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<\/p>\nDiscovering you are expecting twins\/multiples is quite a shock whether you\u2019re a first time parent or not.<\/p>\n
If you already have a child, you certainly have the benefit of experience and have more confidence in your parenting abilities. However, the leap from one to three is pretty huge and juggling the demands of a toddler (who can have a tantrum at the drop of a hat and who probably wants entertaining most waking hours) with having not one, but two newborns can be quite challenging.<\/p>\n
When the twins came along my eldest daughter (Sofia) was two-and-a-half. It turned out that she dictated a very big part of our schedule, not the newborns. That\u2019s not what I\u2019d expected!<\/p>\n
You have to be realistic and a lot more flexible with twins as opposed to a singleton, and with an older sibling on the scene as well, you\u2019re not going to be able to please all of the children all of the time. You\u2019re not always going to be able to do things perfectly.<\/p>\n
Having felt that for baby number one I did things to the best standard possible, I struggled a little when I was no longer able to do everything \u2018perfectly\u2019 with three. I had to get over that otherwise I\u2019d have gone insane.<\/p>\n
There were times when Sofia was a bit bored as I fed one or both twins for the umpteenth time that day or sat hooked up to the breast pump. I didn\u2019t like letting Sofia watch too much TV, but sometimes needs must. I had to learn not to beat myself up about it. Sofia loved her TV time, but we\u2019d always make sure we did something that was specifically for her multiple times a week.<\/p>\n
We\u2019d go out to Childrens\u2019 Centres, parks, play dates etc even if the twins hadn\u2019t had their feed or the sleep they needed. I\u2019d feed them when we got there or they could have a sleep en route. I\u2019d have never done this with Sofia; I danced to the beat of her drum. If it was time for her nap we\u2019d leave somewhere a bit early, if she needed a feed we\u2019d leave the house a bit late, if I thought she was a little under the weather we would cancel plans.<\/p>\n
We all had to be adaptable and the twins had to fit in, wherever possible, with the routine we already had. It would have been unfair to expect Sofia to have to cope with everything changing. Far from being detrimental, I think not pandering to the twins\u2019 every whim was actually very good for them and keeping things as similar as possible for Sofia meant that we kept the dreaded green-eyed monster at bay.<\/p>\n
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It is hard work, but it is fantastic having twins with an older sibling and I was far more relaxed and confident second time around.<\/p>\n
Sofia absolutely loves having two little sisters, she knows it\u2019s something special and she continues to receive a lot of attention and fuss because of it. So do I for that matter. If I\u2019d had a pound for every time someone exclaimed: \u2018you\u2019ve got your hands full,\u2019 I\u2019d be very rich!<\/p>\n
It is amazing to see them all interact. The twins obviously have a special bond, but they really look up to their older sister and as the age gap<\/a> is relatively small between them and Sofia, they are all natural playmates, which is wonderful. I feel amazingly proud when we are all seen out together.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also been very good for my self-esteem: I\u2019ve survived having a toddler and newborn twins and everyone is always very quick to congratulate me \u00a0\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
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