Australian support groups
Emotional considerations
Caring for twins or more
Preparation and organising support
Caring for one baby can be hard work, double (or triple) the babies and you know your work will be cut out for you. Having twins or more can be a marvellous, rewarding experience, but for at least the first 12 months your babies will present you with many challenges.
When expecting twins or more, most parents will devote a lot of time to make preparations for their arrival. This will range from the practicalities of buying clothes and baby equipment (you can read more in
preparing for baby) to emotionally preparing and hopefully organising some hands on support from relatives, friends, neighbours, other mothers or possibly hired help.
You may be able to bring your babies home within a week or so after a vaginal birth, or a Caesarean, if they were born at term (after 37 weeks) or your babies may be born
premature and therefore need to spend some time in the
intensive care nursery. If one, both (or all) of your babies need to remain in hospital, the first few weeks (or in some cases months) after the birth can be spent making daily trips to the hospital, or caring for one baby at home and visiting the other(s). For a few parents, juggling the care of a toddler may be thrown in for good measure.
Whatever the scenario, you are going to need plenty of help and support in the early weeks, especially when your babies come home. If you try and do everything yourself, you will soon end up being emotionally and physically exhausted. If you are struggling to hold it together, you will be no good to your babies, your partner and yourself. If you were a very independent person in your life, now is the time to start saying 'yes' to offers of help.
How you organise help will depend on your personal preferences, social situation, availability of support and financial circumstances.