A few people have asked me throughout this pregnancy if pregnancy feels different with twins... and it absolutely does. This is aside from the physical differences -- as a mother it feels different to carry twins.
For one thing, I really don't have a "feeling" about if I'm carrying a boy or a girl... I'm carrying two babies, so only God knows if they are boys are girls. How could I have a feeling one way or another, when I could very well be carrying both?
What is very interesting (and awesome) is that I know each baby -- and these babies are different.
The doctors call these babies Twin A and Twin B... but I think of these babies as "on-my-right" and "on-my-left" -- and they really do have different temperaments.
I have heard women talk about babies acting differently in utero during different pregnancies, but I have never really heard of anyone who described two babies as having different behaviors and personalities during the same pregnancy. I'm sure I'm not the first mother to experience this, I've just never heard of it before. This is one pregnancy, but two very individual babies, with individual habits and temperaments in one uterus.
What I think is fun to think about is, if we have a boy and a girl, then, clearly we'll name our babies as a boy and a girl -- no big deal. But, if we have two boys or two girls -- how do we decide which child we give each name?
** I should note, that we haven't actually decided on our names for two boys, or two girls or a boy and girl. **
Will we discuss which baby was more active, or more relaxed throughout the pregnancy and choose their names from those personalities? Will we name the oldest our "favorite" name, and the youngest our second name? Will we each be holding a twin and decide that whomever is holding that twin gets to choose that twin's name?
Will I have different expectations of one twin from another based on these behaviors in the womb? I really can tell which one is moving at a given time, and have learned the behaviors and tendencies of one over another. Will those tendencies change when they are born or have I been given a glimpse into their God-given temperaments which will be deep-seeded in each of them throughout their lives?
Motherhood is such a blessing, and I am so humbled to know these children so well -- and their differences already -- before I even meet them.
I was just thinking about you and Chris the other day how tough coming up with multiple names, combinations and then picking which child gets which name. I'll be excited (hopefully in many more weeks for growth of them) to see what you both choose.
ReplyDeleteWhat an exciting time in your lives!