Twin Manibreasto: An Interview with Mercedes Donis

I am super excited about today’s post. A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to review a book called Twin Manibreasto. Can you guess what it is about? 🙂 Hint: It’s been one of my favorite topics recently.

 

If you guessed breastfeeding you are correct. But, as the title says, this is not only a book about breastfeeding, it is about breastfeeding TWINS. 🙂

 

Now honestly I used to want twins. As a girl I always thought it would be the coolest thing. Two babies to dress, cuddle and kiss. It also means two babies to diaper, soothe and breastfeed. Now I am in awe of mom’s of multiples (MoM’s).

 

Today we have an interview with the author, Mercedes Donis. Mercedes blogs over at Project ProcrastiNot. I hope you enjoy today’s post and come back next week for my book review! 🙂

 

 

First, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and  your blog Project ProcrastiNot? 

 

I live in Scotland with my husband and our twins, who are 16 months old. I started my blog in 2012 as a way of keeping track of my hobbies and ideas, and as a way to stay accountable (i.e., not procrastinate!) Once I got pregnant, though, the blog quickly turned more towards the topics of pregnancy, parenting and twins. 

Breastfeeding and twins. It sounds super hard, was there a steep learning curve or did you pick it up pretty easily? 

 

I think that there’s a learning curve for breastfeeding in general, and I think that twins just make it more intense. I’m so thankful that my twins were full-term (37 weeks) and needed no NICU time–I really admire the moms who persevere in those situations. I was lucky that we didn’t experience any severe breastfeeding issues, although we did come across several “booby-traps”–barriers that had the potential to damage or even destroy our breastfeeding success. I talk more about these in detail in the chapter, “What Obstacles Will I Face?”

In your book you give us a peek into your schedule at six days and three weeks old. Can you tell us what your schedule looks like now that the twins are 16 months old?

 

The twins are now 16 months old. If you’re a new mom, you may want to avert your eyes/cover your ears while I say this next bit:

 

They still don’t sleep through the night.

 

As in, they never have. I still nurse them a couple of times each night, as well as maybe 4 times during the day. The sleeping thing is rough, but has gotten much better since their first birthday. As far as daytime feeds, I usually nurse them when they wake up, before (and sometimes after) their nap, once in the afternoon, and before bed. I tandem feed (nurse both simultaneously) mostly during the day, because one will get jealous of the other! At night, I nurse them one at a time.

We moved to Scotland when the twins were about 10 weeks old. My husband couldn’t take any more time off work and we didn’t know anybody there. So that was difficult for me! We arrived here in December and the winter it was pretty brutal and the daylight was so short! So needless to say, those first few months in our new home I was not going out much. I ordered groceries online and had them delivered–that was such a great help. 

 

For those of us who aren’t blessed with twins, what are the three biggest areas MoM’s  could use help? Or what are three ways we could help but haven’t thought about? 

 

I think MoMs need help in the same ways that all new mothers do, but we just might get to the end of our rope quicker. For me personally, the things I would most appreciate are: 1) an offer to watch the babies while I take a nap 2) fix or bring me food so I remember to eat and 3) help with laundry (and the dishes, while you’re at it…)

What is the hardest thing about going out with twins?

For a long time, I avoided taking the twins out by myself if I had never been to the place before. There are too many unknowns to worry about! What’s the parking situation? Is it baby-friendly? Enough high-chairs? Room for the double stroller? A two-seated shopping cart? Etc, etc. Especially moving to a new place, everything was unfamiliar to me. On the weekends my husband and I would go somewhere and then I’d know if I could come back during the week. Now, I’m more adventurous, and I think it’ll only improve as the twins become better walkers and a little more independent.

I love bucket-style or soft-sided carriers. I had a wrap and a sling also, but those were just never very comfortable. My husband and I loved wearing the twins! It allowed us to do some exploring that would have been impossible otherwise. Here’s a post I wrote on my blog about baby wearing adventures, and some recommendations for wearing twins!