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How twins fit into the family...

Even before your twins arrive, if you already have a child, you know things are going to be worlds apart from the first time around. Linda Jones talks to some families about their experiences.

Twin pregnancy

Diane Wyatt, mum to a four-year-old daughter, and 12 weeks pregnant with twins explains: "I have had stomach pains and a lot of sickness. As soon I went for my scan and they said they had something to tell me, I knew they were going to say it was twins.

"A single pregnancy was nothing like this."

And, according to Julie Sack, who has five children, aged six, five, three and six-month-old twins, looking after the other kids while getting so big and uncomfortable can be a real struggle. But she says: "Once the twins were born, they slotted right in. We have our chaotic moments but generally we are all comfortable. I think that letting the big kids be involved is important. Teaching them to wait for drinks, food and attention while you are pregnant helps for when you are busy feeding babies later."

Adjusting to the new arrivals

As you might expect some older children react very well to having new babies in the house, while others don’t. It is probably safe to assume your toddler will be put out by the arrival of two more babies – and you should take preventative action.

Helen Forbes, Tamba communications officer, says: "They may lapse into temper tantrums, aggression, unhappiness or baby-like behaviour such as thumb sucking or asking for a bottle. Make sure your older children are loved and cared for, even though the babies may be attracting lots of attention and keeping you extra busy.

"You should try not to turn siblings’ lives and routines upside down. Set aside some time just for them, perhaps when the babies are asleep. Don’t expect them to automatically want to get involved in bathing or feeding the babies, give them time to make up their mind and they will probably want to help."

Gill MacFarlane gave birth to quads when her son Michael was seven. She says: "Michael was as good as gold and helped as much as he could. But I still did not get a minute. Having four babies at one time made me realise it was a privilege to have time at home with one baby."

Twice over

Asking some parents how their twins fit into the family raises a wry smile – as they have not one set of twins but two. According to Tamba, there is a one in 70 chance of having twins the first time around and a one in 20 chance the second time.

While that may be a terrifying thought for many, mum Susan Johnson was delighted when she was told she was expecting more twins when her first were still babes in arms. She says: "We knew we wanted more children and we wanted them straight away. We were so happy when we were told we had another set of twins."

Holli Palleschi also had two sets of twins, 19 months apart. They are now teenagers and have benefited from growing up in a loving and close-knit family. She says: "The second set fit in very well with the first. We included them in everything, including feeding and bathing their brothers. Now they are very close and look out for each other."

Where to next?