Multiplicity – Hi, I Have Twins.

by Angie Cleland

My name is Angie, I’m unorganized, disheveled, exhausted, late to everywhere, and completely fulfilled. I am a Mom of Multiples.

My twins were born 2 years ago this March. We went to the Dr. at 5 months to find out if we were having a boy or a girl and SURPRISE! We were having not just one girl, but two! Our girls had a rough start like many multiples do, they were mono-amniotic, meaning they were in the same sac. It’s a pretty rare type of pregnancy and can be pretty dangerous for the babies. After countless appointments with specialists, constant monitoring of their heart rates, and bed rest, both at home and in the hospital, our sweet, sweet girls were born healthy at 33 weeks. 10 days in the NICU and they were released into the this big world, to terrified parents, and a very excited big sister that couldn’t wait to get her grubby little hands on them.

Raising twins is obviously different than raising a singleton. There are so many things to think about, there is a type of dual dynamic that has to be considered. Do you raise them to be so individual that they lose their “twin-ness” or do you raise them so much like the twins that they are, that you risk them never thriving as individuals. Where is the line? How do you find the balance? Who has these answers and why aren’t they returning my calls?

I realize my situation may be different than some Moms of Multiples because I also have a singleton to think about. How do we raise a single in the house with twins, will she feel jipped because she doesn’t have a another “her” running around the house? Again, if someone could give me the number to the “how to hotline,” that would be great.

Join me here each month as I awkwardly navigate this world of seeing double. Feel free to share your stories and experiences as we go along. There is strength (and safety) in numbers.