A family's journey with identical twin boys

THE Rangasami family of Mount Edgecombe shared their story of raising identical twin boys, from a surprise pregnancy to the unique dynamics of twin parenting.

Business couple Merlin and Galaisha Rangasami, 42, said their life has been filled with joy when they unexpectedly fell pregnant with identical twin boys and double trouble, Thaiurin and Shaiurin in 2019.

At the time, the couple already had two children Trushen, 21, and Sinorin, 18, and had no plans to have more children.

In fact Galaisha was planning on having a tubal ligation when they received news of her pregnancy.

“We were not planning for twins at all. We had decided that two kids was enough for us. But clearly God had other plans for us. He decided to bless us with not one but two baby boys,” said Galaisha.

The couple, who were 37-years-old at the time, said they greeted the news of the pregnancy with “shock” and excitement.

“Honestly, when I got the news that I was pregnant with twins, I cried. I was worried about how I would take care of two babies at the same time. Feeding, changing diapers and bathing one baby is hard. The thought of doing this for two baby’s at one time had my mind racing,” she said.

“But my husband was overjoyed. He jumped up and down in the doctor's surgery. I remember the doctor saying ‘mom why are you crying?’.  ‘You have to be happy’.

I replied that I was crying because I had to take care of them and not him.

“However, after they were born my whole world changed. They are my heart and soul.”

Galaisha said her support system was great, especially from her older sons. 

“They have helped hold up the fort in times of need and I am so grateful for them.”

She said she had a difficult pregnancy.

“There were lots of challenges when I was six or seven weeks pregnant. It was suspected that my babies were down syndrome and if the diagnosis was confirmed, I was advised to abort them. But after extensive testing, there were signs that the babies were growing normally.

“However, from there it was one complication after another and I had to be hospitalised on many occasions. It was really not easy at four months, it already felt like I was 8 months pregnant. I used to get tired a lot and my legs just couldn’t carry me at times.

“My babies were monochorionic diamniotic twins meaning they had only one placenta and one blood supply. My doctor, Morgan Pillay, had advised us that sooner or later the one twin would feed off the other twin’s blood supply because of having one placenta.

“So the delivery was quite challenging. After giving birth my blood pressure dropped drastically. My doctor saved my life and that of my babies,” she said. 

“Parenting the twins was not as bad as I thought it would be. My paediatrician asked me to put them on pacifiers which made it easier.

“They would poo, feel hungry and cry at the same time. When it came to feeding, there were times that I fed them together. It became much easier as time went by,” she said.

Now that the boys are six years old, there are new challenges, Galaisha laughed. 

“When they get up in the morning it’s quite a challenge to get them in the bath because they always want the other to go first. Once they are changed, they  watch shows on their tablets while they eat breakfast. Then their day starts for school and once they are home, the process starts all over again.”

She said the boys, despite being identical, had different personalities.

“Thaiurin is outspoken while Shaiurin is reserved. They are close and can’t stay without each other. But they also fight a lot. I would think their bond is unshakable and unbreakable.”

She said that financially, having to pay for two children at one time, was difficult. 

“Financially, the struggle is real. Everything we buy in twos and it’s not easy as the cost of living rises. Thankfully, we have managed so far. They are only six now and I can only imagine what we will pay for school when they are older.”

Despite the challenges, she said she would not change anything. 

“My journey so far has been amazing with the twins. We learn new things with them everyday. We get to see two different personalities grow at the same time. 

“I’ve learned that as a mom of twins. I am stronger and more capable than I thought was possible. I can now multi-task and get what needs to be done with ease. I have also learned to have patience.  I’m sure there's a lot more that I will learn about myself and my kids in the future,” said Galaisha. 

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