Thursday, June 23, 2011
Gimme gimme!
How do you tell a ten month old not to steal toys from another ten month old? Can babies even comprehend sharing at this point? I'm not sure if I should intervene and reprimand Carmen when she takes a toy from Lena. When Carmen sees Lena with something, she is filled with an intense desire to possess that exact toy immediately. Lena doesn't seem to mind too much, but I feel bad for her and I don't want Carmy to think this behavior is ok. Have any of you dealt with this?
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
On Pacifiers
To use paci's, or not to use paci's; that is the question. For me, paci's were a lifesaver. Our paci's stay in the crib, only for use before naps and bedtime. When I go out, I usually take emergency paci's in the diaper bag in case of meltdown, but I don't often use them anymore. Whether you decide to use the paci or not, please read the "con" lists on websites like KellyMom and BabyCentre with a critical eye. I have a major beef with the con lists these sites offer. Of course, many of the cons are justified, but I get the feeling the lists are biased towards a prevalent negative attitude towards paci use.
BabyCentre warns that extended use of paci's can result in dental and speech problems. It's possible dental problems can occur with prolonged use, like using the paci when the permanent teeth are coming through (around age 6). Most people don't use the paci that long, weaning their baby after the first year or two, before that becomes an issue. As for speech problems, BabyCentre says "using a dummy prevents babies from babbling, which is an important step in learning to talk and discourages toddlers from chatting, which they need to do to develop their language skills". I guess if your child has their pacifier in all day, this might happen, but I certainly think this would only be a con for using a paci ALL DAY, and should not be considered a disadvantage of using a pacifier to soothe before/during sleep. And I'll just add that using a paci doesn't "prevent" babies from babbling. Both mine can babble through it, or simply spit it out. BabyCentre also links pacifier use to stomach infections. All I have to say about that, is keep the paci's clean & sterilized and I don't see that as a major problem.
This one takes the cake though. KellyMom says, "Giving baby a pacifier will increase mom's chances of ovulating and getting pregnant". What? I believe this statement is based on some studies that indicate babies who use paci's wean earlier. So if your baby weans earlier, your period comes back earlier and it's possible you could get pregnant.
A) Not all babies who use paci's (mine included) wean early
B) Your period can come back even while breastfeeding and
C) If your period does come back early, ever heard of birth control?
It seems like quite a stretch to say using paci's will increase chances of getting pregnant. If I heard someone say "Yeah, I used pacifiers and now I'm pregnant again", I'd think that was the most horrible excuse.
Now of course there are valid reasons that people choose not to use pacifiers. They want to teach their babies self-soothing without the use of props, they are concerned that paci use will interfere with breastfeeding or milk production. It goes without saying that no parent needs to justify this decision. I just wanted to bring attention to my perception that these articles have an inherent negative bias towards paci use. Thoughts?
BabyCentre warns that extended use of paci's can result in dental and speech problems. It's possible dental problems can occur with prolonged use, like using the paci when the permanent teeth are coming through (around age 6). Most people don't use the paci that long, weaning their baby after the first year or two, before that becomes an issue. As for speech problems, BabyCentre says "using a dummy prevents babies from babbling, which is an important step in learning to talk and discourages toddlers from chatting, which they need to do to develop their language skills". I guess if your child has their pacifier in all day, this might happen, but I certainly think this would only be a con for using a paci ALL DAY, and should not be considered a disadvantage of using a pacifier to soothe before/during sleep. And I'll just add that using a paci doesn't "prevent" babies from babbling. Both mine can babble through it, or simply spit it out. BabyCentre also links pacifier use to stomach infections. All I have to say about that, is keep the paci's clean & sterilized and I don't see that as a major problem.
This one takes the cake though. KellyMom says, "Giving baby a pacifier will increase mom's chances of ovulating and getting pregnant". What? I believe this statement is based on some studies that indicate babies who use paci's wean earlier. So if your baby weans earlier, your period comes back earlier and it's possible you could get pregnant.
A) Not all babies who use paci's (mine included) wean early
B) Your period can come back even while breastfeeding and
C) If your period does come back early, ever heard of birth control?
It seems like quite a stretch to say using paci's will increase chances of getting pregnant. If I heard someone say "Yeah, I used pacifiers and now I'm pregnant again", I'd think that was the most horrible excuse.
Now of course there are valid reasons that people choose not to use pacifiers. They want to teach their babies self-soothing without the use of props, they are concerned that paci use will interfere with breastfeeding or milk production. It goes without saying that no parent needs to justify this decision. I just wanted to bring attention to my perception that these articles have an inherent negative bias towards paci use. Thoughts?
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Identical vs. Fraternal Twins: The Facts
When it comes to being a twin mom, I get all sorts of questions and comments from people about twins. There seems to be a lot of misconceptions and a simple lack of knowledge about multiples and so, I use this public outlet to spread the knowledge about the basic difference between fraternal and identical twins.
Identical Twins
Identical Twins ARE NOT a result of any hereditary factors. Anyone can have identical twins. It is here that the question "Do twins run in your family?" has no bearing on a mom who has identical twins. Simply put, identical twins occur when a single egg is fertilized and spontaneously divides in half, becoming two separate embryos. This is why identical twins are always the same sex (although, there has been new research done that indicates it is possible in very rare cases that identical twins could be opposite sex, however I won't go down that road. It's safe to assume that if twins are boy/girl they are not identical).
