Mother’s Day Gift

Four years ago today I celebrated my first Mother’s Day. It was a day early as my twins arrived at 6:30am on Saturday morning, Mother’s Day weekend. Becoming a mother was, at first, a surreal experience. I had spent those long months preparing with my husband for their arrival. And it seemed like suddenly, we were meeting these babies! It was was astonishing - I couldn’t stop thinking “wow they are real - they’ve arrived”. Which of course then lead to  “So now what do we do?” and finally  “What if we mess things up?”. 

There is no other job in life that comes with more responsibility than being a parent and yet there are no licenses, no tests to write and no classes to take beyond the labour and delivery. There is no boss other than your new baby, to tell you if you are doing what is required in this new position. 

As a first time ‘twin mom’ I think things ended up being easier for me than someone having just one child. That’s right I said I think it was easier having twins than a single child (OK, only in some ways, in others definitely not!). Because I was scared by the thought of how to cope with two babies, I sought out all kinds of help and resources in advance. I hired a postpartum doula consulted with Peel Public Health, went to twins prenatal classes and joined a Mississauga twins club.  While I was well prepared, I did learn that two babies are definitely twice the work from a time/energy perspective. (I couldn’t tell you how many people commented it was less work from the perspective of 'getting it all done at once!'). But all of those resources helped me to realize that what I needed most was the support of other moms. When you surround yourself in a "community" of other moms who have gone through or are going through the same things you are, it's easy to let go any “competitiveness” or worries about milestones etc.

As I start up momstown Mississauga, I am excited to bring moms together to support each other while on this crazy ride called parenthood! A friend recently commented that people with twins ‘find’ each other and that is true – we know it’s overwhelming so we seek each other out! People with their first child may not always seek out that support initially. First time parenthood can be overwhelming whether you are having one baby or multiples. Talking with other people who are going through the same experiences as you can really help. momstown Mississauga events are perfect for this as they are focused on bringing moms together to support each other and have fun, while at the same time learning about our six program pillars!

I’m counting down now to our ‘opening’ June 1st!  Make sure to visit the momstown Mississauga Facebook page for updates! I’m getting so excited to bring momstown to Mississauga!