"Irish Twins"
What does that mean?
Irish twin (plural Irish twins) (rare, slang, offensive) Either of a pair of siblings born less than 12 months apart, especially if born within the same calendar year or school year or born one year apart.
***For the record-
I don't find the term offensive at all, although I am not White or Irish, (although my birthday is St. Patrick's Day...so maybe ask an Irish person how they feel but since this is MY blog I will refer to MY babies as Irish twins.
As far as what to expect, well considering I only had 1 baby for a few months, than was pregnant so a mom of 2 right away, I only know what my experience was so here is what I can share-
You will be so tired that you won't be. You'll be on an adrenaline/ hyper baby drug high- baby smell x2, so although you will have a baby on each hips and changing over 20 diapers a day, making and washing and keeping track of at least 20 bottles (an infant eats every 2 hours-24/day so there is 12 just from the infant unless you are lucky enough to breast feed), you will feel happy and feel moments of unbelievable bliss. Also exhaustion and frustration and fear and anxiety, but amazing moments of pure bliss too.
You will need doubles of some items- it is just like real twins- but not everything. The good news is you will not have had time to give any of baby #1's things away yet so as they their outgrow clothes, infant car seat, high chair, pacifiers, baby toys, and so on, your second baby will just smoothly take over them.
The things you will have to get doubles of are convertible car seats- baby #1 and #2 both shared the same infant car seat because they outgrew it by 6 months old- but convertible car seats are for use until your child is about 40lbs or 4 years old and transfers into a booster car seat so yes, buy two.
You will need two cribs, #2 actually is in a toddler bed now (his crib convert into a toddler bed) but just recently.
We used the same bassinet, only used for the first 12 weeks, and then the same pack and play.
We got away with sharing the same diaper bag, just stuffed it extra full with double diapers. You only need 1 bag of wipes, a few toys, you will share the same diaper lotions and booty potions.
We also got away with buying and then sharing the same high chair. Remember, #2 won't even sit up to eat in a high chair for months, then we fed them at different times and they shared it. Our high chair came with a booster seat so as #2 started depending and needing the high chair we moved #1 into the booster seat which he had experienced already at restaurants and loved it.
You can share most of your newborn onesies, booties, hats, blankets, bouncy swings, toys, books, infant bath tub, even bedding if its gender neutral which luckily ours was.
You absolutely MUST buy a double stroller. MUST. Do not try to get away with excuse, excuse, excuse- NO.
It is a must have. End of story.
See my blog post on my LOVE, my double BOB stroller here:
-My Double BOB review-
Top 10 frequently asked questions when people see me out with my babies:
Often after staring rather obviously across the room for awhile they slowly approach and ask,
1 -Are they twins? / How far apart are they?
-No, they are 10 months and 29 days apart or 333 days.
-Let me do the math for you, I was 2-3 months post-partum with #1 when I got pregnant again.
2 -Did you plan it?
-(insert hysterical laughter here)
3 -Were you nursing?
-I can only assume this comes from the old wives tale that if you are breast feeding you cannot get pregnant because supposedly your body knows that if you're nursing not to let you conceive so it "protects" itself. For the record I was breast feeding, although rather unsuccessfully at the time.
4 -Were you on birth control?
-No, I had just pushed a baby out of my vagina a few weeks earlier. Meaning, I bleed post-partum down there for weeks. Then was sore, very sore, like I pushed a watermelon out of a very small hole so not looking forward or wanting my OB/GYN to stick her fingers and tools down there for an annual check up which she must do in order to give me the damn birtcontrol. Even better, I was really, really sleep deprived because the precious little angel I pushed out only slept 2 hours at a time. So again, no, I had not had the abundance of time to be awake during business hours, know what day of the week it is, find my cell phone and actually complete a call, schedule an appointment, show up for said appointment in those few weeks post-pardum. As soon as baby started sleeping through the night I called my OB/GYN for birth control. In that appointment, I learned I was already pregnant.
5-Do you want more kids?
-Yes, I do.
6-Wow! You do?!!!
-(Silent head nod, eye roll by me)
7-When and how many?
-It never ceases to amaze me how strangers have no problem asking the most invasive questions to me. Like was it a vaginal birth or C-section- Ummm well stranger at the park let me tell you all about my vaginal birth... Ummm, no. Ten steps back, personal space please.
-But to answer, Yes and 2 more. Four kids total. When, in a few years when my first two learn to feed themselves, wipe their own butts, wash their own bodies, brush their own teeth, get into and out of the car by themselves, not run into oncoming traffic, know more than 10 English words, have all their teeth, and have the attention to sit through one entire children feautire film.
So when #2 is 3.5 years old there about.
8- Do you want Irish twins AGAIN?
-Insert hysterical laughter here, AGAIN
9-Do you have help?
-I can not figure out why people always feel the need to ask me this question. I can only assume it is out of a great deal of sympathy for me after learning/seeing me with the twins.
No, I do not have any help I plainly tell them. This usually gets an audible gasp, and muttered, "wow..." -(if I wasn't already feeling like a freak show before, by this question I most definitely am).
10-Is it harder than REAL TWINS?
-This is a tricky question, how could I possibly know this? I happen to have a first cousin with identical twins (who lives across the country), who upon observing me managing the twins back in May told me, "You have it wayyyy harder than we did." Gee, thanks. I also have a girlfriend who has twins and has also told me she thinks my situation is more difficult. It was
most difficult for me the first six months. When they both couldn't walk, were both on bottles yet different stage nipples and different stage baby formulas, both not sleeping through the night, both teething, and were both going through a major adjustment period and both wanted and needed Mom for comfort. I can imagine it is more difficult for moms of Irish twins twins like me, than "real" twins moms, because our babies are on different developmental paths which we are often trying to reconcile and work through amidst the real challenge of just having two kids which is difficult for any/all moms.
If you are expecting Irish Twins, try not to panic. I cried so if you're crying, that is okay too.
It feels overwhelming to be pregnant again so quickly. It will be overwhelming too.
Overwhelmingly exhausting, difficult, trying, anxiety provoking, depression causing, but also overwhelmingly worth it. Their love will consume you. It will eat up all those feelings.
You will be alright.
::::meanwhile moon mamas::::
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***If you are a parent of twins - of any kind- leave a comment below and let me know how it is going for you.
Also, if you yourself are a twin- of any kind - leave a comment with advice!
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