Multiples Support Groups, Online Resources, Coupons

Support Groups It's often helpful to communicate with other moms of multiples and share insights, talk out your frustrations, and just get a sense that others know what you're going through and are there to help. Here are some clubs we've found, and if you have more for us to list, please e-mail us! Arizona - Arizona State Mothers of Multiples (ASMOMO) California: Los Angeles - Higher Order Multiple Support group California: Solano County - Solano Parents of Twins & Triplets (SPOTT) Florida: Lakeland - Lakeland Parents of Multiples Club Florida: Pinellas County - Pinellas Parents of Duplicates Florida: Tampa Bay - Tampa Bay Area Mothers of Multiples (BaMoMs) Georgia: Atlanta North - The North Metro Mothers of Multiples Club (NNMOMC) Georgia: Atlanta South - Southern Crescent Parents of Multiples (SCPM) Georgia: Metro Atlanta - Atlanta Triplets and More Club (ATM) Hawaii: Oahu - Aloha Mothers of Multiples Illionois: Southern - Metro East Mothers of Multiples Indiana: Higher Order Multiples Indiana: Northwest - Mothers of Multiple Miracles (MOMMS) Indiana: Southside Indianapolis - The SouthSide Parents of Multiples (SSPOM) Indiana: Valparaiso - Porter County Mothers of Twins Club Maryland: Baltimore - Baltimore Parents of Multiples (BPOM) Nebraska: Omaha - The Omaha Parents of Multiples Club (OPMC) New Jersey: Bergen County- Multiplicity New York; Rockland County - Multiplicity North Carolina - North Carolina Mothers of Multiples (NCMOM) North Carolina: Asheville - Asheville Area Mothers of Multiples (MOM) Ohio: Cincinnati - Northeastern (Cincinnati) Mothers of Twins and More Club (NEMOTMC) Ohio: Western Cincinnati - Western Cincinnati Mothers of Twins Club Oklahoma: Edmonds - Edmonds Mothers of Multiples (EMOMs) Ontario, Canada: Mississauga - Mississauga Parents of Multiple Births Association (MPOMBA) Ontario, Canada: Ottawa - Multiple Birth Families Association (MBFA) Ontario, Canada: Toronto - Toronto Parents of Multiple Births Association (TPOMBA) Tennessee: Knoxville - Greater Knoxville Area Parents of Multiples Club (GKAPOMC) Texas: Austin - Austin Mothers of Multiples (AMOM) Texas: Dallas - Dallas Mothers of Twins and Triplets Club (DMOTTC) Texas: North Dallas/Richardson - North Dallas Mothers of Twins Club Texas: Plano - Plano Area Mothers of Multiples (PAMOM) Texas: The Woodlands - Woodlands Mothers of Multiples (WMOM) Utah: Utah County - Utah Valley Mothers of Multiples (UVMOM) Virginia: Hampton Roads - Tidewater Mothers of Multiples Club (TMOMC) Virginia: Woodbridge - Eastern Prince William Mothers of Twins Club (EPWMOTC) Washington: Pierce County/Tacoma - Tacoma Parents of Multiples Wisconsin: Kenosha County - Kenosha County Parents of Multiples Club Online Information There's several fantastic places to turn online for answers to your important questions on raising multiples, medical information, and much more. Below are some great links, and e-mail us if you've found more we should add! About.com: Parenting of Multiples - A site dedicated to multiple birth families, with original articles, chat, newsletters and multiples-related links. American Baby: Parenting Twins and Multiples - Expert advice for parents of twins. Includes how to breastfeed twins, and an up-close-and-personal look into the life of Bobbi McCaughey, mother of septuplets. Details of Life With Triplets - Life with triplets, including pregnancy, birth and infant ages as told by Mom. KeepKidsHealthy.com: Twins - Learn about general twin parenting, read articles on statistics and your chances of having multiple babies, as well as parenting tips. Mom2Many.com - Parents of Multiples Across Canada - An internet community for Canadian parents of multiples featuring articles, classified ads, auctions, discussion forums. MOST: Mothers of Supertwins - An international non-profit, charity support network for families who have or are expecting triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets or higher. Forums, parenting packages, newsletter, links, resources. Multiple Births Canada - MBC's mission is to improve the quality of life for multiple birth individuals and their families across Canada. Provides support, education, research, and advocacy. Parenting Multiples Guide - A mom of fraternal twin girls shares information on parenting multiples. Pictures, pregnancy information, tips and recipes. Parenting Twins - Articles about how parenting twins differs from parenting singletons (single birth children). Preemie Twins - Resource for parents of multiples and premature infants. Talk About Twins - Features a variety of twin-specific issues such as preparing for twins' arrival, promoting individuality, as well as pros and cons to school separation. The Triplet Connection - A place for parents of higher order multiples to get information. Message boards, parenting information, shopping, links. Twin Services Consulting - Twin and multiple birth resources for parents, caregivers and educators, including articles, parenting guide, links to support groups and books. TwinAdvice.com - Advice for parents of twins, from parents of twins. Twins & Multiple Births Association, UK - The web site of the only parent organisation in the UK providing information and support to couples who are expecting, or who have had, a multiple birth. Twins Help! - Information and products for twins, siblings, parents and grandparents. Includes many articles about life with twins and multiples. TWINS Magazine - Reports bi-monthly on having, parenting and enjoying twins. Contains articles, books, reports on having and raising twins as well as sells gifts for parents of multiples. Current issues, back issues and articles are for sale online. Twins Online UK - For parents of twins and twins themselves from pregnancy to school age and beyond. Twinsights - Provides encouragement, support, tips, and advice for twin moms and women expecting more than one. Hosted by Cheryl Lage, author of Twinspiration and mom to fraternal twins. TwinsUK - Company dedicated to families with twins or more. Offers tips, twin gifts, practical and innovative products for twins and multiples. Special Savings for Moms of Multiples Several companies offer great savings for parents of multiple children. Below are some of the deals we've found, and e-mail us if you know of more we should add! Beechnut Food Corporation Call 1-800-523-6633 to get 2 - 5 times the coupons for Beechnut Baby Food. Evenflo Products Call 1-800-356-BABY for information on receiving twins-quads starter kits including disposable liners for diaper pails, bibs, and coupons for other products. Gerber Call 1-800-4-GERBER and ask for the Multiple Birth Program. They will send free food, coupons, feeding spoons, and more. Johnson and Johnson Call 1-800-526-3967 to receive your twins-quads gift packet and coupons. Kimberly Clark - Huggies diapers Call 1-800-544-1847 for money saving coupons and free products for twins-quads. Mead and Johnson, makers of Enfamil Baby Formula Call 1-800-222-9123 for information on receiving a free case of formula (for each baby twins-quads) and money saving coupons. Proctor and Gamble - Pampers and Luvs diapers Parents of triples or more can call 1-800-543-0480 to receive a free package of diapers for each baby. The First Years Call 1-800-533-6708 for information on receiving twins-quads bibs and rattles. Have a Resource to Share? Help us build our collection of links to important resources for new and expecting moms of multiples. Please email information to: mostlymultiples@charter.net.

