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Getting Started
Caring for one child is quite a task for
many new parents, and the prospect of having more than one at the same
time can be daunting.
You'll require much more support than just your partner can give.
Plan ahead and line up additional help for after the birth. Find out if
someone can come & stay with you like your mother, mother-in-law, or any
relative. or try to find out about any nurse can come & stay with you.
An extra pair of helping hands is always welcome!
Before
birth
Even today its quite
difficult for a physician to diagnose a twin pregnancy unless the doctor
uses Ultrasound. Having said this, in case you have slightest doubt that
you might be carrying twins, get the ultrasound done ASAP!
Caesarean?
Not all multiples are born by caesarean section. Although the majority
of triplets and higher order births are caesarean. Talk to your
Gynaecologist about the best options for you.
"Caesarean
in our case was known a month ahead, since the position of the fetus was
adverse to natural delivery and was very unlikely to change in another 1
month's time"
Bed rest?
You have to go by what the doctor says, but the more active you stay,
the less painful it is!
After birth:
It will be a long time
before you get a full night’s sleep, so it is best that you do not miss
out on any chance to rest during the day. Expect to feel tired and have
some negative feelings from time to time. Most parents of twins have
moments when they feel they aren’t up to the job of caring for them.
These feelings do not last for a long time.
Is it possible to breastfeed twins or more?
Breastfeeding twins can be a challenge, especially at the beginning, no
matter how prepared you are. There are some things you can do to make
your breastfeeding experience go more smoothly, help build your milk
supply and keep it, and keep you and your babies healthier as you start
this adventure.
Many women successfully breastfeed their
twins. Twins can be fed together or individually, and some women with
triplets feed their babies on a rotation basis, supplementing breast
feeds with bottles. This method could be more useful as in this case
kids will not be hungry and at the same time get the Mothers milk
benefit as well.
Toddler
When
the kids starts standing or walking, keep everything out of kids reach.
Since its going to be twice care you have to be careful from the very
beginning.
Schooling
When at school, you have a
choice to put them in a separate classes or in the same. Some schools
might suggest to keep twins in separate class or other might insist them
to put in same. You will have to work out the best for your children. It
might start with both of them in same, but should the need arise, for
the sake of their individual development, feel free to move them to
separate classes. It might be the other way round as well.
Let them choose the
subject, sports of their choice, don't force them to do the things just
because other one is doing.
Probably the most difficult part is for the parents to avoid comparing
one with the other. Its very unlikely that both of them would have same
level of competence and capability. Hence as parents you will have to
put in efforts to identify separate growth areas for each of them.
"We
had initially put them in the same class, but when we realized that one
was being over dependent on the other, we did separate them. We now see
an improvement as a result!"
Twins and Tantrums
If
your children start being prone to tantrums (which can begin anytime
after about 15 months ) then try to work out what is the trigger for the
tantrum and try to avoid obvious triggers. We have found that giving a
patient hearing to them itself placates them quite a bit. However, if
you were to turn a deaf ear to the same they keep on nagging about it,
till you have heard it out properly.
If you say No to start off with, stick to it, otherwise your twins will
think that No can be changed to a yes.
One more important
thing if one parent is saying no to something then the other parent must not
fulfil the demand, otherwise kids know how to get it their
way.
Honour your commitments and avoid playing favourite with one child.
"Probably
one thing that we have definitely learnt out of raising twins is how to
be a perfectionist in doing the same thing twice, whatever that thing
might be!"
Twin Teens
"We are yet to get there, so really don't know what the future has in
store for us. But on the lighter side, we hope it doesn't come to a
situation where in they are both fighting to share the same boyfriend!"
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