Baby&Toddlerotherandbaby.co.uk| June 2020 | 73“Uh oh, double trouble!” the passer-by
smiled, pointing at my giant buggy. Hewas
just being friendly, I know, but it musthave
been the fifth well-intentioned but clichéd
comment I’d heard that day!
Jokes like “Rather you than me!”,
“Two for the price of one!” and “You’ve
got your hands full there!” are par for
the course when you have twins. I’velost
count of the times strangers have asked
me if I have a favourite, whether theywere
IVF babies, and if twins run in the family.All
friendly, innocent questions, but it canmake
you feel like a bit of a spectacle at times!
Then there are the well-meaning comments
from other mums who try to identify: “Iknow
just how you feel... mine are just 19 months
apart,” one once said. I felt like replying “Er,
it’s not the same thing at all!” but, instead,
I smiledandlaterhada laughaboutit in
mytwinmumFacebookgroup.We’veheard
themall,andwe evenshare a “Twinbingo”
memecontaining25 classic comments.
I regularly geta fullhouse!
But,at the sametime,strangerscanbe
unbelievablykind.Oldpeoplehaveinsisted
on handingmetw o one-poundcoins onefor
eachtwin.AndthesupportI’ve receivedfrom
friendsandfamilyhasbeenamazing.
I chosea side-by-sideBugabooDonkey
buggy, whichwasgreatfor allowingbothboys
tolookoutandformetoseethem.Itssize
hasposeda few problemswhileoutand‘Well-meaning clichés are par for the course!’about, though. Once, I took a trip to a baby
boutique to buy christening outfits for the
boys. I was left gazing through the shop
window after discovering there was no way
in for us. Times like that are frustrating, but
I’ve learned to plan in advance and ask if
venues are wheelchair accessible.
Even though Archie’s the oldest by five
minutes, he’s the most sensitive and has
always cried more. Freddie’s more resilient
and, as a result, I sometimes see to him last.
My favourite piece of advice was from another
mum who told me to go to the child who has
the most immediate need. When both boys are
crying that can be tricky, and guilt often creeps
in. Plus, when you’ve had one child have you
all to herself, like I had with my eldest, Caitlin,
you know what they’re missing out on. There’s
no way I can lavish the same attention on
eitheroneofmy boys that I did with her.
WhileCaitlingotto go to several baby groups
a we ek,I’ve onlyever been able to make it to
onewiththeboys. It can often feel like it’s a
missionjustgettingout of the house!
Butthosedownsides are few and far
betweenwhenI think about what a unique
bondtheboyshave.Their new favourite game
involvesa fire-engine truck, and they like to
taketurns sittingon it and trying to push each
other.It’s so cute! They seem to have their
ownlittle language, too. They’ll look at each
otherandburstinto laughter, much to my
amusement.Having twins is so special, and
l incrediblyblessed. At the end of the
allthehard work, sleep deprivation
mumguiltis 100 per cent worth it.Jennifer Wood, 33,
a primary teacher,
lives in Urmston with
husband Rob, sons
Freddie and Archie,
one, and daughter
Caitlin, fiveJennifer and Rob with
Archie and FreddieCaitlin with her
baby brothersPHOTOGRAPHY TIMELINE PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO