On this episode of the Work-Life Equation: twins! Can you be doubly blessed, and still have a career, and your sanity? Our guest says you can. Jessica Alpert Silber, mom of twins and creator of the WBUR children’s podcast Circle Round, shares her best twin survival strategies, and why surviving two crying babies might just be the best thing for a working mom’s career.
Show Notes for Work and Life After Twins
0:03: Filling in for Lisa, Naoko discusses parenting twins with our guest, Jessica Alpert Silber.
0:11: Jessica launched the Modern Love podcast and the Circle Round podcast for WBUR.
1:06: Naoko asks, “How do you work, parent twins, and maintain your sanity?”
1:19: “You take it one day at a time,” says Jessica, “and you laugh a lot.”
1:26: And when both babies are crying? “You just join in!”
1:58: Especially as a new parent of infants, Jessica suggests: “throw out the little stuff.”
2:02: Ask for help! Jessica says do it, even if it’s just so you can shower, or take a “liquid nap.”
3:06: Jessica commits to date nights with her husband, to make time for each other.
3:16: They set up date nights at the same time, with the same babysitter, to make it easy.
4:43: Naoko asks, “What’s the advice for new ‘twin parents,’ still in the trenches?
5:00: Self-care and finding simple joys top Jessica’s list of advice for new parents.
5:34: Jessica tackles the biggest challenge for parents everywhere: getting the family to sleep!
6:47: Naoko asks about returning to work after maternity leave: “How did you feel about work?”
8:51: “There’s only so much I can control!” Jessica says about parenting, nature, and nurture.
10:43: Naoko asks, “How did you develop your parenting community?
11:48: Jessica acknowledges the first year or two of parenting can be really hard.
14:28: Naoko asks, “What has been your biggest joy in parenting twins?”
18:07: Child care is closed; the nanny is sick. How does Jessica manage parenting curveballs?
20:01: Naoko asks, “How do you envision your work-life balance from here on out?”
