Becoming a parent is perhaps the most beautiful thing that could happen to someone. However, though someone who doesn’t have a child thinks it’s all sunshine and rainbows, the truth is that it comes with its fair share of troubles. Just ask the parents who have bought their bundle of joy home and are sleep deprived, hungry, and lethargic by how it feels, and they will recant their experience. However, the dilemmas of parents that have
singleton kids don’t even come close to the anxiety and depression that’s felt by those that have twins.
Since the 1980s, the rate of twin births has increased by approximately 76% and 700% for triplet births. One of the main reasons why multiple births are happening more often is because of the use of fertility treatments. Unfortunately, though both physicians and doctors try and do a lot for the physical health of the mother and children, almost no support is provided for their mental health.
As per a research published in the Journal of Psychiatric Practice, parents of multiples (twins and triplets), reported higher levels of depression and anxiety. Another study conducted a systematic review of English language which assessed mental health outcomes for parents of multiples and found that the 27 studies published between 1989 to 2014 showed parents of multiples do face adverse psychological health conditions.
Even though a lot more research is needed to remedy the situation, it is imperative that as a caretaker of twins, you learn to deal with the depression and anxiety you might face. Remember that though PPD (post-partum depression) is a stage you’ll need to overcome, there are a couple of steps you can follow to ensure you enjoy your twins and aren’t stressed out by the workload and sleepless nights.