Great Products for Parents of Multiples

This section of MostlyMultiples.com focuses on items to help make raising your multiples easier. We'll feature reviews of products we like, links to unique solutions, and tips from our readers. If you'd like to submit a review of an item, please send it in an email to mostlymultiples@charter.net. Unique bottle holders help you feed multiple children at once How often have your multiples cried for their bottles while you were short-handed, forcing you to choose which baby to feed first and leaving the others staring at you in tears with that "Why not me?" look? Babacaddy.com offers a unique solution: elephant-shaped, plush bottle holders that a baby can easily grasp by the ears and keep the bottle upright for drinking. Of course, the folks at BabaCaddy remind you that you should never leave your babies unattended, either while using their Elephant Ears bottle holders or anything else. Words to live by. Check out these unique and adorable bottle holders at babacaddy.com. Dr. Brown's Natural Flow Bottles Review With multiples, your odds are greater that you'll have at least one baby that has a problem with gas, colic or spitting up. That's why when we discovered we were having multiples we researched the best brand of bottles to put on our shower registry and determined Dr. Brown's Natural Flow Bottles were the best choice for us. Dr. Brown's Natural Flow bottles use a patented system that uses a vented insert to eliminate air bubbles and vacuum that your babies would otherwise suck down with their formula and possibly become uncomfortable. We don't know how much of this we can credit Dr. Brown's Natural Flow Bottles, but none of our three babies have had digestive issues since birth. Some reviews will say Dr. Brown's bottles are more work to clean, and they are, but it's minimal. You simply have two additional pieces to go into the dishwasher. Instead of the bottle, ring and nipple, you also have the two parts of the insert. No big deal. Overall, Dr. Brown's Natural Flow Bottles have been a great choice for us, and we'd highly recommend them to all expecting mothers -- multiples or otherwise! We've found that not all stores carry them, so when we needed more we just got them from Amazon.com. Good price, no tax and they qualify for free shipping.

