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Twins certainly run in the family
Big sisters are meant to be the ones dishing out the advice but for Kerry Williams it's the other way round at the minute.
When she found out she was expecting twins she turned to her little sister Carly O'Brien for support.
Carly is what you might call something of an expert in giving birth to twins.
She was already mum to non-identical Brandon and Daisy when she gave birth to her second set of twins, Lilly and Dylan, just nine months ago.
So when Kerry had Roxy and Rudy last month, she knew Carly would be the one person who would know exactly what she was going through.
Most new parents will be familiar with the sleep deprivation and the endless feeds and nappy changes that come with one tiny baby, so imagine what it's like with two.
Double the trouble perhaps, or twice as nice? According to Kerry and Carly it's definitely a mixture of both.
'I was overjoyed when Kerry said she was having twins because I thought it was great someone else would be going through what I am going through,' laughs Carly, 22.
Twins do run in the family – their aunt and uncle Marc Cooper and Lorraine Blight are twins.
But both women thought that having twins would skip a generation and were stunned to find out they were having multiple births.
Kerry – who also has daughter Brooke, almost two – says: 'I was about 16 weeks pregnant when I found out I was having twins. I really didn't mind if it was twins or not. It did cross my mind but I thought what with my nan having twins and the fact that it's supposed to skip a generation I might not.
'I was over the moon when I found out I was having twins and they're doing really well considering they were born prematurely at 34 weeks.'
The 30-year-old, from Copnor, adds: 'I found out I was having a boy and a girl at one of the routine scans and I was really happy.
'I phoned Carly and said: "Have you still got all your stuff? Because I'm going to need it."
'I've done really well because Carly had a big bag of premature clothes which I needed and she's given me the cots and other things.'
Carly, from Paulsgrove, adds: 'When she had her scan I said to her: "I guarantee you are going to have a boy and a girl" and she did.
'I think it must be quite rare that we've both had twins and it's been a boy and a girl. When I was having Lilly and Dylan no-one could believe it was a boy and a girl again.'
When we get together to talk it's clear that both women have to be supremely organised, calm and patient to cope with juggling the demands of their many children.
Having three sets of twins, plus Brooke of course, in one room is hectic and the sisters spend their time consoling each other's children, dishing out lots of cuddles and calmly dealing with toddler demands.
Carly and Kerry laugh in the middle of the melee and say it's like feeding time at the zoo.
'It's hard,' says Kerry. 'It's the sleep deprivation more than anything because you're feeding one and then another one.
'But to be honest it's when they get to Brooke's age that I think it will get harder because all they do is eat and sleep at the minute.
'I am really looking forward to when they're all older though. We're already saying we want to go to Florida when they are old enough. I can't wait for them to get to about five and then we can all start having fun.
'I honestly didn't mind what sex I had but I am really happy because we've got a boy and a girl out of it.'
Carly and partner John Grant were also delighted to find out they were having a boy and a girl – once they'd got over the shock that is.
'I found out I was having twins at the 12-week scan,' explains Carly. 'I wanted to be by myself when I was having it but they did the scan and said: "Is there anyone here with you? Because you're having twins."
'My partner went as white as a sheet and I did think how am I going to cope?
'I had been very hands-on with my nieces and nephews, I was with them all the time, but nothing prepares you for how your life will change, especially with twins.
'I found out I was having a boy and a girl at 20 weeks and I was very happy because at that point you want to start buying things for them.'
She adds: 'It was absolutely exhausting at first, feeding them both every two hours, but as they get older it gets a little bit easier. Then I did it all over again when they were 18 months old. It was a second surprise and I really did think how the hell am I going to be able to cope?
'It is hard for me but I do think you just find an inner strength from somewhere.'
Both women have decided not to extend their families any further, partly because they couldn't risk having yet another set of twins.
Carly and Kerry's mum Pearl O'Brien is full of admiration for the way her girls have coped and laughs when she considers what it would be like if youngest daughter Ellisha, 19, was also to go on and follow the family tradition.
'It was a shock to find that both my girls were having twins,' adds the 55-year-old. 'I was especially shocked about Carly because she was so young. She's pretty grown-up and sensible and I really admire her for how well she's done but she was only 19. I wondered how the hell she was going to cope but she has.
'People do say to me: "Not another pair of twins!"'
It's clear to see that Carly and Kerry both love being mums and that they wouldn't swap the experience of having twins.
But coping with two babies instead of just one definitely comes with some challenges of its own.
'The hard thing about having twins is that I can't just pop to the shops,' explains Carly. 'You have to have someone else with you just to go for a day out. When one of them cries they all seem to cry and it costs an absolute fortune to buy everything.
'But when you see them together that's such a good thing. Now Brandon and Daisy do everything together. They play together, they're always watching out for each other. I know that they are close, I've seen it. Even when they're not playing together one will go straight to the other when something happens.
'I think having twins has brought me and Kerry closer,' says Carly.
'There's eight years between us but we're definitely closer now,' agrees Kerry.
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Wednesday 08 February 2012
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