2020-06-01_Mother_&_Baby

(Nancy Kaufman) #1
Baby&Toddler

motherandbaby.co.uk| June 2020 | 71

I’ma twinmyself andlovethebondI
sharewith my brother.But,despitethose
genetics, nothingcouldhavepreparedme
formy scan.When thenewswasbroken,
allI couldthinkaboutwerethepracticalities.
I wasdrivinga tinyFordKa at thetime,
andmyhusband,Nick,andI hadjust
boughta three-bedroomhouse. A second
babywouldhave slotted in fine, but I
worriedthattwo mighttipthebalance.
Mymumcouldn’t believeit whenIfirst
toldherthat I wascarryingtwobabies.
“Where did you get that from?” she kept
asking when I showed her the scan photo!
Even though she’d been through a twin
pregnancy herself, it took ages for it to sink in.
Sure enough, life was tough in the early
days. Logan was only 4lb, compared to
Lara’s 7lb, so our routine was nonexistent.
He needed to be fed every three hours
and, because he was so tiny, his sucking
reflex was very weak. It was a treadmill
of feeding, and it was pretty brutal!

‘I lo ve beingboth a twin, and a twin mum’

Simpleacts ofkindnessmean so much
whenyou’regoingthroughthat tough early
period.I founda localgroupfor mums of
multiples,andthetwinswere just four weeks
oldwhen we first went.I remember trying
tofeedthemboth,andanother mum
instinctivelytakinga bottle from me and
helpingout.Shejust gotit,whereas around
othermumsI sometimesfeel like I have
twoheads!I’vemadesomegreat friends
fromthatgroup,andwe evenmeet up once
a monthforchild-freedrinks.
Whenever I feel the guilt of not being able
to give my twins enough individual attention,
all I need to do is remember the special bond
my twin brother, Ryan, and I shared as
children. I don’t recall us ever arguing, just
comforting each other, and holding hands
while dancing. Although our lives are different
now, our bond will always remain. If Lara and
Logan can have anything like that relationship,
I’ll be happy. There’s something so special
about being both a twin, and a twin mum.

Natalie Sinclair,
33, a payroll clerk,
lives in Belper
with husband
Nick, twins Lara and
Logan, 19 months, and
son Leo, nine

Natalie, a twin
herself, with
Logan and Lara


The pair share a
unique bond
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