Twins on board? WTF!

First comes Love, then comes Marriage, then comes a Baby in a... hold up a sec! What happened to baby, as in ONE baby, not plural?! *scratches head*.

Finding out i was expecting was a huge whirlwind of emotions. We longed for a child and Lord knows the journey was not as easy as the films make out. Time, patience and prayer was key and it paid off! I remember seeing that first faint line...was it a line? kinda looked more like a smudge or an indent...erm no that's definitely a line.. hubby what do you think? c'mon quickly before it disappears! Eager much. Just a few, maybe 9 tests later, it really sunk in, the gravity of what was to come. We were having a baby!

Fast forward to our first scan. The anxiety and excitement all merged into one as I waited impatiently to see our baby. My husband peered over to the screen and i could see confusion on his face. He looked over at the sonographer who then looked back at him. HELLO?! Is there an inside joke i've missed?? My husband then starts laughing, "I think i see two... yep". We were having TWINS?! Two, double, dos, deux... I was baffled to say the least! The Sonographer laughed, "It's Twins, Congratulations! What were you expecting?". What was i expecting?? A baby, ONE baby, that's a silly question. I left the scan feeling stunned; so overwhelmed that we.did.not.talk.to.each.other.for.an.hour. I honestly laughed out of amazement and utter shock.

"It's Twins, Congratulations! What were you expecting?"

Once the storm of shock passed, the apprehension set in. I just realised I was going to have two babies. That's double the work, double the money, double the space?! Crikey, am I really doing this? It took some time to really get to grips with what was to come, but ultimately i was overjoyed at the blessing i had been given. To not only be having my first child, but to be having two, that definitely saves me having to do it all over again later lol. From the scans, they were able to see that the babies were identical, MO-DI* twins. YAY! Immediately i thought about what matching outfits i could dress them up in so they could switch places on their father :) Can you tell The Parent Trap was my favourite childhood film?.

Unfortunately, with identical twins this also meant i was having a much higher risk pregnancy. I was subjected to fortnightly scans at a specialist hospital to ensure the twins were being monitored closely for risk of TTTS (Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome), where one twin could end up with more fluid or blood flow than the other leading to many complications.

Thankfully, I was grateful that my pregnancy was smooth and uneventful. Aside from a little nausea i had no actual sickness! My husband would say i craved iced smoothies, but i mean i only had 1 almost everyday so does that really count? If anything, i believe my skin probably suffered the most, however how could i complain when the majority of the pregnancy was a breeze. As my bump grew, I would receive compliments about how small i was carrying which really helped me feel sane, despite my body being a whole new shape. Maternity wear however was a B*%$*! Who on earth designs these clothes?? THEY ARE NOT FLATTERING! I honestly could not find decent maternity wear that suited me or fit well. I loved showing off my bump once i passed that awkward stage where you just look chubbier, and eventually opted, not with much choice, to just size up on normal clothing, or wear stretchy outfits which showed off my bump 'gracefully'.

After 36 weeks of carrying two gymnastic footballers, my beautiful GIRLS entered the world! They were born 4 weeks early on Doctors orders yet they were healthy and strong! No specialist neonatal units needed! My heart was so full and even now i can not explain the love that overwhelmed me. Just like that, i was a Mother. A mother of twins. A caregiver. I had a family.

First came love, then came marriage, then came my babies in a beautiful baby carriage from IKEA. I love my husband dearly and our marriage is amazing! However the Babies that came next were a gift from God and I am forever grateful. I am proud of of what i've achieved and i can't believe it has all been done before the BIG 3-0!

Welcome to the world, Anaiya & Atalia. Weighing 5lbs 2oz and 4lbs 11oz respectively.

Anaiya means 'God has answered'. Atalia means 'God is great''.

H x

*MO-DI / Monochorionic-Diamniotic Twins: Identical twins who have separate amniotic sacs, but share a placenta.