Weighing In

It's hard when having twins not to compare the girls. I try not to compare them and am conscious especially of the types of comparisons being made (you are smarter than, prettier than, etc.... are big no-no's for me). I do it as a mother to check development (hmmm...she is doing this, and the other one is doing this...), outsiders mostly compare their looks (she has curly hair and she has straight hair).

But after looking at some old pictures of the girls, it amazes me how much smaller Abigail when compared with Annabelle, early on in her life.

3 Months - Annabelle on the left, Abigail on the right.

Both of the girls used a shield with me while breastfeeding because their latch wasn't strong enough to get the good stuff out. And while Annabelle figured things out at about two months and stopped using the shield (her own doing..she would spit it out), Abigail used a shield while breastfeeding until about 6 months. Her latch was so painful for me that it caused swelling and blisters which would then prevent me from being able to later feed Annabelle. And if I tried to feed her without the shield, she would fuss and cry, and particularly get overwhelmed at the strong flow of milk and begin to cough and choke.

Four Months - Abigail on the left and Annabelle on the right.

Luckily, Abigail's tenacious personality caused her to never give up on eating even when eating was a chore for her and me. We started slow: first I would start one feeding a day without the shield to give her practice. If she became fussy, I would switch to the shield so she could get her milk. Eventually, we worked up to one feeding a day without the shield (me building up calluses), then two feedings and so on. Finally, after 6 months we went au natural with Abigail too. After this time, Abigail really began to put on the weight.

Five Months - Annabelle on the left and Abigail on the right. Of course, Annabelle has always had that rounder face, while Abigail has a more elongated face, but here you can really see the "chub" on their arms and how skinny little Abby was.

Of course, seeing them both everyday, I never saw that much of a difference, but Charles and I were always conscious of it. And we always asked the doctor if we were doing everything right. The doctor assured us, that because Abby was born smaller, she would be on a different trajectory than other kids. As long as she was making adequate growth for her (which she was), we should continue doing what we were doing. Although we were confirmed that we were doing everything we could, looking at the pictures once again reminds me of that worry and struggle. 

Now, at 20 months, it's official! At the latest doctor's appointment, the girls weigh the same!

Annabelle was 23 lbs 4 oz, and 32" tall.

Abigail was 23 lbs, 4 oz, and 32 1/2" tall.

I am so pleased to find them continuing to flourish and grow, physically, emotionally, developmentally, and intellectually. This is a very fun age.