by On my post about 8 Things Every Dad Feels When He Learns He is Having Twins, Paul left a comment adding another emotion to the list: nervousness.
He said:
NERVOUS- I have never even held a baby with two arms, let alone held two babies with one arm each! What if I hurt them? I’m big and they are soooo tiny! These thoughts have been running through my mind for almost 5 months now… I am definitely excited, but nervous. I know I can and will be a great father it is just the early stages that make me nervous … how do I overcome this fear of handling them?
Being nervous is definitely one of these feelings every dad gets.
Before our first child was born, my wife and I took a class at the hospital that included things like how to hold a baby, how to change a diaper, and how to dress a baby, among other things. Look for a class like this in your area.
Another idea is to find friends that have babies and pay them a visit to practice holding an infant.
Take heart in the fact that babies are pretty sturdy. You won’t break them. However, since they wobble and flop around (the part that scares us), learn early on how to swaddle. Newborns are easier to negotiate when contained.
(RELATED: Check out the Dad's Guide to Twins Youtube channel for additional helpful twin tips and tricks videos.)
Plan to have the nurses in the hospital show you how to hold the babies and the other necessary tasks associated with newborns. Ask as many questions as you can and don’t be afraid to take notes. This will help you once you get the babies home.
And once your babies are here, hold them as much as you can. You’ll be a pro in no time.
I, too, found it easier to picture playing with the kids in the backyard than to picture myself with newborn infants. It seems my wife always was picturing the newborn stages and I was looking farther into the future when thinking about our kids.
But before you can run in the backyard with your twins, you need to survive those newborn stages. Practice ahead of time holding and caring for other babies and then don’t worry too much when they arrive. You’ll get lots of practice changing diapers in those early days.
Picture by bhenak
LOVE this post. Actually, it didn’t take too long to get the hang of it. Even the midnight feedings…
@John – I can’t see your picture but know from experience that the double football hold is a classic. I used it many times when our girls were smaller.