Scarlett Annie and Virginia Rose are twins, although one of them was born in 2016 and the other said hello to the world in 2017. Sound strange? In quite an exceptional case, a woman in the US state of California had twins born in different years.
While Scarlet Annie was born at 11:56 pm, December 31, 2016, the second, Virginia Rose, was born at 12:00 am on January 1, 2017. The births happened at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Newborns in Kearny Mesa, San Diego, say reports.
The babies’ last name was not made available while the parents were identified as Brittany and Brett. The family has declined to give interviews.
As rare as it sounds, the situation isn’t something that has never occurred in San Diego. A similar birth happened last year when baby girl, Jaelyn, and baby boy, Luis were born to mother Maribel Valencia, 22, and her husband. While Jaelyn was born at 11:59 pm on December 31, 2015, Luis was born at 12:02 am on January 1, 2016.
Now that you are finally holding your twin bundles of joy, it’s time to get a reality check. We feel your pain; clueless about dealing with two babies, when most mothers are tearing their hair out over just one. Here are five essential tips to take care of your twins without driving yourself insane:
1. Get a schedule in place: Feed both the babies at the same time. You could use nursing pillows for twins for tandem feeding. The other option is to breastfeed one, while bottle feeding the other and switch the bottle the next time. Of course, the burps will have to follow, one at a time.
2. Let them cry: It’s not the end of the world to let your baby cry a little. One of the toughest things mums of twins deal with is the guilt of not being at the beck and call of both babies at the same time. But hey, there’s just one of you, and there’s only that much you can do. Before long, you’ll figure out your babies’ pre-verbal cues, and be able to differentiate between whining and them really, truly needing you.
3. Ask for help: Yes, you are a supermum. But then again, even Batman needed Robin. So go ahead, approach your partner, the babies’ grandmother or a neighbour when in need. Your friend is coming over? Could she fetch some diapers on her way? Could your husband help one baby burp as you feed the other? Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
4. Take that break: For some reason, ‘me-time’ is considered to be a pejorative term for mothers. But every mum needs her me-time, especially so with twins at home. Read a book, visit a spa, meet your friend for coffee. Come back rejuvenated enough to deal with twin-mummy duties. Nobody is going to judge you.
5. Stick to your stand: Be tough. Make rules and stick by it. Yes, we are talking about rules for infants and trust us when we say this, but the earlier you start, the better it will be for you and the babies. Let them know when their tantrums won’t be entertained or that ‘no’ really means ‘no’.
Figuring out how to handle twins alone will be perhaps one of the biggest challenges you will face as a mother. However, it’s a matter of time and sticking to your guns so you can waltz out feeling empowered and in control.
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