© Ellen Swinton
As a parent to seven month old twins, Ellen Swinton talks about giving birth in Luxembourg and mothering multiples.
A longing to grow their family wasn't plain sailing for Ellen Swinton and her husband Christian, who experienced a “really hard time” conceiving their second child. However, the couple was ushered into uncharted territory upon finding out they were expecting twins.
Today Ellen is a doting mum to her “little peanuts”, a joy she feels beyond grateful for. She recalls the big moment of discovering the life-changing news and the journey she’s been on since.
No twin history
“I found out very early on that I was pregnant. I was very sick and we were actually really worried that something was wrong. We had been trying for two years. My hormone levels were so high and I was so sick right away."
It was only after her sister joked that they might be having twins based on how ill she was feeling, that the faint possibility crept into her mind.
However, with no twin history in the family, this notion wasn't in any way likely, or so she thought.
Yet the faithful sonogram at a routine scan was soon to tell otherwise. “I asked the doctor at the appointment if everything was OK because you know, I’m getting older. And he announced ‘Well, you’re having twins’."
“My husband was like ‘ha-ha very funny’ thinking it was a joke. I was looking at the screen and I could see he was not joking. I still have a photo of my husband looking at the scan picture later on in disbelief.”
“Both of us were stunned as it doesn't run in our family. It’s not a genetic thing. There was no thought in our mind that this could even be a remote possibility.”
“I think in that situation you have a variety of responses initially. My husband and I had two very different responses. I was immediately so excited and didn't really think of the realities of what this would mean. My husband is very much a realist while I am more of a 'oh my goodness, look how magical life is' type of person.”
“You have this roller coaster of emotion. Your mind runs a mile a minute at the prospects and implications of welcoming two babies into the world simultaneously. But I felt like I’m going to live on this high until somebody brings me back down to earth.”
Stark contrast
Growing up “all over the US” as well as in Switzerland, Ellen relocated to Luxembourg with her husband Christian and their young daughter almost four years ago.
Her oldest child was born in Seattle. Despite having private medical insurance in America, her first birth experience was in stark contrast to the birth of her twins, she revealed.
“It was a vastly different experience than giving birth at CHL in Luxembourg for a variety of reasons. In the US, I gave birth to my daughter and within 24 hours was sent home. Here, even though I had no complications either in the pregnancy or in birth, they were like 'stay, you have multiples. You seem to be doing well but just stay.' ”
“I could have gone home after three days but because I had multiples they said I could stay for an extra two days. It was really wonderful. I think it just helped because I could ease into night feeds and I had extra help with nurses if I needed it.”
“In terms of welcoming them here versus the US, it was so calm and relaxed. I just felt more at ease which, when you're welcoming twins it could be the polar opposite.”
Ellen gave birth naturally at 39 weeks on 30 November, 2023 to her daughter and son. Her babies were born 11 minutes apart with her daughter weighing 2,960 kg and measuring 49cm. Her son arrived into the world at 3,595kg and was 51cm long.
Crash course in parenting
Taking the ‘divide and conquer' approach has worked effectively for Ellen and Christian in caring for their family of three.
Having experienced postpartum depression following her first daughter’s birth, Ellen resolved to not to schedule as much as she had in her earlier pregnancy, describing her husband's parental leave as an “extreme blessing”.
As Christian was charged with mainly taking care of their older child, it allowed Ellen the space to just “be” with her twins and let them do what they needed to do such as “feed when they wanted to feed and sleep when they wanted to sleep.”
“My husband is amazing. We are a team and we have always divided it up. Since my daughter we have learned how to divide up housework so he’ll take care of the laundry and has been in charge of tidying the kitchen. He was even cooking some meals which is really helpful. We believe in being a team.”
Knowing what she knows now, Ellen salutes those who go through the experience of having twins as their first because it is not easy.
“Man, it would be so hard. They do deserve every ounce of 'you're amazing' because as second born my two are just along for the ride and I feel like we’re more organised this time. Having our first and arriving home 24 hours later from the hospital was the biggest crash course you’ll have in parenting,” she added.
Double the love, double the snuggles is a really cliché thing but it really rings true for her precious pair, she added. However, Ellen pointed out that of course parenting twins often throws up many difficulties and logistical conundrums too.
“I am a lot of rainbows and sunshine but there are a lot of challenges. For one I never have enough arms. Also, travelling is really difficult when you have twins. You can't fly without both parents and you can't sit together so there are a lot of complications that come with twins.”
With their personalities as diverse as they are delightful, Ellen noted with awe how her daughter can be loud, observant and hard to humour in contrast to her laidback, carefree yet assertive son.
“It’s just really funny to see already their differences. There are some moments where it’s difficult and hard but having a built-in playmate is amazing for them.”
Ever wondered how many twins are born each year in Luxembourg? We've put together some recent stats on this very topic.
CHL
2021: 75 twins
2022: 66 twins
2023: 75 twins
Bohler Clinic
2021: 37 twins
2022: 31 twins
2023: 40 twins
2024 (to April): 8 twins
CHEM
2020: 11 twins
2021: 8 twins
2022: 21 twins
2023: 11 twins
2024 (to date): 2 twins
CHdN
2020: 4 twins
2021: 3 twins
2022: 9 twins
2023: 4 twins
2024 (to date): 5 twins
Are you a parent of multiples? Would you like to share your experience? If so, get in touch with us at content@rtltoday.lu
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