I was never one of those people who hoped I’d have twins. When I had my first baby, I had a friend who had twins around the same time and I remember thinking better her than me. One newborn was enough work. I was perfectly content popping one baby out at a time.
Fast forward to my second pregnancy. I went in for my 20 week ultrasound and after looking around a bit, the first words to come out of the ultrasound technician’s mouth were, “So did you know you’re having twins?” No. No we did not. We simply thought we were going to find out if we were having a boy or girl that day. Instead, we found out that we were halfway through a twin pregnancy.
The moment I became a twin mom, my life changed forever…in the best possible way.
Don’t get me wrong. The first year was HARD. Harder than anything I’ve done in my life. It was pure survival mode. If you know a twin mom, I’m sure you’ve felt her desire for you to know and understand just how difficult it is. It’s true, we do kind of want you to recognize that having twins is no walk in the park.
However, we also want you to know that being a twin mom is one of the best things that can happen to a person. Don’t pity us too much because while it’s obviously double the work, we’re also having double the fun.
10 Reasons Why Being a Twin Mom Is Awesome
1. ONE pregnancy. We might have been HUGE and uncomfortable, but we only had to go through one labor and delivery, one recovery, one sleep deprived newborn stage, and we got TWO babies!
2. Extra daddy bonding. While many dads of singletons were sleeping during middle of the night feedings, our men were in the rocking chair next to us, and are now totally empathetic when they hear us say “I’m exhausted.”
3. Celebrity status. It’s a bit of a thrill being a twin mom when we venture out in public. We’re almost always stopped and get lots of questions and attention from strangers. And while we might get tired of a million people a day telling us we have our hands full, we also know that means our hearts are too.
4. We don’t judge. We’ve likely found ourselves in every embarrassing new mom circumstance, which may or may not include pumping in the car while going through the Starbucks drive-thru with screaming babies. So when we see a mom of a singleton doing really anything that other moms might sneer at, we’re gonna give you a high five and hand you a Bux gift card.
5. We view milestones as estimations. It’s fascinating to watch two babies grow at the same time. Even identical twins, who are genetically the same, develop at different rates. Instead of comparing them, we notice that each has been gifted in different ways. We aren’t stressed if they hit milestones exactly on time or not, we celebrate their uniqueness.
6. Built in besties. There is nothing sweeter than watching two babies giggle back and forth, communicate in their own language, chase each other around the kitchen, or play peek-a-boo together. Honestly, after they learn to sit up, a twin mom’s job becomes more of an observer than an entertainer!
7. More time at Target. When you’re a mom of multiples, shopping has to be about convenience. Thankfully, Target knows this and has blessed us with the mega cart, making it one of the few places a twin mom can easily take her crew. Target runs being totally justified? Hallelujah.
8. Sharing is caring. Twins have to share everything. We don’t have to work as hard teaching them to share and take turns because they’ve been doing it since birth! They learn from a young age that life is not about them, and it’s so sweet to see the compassion they have for one another, even if it does come in the form of sounding like crying fire sirens.
9. Matching and coordinating. Before twins, I never thought I’d be one of those moms who had the matchy-matchy twins. But it must be of those twin mom phenomenons. It’s just SO MUCH FUN.
10. Double the love. Our hearts explode and our love multiplies constantly. Seeing two smiling babies pop up after nap time, ready to snuggle with mommy is enough to convince us that we’d go through every difficult moment again in a heartbeat.
The list goes on and on. The next time you see a twin mom, tell her how lucky she is. One of our favorite things is when other people acknowledge the double blessing it is to be a mom of multiples!
51 comments
This is the best twin list I’ve read yet! My girls turned 3 in November and even though it’s been rough they have been amazing. Their dad, 11 year old sister and I would be lost without them!
Hi Amber! I am also a Mom to 4 kids in 3 years (but our twins were first) and I’d have it NO other way! While mine are older (teenagers!!), each and every step along the way is a wonderful journey, enjoy it all!!!
I am the mom of twin boys and with two boys it does it very crazy at our house. I like you didn’t find out until I was 18 weeks that I was expecting twins. We just went to see what kind of baby we were having, lo and behold, twins!!!! I have 4 other kids besides my twins (3 before, and 1 after). I really do love my boys with all my heart and the double the love thing is what gets me all the time. I nursed them for a full year and I loved when they would both hold my hands while they were nursing and when they both wanted to be held and get lovin’s at the same time. Now they are 5 and they are always telling me how much they love me!!!! While they are not always BFF’s (they try to kill each other some days) but they always have a play mate. And the shopping is a whole other story here. I live in a town that doesn’t have a Target but the store that I frequent has the cart with the car on the front!
