When I was a child, our summer vacations were usually a three hour journey from our front door to the door of where we were staying. Most of the time we journeyed to our vacation destination via car and ferry. My sister and I loved that our parents were sharing with us all of the fabulous sites that our province had to offer whether we were camping by a lake, staying in a cottage by the ocean, or exploring the coast in an RV.
Seeing as the entirety of pregnancy lasts about 9 months, the need for maternity clothes lasts at most the same length of time. Probably longer. D’oh. Why should you buy a whole new wardrobe to wear for a maximum of nine months, none of which will fit you after? The answer: You don’t have to! Maternity clothes are, for the most part, expensive and not very flattering. You do need to feel that you look as good as possible when you’re pregnant, though. No matter your sewing ability or willingness to search for inexpensive maternity clothes, you do have lots of options.
When you step into the great wide world with your beautiful babes in a side by side stroller it’s hard to avoid the sometimes painful, and quite frankly, nosy, questions from well-meaning strangers. Going out to get groceries shouldn’t feel like a circus sideshow, but sometimes that’s the reality. Having twins is exciting, special and novel and not everyone has seen baby twins. That excitement can spill over into sometimes not the most appropriate questions you can expect as the mother of twins.
Mothers of multiples, if they didn’t have them before, have to develop shrewd multi-tasking skills. Multiple kids will turn you into a multi-tasking mama.
Cradle cap is a very common condition – roughly 50% of babies experience it and there is no cause for concern. The appearance of cradle cap is not linked to hygiene or allergies. It is harmless and, unless severe, does not cause discomfort for the baby. That’s the good news – don’t worry, mama!
New parents of twins are often taken by surprise… maybe you got pregnant earlier than planned and had to find accommodation to fit your growing family, particularly when you found out you were carrying twins! Maybe you had a difficult pregnancy, were on bedrest and/or had a challenging delivery and recovery. Perhaps you have financial issues as a result of the twin pregnancy and that is an additional burden for you and your partner. Perhaps one of you is still in school? All of these responsibilities and concerns can have a major effect on your relationship. How do you cope with night wakings and divide the load of household chores so that neither partner (you!) gets resentful? Luckily, there are lots of ways new dads can help.
A new baby brings joy, love and lots of other goodies, including a whole new category of things to buy. Things start to accumulate when you consider furniture, toys and baby-related equipment. In truth, your baby has few needs besides their crib, bedding, diapers, baby food and clothing. There are lots of options in the marketplace that are not only sustainable and socially responsible choices, but probably better for your baby as well.
When you have a baby most people need to make the most of what they can afford. This is particularly true for parents of twins or higher order multiples. Raising multiples on a budget can be a challenge, but it’s not impossible.
Whenever they venture out into the world for a walk or to shop for groceries, mothers of multiples can anticipate questions from well-meaning strangers. In most cases, people just want to say hi and get a glimpse of your precious bundles of joy. Having twins is a crash course in how to deal with questions that are too personal.