Having twins or triplets (or more!) is such a rollercoaster. Not only do you learn about raising two or three little babies at once. You learn a lot about yourself. You may be surprised by the things that you can do. Things you didn’t think were possible before becoming a parent of multiples.
Did you know that caring for newborn twins takes approximately 19 hours a day!
The list of things I have learned I am capable since having twins is HUGE. And there is a lot of unexpected things on the list. Check out below some of the main things I have learned. And am super impressed about, if I do say so myself!
How much I can hold!
If you try leaving the house with your multiples, you will know this capability all too well. The amount of things you can hold at once is just crazy. Blankets, bottles, nappies, wipes, babies – and then DOUBLE IT.
You literally need to have two (or three) of everything and at times you are needing to carry two of ten different things at once.
Have you ever seen the meme of the person trying to bring all the grocery bags in the house at once? That’s how it feels having twins or triplets ……… but all the time!
How little sleep I actually need!
When you have a newborn at home, there are multiple wake ups through out the night. We are all prepared for it. Other parents warn you. The midwives warn you. Everyone warns you.
However it is still a shock when you bring your little ones home and the night waking starts. There can be times when you are up more than 10 times throughout the night. Your babies aren’t always going to wake at the same time and once you get one down, you’re likely then going to have to settle the other.
With all the broken sleep and minimal hours of sleep, it means that there will be days when you are running on what feels like no sleep. But you keep going. You still get your babies fed, bathed and settled. You still manage a little cleaning and washing.
I was amazed at how much I was capable on such little sleep.
Having twins or triplets means ……. multi-tasking!
There is SO much multi-tasking as a parent of twins or triplets. There are times when you are carrying two babies around at the same time. Times when you are trying to tidy up with a baby in the carrier attached to you.
When you are feeding your little ones, whilst doing online grocery shopping. Reading to older children, whilst rocking the babies to sleep.
Multi-tasking is something we all do throughout our days, but as a parent of multiples, you realise just how much you can actually multi-task. And its pretty impressive.
Tetris skills!
Now this is one thing I am very impressed about. We all know that packing a nappy bag for a baby means taking a lot of stuff with you. Think about how much you then need for two babies. Taking two bags just isn’t logical or practical which means you need to be able to fit it all in one.
This is where the tetris skills come into play. Being able to strategically fit everything that is needed into one bag. And in a way where you can pull out what you need without having to dismantle the whole bag.
The same goes for packing the boot of the car. Put a double pram in the boot and it doesn’t leave you with much room. So when it comes time to packing the groceries in, you need serious tetris skills.
Having twins or triplets means ……. more love!
The most important thing I have learned I am capable since having twins is that the amount of love that I have is huge. Many people struggle with the thought of whether they are going to have enough love for their partner, older children and then another two babies at once.
But there is no level of love that accounts for it. I have way more love than I thought I would ever have and there is plenty for everyone.
Having twins or triplets really opens your eyes to how much you are capable of. You will reach levels you never thought possible and you will be amazed by yourself every single day.
What other things have you learned you are capable of since becoming a parent of twins or triplets?
Twinfo is Australia’s largest, most supportive, online community for parents of twins and triplets. Twinfo offers advice, products and services that make raising your babies easier, freeing you up to enjoy all the precious moments.
You can connect with Twinfo via the Website, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or Etsy.