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ISSUE 43 www.thegreenparent.co.uk

GREEN BABIES

Twin Bonding I
Emily Carlisle discovers that carrying twins is often more convenient and easier than using a pushchair

Zina carrying babies, Bo and Luke froggied in a stretchy wrap at six weeks old. See babywearingtwins. com for more inspiration.

hadnt planned to wear my children. Id bought a sling when I was pregnant, but only because it was next on the unfeasibly long list of equipment I simply had to have as a new parent. I spent hours deliberating over pushchairs, deciding Id almost certainly need a second stroller too at some stage, and maybe even some sort of off-road buggy. Josh was born at 28 weeks and spent nearly four months in hospital. A fortnight after he came home, I realised I hadnt used the pushchair at all. He had bad reflux and respiratory problems, regularly turning blue as he forgot to take a breath. Carrying him in a sling meant I could not only see his face but actually feel him breathing I was much more relaxed and he was far happier sitting upright. From that moment on the pushchair was rarely used; instead I fell in love with a Coorie pouch sling and used a Kari-Me wrap for longer walks. When I fell pregnant again later that year, I resolved to wear my baby from the outset and forget pushchairs completely. But my plans were thrown into disarray when an early scan revealed I was expecting twins. I was so disappointed that my intentions to babywear had been thwarted; there was no way Id be able to carry two babies and even if I could, what would I do with Josh, who would be just 15 months when they arrived? I resigned myself to using pushchairs again and ordered a monstrous triple buggy from New Zealand. When the babies arrived, life was chaotic to say the least. It took so long to move them from Moses baskets to car seats, from car seats to the buggy, and from the buggy to play groups. I felt as though our whole day was taken up with logistics. In desperation I pulled out my Coorie sling and slotted both twins into it, where they snuggled up together as I imagined they had done in the womb. Sitting Josh on one hip instantly felt >

The Green Parent 71

GREEN BABIES
> comfortable and thats how we made short trips, where previously the buggy had been essential. I felt immediately liberated and started to explore other options for babywearing my twins when they got too big to fit into one pouch sling. Carrying three children simply wasnt practical for more than the shortest of walks and as Josh got steadier on his feet he got used to walking longer distances. By 20 months he would happily walk the half mile into town while I carried his twin sisters in two pouch slings positioned crossways across my body. Initially the girls lay in the deep part of each pouch but the method worked well as they got bigger, eventually enabling me to wear them in a hip carry, one on each side. The buggy was still a part of family logistics, but babywearing gave us so much flexibility and a closeness to my daughters I couldnt get when they were in the pushchair. Im far from the only twin-mum refusing to give up on ideals of babywearing. twins should be restricted to the early days. I can still wear them now together at three years; the biggest problem is being able to see past their heads! any twin mums are worried about the physical strain of wearing two babies and its important to listen to your own body. Amanda Rutter MSCP is a Chartered Physiotherapist from Towy Physiotherapy in Carmarthenshire, Wales. She explains that although slings place strain on the spine and pelvis, when used correctly there is no reason for them to cause back pain, or even to exacerbate an existing problem. When fitting slings and positioning the babies, dont bend from the hips to pick them up, she advises, and avoid twisting and bending at the same time. Kneel or squat to make positioning less strenuous. When twins are significantly different weights Amanda suggests alternating the position of each baby to equalise the muscle usage in each area. Having twins is an incredibly rewarding experience. Theres no denying that the practicalities can sometimes be daunting, but in my experience theres little that cant be overcome. Babywearing supports the bonding process and gives babies a feeling of security and contentment; for mothers of twins, nothing could be more valuable than that.

M
Joy Mottram, 27, lives in Croydon with
her sons Seth, 6, and Malachi, 4, and three year old twin girls Maya and Anya. Joy soon abandoned using a pram with her oldest child, quickly realising that putting Seth in a wrap calmed him and lifted the depression she was experiencing following a rough start to motherhood. She found thebabywearer.com and ordered a Didymos wrap from eBay, complete with instructions in German. When she found out she was expecting twins, she had no hesitation about continuing to babywear. Id worn Seth and Malachi together fairly frequently so I knew Id be able to tandem carry the twins. I wondered how Id get both up and down safely while out and about, but I did a babywearing consultancy course with Die Trageschule towards the end of my pregnancy, which really boosted my confidence. Joy found it easier to use two separate wraps to carry the babies in the early days, so she could leave a sleeping twin undisturbed if the other needed feeding or changing. I used a Wrapsody stretch wrap tied on my front, and a shorter woven wrap on my back. Joy is very positive about babywearing with twins, and encourages other parents not to over think it. Wearing any child is an evolving journey, and wearing two even more so. Be prepared to switch the carries you're using often, as your needs change. She suggests identifying a local sling meet to find other mums who have tandem carried to share tips and offer moral support, and doesnt feel that babywearing

Jenny Kyles, 41, is from North Carolina.

She stumbled upon the concept of babywearing with her older children, Chandler, now 21, and Forrest, 19, but found early carriers uncomfortable and had no place to go for support. When she fell pregnant with twins Arthur and Roland, now 14 weeks, she was determined to try babywearing again. This time around I had the Internet to help me and I discovered a whole new world of babywearing. I knew that I definitely wanted to find a way to wear these babies. Jenny uses a Maya wrap, a Sleeping Baby Productions conversion ring sling and a Du & Jag Mei Tai, although shes still experimenting with the best combination. I had my first true double carry success using the ring sling and the Mei Tai. I put one of the boys on my back in the Mei Tai then wrangled the sling over my shoulder for a hip carry with the other. Its a bit of a circus, but Im not afraid to be the centre of attention! She admits that its far from easy, and not always practical, but the advantages of babywearing mean its worth persevering. Jennys already wondering how long it will be before the combined weight of the boys makes it difficult for her to wear them, but it could be longer than she thinks.

slings and carriers

Most parents of twins use a combination of standard slings, wraps and carriers to wear their babies. The following carriers are specifically designed for twins; Twin Trexx Twin baby carrier Weego Twin baby carrier

useful resources

slingmeet.co.uk babywearingtwins.com thebabywearer.com naturalmamas.co.uk facebook.com/babywearingsafety babywearinginternational.org

Emily Carlisle is a freelance writer and columnist living in the Cotswolds with her husband, four year old son Joshua and three year old twins Evie and Georgie. Emily writes at morethanjustamother.com 72 The Green Parent