve had at least a dozen lots of surgery for endometriosis, and I am extremely prone to adhesions.   So I just assumed it was endometriosis adhesions or scar tissue adhesions.  I decided to ignore it, as I didn’t have time to have more surgery to remove it, and it wasn’t life threatening.   Or so I thought!

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