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ALL
ABOUT JANE ARTISTIC
VENUES BOOKS MISCELLANEOUS PHOTO
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Read the chapter excerps here. Also included will be a listing of the insets compiled by Dr. Sheryl Ross and Jane Seymour as well as the "Advice to Dads" from James Keach where they are included. See pictures from Jane's booksigning at the Borders in New York City. Other pictures can be found in Jane Sightings under Booksigning. One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven| Eight Epilogue What can I say as a parting word to you, except that these boys have been the greatest gift in our lives, and that I know that your twins will be the same in yours. Watching my boys as they play on the grass behind our house, or kissing their chubby cheeks as I tuck them into bed, I know that any hardships or dangers I may have gone through during the pregnancy and the birth are now completely immaterial. I've only dredged them up for this book so that you can see the inner workings of twin pregnancy and birth in our lives. I hope that by sharing our experience, James and I have somehow enhanced your own. It was not an easy road we traveled to have Kris and John, and the casual observer might as, "Would you do it all again this way, even knowing the dangers?" The answer is simple: Absolutely. Would I personally go through all the ups and downs and frustrations of this pregnancy? Yes, for the obvious reason that we were given these wonderful twins as a result. But I think there's another reason that's also important. I think I appreciate these boys more than I ever would have appreciated them if they'd come easily. I don't know if everyone would say that is the right attitude to have, but I think that's how we are as humans sometimes: We blithely take the most amazing things for granted. Our bumpy road during the boys' pregnancy and birth taught us to stop taking for granted every bit if good fortune we'd been given. The impact our twins have had on our lives and on the lives of our other children, our friend's and on our relationship is also extraordinary. It seems like they're just a couple of little magic people who have brought a sense of wonder to us all. And it's not my twins who are this way. I talk to other families with twins, and so many feel equally blessed. We all see magic and wonder in our own double blessing, and we can't ask for more than that. If you've already had your twins, do you look back on your pregnancy and wish you'd done some things differently? I know I do. Now that my boys are ready to start school and I've had years to reflect on this, I'm beginning to understand that many mothers feel this way, perhaps simply because none of us is perfect. I, for example, wish I'd rested more while I was pregnant, It was very hard for me-as it is for everyone-to accept the idea of bed rest, and I resisted it so much. I'd be up walking around the house and remember that I should be lying down. As soon as I'd lie down I'd remember I'd left something somewhere else, and so I'd rationalize getting up again. I do feel some remorse about that. Some days I wonder if I would have been able to change the way my pregnancy ended if I'd rested more, but Dr. Ross assures me that no one has a crystal ball in these matters. We couldn't see the future then, and of course none of us can change the past. I believe I did the best I could at the time, but sometimes I wish my best had been better. So with the wisdom of hindsight I would urge you, if you are still pregnancy, to do your best now to keep yourself and your babies healthy, so that years from now, you won'' be second-guessing yourself. And if like me, you've had your babies and wish you'd done some things differently, I'd ask you to give yourself the same gently forgiveness you'd offer your children. When we're out with the boys now, people who don't have twins often say to us, "It must be so much work!" James loves to tell them, "No, what I do all day is a lot of work. Whatever I do with Kris and Johnny is a lot of joy! Even when they're screaming or crying-all that's temporary. It changes in an eye blink anyway-and you're left with the joy." He likes to remind those who think that having twins is too much work-and I like to remind myself-that when you ask for one and you're given two, you've received a gift that's beyond generous. James and I believe that when one is lucky enough to receive such a gift, there is nothing better to do than to feel immense gratitude, and then to somehow share that blessing with other families. And we wish the same for your and your twins. Copyright © 2001 by Jane Seymour |
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TWO
AT A TIME: HAVING TWINS