It's Twins!

Pregnancy Dreams

When I was 1 week pregnant (and didn't even know it yet) I dreamed that I was pregnant with twins and the doctor was explaining that one baby hides behind the other sometimes.  That is what happened for real, at 19 weeks, when the ultrasound tech found a second baby.  We had missed him at my previous appointments.  We saw one little white bean at my first appointment, and heard one heartbeat at my next appointment.  Until I re-read my journals after having the twins, I had completely forgotten about this random dream.

I also dreamed about that I gave birth to the tiniest, most adorable hispanic twins before I knew I was carrying two babies.  In that dream, one of the twins died and I took it home in a baggie. That's how small they were.

Disturbing, I know.

Pregnancy Complications

My midwife, having heard that the tech found a second baby, called me at home the evening after my appointment to apologize for missing it.  The worst part (if there is a bad part) about finding out I was having twins was that I could no longer see my midwife. I had to see an OBGYN because of the risks of twin pregnancy.  Luckily I liked my OB as much as I had my midwife, and I needed a good doctor as my twin pregnancy was not without complications. 

I had gallbladder attacks, starting at 24 weeks, and the pain of the attacks would cause me to contract.  I was placed on a low-fat (10 grams of fat/day) diet and was able to sustain the pregnancy to 37 weeks.  Eight weeks postpartum I had surgery to remove my gallbladder.  When I later got pregnant with Wyatt, I was so grateful I didn't have any eating restrictions. With the twins, I wanted to have a steak SO bad!  The good thing about the diet was that I only gained 25 pounds, but at the time, I didn't care about that!

Having A Favorite

Having a favorite twin is very common, although it's a taboo topic.  I have done a lot of research on the subject, and it's somewhat evolutionary to have a preference.  70% of mothers prefer the larger, more robust twin.  And did you know that panda's who give birth to twins only keep one? They cannot sustain two, so they don't even try.  Knowing that many women have a favorite, and that with time the issue resolves itself, I felt less bad about the fact that I had a preferred baby when the boys were born.

Who is Older?

It's a question I get a lot.  And one that I don't mind answering.  Being that I have my degree in psychology, I strongly believe in the importance of birth order.  I think where you are in your family line up has a huge impact on who you are, so I have always been open with the twins about who is the firstborn.  There are many twin experts who will tell you not to divulge birth order with your twins because it causes competition.  But the truth is, twins will compete.  It's the nature of twinship.

Honestly, I am more concerned about competition because of ability (or lack thereof) than I am about competition over who is older.

That's Twin-Parenting Life

A friend of mine sent me this Link to a hilarious article about raising twins. Josh and I were laughing out loud reading it together one night.  If you have twins, it's a must-read.

The Twin Bond

On Monday, the boys were watching Lion King during nap time, and as Jack watched Simba take in what land his father said was theirs, he goes, "I would want to be a lion king... but only if I could be a twin lion."

My mama heart melted.

I just love being their mom.  I feel so lucky that I have gotten to experience everything that being a twin mom has allowed.  From the magic of, at one point, being three people in one (which always tripped me out to think about) to witnessing their similarities & differences everyday, it has been a blessed journey.

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Today's Daily Gratitude:

Prayer

Connection to that which is bigger than me