Double Occupancy

**April is Multiple Birth Awareness Month. Multiples of America is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting families of multiple birth children through education, research, and networking. In partnering with local support groups, health care providers, researchers, and educators, and with the highest standards of integrity, respect and professionalism, we endeavor to aid parents of multiples and to raise public awareness of the unique qualities of multiple birth families.**

Life as a mother of multiples is really no different than the life of a mother of a single child, except I was outnumbered two to one from the very beginning.

I wasn’t exactly thrilled when at eight weeks we found out our pregnancy was double occupancy. After the initial shock wore off, I embraced the idea of having two babies at once in the best way I knew how – with planning and preparation. But no amount of planning and preparation could prepare me for going into labor at twenty-four weeks and being placed on bed rest in the hospital for the next six weeks. I focused on one day at time and if for one second thought about the next day, panic would set in. The day Owen and Madeleine were born was a blur, but hearing you have a son and a daughter are words I will never forget. I loved them even more than I could ever imagine. They spent six weeks in the NICU growing and learning to do what babies are supposed to do. I remember thinking the day Owen and Madeleine came home that the staff at the NICU must be crazy to send me home with two tiny babies. How could they believe I would be competent enough to care for one baby, let alone two?

Double-Occupancy-FamilyMy husband and I knew the only way we were going to survive was by having a routine. Our routine was almost obsessive and I’m sure to outsiders it was, but I didn’t know any other way to make it day to day without it. The one thing I learned while in the hospital was to take one day at a time. I didn’t think about what was to come the next day or the one after because it was too overwhelming. I just did what I could that day and left the rest for tomorrow. I was fortunate to double breast feed. It was easy to do at home, but in public was a bit trickier. Two tiny heaters stuck under a nursing cover the size of a small tent was extremely uncomfortable in the summer. My husband and I also decided to be green and used cloth diapers. Everyone we knew thought we were crazy, but in the end it was a wonderful choice for our family. Feeding, diapering, putting to sleep and all around nurturing two infants, now toddlers, is hard work. There is no other way to put it. Everything I do is times two.

Even grocery shopping is quite the challenge. When they were infants, I would put one baby in the top and then the other in the basket. That baby would get the short end of the deal for that trip because he or she would be surrounded with all sorts of groceries. I had to get creative in how to get what I needed in the basket without smothering my child. I will fully admit, that I unintentionally made it home a few times with a can of veggies that had not been paid for. Guess I should not have been sticking can goods in the car seat!

As a mom of twins, I often wonder if I am giving each child enough individual attention, if interests and needs are being met on an individual level and if each child realizes that he or she is actually an individual. My Aunt Judy always had a way of making me feel better about this even when she had no idea how I was feeling. She said “It must be so great to be a twin. You always have a built in playmate and best friend.” Wise words. As inept as I felt, and still feel to be a mother of twins, I guess I am doing something right because they are both still alive and I’m not completely crazy.

And if having one set of twins was not life altering enough, we found out in January that we are having our second set of twins coming in late summer. Here comes another obsessive routine and I can’t even imagine how I am going to grocery shop with four kids!

Click HERE to read another local mom’s story with twins!

*********************

Tracy-GambillHi OKC! I am Tracy. I’m Texas born but Oklahoma proud. I moved to OKC in 1999 to go to college and except for one fabulous year in Ireland, have lived here ever since. I met my husband, Matt, at church. After too many years of dating, we married in 2009. I worked as a child welfare advocate in foster care adoptions until I went to the hospital in labor. I love exploring how to know God in more intimate ways. I love OU football, cooking, trying to be crafty and reading when I have time. I also like finding new ways to be green and have a more organic and natural lifestyle. I now stay at home with our three year old twins, Owen and Madeleine who keep me extremely busy and on my toes. I am expecting our second set of twins in August 2014.

Previous article10 Spring Cleaning Tips to a Cleaner Home in One Day
Next articleChanging of the Seasons

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here