News

Mathieu-Dayne and Marc-Dayne... - Surrounded by love and affection

By CLAUDINE HOUSEN, Freelance Writer

One-year-old twins Mathieu-Dayne (left) and Marc-Dayne Graham at their home in Unity Hall, Montego Bay, St. James. - Claudine Housen

Western Bureau:

ONE-YEAR-OLD twin brothers Mathieu-Dayne and Marc-Dayne Graham were born minutes apart on the morning of June 10, 2003, at the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay, St. James. They weighed in at six pounds six ounces and seven pounds respectively.

Though similar in outward appearance, and use of the same hand and the same walk, the boys have already begun to display different character traits with one tending be mischievous and the other more caring.

Sense of humour

"Mathieu has a sense of humour, he is kind of on the troublesome side. Marc is more loving than Mathieu," reveals Caronia Graham, the mother of the twins. "If Mathieu is crying, or anything is wrong with him, Marc is the first one to go and hug him, or tap him on his back if he is choking or anything like that. But Mathieu, he doesn't do it."

Mrs. Graham said that she reacted with glee and disbelief when she did an ultrasound about two months into her pregnancy and was told that she would be having twins.

"I just started screaming and laughing because it was so funny," she said. "We were so shocked (because) I wanted twins when I was having my girl - (four-year-old Cadayne Graham) my first child."

Although she admitted that having twin infants in the house along with another child was not easy, Graham told THE STAR that she had help from her loving husband of six years, Dayne Graham, and family members from the very first day the boys were born.

"My mother, (Lucille Smith) stayed over (almost) full-time and Dayne's mother (Carmen Perrin) was there with us, so we got a lot of help," she said. Graham admits however, that it was very hard on her physically at first because as a strong believer in breastfeeding she found herself breastfeeding both boys at the same time.

"I believe in breastfeeding and I was away from work for four months at first, so I decided that I was really gonna give them at least three months of good breast feeding. So what I had to do was to hold the two of them on a pillow and feed them at the same time because they would cry."

The Grahams live in the Unity Hall area of Montego Bay St. James.