Why I'm Glad the Twin Gene Skipped Me
The Twin Gene Runs In My Family . . . And I'm So Glad It Skipped Me
The twin gene runs deep in my family. Let's start all the way back. First, my great grandmother had one set of twins. Then my grandmother, get this, had two sets of twins, 17 months apart. Can you imagine? Then, my mother gave birth to my twin brother and me, just 10 minutes apart. Growing up, I always wondered if I'd have twins, too. I mean the odds were certainly stacked that way. And the closer that it came to my childbearing years, the more nervous I became that I too would become pregnant with twins. And let me tell you, I am beyond thrilled that the strong twin gene decided to skip me.
You know that saying, "You're only given what you can handle?" Yeah, I'm pretty sure the universe just knew that I couldn't handle having two little monsters at the same time. The beginning of motherhood was tough enough for me when I just had the one child, let alone two. Daily, I didn't know how I'd survive. Figuring out how much to feed my newborn, when he needed to sleep, and everything in between was like trying to read a map with no destination. Apparently, I also wasn't gifted the badass gene from my grandmother who had four babies in nappies at the same time. I honestly don't know how I would have survived having twins like the strong women in my lineage.
Not only is motherhood hard enough with just one child, but being pregnant with twins would be scary, too. You see, I was born with a heart defect. While I was pregnant with my two singletons, I needed to get a fetal echocardiogram to be sure my babies' hearts were developing as they should. Sure, I live a healthy life today, but the added stress on my body with an additional little human growing inside of me would have likely added stress to my heart. Plus, I'm only five feet tall. Before my husband and I decided that we were done having children, my cardiologist and OB used to say that I'd likely end up on bed rest if I became pregnant with twins. Carrying twins would be tough because it is quite possible that my small frame just couldn't handle it.
Yes, during my childbearing years, friends and family alike would always say things like, "I bet you'll have twins with your genes!" or "You'd be so cute pregnant with two!" I'd smile and nod, but in my heart, I truly did not want twins. Yes, I'd be beyond thankful to become pregnant with two growing miracles inside of me, but I honestly just don't think I could handle it. Moms of twins (and more!), you ladies are true rock stars. Like my own mother, you learn how to dry the tears of two children at once, feed two children at once, wake up in the middle of the night times two, and much, much more. I'm not sure how you do it. But I do admit, that I'm lucky that the twin gene skipped me, and I won't have to find out.
