WE MADE IT!!!! We survived!!!
Anyone you talk to who is a parent of multiples or even a parent of “singletons” will tell you that the first year is the hardest. There’s the lack of sleep or sleep regressions, mad blow outs, teething, sicknesses, growth spurts, the list goes on and on! And, think about it…the first year they go from blobs, to rolling, to crawling, to talking and walking HUMANS. That’s a lot of things to cram in one year!
It’s not just the baby that is hard. Life just doesn’t slow down. You have your medical bills, other bills, cleaning (ENDLESS cleaning), work, feeding yourself (HA! Good luck with that when you have two needy infants), exercise (Who am I kidding?!) and yet again, the list goes on and on. So, needless to say, the first year, really tests your patience!
I’m apart of a few “MoM” (mother of multiples) groups, and I can’t tell you how many times a day I hear the question: “Does it get better?” from parents who have infants. The demands of two babies catches you off guard, you become so overwhelmed and life feels chaotic. And, I remember a year ago being that parent asking that same question. I remember being the parent wishing the next milestone would come, and I remember wishing the twins would sleep a few more hours at a time, then it was through the night, then hold their own bottle, then feed themselves. But now, here we are with walking, talking, independent little beings, and I’m wondering what happened to my needy infants. What I didn’t realize was that while I was wishing for those things, time would fly! What I didn’t realize is how much I would miss those times-yes, even the middle of the night feeds. And thinking, if I could, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat, and embrace the chaos. I would hold my babies just a little longer. Rock them a little more. Wanting to do everything all over again. Wanting time to completely FREEZE.
If I could offer my best advice to new parents, it would be to hang in there, take as many pictures as you can, and to take care of your mental health, in whatever way you need to! If you’re pregnant, don’t let stories scare you. If you’re in the first year of your child’s life, I promise there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I promise that you’ll make it through those endless nights, the sicknesses, the blowouts, and inconsolability.
I promise that it does get better!
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