I am blessed with twins but I have a different experience. They are blessings but no one tells you how hard it is. It’s hell taking them in a store or anywhere for that matter. Terrible twos are not fun with twins. I cry more than I laugh. I stay exhausted and stressed. Yes I do have happy times and am grateful, but having twins is no walk in the park. It’s hard and people need to know the other reality. Not all of us have a seemingly perfect life. Where’s the stories of the struggles and trials of having twins?
Thank you for saying this. While we are blessed, it is hard. Very hard.
Exactly! I first read this article on my husbands aunts Facebook page and it turned my stomach. While some of these are true, the first three are complete BS. There’s no way to spin those to a positive like this author tries to do. Especially #1 on the list.
One pregnancy.
Sorry, but no. The two for one deal trumping the intensity, fear, and anxiety of a twin pregnancy is bogus.
Don’t you remember the fear of disappearing twin syndrome? The anxiety of not making it full term? The possibility of spending the first month of their lives in the NICU? The enormity of your stomach and knowing you’ll most likely have a csection aka major surgery? Need I remind you of all of that?
Sorry, but you’re really reaching to spin that.
And it sucks getting “celebrity status” EVERYWHERE you go!!! Ive got two babies, nursing, on a very tight feeding schedule, getting groceries, have to load two babies back in the car, drive home, unload them AND the groceries, put away the groceries, and sit down to feed them again. I don’t have time to answer six people before I even make it to the second aisle of the store that, “yes, they are twins!” “No, they are girls.” “That’s nice that you had babies 20 months apart and therefore you think you can relate.” “No, I don’t always dress them alike.” “No, they don’t have names that start with the same letter.” Etc… Etc…
Ugh.
This article makes me squirm. There are 100 other amazing aspects to having twins, but this list failed to highlight them in my opinion.
I’m sorry you had such a bad experience. My doctors prepared me for all the possibilities you listed. My twins spent exactly 3 weeks in the NICU with many complications and one ended up on a heart monitor at 3 months. BUT I would NEVER change it! All the risks you listed can and do happen with singletons, too. My girls are now 9 and thriving. It’s all in how you make the situation. Nobody prepared us for the $600 month for diapers and extra calorie formula, countless meals of ramen noodles or cereal for their dad and I, etc. But again…these are the same things ppl deal with when only having a singleton. Best wishes.
I agree twins are wonderful. Now. That first year I felt like a complete failure because of articles of “twin greatness” and well meaning “oh you have double the blessing” well meaning stranger comments. Then one woman saved my life. I was in the airport with my 11 month old twins in a double stroller… both car seats hanging off the handles. They still weren’t sleeping through the night AT 11 MONTHS and I was walking around in a daze. A woman came up to me and put her hand on my shoulder… she said, “I just want to tell you, it gets better”. I looked over at her preteen twins standing at the ticket counter and knew she was speaking the truth and recognized in me the despair and guilt of “I don’t love this!”. It was just what I needed to keep going. Knowing there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and it wasn’t a freight train. I thank God for that woman.
This is so true in so many ways! I have a 2 year old and 1 year old twins and the looks we get out in public is like we are a traveling circus. My husband and I enjoy the craziness though lol. Great read thank you for this!
Soooooo true. And the EXACT same thing happened to me with my identical girls. Went in at 20 weeks to find out the gender and…what’s that on the ultrasound? Two heads? You didn’t know you were having twins? Oppps…congratulations! They are 19 months now and they hardest, most amazing, love-filled 19 months of my life. Thanks for sharing.
I have twin girls, now age 20, and I love your article. My girls are in college now, and I do not think it is by accident that they chose schools 20 minutes apart. Enjoy every moment as it passes quickly- twice as fast with 2 I am pretty sure! You will long for the ‘extra large cart’ Target runs one day soon.
This article is so uplifting. My hubby and I found out at our 12weeks check up that we’re expecting identical twins. It was a wonderful shock to us but we’re embracing each moment. Our only worry is our eldest daughter…she’ll only turn 2 when the twins are born (which by the way are girls 🙂 ) We don’t know how she would react to two babies at a go. How did your eldest react to your twins when they came home from the hospital?
I have to sets of twins and while it is lots of hard work they bring tons of joy! I have a set that are 6 yr old boys and also 7 month old boys!! Never did I imagine having one set of twins much less two back to back sets 6 yyears apart. While my emotions were crazy, overwhelmed, joyful, scared the Lord made me a twin mom for a reason. I’ve learned more about myself and who God has intended me to be. My husband and I are blessed that is evident in the Lord’s work at hand. And heck yes two pregnancies and 4 babies whose complaining not any woman can do that…
love relating to other twin mommas.
Thanks for sharing
Be blessed 🙂
I have 2wk old boys and it’s definitely been the hardest job I ever done! We also have a 2 and 4yr old girls so life is crazy! Very grateful and such a blessing. I have to disagree with #1 though as I DID have to go through 2 labor and deliveries. My boys were born 14hrs apart, pretty rare. Nothing was wrong just my second was a little stubborn 🙂