Double Trouble: Twins and How to Survive Them

Double Trouble: Twins and How to Survive Them
Emma Mahony

This indispensable guide to multiple pregnancy, birth and beyond, comes from an expert on the subject – Emma Mahony is a twin herself as well as being the mother of twins. Humorous cartoons from the Times’ front-page cartoonist make this a lighthearted, informative guide to everything expectant mothers of twins need to know.Twins are amazing – but multiple pregnancy and birth, not to mention coping with twins once they are born, carries a set of special fears, risks and issues. Many parents-to-be find themselves overwhelmed.This guide is informative yet informal – in a similar vein to ‘Best Friends Guide To Pregnancy’.The author is uniquely experienced in this subject, being a twin and also a mother of baby twins.Contains advice from pregnancy and childcare experts as well as case studies.Illustrated inside with humorous cartoons from Jonathan Pugh, father of two and front-page cartoonist at The Times.An exploration of practical issues such as eating for three, managing breastfeeding, and the trend towards Caesareans for NHS twin births.• Any special concerns? The unnecessary label of ‘high risk’ in pregnancy.• Testimonies from mums who have tried different approaches.• Interviews with medical and midwife experts.• A step-by-step guide to the different stages of pregnancy and birth, including how to involve the father and explain twins to other siblings.• Tips on managing once the twins have arrived.

Double Trouble

Twins and How to Survive Them

EMMA MAHONY

(with chapter cartoon illustrations by Jonathan Pugh)

Dedication (#ulink_1dacbd7f-e093-54c9-8197-b407bb26e4f7)

For my twin brother and Olympic hero, Dominic

Contents

Cover (#u7a8b12a3-a0fb-5398-9073-5005de8ca4c4)

Title Page (#ub7f47e9e-c43a-56fa-97f7-c3158e7b3016)

Dedication (#ulink_2cdb1031-ff77-5d4a-97d3-5e6c08dee5f8)

Ten Great Things About Twins (#ucad3e2f9-ed3c-5f76-b636-6d5f0b4c3477)

Introduction (#u4fafc36b-d03d-5037-b2c9-bff6a8623366)

Chapter 1: Twinshock (#u569c7fdb-326a-533e-9b5c-dacc143ed32e)

Chapter 2: What Flavour Are They? (#u6445eb4e-6d1e-541e-8b50-454966928b27)

Chapter 3: Eating and Exercising for Three (#u95976c73-a8fe-5dbc-9abd-953ec26dc8d0)

Chapter 4: I Shop, Therefore I Am (#u96ab2952-20ff-5de2-a372-965ba1938ca8)

Chapter 5: Help! I Need Help! (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 6: Positive Prem Baby Talk (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 7: Everything You Want to Know about Twin Birth (and Are Too Afraid to Ask) (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 8: Ready for D-Day (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 9: Happy Birth Days (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 10: Congratulations! Congratulations! The Babies Are Here! (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 11: The Gentlewomanly Art of Breastfeeding Twins (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 12: The Fourth Trimester (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 13: Milestones in the First Year (#litres_trial_promo)

References (#litres_trial_promo)

Further Reading (#litres_trial_promo)

Index (#litres_trial_promo)

Acknowledgements (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

Footnote (#litres_trial_promo)

Ten Great Things About Twins (#ulink_b03ab1ad-6d8f-5eb8-b6e6-14256348e600)

1. You have an instant family – just add milk.

2. If you get fed up with one, you always have the other.

3. Nobody asks you whether you are going to have any more children (for a year, at least).

4. You never feel guilty about getting more help.

5. You get to eat 4,000 calories a day when breastfeeding (that’s a tub of Häagen-Dazs and a pint of Guinness for lunch).

6. Twins start giggling at each other as soon as they can smile.

7. You make proper use of ‘buy one get one free’ offers at the supermarket.

8. You only have one birthday party to organize every year.

9. You become a local celebrity in the park and playground.

10. Your twins will turn out to be more confident, supportive, innovative, substantial, self-knowing, sought-after and giving than the average singleton.

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Introduction (#ulink_70e22170-5d53-5319-a90e-bb17030acce4)

Welcome to the club. If you are reading this because you have just learnt that you are expecting twins, sit down. It may be your last chance. Whether you got to this point through good old genetic probability or, like a growing number, via the magic of IVF, congratulations! You are one of the most blessed people on the planet. Twins are the greatest gift in the world. I should know, because I am one. And I’ve never once had to worry about being the only person at my birthday party, because I’ve always had my brother there. And now I am doubly blessed, a twin who’s had twins. What more could a woman want (okay, a career, a little more money, a husband who thinks you’re Kylie, a flatter stomach – oops, sorry).

If you’re reading this and you’ve already got twins, well done! You’ve made it back into the real world. You’ve made it into a shop, fully dressed (or did you buy this online, like most twin mothers?) And there’s more good news. Like it or not, you have just become a lifetime member of the most inclusive club in the world. The twins club is a club where you will never again be stuck for conversation. From now on, you will have enough stories to entertain the oldest of grannies and the youngest of Teletubbies fans. You will discover the universal truth that everyone, old and young, loves twins. And the worse the stories are, the more they love them.

This is useful information to absorb now, because there will come a day when you feel like ‘putting the twins out with the rubbish’ (to paraphrase a comment from a three-year-old sibling). At that moment, you know you can load the babies into the double buggy and someone, somewhere, will stop you and say ‘Are they twins? Aren’t they gorgeous! Well, you have got your hands full.’ And as you nod back in agreement, you will find all those frustrated feelings melt away. It’s a funny thing, motherhood.