10 years later...

I still remember the moment I was informed that I was carrying twins... I wasn't among those who conceived immediately. Got married in late August and found out I was pregnant in January - the first week of school which was also the first week of Ramadhan! So, the beginning of the pregnancy was pretty bad because I vomitted a lot and wasn't sure whether to fast or not, only to discover later that even if I didn't fast, I couldn't really eat.

At about 9 weeks, we went for our first ultrascan and was surprised by the doctor when he asked us to have a look at the images on the screen and make out what we saw. Disbelief and utter amazement, praises to the Almighty... My parents and in-laws didn't take the news in so easily. Well, we didn't have any twins in our family - neither in mine nor Mr D's. I remember my mother in law exclaiming, "bukan kembar siam??".

At 13 1/2 weeks, I had a threatened abortion - some blood stains after a bumpy ride in a Kancil from PJ to Taman Melawati. As a result, I was warded for ultimate bed-rest. Now, that was confusing because I didn't 'feel' any pain and the bleeding had stopped. I was upset and kept begging the nurses to let me rest at home!

After that incident, my pregnancy went asailing, and then during the third trimester, I ballooned!! Throughout the 40 weeks, I didn't bother about my appearance at all - hated the smell of lipstick, was always feeling hot and sweaty (not in a sexy way!), and everything was just uncomfortable! With an enormous tummy, lying down wasn't something you'd really want to do. Backaches, leg cramps, itchiness on the tummy.... aaaah, the list goes on.

My gynae had warned me from the beginning that twins had a high chance of being delivered pre-maturely. I understood what she meant and always prayed that the pregnancy and delivery would be fine.

At 40 weeks, I delivered my twins after some struggle in the labour room. I was induced and experienced intensed contractions every 3 minutes for 7 hours! As there was no development, the doc decided to send me for a C-section!

At approximately 9.18pm, I heard a voice calling me, " D, D, bangun... "

Sleepily, I opened my eyes and saw an Indian nurse's eyes - she was wearing a white surgical cap and mask. "Awak ada dua anak kembar lelaki..."

I was too sleepy and cold to respond. They wheeled me back to my room and transferred me onto the bed. I saw Mr D, my dad and step mom.

I don't remember the exact figure but Twin 1 (Twin Z) was 1cm shorter than Twin 2 (Twin H) but the circumference of Twin 1's head was 1cm more than Twin 2's. Twin 1 has a white birth mark below his left ear whilst Twin 2 has a brown birth mark near his navel. Still, I always made sure I put Twin Z on the right and Twin H on the left. Just in case...

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10 years later, they are both my heart and soul. They are not quite identical anymore, as they have developed into individual characters. Twin Z, for instance, is more responsible and brotherly. Well, perhaps also a wee bit bossy at times. I'd also think he's more serious than my other children. He likes tidying up - vacuuming, cleaning his room and taking loooooong showers/baths. When he eats, he endevours each bite slowly. As a result, he often finishes late and seldom has a second helping.

Twin H, on the other hand, is much more playful. He is a more sensitive person and enjoys social life. He treasures relationships and loves to show his affection by giving small (or big) tokens either in the form of a drawing, a card or a present. Because of this, it's easier to get a smile from Twin H than Twin Z. Twin H loves good food but is less adventurous like his older brother (by 3 minutes). He often sets for bigger portion of food, and occasionally helps himself for a second helping. As a result of this, he is now approximately 4 kilos more than Twin Z.

Twin Z once asked me why was it that when any of them asked who was better, I'd often say, BOTH /ALL or everyone's the same. I explained to him that all my children were equal in their own ways and if I said that only one was better than the others, the others will feel hurt. Twin Z convinced me that none of them would be hurt because they only wanted to know the truth.

The truth? I love them all dearly...

Happy Birthday Abang Z and Abang H!!