The joy of becoming pregnant for the second time soon gave way to shock as parents Carly and Dennis Quade discovered they were expecting twins.
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Although there were a few sets of twins in the extended family, Carly said it wasn't prevalent enough for her to consider the possibility - until two bubs showed up at her nine-week scan.
Carly shared her story in the lead up to Multiple Births Awareness Week, which runs until Sunday, to help others in the Queanbeyan and Canberra community in a similar situation.
The Queanbeyan mum said having twins was made a whole lot easier by connecting with the Australian Multiple Births Association.
"My husband did a bit of research online and he got in contact with the Queanbeyan representative, and from there, she helped us out and gave us more information," she said.
"I met some other twin mothers – it was good to have support with the other mothers who were experiencing exactly what we were."
Henry and Clare, now two, were born prematurely on May 11, 2012, sharing their birthday with their older sister, Sophie, now four.
"I always said having twins second time round was a little easier, knowing what to go through and what to expect.
"It was busy, having two little ones and a toddler – Sophie was two when they arrived, that was probably for the first six months, then it became easier."
Carly said one of the biggest challenges initially was finding the space in her "tiny" house and having to buy another set of everything.
"Even just the logistics of getting out and about with three children [was difficult]," she said.
Carly said overcoming these challenges didn't take long with support from other parents in the multiple births group.
"They make it financially easier for families with a clothing swap, information sessions, playgroups they run, a hire pool so you don't have to buy a stroller or more clothes straight up," she said.
"The support of that has been great."
Carly now helps run the multiple births playgroup, Multiplay, every Monday from 10am to 12.30pm at Letchworth Neighbourhood Centre, Queanbeyan.
AMBA members are welcome to attend, or the first visit is free for non-members.