Raising Multiples on a Budget

Its been said that raising one child up to 17 years of age in today's world will range anywhere from $135,000 to $270,000. Then, add another $20,000 to $150,000 for attending a 4 year university. This adds up to almost a half million dollars per child! Add another or another or another child to your family at the same time and its overwhelming to think on how you can raise your multiples at a comfortable level. The good news is that it is possible not to break the bank. Below are some of our favorite tips on saving money while rasing multiples, but we're counting on experienced multiple moms to e-mail us if you know of more we should add! Buy in Bulk Fortunately, in most areas, you may find a Sam's Club or Costco near you offering the best prices in standard diapers, baby wipes, baby laundry detergent, and formula. For example, Costco Kirkland Infant Formula Fortified with Iron is $.23 per unit cheaper than the leading brands, Similac and Enfamil. And, not to worry about whether the less expensive no brand version contains has less nutritional value, all brands contain the same basic necessary ingredients. If a wholesale wherehouse is not near you, find the best prices for the big ticket items and buy two or three of that item at one time. Contact Companies for Money Saving Coupons and Complimentary Products There are many companies that are multiples family-friendly and offer anything from free products, to coupons, to discounts on purchasing their products. The only catch is that most require a short note with your request and a copy of your children's birth certificates. When do you have the time to do this? Take 15-20 minutes in between feedings or ask a member of your family or friend to take on this task. You will be glad you did. For a listing of a few companies offering a multiples program, please refer to the Resources page on this website.

Basic Facts: Science of Multiple Births

A multiple birth occurs where more than one fetus exits the womb in a single pregnancy. Different names for multiple birth are used, depending on the actual multiple. Common multiples are two and three, known as twins and triplets respectively. Twins, triplets and other multiple births occur to varying degrees in most animal species, although the term is most applicable to placental species. There are two common types of multiple births, fraternal (dizygotic) and identical (monozygotic). Identical siblings arise where one egg is fertilised and the resulting zygote splits into more than one embryo. Identical siblings therefore have the same genetic material. Fraternal siblings result from the fertilisation and implantation of more than one egg, so fraternal siblings are not genetically identical, and instead have an analogous genetic similarity of any brothers and sisters. A very rare third type of twinning is now believed to occur when an unfertilized ovum splits into two equal parts prior to fertilization, creating a second complete ovum, called the "polar body". After splitting, both ovum are each then fertilized by different sperm. This results in twins who share half their genes in common (from the mother) and the other half different (from the two sperm). Polar body twins share about 75% of their genetic markers, less than identical twins but more than fraternal twins. They share some features of identical twins and some features of fraternal twins and are so-called half-identical twins. However, DNA-based zygosity tests are currently not available to determine if twins are polar-body twins. The most common form of human multiple birth is twins (two babies), but the typical order of multiple births in other placental species differs dramatically. Some species give birth to multiple offspring as a matter of course and the resulting group of offspring is called a litter. Labels: basics, science

Basic Facts: Multiple Birth Rates

Multiple birth pregnancies have been rapidly increasing due to advancements in infertility treatments. Twin births over the past decade have risen by 33 percent, while higher order multiples have increased 178 percent. More than half of all multiple births are low birthweight. Over 50% of twins and upwards of 90% of triplets are born premature in the U.S. In contrast, approximately 11% of all singleton births are premature. Twin births are 7 times more likely to result in death during the first month of life, and on average, require longer hospital stays resulting from preterm delivery complications. Proper childbirth education and prenatal care during your high risk pregnancy will assist you in achieving your goal of delivery of healthy, term multiples. (Multiple Birth Resources, LLC) Labels: basics, science

Types of Multiple Births: Terminology

Monozygotic - multiple (typically two) foetuses produced by the splitting of a single zygote Dizygotic - multiple (typically two) foetuses produced by two zygotes Polyzygotic - multiple foetuses produced by two or more zygotes Litter - the offspring produced by a multiple birth in non-human placentals Terms used for the order of multiple births are largely derived from the Latin names for numbers. Two offspring - twins Three offspring - triplets Four offspring - quadruplets Five offspring - quintuplets Six offspring - sextuplets Seven offspring - septuplets Eight offspring - octuplets Nine offspring - nonuplets Ten offspring - decaplets Eleven offspring - undecaplets Twelve offspring - duodecaplets Thirteen offspring - tredecaplets Fourteen offspring - quattuordecaplets Fifteen offspring - quindecaplets Labels: basics, science

Definitions of Multiple Births

The most common form of human multiple birth is twins (two babies), but cases of higher orders up to octuplets (eight babies) have all been recorded with all siblings being born alive. The largest set in which all members survived more than a few days is septuplets, the first of which was in 1997. The largest set to have even a single member survive is octuplets, in 1998 (with the seven surviving octuplets born in Texas). There have been a few sets of nonuplets (nine) in which a few babies were born alive, though none lived longer than a few days. There have been cases of human pregnancy which started out with ten, eleven, twelve and fifteen fetuses, but no known instances of live births of such high multiples in a single pregnancy. Most of these pregnancies are a result of fertility medications, though a set of duodecaplets (twelve) was conceived spontaneously (without the aid of fertility treatments) in Argentina in 1992. Multiple pregnancies in humans are usually delivered before the full term of 40 weeks gestation. The average length of pregnancy is around 36 weeks for twins, 34 weeks for triplets and 32 weeks for quadruplets. Labels: basics, science