Fraternal Twins
Fraternal Twins ARE a result of a hereditary factor. Most women produce one egg per cycle, but women with hyperovulation (sometimes called the "twin gene") produce more than one egg per cycle. If two eggs are fertilized during a cycle, twins are created. This is what happened with myself. It is possible I passed hyperovulation on to my daughters. It makes sense to ask me if twins run in my family, because they do, and the "twin gene" (hyperovulation) was passed down to me from my mother, grandmother (who had fraternal twin sisters) and so on. Because it is a gene carried by women, the father has no control over producing twins. So even if my husband has twins on his side of the family, it doesn't play a role in twin production.
Myth: Twins do not skip a generation.
Fact: Because fraternal twins are created when two separate eggs are fertilized, they are no more genetically similar than brothers and sisters born at different times.
Fact: Fraternal twins can be conceived at different times during a cycle and even have different fathers!
And mine are awake! So I have to go. There's your twin lesson for the day.
Identical Twins
Identical Twins ARE NOT a result of any hereditary factors. Anyone can have identical twins. It is here that the question "Do twins run in your family?" has no bearing on a mom who has identical twins. Simply put, identical twins occur when a single egg is fertilized and spontaneously divides in half, becoming two separate embryos. This is why identical twins are always the same sex (although, there has been new research done that indicates it is possible in very rare cases that identical twins could be opposite sex, however I won't go down that road. It's safe to assume that if twins are boy/girl they are not identical).
Fraternal Twins
Fraternal Twins ARE a result of a hereditary factor. Most women produce one egg per cycle, but women with hyperovulation (sometimes called the "twin gene") produce more than one egg per cycle. If two eggs are fertilized during a cycle, twins are created. This is what happened with myself. It is possible I passed hyperovulation on to my daughters. It makes sense to ask me if twins run in my family, because they do, and the "twin gene" (hyperovulation) was passed down to me from my mother, grandmother (who had fraternal twin sisters) and so on. Because it is a gene carried by women, the father has no control over producing twins. So even if my husband has twins on his side of the family, it doesn't play a role in twin production.
Myth: Twins do not skip a generation.
Fact: Because fraternal twins are created when two separate eggs are fertilized, they are no more genetically similar than brothers and sisters born at different times.
Fact: Fraternal twins can be conceived at different times during a cycle and even have different fathers!
And mine are awake! So I have to go. There's your twin lesson for the day.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Double Trouble!
Yesterday we came home from running errands and I set the girls down just inside the door (Mistake number one. I should have put them inside the gated, baby-safe area). I started putting away some fruit and suddenly out of the corner of my eye I see Lena (who was just playing with books) shoving a handful of dirt in her mouth from the plant on the floor. I throw a pineapple into the highchair, grab her and rush her to the sink where I try to scoop/splash dirt out of her mouth. She doesn't seem to mind eating dirt, nor being doused with water. Throughout the fiasco, she's got a rather inquisitive look about her as she munches the soil.
I carry the babies upstairs one by one and phone Orlando to tell him Lena likes dirt. Not a minute goes by when I realize that Carmen has somehow gotten the door to the third floor open (the door must not have been latched properly) and is climbing the stairs, while in the other direction, Lena is in the bathroom unraveling the entire roll of toilet paper and having a delicious T.P desert. Talk about double trouble!
I carry the babies upstairs one by one and phone Orlando to tell him Lena likes dirt. Not a minute goes by when I realize that Carmen has somehow gotten the door to the third floor open (the door must not have been latched properly) and is climbing the stairs, while in the other direction, Lena is in the bathroom unraveling the entire roll of toilet paper and having a delicious T.P desert. Talk about double trouble!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
More things about two
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| Sharing mommy |
Having twins means that no one gets as much snuggle time with mommy as they want. I know moms with more than one child probably share the feeling that there's never enough of them to go around. But sometimes I crave that bonding time the mom gets with her very first child, when there's no others to worry about, when it's just baby and mommy.
Having twins means going to play groups and library story times only if I have my mom with me as neither baby can stand on their own so both need to be helped. It means I can only nurse/cozy up with one for a few minutes before naptime, while the other waits in the play pen in the other room. It means when one starts crying, quite often the other starts too, just because the first one is. It means that after mealtime, I have to wash mouths, hands AND ears/hair because they sit beside each other and get their mucky fingers all over each others heads. It means hair pulling, ear pulling and trampling all over one another because, as both are just babies, they don't understand that it hurts the other person. It means I cannot reason with either in lessons of sharing (hence much toy pulling and tears). It means that it doesn't matter if one sleeps through the night, if the other one doesn't. Having twins also means I am always busy (which isn't always a bad thing). It means that everything I do, everywhere I go, has to involve a strategy.
Having twins is certainly difficult, but I feel honoured and grateful to be simultaneously rewarded and challenged with two at once. It has completely taken over my life, and even though I wonder what it would be like to have just one, I wouldn't change things if I could.