It’s been a big week for Penrith Panthers eight-fifths Jarome Luai. Ahead of Sunday’s NRL Finals, Luai and partner Bailey Paris Toleafoa welcomed baby Halo.
This comes just 10 months after her sister Akira was born.
The prospect of caring for two children under 12 months will make most parents sweat.
Dr. Daniel Golshevsky, a pediatrician and infant sleep specialist, said Toleafoa may have more Luai time after today’s game.
“He’s going to work harder than the Finals, that’s for sure!” Golschewski said.
While sympathy for the parents of twin babies is usually quick, Dr. Parents of siblings less than 12 months old may need more support, Golshevsky said.
“When someone says they have twins, people are immediately struck by the incredibleness of the challenge, and there’s an immediate burst of empathy.”
“But I think [having two siblings in a year] is doubly difficult because you have competing schedules and parents rarely take breaks. The advice I would give is flexible – each routine can be found here and move there for an hour or a half to make it easier to work.”
Intimate births are common among couples who experience infertility and think they’ll have trouble getting pregnant again, or who rely on breastfeeding as a form of contraception when you’re feeding overnight without knowing it’s ineffective, Golshevsky said .
