I keep telling myself not to worry but I

DOUBLE TROUBLE FOR A FIRST-TIME DAD OF TWINS

IT’S been a solid ‘B’ for parental performance over the past 17 months.

The ‘A’ evades me due to irrational fears.

Whether or not they hinder my ability as a parent can be argued both ways.

For example, the father who says, ‘a good night’s sleep will sort that rash, stiff neck and high temperature right out,’ is possibly too laid back.

Interestingly, different fears have dominated different stages of the twins’ life, so let’s have a look at those concerns chronologically.

0-3 months: It was a maelstrom of terror. We had two fairly small babies, little sleep and no idea. My main concern was supporting their necks. I struggle to support my own neck, so being responsible for the twin’s central nervous system blew my mind. Every move was measured, and every step was accompanied by Victoria shouting ‘hold their head’.

There was also my general unease with the concept of being entirely responsible for keeping another human alive.

Thankfully, we were given a leaflet on sudden infant death syndrome when we left the hospital so we could follow procedures to lower the risks and panic uncontrollably because it’s very rare.

3-6 months: Although the broken neck fears were subsiding, I was now conscious of dropping a baby. I drop lots of things in day to day life so why not a baby?

Thomas could also roll over and liked to pull the blankets over his head, which meant I routinely woke up to check he hadn’t smothered himself.

6-12 months: A time when the