Finding Twice The Joy In Motherhood
As a new mum to eight-month-old twins, Michelle Khoo found herself doubling up in many ways. All mothers would find poop explosions and sleep deprivation par for course, but Michelle had to battle everything twice: twice the mountain of nappies, twice the hours of feeding and even double tendonitis – from overusing both wrists to carry two babies at the same time! The pain was so bad that she could not even use her hands to pick up a pen or a phone.
“It’s physically demanding with twins. I’ve learnt to multi task at a whole new ninja level!” she quipped, “I could bounce a baby to sleep and feed the other at the same time.”
Although she finds mothering baby twins Vihaan and Arya exhausting and literally taking a toll on her body (“my anti-aging creams stopped working!”), the sense of satisfaction and fulfillment she gained from managing and successfully putting both to bed at the end of each day is unreal. “It makes me feel like a superhero,” shared Michelle. “In fact, this feeling is the boost of confidence that gets me through the next day at work.”
Back To Work Blues
Going back to work post-partum was not an easy journey for Michelle, who went back to work after 10 weeks of maternity. “The week before I went back, I was so depressed. I told my husband I was going to tender my resignation so I could spend time with the babies,” she confessed. “I wasn’t ready to miss out on their growing up years and they really do grow up so fast.”
It was a good thing that she didn’t give in to the postpartum blues because it turned out that going back to work gave Michelle some much-needed space from the babies.
“Sure I missed the babies a lot and constantly wondered what they were doing, whether they were fed or crying, sometimes I would rush home during lunch just to spend that little time with them,” she readily admits. “But coming back to work refreshed my mind completely because it was as good as having a little “me time”. Also, I value my job and the company that has developed me into the person that I am, so the initial thoughts of leaving work to become a stay home mom soon vanished.”
Once she got into the groove of things, Michelle felt good “being a multifaceted woman, a hardworking professional and a loving mother of my two babies.”
Breastfeeding For Two
Michelle had looked forward to breastfeeding even before she even got pregnant! “I loved the idea of it and was determined to embark on a long breastfeeding journey when I had my babies,” she shared.
But circumstances changed her plans. She struggled through breastfeeding her twins for four months but couldn’t latch them in tandem so feeding both took a long time.
“This meant that we always had a ‘hangry’ baby,” wailed Michelle. “By the time both were done, burped and diapers changed, it was time to feed again.”
She stopped breastfeeding eventually when her work schedule of meetings and offsite trainings made it difficult to maintain the discipline of pumping religiously. Despite the “Mom guilt”, Michelle admits some relief when she switched Arya and Vihaan to drinking formula milk.
“Because I could easily prepare the milk and feed them at the same time, I had more time and energy to play with them as well.”
The Hegen Difference
Michelle chose Hegen bottles for her babies after hearing rave reviews from fellow Mummy friends. She ended up loving the clever design which helped her save time with handling milk and effort when washing!
She reminded: “When you are juggling crying twins, every second counts! With Hegen bottles I only needed two: one second to twist open, and another to push and close.”
She also loved the clever square design which made washing and drying so much simpler that she did not even need to use a bottle brush.
“Also, a round bottle means that if I accidentally tipped it over, it would roll very far away. The square design is amazing.”
Now that the babies are on solids, Michelle and her husband store snacks in the dusty pink and grey-hued bottles – her favourite colours.
Double The Blessing
From a 25kg weight gain to her water bag leaking unexpectedly in the office loo, the journey toward becoming a mother of twins had been a breathtaking journey for Michelle, especially when she observes her babies.
“Arya is independent, happy to play by herself and intense in her own way,” doted Michelle. “Her brother Vihaan in comparison thrives on attention and loves going out. He loves to hang out with anyone who’s ready to give him a good time!”
Having twins meant taking whatever support she could get, especially from those who love her babies. Luckily for the couple, both sets of grandparents pitch in eagerly to help babysit.
“My In-laws are from India and they have so far made three trips since the babies were born, staying for a month to two each time,” said Michelle gratefully. “When they leave, my mother comes over. We are very blessed to have family support.”
And to her, family is everything – especially when it comes to being a mother to twins. Even through the double amounts of energy she expends taking care of Vihaan and Arya, she endeavours to shower them with equal amounts of love.
“I hope to be a keeper of their innocence for as long as I can, to help them be both adventurous and silly!”
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