Milan Maternity Spotlight

I admire any mother of multiples, and Trish is no exception! She is mom to a 4 year old daughter and 1 year old twin boys. Her first birth she didn't get an epidural (something I wasn't brave enough to try the first time around, so I admire her for that, too) and had to have a c-section with her twins. She spends her spare time sewing, and I've seen her work and have to say, she's super talented. She is a busy woman, but she made some time to answer some questions for our spotlight. Find out what Trish had to say...

The first time you were pregnant, was there anything that surprised you or caught you off guard about pregnancy?

*I was surprised at how easy it was for me. After hearing horror stories about morning sickness and feeling awful, I was so lucky to not have anything like that. The only time I felt bad was when I stopped drinking coffee cold turkey. I got headaches for a couple days because of the lack of caffiene.

Have you announced your pregnancies to your husband or family members in any fun and memorable ways?

*When I found out I was pregnant the second time I had my daughter tell my husband. Then I made her a "big sister" shirt to wear when we told our parents and waited to see when someone noticed. It was fun waiting to see who saw it first

What was your favorite part of your pregnancies?

*feeling the babies move. It was so exciting to me the first time I was pregnant to feel and eventually see my baby moving. Also, people can be really nice to you while you are pregnant!

With your first child, was there anything you wish you had known about labor that you weren't prepared for?

*There is no way to explain to someone the pain you will go through. People will try to explain and prepare you for that but I think it's impossible.

How did you come to the decision to have your daughter without any pain medication and was it easier than you thought it would be?

*There are a few reasons I decided not to have any pain medication. One, I didn't want my baby to have pain meds in her new little body as soon as she was born. I'd read that they can make the baby drowsy for the first few days too. Another reason was that we were paying for her birth out of pocket so I was going to try my best to not get an epidural. All those good intentions, then when I was actually in labor and dialated to 8 and begging for an epidural, they told me it was too late. I'm glad they didn't give it to me anyways because she was born a very short time after I asked for it.

What did you find helpful in coping with the pain of labor?

*Honestly, I think I just zoned out. My husband tells me things I did and said that I don't remember. For a while the nurses wouldn't let me move because they had a monitor on my daughter. Then the doctor came in and told them to get the monitor off her and I was able to change positions instead of just laying on my back. So, I think trying to move around a little through contractions might help.

When you found out you were having twins, what was your first thought?

*No way. It's not possible! I had no idea how this was going to happen. How would I be able to carry 2 babies for 9 months? What about after they were born? Would I be able to leave my house ever again? How is my daughter going to handle this? All those questions and more went through my head in about 2 seconds. I was in disbelief for a while. Then, once I realized it really was happening, I felt like the luckiest person in the world.

I think we all have those one or two things that have to get done around the house that we hate. What are those things for you and what do you do to make doing them more tolerable?

*All of it. I don't like cleaning. When I win Publishers Clearing House ( because I don't play the lottery) I will get a house keeper. But to narrow it down to one I'll say doing the dishes. I've never liked doing them even when I was a little girl. To get myself to do them I remind myself that it really doesn't take that long to do and when I'm done the kitchen will look so much better. And I tell myself to just do it!

What things do you do with your daughter when the two of you get to spend time together?

*I ask her what she wants to do. She likes to color and do puzzles so that's what we do a lot of times. We do crafts too

Is being a mom to twins harder or easier than you thought, and how so?

*I prepared myself while I was pregnant that this was going to be quite the journey. It is hard. For probably the first 6 months I hardly slept. They were not good sleepers til about 11 months. They are 13 months now and they are good babies but they are normal 13 month-olds x2. Twice the crabbiness while teething, twice the messes, twice the climbing...etc. One thing that I'm surprised about being easier for me to deal with than before is the crying. The times when both boys and my older daughter are all crying for whatever reason, thankfully that doesn't happen too often, I just laugh. I think, this is like a movie. All three of my children are crying at once, they all want me to hold them and for some reason I'm not sitting on the floor with them crying also.

As mothers we have some special moments with our children that we always remember and cherish. Do you mind sharing one or two of those experiences?

*I love that my daughter is in love with her baby brothers and they love her just as much. It's sweet how excited they get when they see each other when they've been away from each other. Something else I love is that my boys like to cuddle with me. My daughter is the biggest daddy's girl you've seen so it's nice to have my baby boys to cuddle with

Who has been a great example to you as a mother and what have you learned from that person?

*This may sound cliche, but my Mom and Mother-in-law are both wonderful women that I hope to be like some day. My Mom gives her time to people like no one I've seen. You know she will be there to help you no matter what. She's so caring of others. My Mother-in-law is a wonderful wife and awesome mother. My in-laws have 6 kids and my MIL cooked 3 hot meals, the house was always clean, she home-schooled them all, I could go on and on. They are both an inspiration to me.

When you are having a rough day, and counting down the hours until your husband gets home so you can get a break, what is it that you are looking forward to do as a stress reliever?

I like to sew. It's one of the few things I can do where you can actually tell I've gotten something done.

When we are pregnant or have kids, it seems like we get all sorts of advice, wanted or not, from all sorts of people. Some good some bad. What is one of the best pieces of advice you have gotten?

*Do what YOU feel is right for you and your baby. There is so much out there to make you feel like you aren't doing enough or you are doing too much. Just do your best!

What is your families favorite meal?

*Chicken enchiladas and sweet corn cake. We all love this meal. I've brought it to some other families and I've been asked for the recipe several times.

http://pgoodys.blogspot.com/2011/11/you-have-to-try-this.html

Kids obviously keep us super busy and it can be hard to spend time with our significant other. On the occasions that you and your husband are able to get out of the house together, how do you like to spend that time?

*Date night! I love when my husband get to spend some time together. We aren't the most exciting people when we go out. Mostly we go out to dinner. We go out to eat at places that we cant bring 3 active kids to!

What is the best thing about being a mother?

* Before I had my children, moms would tell me you can't imagine the love you will have for your kids. I knew I would love my babies but they were right! I LOVE my kids! I love that they love me too.