That Question

In this rare moment, I get a small glimpse of what it's like to have one baby. It's 6 A.M. (Everlynn's new wake-up time) and Vivian is still snoozing. Sitting here, watching the morning news and sipping coffee, I'm pondering the answer to the on-going question "How do you manage it with twins?".  


The difference? 


Possibly "Down time"is the answer. Down time is something a mom of twins- just does not have. I may get a moment or two to shove food down and/or post some photos to FB, but simple things are even hard to accomplish during the day, when the twins are awake- which is most of the time, considering they take three naps that are less than 30 minutes each. 


So, is having one baby, really this easy? That is MY question. 


The fact is, in this moment, I feel like I could do anything, go anywhere, carry on with my life as if ONE baby is not even remotely effecting what I want to do. You always hear how difficult it is to be a new mom- the sleep deprivation- the constant care of your infant-no time to shower. Every parent in the world can't be that bad at time management?!


Or, do you simply adapt to what you have as an experience? That makes much more sense to me. 


The things I know for sure regarding twins vs. single:


-Mom's (parent's) of multiples don't sleep in the beginning. It's not a 3-4 hour sleep rotation, like most circumstances with a single. The twins were on a 2 hour sleep/feeding schedule at night, to gain weight, which is common for multiples.  By the time you feed, burp, change, put babies back to sleep, and get yourself back to bed- you're lucky to get 45 minutes. I remember praying for a solid hour of sleep- and that was rare. Sometimes going DAYS without more than 3-4 hours of sleep, combined, my sleep deprivation became so extreme, that I had to drink a coffee mug of wine to force my body to shut down on a somewhat regular basis. This went on for the first 3 months of their life. It's gradually got better. I think we had a month stretch of both babies sleeping through the night,  but I am still up at least twice a night with one or both babies. 


-Getting babies to sleep/eat on the same schedule is a never ending battle in itself. 


-Twins cost double. Period. Thanks Kyle:)


-It's hard to take two babies out by yourself. I do it all the time and Kyle attempts it on the occasion, but it's physically A LOT to manage. 


-Nursing twins is very difficult. It's hard to produce for two babies... at least it is for me. Tandem feeding was a struggle for the first 4 months, that I managed it. I physically can't hold two babies and nurse them anymore.  I nursed for 7 months total. 


So, with all of that said,  I don't think it's fair to say that parents of twins have it much more difficult, than a parent of a single baby. We all give our 110% to our babies- period. We all spend our days playing on the floor, changing diapers, feeding our babies, trying to get them to nap/sleep, researching/reading what we can do better,  and giving everything we have to that child (hopefully), whether or not we have one or six babies.

"How do you manage it with twins?" Well, it's very simple. It's all we know, so we just DO IT.  Just as you do it with a singleton... or quads! It's still a daily challenge. I feel exhausted, blessed, defeated, humbled,  clueless, but ever so thankful... and I think it's fair to say "Double the love and laughter.".