Expecting twins

It’s always lovely when a friend rings to tell you that she is pregnant, but sometimes that news can really knock you for six. Take my friend, for instance. She’s an already busy mum of two under the age of four, who is also 12 weeks pregnant with her third. Only she’s not. She has just returned from her 12-week scan where she was told she’s expecting twins. To say she’s in shock is an understatement.

For the past three weeks she’s had an ultrasound pic of her third bub stuck to her fridge, blissfully unaware that there was another little bubba hiding in there.

Granted, she was already quite big for 12 weeks (not that I would ever tell her that) and she had that horrible morning sickness that lasts all day.

More worrying for her was the fact that her thyroid hormone levels had come back a bit low. She was worried something was wrong, not that there were two babies in there.

Now she is trying to come to terms with the fact that she is going to have four children under the age of four in a few months’ time. Granted, it’s a good worry – with so many women struggling to conceive she knows she’s lucky. But it’s going to mean big changes to her family and their future. Housing, transport, education… the list goes on.

I know she will survive and thrive, but – wow – she is going to be one busy lady.

For anyone expecting multiple babies, there are a number of resources to help with the preparation, including the Australian Multiple Birth Association, Twins & Multiple Births Association and Marvelous Multiples.