GUEST MUM - KELLY

Please Introduce yourself - My name is Kelly Raterman and I'm 27 years old. I live on the Central Coast of NSW and have lived here my whole life. I'm a semi-new mum (it still feels new) to 9 month old identical twin boys - they are my world and I honestly can't remember what my life was like before them. I am married to the man of my dreams and we consider our relationship quite the fairytale. I was his 16yr old crush, we then ended up working together for 2 years, he then professed his love for me and we got together not long after - we were engaged within 3 months, married within 9 months and became a family within 13 months (yup were crazy but we wouldn't have it any other way - 'when you know, you know'). We call ourselves 'FITRATFAM' because we are both passionate about the fitness industry and love helping others reach their goals too.

What are your babies name and how old are they? My boys names are Memphis Jerome (aka twin one) and Reynar Jensen (aka twin two). They will be 9 months old on Sunday and the time has gone so fast - im excited to watch them grow but also missing my tiny little babes. What do you miss before becoming a mother? Sleep is the first thing that comes to mind - I definitely underestimated what the impact of lack of sleep can have on your life (and i considered myself one to not really value sleep prior to motherhood).

What was your first reaction when your first laid eyes on your babies? It was all very surreal. I had elected to have a c-section due to the higher risk of complications with twins and because they were born prematurely I only got to briefly see Memphis before they were both rushed away. It was after a few days when I first got to hold them that it all actually hit home - that these were my babies! This is what they looked like, after all that time wondering. Suddenly everything was about them and nothing else mattered.

What was your first reaction when you found out you were having twins? My hubby and I actually laughed. My head was like 'oh shit' for about 5 seconds, then it was just all about - how did this happen, there's no twins in either family, what does this mean, etc etc. My hubbys massage therapist actually predicted we were having twins before we knew and I still remember my doctor saying 'you'll find out if there's one or two in there' when she handed me the referral for the first ultrasound (she must of had an incling too) so we had actually laughed about it as an 'imagine if' scenario before we found out. I think our parents were more shocked than we were.

Did you have a good or bad pregnancy? I was very lucky to have a good pregnancy. I had no sickness, and no issues up until about 31 weeks. The only thing I disliked about being pregnant with twins was that my idea of training whilst pregnant was limited due to me being considered a 'high risk pregnancy' - it was my self confidence that took the biggest beating whilst being pregnant.

What is it like being a mum to twins? It's amazing! It's full on, but it's amazing. Being my first I don't know any different so I just do what works and have learnt to just go with the flow. My life is very routine based to ensure my sanity (and theirs) is kept at an optimal level. The saying that you should never wake a sleeping baby just had to go out the window - when one twin is awake, I make sure the other one is too so we're all on the same timezone. Seeing them interact together and the bond they share already is unexplainable. The hardest part and biggest 'mum guilt' as a twin mum is that my love and attention is always divided. Im forever conscious of giving too much attention to one over the other (as one is usually more demanding than the other). I'm forever feeling bad to the one who is left in the room while I'm carrying the other one to the cot or vice versa. But knowing that on the first day of school they will have each other, and for any event in life, is what puts it all into perspective.

Any advice for mothers to be and already mothers who have twins? - Routine is key. Instilling a routine from day 1 where they both wake, feed and sleep at the same time will ensure your able to get rest when you can and maybe even get a few things around the house done.

- Ask for help when you need it. It's the hardest thing because you just want (and think) you can do it all on your own, if your anything like me, but your also human and it's ok to have days where you feel like you can't do it anymore. You will still do it and you will come out the other end - I promise you.

- Try not to set expectations.. one baby is unpredictable, let alone two of them with totally different agendas. Be kind to yourself, and learn to just go with the flow. Trust your instincts, find your groove and go with what works for you. Getting ideas off other twin mums is great, then tweak it to suit you and your babies and then learn to adapt as your babies change.

What do you love about being a mother? The unconditional love. The feeling that you can't understand until you become one. The fact that everything in life is brought back to its simplest form - purity, innocence and sheer joy. They have brought out strengths in me that I never knew existed, and have made me the best version of myself. They have given me a whole new perspective and meaning to life that I can't even begin to explain. They have taught me to be present in each and every moment, and I am forever grateful and blessed to be chosen as their mother. I also have a whole new appreciation for my own mother, and am now forever in awe of every mum out there.

instagram - @ratermumma