They say if friendship lasts for 7 years then it will last a lifetime. This may be true, but there are also life events, where when you make a friend, you know you have a friend for life. Since having my twins, this has happened to me.
Friends I knew I had made for life were my twin group.
We weren’t even friends by choice, we were forced upon each other, pregnant and hormonal and told to exchange numbers. Our midwife, Sandra, said we would be each other’s lifelines through the journey of being parents to twins, and she was right. They are a group like no other. We share with each other what no one else could understand going through- the heartache, the struggle, the grief; but also, the happiness, joy and memories having twins leads to.
These are the women I turn to with everything.
They never judge or berate; they support and help to guide me through this difficult journey and make sure I know that I will never have to do it alone.
Sandra is a friend for life too. She was there from the start of our twin journey. A strong, ferocious woman not to be messed with. From the start of my pregnancy, she was open and honest about how hard it would be, the risks involved and the struggles we would face as well as the happiness our babies would bring. She was there just hours after I had given birth, when my babies were taken to another hospital and I was sobbing, heartbroken at not being with them. She gave me the courage to be able to go to my babies and do everything I possibly could for them whilst they were desperately unwell.
These are the friendships that mean the world to me.
They are the friends I did not expect to make, and certainly did not expect to speak to every day for the past 4 years, but that is our reality. We were forced together by chance (and a slightly terrifying midwife) and bound together by our twins.
It is rare we get chance to meet up, but when we do, we make it count. We hug, we laugh and we share memories. We were supposed to meet up this month, but as with all plans, this hasn’t gone ahead. Yet everyday we are there for each other and always will be.