Excerpted from The Everything Twins, Triplets and More Book by Pamela P. Fierro (Adams Media, 2005)
Crying is Communicating
Newborn babies are a feast for the senses: the sight of ten perfect tiny toes, the smell of their tender skin, the silky softness of their down hair. One of the great joys of having multiples is being able to revel in these glorious sensations. However, the sound of multiple newborns is not always quite so pleasant for parents. Newborn babies cry, and when you have multiples, it can sound like a never-ending cacophony.
E-FACT: Researchers estimate that babies spend one to two hours a day crying. Multiply that by two for twins or three for triplets, and that’s an awful lot of bawling!
Coping with Crying
Crying is a part of life when you're caring for babies. Unfortunately, it can also become a source of frustration. As a parent, you want so badly to be able to soothe and comfort your children, and inconsolable crying may feel like a failure of that goal.
When the crying becomes overwhelming, it’s vital that you take steps to avoid losing control. There will be times when all the babies are crying at the same time, and you simply aren’t able to stop it. When that happens, try one of these coping strategies.
- Walk away. Put the babies in a safe, secure place, such as a crib or playpen, and walk into another room for a minute. Take deep breaths to calm down. Count to twenty and then return to the babies.
- Use a calm, soothing voice to talk to the babies. It doesn’t matter what you say. The sound of your voice may offer some temporary consolation, or at the very least, reassure them that you are aware of their needs.
- If their crying escalates over your calm voice, try singing! It may not stop the crying, but it will distract you from the chaos at hand and help you endure the maelstrom.
Above all, keep a sense of humor. In a few years, this will be a funny memory of life with multiples!
Reprinted with permission. Copyright 2005, F+W Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.
