by: Kellie Cutsinger
After passing the first few months as a new mom of multiples you should feel more confident (note: I used the word “more” and not “over”). It is a pretty day, or maybe it is raining and you want to get out of the house. Yes you can! I remember the days of what do I do.
There are a lot of things with drive thru lanes. Oh how I remember my drives to Starbucks, the dry cleaners, post office, breakfast, lunch and dinner (curb side!), bank/ATM and the pharmacy! Yes, a full day of errands without even getting out of the car. Roll the windows down, turn up that music! The boys loved the music, and the wind blowing on them. After graduating from driving I discovered….
There are a lot of nice parks in Houston. Not crawling yet- oh this is perfect. Take a blanket and let them watch the leaves blow on the trees. They are totally amazed by nature; they’ve never seen it before! I absolutely loved lying on the ground next to both of them watching and talking to them about all of their “first to see” things. Then, they started to crawl and walk. I quickly learned which parks had gates and easy parking. It helped me feel more secure and able to keep a watch on my developing curious ones.
I often met a friend; it is amazing how twin moms “team up”. I remember the days of “spotting” each other, not even realizing it… it is what you did all day. We would laugh saying, I got this one.
You can eat out!I met a dear friend at lunch hour when they were in the infant stage.I moved over two chairs and pulled up my double snap and go.I fed them one at a time (yes, a bottle!) and all went well. I was so proud of the three of us, we did it!!!Then they sat up and I became brave once again and met some friends during the high chair stage.I brought a double umbrella stroller I could bring to the table and fold down, along with their bowls of “approved” (meaning, they would eat it!) food and all went well.We went through the stages of sitting outside, going to restaurants with child friendly playgrounds and to inviting friends over for lunch play dates.This is when I realized that twin mom friendships are unique.
Friendships-
The Motherhood Center and local multiple support groups offer many ways to meet others. I was able to connect with other moms that “got it”. Having children close in age is hard (I would imagine), but it is still not your situation. It is important to develop friendships with other twin moms and set aside some time to have a “just a mom” lunch or dinner. Facebook and Twitter can help update people, but outings with friends and time shared is too special and beneficial.
Do not (I repeat) do not, compare yourself to any other mom!! Every child and every situation is different. Keep in mind that there are differences between full term/prematurity, boy/girl and first/second pregnancies; each family is unique. You were blessed with twins because you are completely capable of being a Mother of Multiples!
