Anytime I take my girls out, there is one common question that the inquiring minds of the public want to know. If I've answered this question once, I've answered it one hundred times. What is the hardest part? I find this question to be a bit irritating, but at the same time I understand where they are coming from. The thought of bringing two tiny infants home from he hospital, caring for their every need and raising them is terrifying to some.
I'll be honest and say that it wasn't always a breeze. Granted I feel like I am much different in that I brought home two healthy, full-term babies who were good natured from the beginning and continue to be today. That's not always the case for some and I thank God every single day for that! So let me tell you based on my personal experience what the hardest parts of raising twins are.
Crying It Out
As parents its our constant goal to keep our babies comfortable and content. Well when you bring home two infants, there are times when they both need you. They both need a diaper change. They are both hungry. They are both feeling under the weather. They are both teething. You get the idea! Well because we only have two hands, there are times when one baby has to cry while you care for the other. This to me was one of the toughest moments. And I never wanted to feel like I was choosing one over the other. But at times it was a matter of who was crying harder or who I got to first. I know that the girls won't recall those moments, but if I had to pick a #1 toughest aspect of twin care, this would be it.
Nursing
This part was HARD! I'm not going to lie about it. While I knew that I wanted to nurse them, I had no idea just how hard it would be. Nursing hurts very badly in the beginning and having two babies latch at once when you're in excruciating pain is the worst. There was a lot of tears and before I knew it, I was miserable. Keeping up your milk supply for two is tough. My body physically couldn't handle it. I managed to nurse for three months, but toward the end, my body began to almost wither away, because everything that I had was going straight to the twins. I dropped twenty pounds in a short time and the girls weren't thriving, so at their three month appointment, I was basically told that I had no choice but to make the switch to formula. That day crushed me, but now I realize that it was the right choice.
The End of Maternity Leave
As much as I knew that I had to return to work and part of me wanted to, leaving the girls was devastating. Part of me wanted to stay home and raise them for the first year like I did with Rhylan. But with twins comes a lot of expenses and as a one income family, that wouldn't be feasible. Props to those families who are able to make it work! At the same time, I want the girls (and my son for that matter) to understand why their parents work. And that they too will have to work to provide and have a great life. Things are not free. I want them to be proud of us and I hope that our work ethics will inspire the same in them.
So there you have it! My top 3 challenges when raising twins. So next time you want to stop and ask a twin mom this question, realize that there is so much to it and it's hard to give a brief answer. Each and every situation is different. So how about instead of asking about the tough stuff, ask about the best parts!
I'll be honest and say that it wasn't always a breeze. Granted I feel like I am much different in that I brought home two healthy, full-term babies who were good natured from the beginning and continue to be today. That's not always the case for some and I thank God every single day for that! So let me tell you based on my personal experience what the hardest parts of raising twins are.
Crying It Out
As parents its our constant goal to keep our babies comfortable and content. Well when you bring home two infants, there are times when they both need you. They both need a diaper change. They are both hungry. They are both feeling under the weather. They are both teething. You get the idea! Well because we only have two hands, there are times when one baby has to cry while you care for the other. This to me was one of the toughest moments. And I never wanted to feel like I was choosing one over the other. But at times it was a matter of who was crying harder or who I got to first. I know that the girls won't recall those moments, but if I had to pick a #1 toughest aspect of twin care, this would be it.
Nursing
This part was HARD! I'm not going to lie about it. While I knew that I wanted to nurse them, I had no idea just how hard it would be. Nursing hurts very badly in the beginning and having two babies latch at once when you're in excruciating pain is the worst. There was a lot of tears and before I knew it, I was miserable. Keeping up your milk supply for two is tough. My body physically couldn't handle it. I managed to nurse for three months, but toward the end, my body began to almost wither away, because everything that I had was going straight to the twins. I dropped twenty pounds in a short time and the girls weren't thriving, so at their three month appointment, I was basically told that I had no choice but to make the switch to formula. That day crushed me, but now I realize that it was the right choice.
The End of Maternity Leave
As much as I knew that I had to return to work and part of me wanted to, leaving the girls was devastating. Part of me wanted to stay home and raise them for the first year like I did with Rhylan. But with twins comes a lot of expenses and as a one income family, that wouldn't be feasible. Props to those families who are able to make it work! At the same time, I want the girls (and my son for that matter) to understand why their parents work. And that they too will have to work to provide and have a great life. Things are not free. I want them to be proud of us and I hope that our work ethics will inspire the same in them.
So there you have it! My top 3 challenges when raising twins. So next time you want to stop and ask a twin mom this question, realize that there is so much to it and it's hard to give a brief answer. Each and every situation is different. So how about instead of asking about the tough stuff, ask about the best parts!
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