You're almost a year into being a mom to your twin girls - CONGRATULATIONS! How does it feel?
Oh THANK YOU! It feels completely unreal and just like I think most parents feel; it has gone so fast! I have felt so incredibly grateful and happy this year but it has also been overwhelming to go from two to four.

You have identical twins, when in your pregnancy did you find out that there was more than one baby in your belly? What emotions came?
I found out it was twins during my first ultrasound. Before the midwife could say anything, I clearly saw two heads almost instantly and exclaimed "There are two there!". I also had to tell Johannes (my partner) via FaceTime and I thought the picture was stuck on my phone. We were both so shocked! The first few days I was very worried because I knew so little. How big and heavy will my belly be? How will I be able to deliver two babies at once? Can I breastfeed? Many questions that I didn't know the answers to, but with a couple of friends who have twins and after a lot of contact with midwives/doctors, I quickly became calm and was able to enjoy it and rejoice in it in a different way. If only I knew then how good everything would be!

How was your pregnancy?
Unfortunately, I had a very tough pregnancy and one thing led to another. The worst was the nausea that never got better but I threw up constantly the 8 months I was pregnant. I probably threw up in every trash can in town. I tried to live on the cozy moments I had with my stomach when I e.g. felt both of them kicking at the same time. It was awesome!

Was there anything you missed during your pregnancy about expecting twins?
I really felt that we were in such safe hands throughout the pregnancy. As I had a 'high risk' pregnancy, I went for an ultrasound every two weeks throughout the pregnancy and always got answers to all the questions I asked.

How was your birth?
My birth was really the coolest I've been through and such a sickly positive experience, although the actual pushing was of course heavy. I went into labor in week 37 and had expected a long process but everything went relatively quickly and I apparently told Johannes that "I want to do it again" just when Alba (number 2) was out. So to you expectant twin moms who were like me, terrified, a twin birth can go really well and doesn't have to be as painful and tough as you imagined!

How has your first year as a mother of twins gone? What has been most difficult and what has been easier than you first thought?
So, it really has been the most amazing year of my life. I imagined it would be much tougher than I think it is to have twins. I have nothing else to compare it to, but the double love you get back all the time weighs so much more. I can sit and watch them for ages as they play and laugh together and to see their love for each other is incredible. What is tough is that sometimes I feel inadequate, for example when both of them are sad and need my arms. It's hard to comfort two sad babies at the same time.

What do you wish someone had told you during your pregnancy about expecting twins and would like to tell others who are in the same situation now?
We all have such different experiences and feelings about things, but I wish someone could have reassured me that it doesn't have to be as hard as you might imagine. That a vaginal birth doesn't have to be traumatic and that double breastfeeding doesn't have to be so difficult. But also to dare to ask for help and support from family and friends.

Hanna Uggla is the mother of twins, Mila and Alba. The girls were born on March 2, 2021 after Hanna had gone into labor in week 37. You can find her instagram Here.