Taking the Plunge – Having Twins Alone

If you are single and pregnant with twins you’re likely experiencing a variety of overwhelming emotions: general terror coupled with incredible elation and excitement, along with worry about practical details and how you’ll manage TWO babies at once. The list goes on and on! Yes, your worries are real but remind yourself YOU CAN DO THIS!

Yes, your worries are real but remind yourself YOU CAN DO THIS!

When I was #pregnant with my #twins, I knew a single mom of twin girls. I asked her what it was like to raise them on her own and she said simply “it’s not easy.” I’ll never forget her words ... they were the understatement of the century!

The best thing you can do while you’re pregnant with twins is prepare. Spend this time wisely and you’ll be a little less overwhelmed when you bring your adorable babies home. Your goal should be to prepare to make things as easy for yourself as possible.

Consider the “big” things first:

1) Where you live.

You will do much of the work alone but regardless of whether you’re a Supermom or not, you will need help from time to time. Do you live near family who can help? Or very close friends who have the time and ability to assist you?

When I became pregnant with my twins I decided early on that I had to relocate across the country from Washington DC to Los Angeles to be near my family. There was no way I could do this without their help. Sure, I had incredible friends in DC and I know they would have helped some, but they all had careers and families of their own. Their time was limited already. I was packing near the end of my pregnancy and am now grateful for all the help my family provided me, particularly when my twins were babies. I don’t think I could have done it without them!

2) Logistics.

By this I mean take an objective look at where you live and your transportation methods. Taking a flight of stairs to your condo or apartment may seem fine now but will be extremely difficult with two babies in two baby carriers. Add in the diaper bag and supplies. Plus, the stroller. Plus, groceries. You get the idea.

Along the same lines, a long walk to and from a parking garage is not ideal since you likely won't be able to always carry in everything you need at once. This means leaving the twins somewhere while you go back to get the remaining items you couldn’t carry with you on the first trip.

I lived in a condo right after my twins were born and it required a bit of a walk to an elevator then an elevator ride to the underground shared parking garage. If I only had a diaper bag and their supplies, I put the babies and the carriers in the stroller inside my condo, wheeled them to the car, put them in the car, then folded up the stroller and stuck in in the trunk. When I had groceries to bring back I took the twins upstairs first, locked them in the condo, and ran back down to the car to grab the bags, all the while praying nothing would happen during the few minutes I was gone. I do not recommend this! Needless to say, I moved to house with an attached garage as soon as I could.

Elevators are known to malfunction now and then, so you’ll need to plan your strategy for getting out and about with the twins if you have to take the stairs.

Parking – if you have to drive around the block when you get home searching for an open parking space and don’t have designated parking or a driveway or garage, this will make things more difficult for you. Often, you will be tired. You will be carrying a lot. Close and convenient parking is something you should consider.

3) Transportation.

Living in a city with excellent public transportation is wonderful. Pre-twins, I took the subway to and from work each day and used it to get around quite a bit on weekends as well. If you don’t have a car, think about how far you’ll need to walk to public transportation and in what weather conditions. If your weather is extremely hot or cold, and your babies will be outside for extended periods you’ll need to plan and prepare for this.

Good double strollers are not small. In fact, they are heavy, bulky and very large – either wide or long. Will you be able to navigate crowds on the subway during morning rush hour? Will you want to do this?

Next up – the minor, yet still important, things to consider when you’re single and pregnant with twins.