Differences in Triplets' Development

No two multiples develop at the same pace. I know its hard to try to not compare your baby with another baby --but, man, its especially difficult when you have two or more babies being raised in the same family. Our triplets are nearing their 1st birthday and are (or will be soon, we hope) going through dramatic developments and now, more than ever, its so easy to see the differences between this one and that one or between our one girl and two boys. I can imagine a baby development researcher (if there such a profession) coming to our house and thrilled to see the many differences in stages our three are exhibiting proving, overwhelmingly, that it is true, all babies develop at their own pre-programmed pace. I just need to keep reminding myself of this fact. For example, Ava, is setting herself up as the independent, maybe even the leader of the trio, totally oblivious to her brothers who happen to be right underneath her as she crawls over them to reach a favorite toy. Ava has been the first in many gross motor movements, so far. Although the youngest, Grayson, was the first to sit up at 6 months, Ava has been the first to roll over, to crawl, to come to a sitting position when laying on her stomach, to stand up from a crawling position and most likely, the first to walk before their 1st birthday. She was also the first to get a tooth and the first to eat Cheerios and those beloved Gerber Fruit Puffs. Did this all happen because she was the first born? Probably not. Maybe because she's a girl? Possibly. Now, lets take a closer look at her brothers. Cameron is the second born and is far from being second on doing everything his sister is doing. He began sitting up at 6 1/2 months and has been very contented to be in this position since then (interesting that he takes after his 6 year old big brother who also was very happy not to begin moving until his 11th month). Cameron has always disliked the idea of being stuck on his stomach (until very recently) and was even happy if he happen to topple over onto his back and no one was around to help him sit up. When will this boy start moving? I can see him eyeing his sister as she scoots around the house, grabbing forgotten magazines on the floor or an uneaten cookie crumb, but has no motivation to try and keep up. On the other hand, Cam has been the first to really take to eating jar foods when they were first introduced. We are also noticing he is becoming quite the vocalizer (more like the screamer) when things don't go his way or wants our attention. Ava rarely says a word and I'm becoming a little frightened of our little girl who silently moves about the house and into trouble. Grayson, the youngest of our family, although has also not been the first in many gross motor movements (like his brother), he has been the first of many other things. Like I mentioned earlier, he was the first to get his balance and sit up. He has also been the first to copy vocal sounds from his mommy and daddy. He was the first to shake his head no and he was also the first to try and attempt to stack things on top of each other. Much to our dismay though, he does NOT like the idea at all of being on his stomach and we see him and Cameron making attempts to crawl much later then their sister. However, you never know, one of these two might actually make the first attempt to walk after being fed up with Ava getting all the good toys first. It is amazing and wonderful to see these three together -- as they reach certain stages (whenever they are ready to) -- you are able to see their excitement and even a little bit of passion as they discover new things they can do. Very soon, these three little separate beings will also begin to show each other on how they do things. Yikes on that comment!! For now, we are thrilled to see them each perfect the skills that they have so far. Labels: development, hints

How to Chart Your Baby's Feedings and Progress

Like any well run business, you need to keep track of your charges. We found the best way is to keep a daily chart of each baby - we would have never remembered how much each were fed from the previous feeding or when one had a bowel movement (believe us, this information is important especially during their check ups with the pediatrician). The first charts we relied on recorded information on amount of formula/breast milk fed, time they were fed, was there a wet diaper or bowel movement, what was their temperature, medication notes, and, last but not least, we initialed who took care of each baby at that time. Later on, you can adjust the charts to record when they took a bath, and solid food information (remember to record when your babies begin to eat solid food any allergic reactions). You may also include a special notes section where you can record milestones achieved or anything else you would like to remember about their personalities, characteristics, etc. If youÕre really good at organization, keep the charts, by month, in a three ring binder, and by their first birthday, you will already have a diary or details to help record in a scrapbook. One last thing, keep these charts in an area where you will be able to see it the most often, We keep ours on the kitchen counter. Labels: feeding, hints

Famous Multiples of the 20th Century

The recent birth of Diana Krall's and Elvis Costello's twins made us wonder how many other twins have been in the spotlight over the last hundred years or so. We did some research, and the best source for such information turned out to be Wikipedia, which supplied the following details on Famous Multiples, broken into two categories -- Historical and Fictional Multiples: HISTORICAL MULTIPLES: The Keys quadruplets (born on June 4, 1915 in Hollis, Oklahoma), were the first same sex quadruplets known to survive to adulthood The Dionne quintuplets (born on May 28, 1934 near Corbeil, Ontario, