Mamma Kerr

This week’s Twin Tuesday question at www.twinhappy.com is:

“What kind of experiences have you had, that could only happen to a parent of twins?

Twin Happy Jen mentions that she often gets hassle from her insurers when claiming for two lots of the same medicine for her twins.  Apparently the insurance companies get confused with the fact that the children have the same dates of birth!  Crazy!!

Well, I can’t say I’ve ever experienced that problem, living in the UK with our wonderful National Health Service (NHS).  (Jen comes from across the Pond.)

My ‘uniquely twin’ experiences include:

• I got stuck with my huge side-by-side twin pram, while walking under scaffolding, during shop refurbishments in my Town Centre.   The workmen had obviously not set it up properly, as I could safely enter the temporary walkway, and only got stuck when it appeared to narrow mid-way.  It was very embarrassing, frustrating and downright inconvenient.  I had to reverse my pram all the way back (there was no room for a 3-point turn!) and not only that, but there was a queue of people behind me, who all had to retreat back down the walkway!
• Taking twins for their routine injections involves a lot more family/friend intervention than simply taking a single child for their jag.  I have enlisted the help of my wonderful in-laws to all such appointments and we operate with military precision.  The in-laws sit with one child in the waiting room, while I go into the clinic with the other.  If you go alone, the second child gets whiff of what’s going on and is having none of it!  You simply cannot comfort and restrain one child, while distracting the other! 
• Every mother of multiples will agree that the toughest thing in the early days is not knowing which twin to pick up first when both are crying.  It’s not easy!  I remember being distraught in hospital, trying to breastfeed one of my girls, while the other lay crying in her cot!  I soon changed to tandem feeding and it was a far better arrangement (if a little tricky to get started!), which I continued with until they were six months old.  The ‘Who Do I Pick Up First’ dilemma was still a problem, when the twins needed attention during the day or woke at the same time during the night.

However, in spite of the negative points mentioned above, I am ever so grateful to have my gorgeous girls and I feel privileged to be a Mum of twins.  I get double the love, hugs and kisses, as well as being thoroughly entertained by the interaction of my daughters.

Don’t forget to enter my current giveaway to win a preschool puzzle from Barefoot Books.  Visit the relevant post here.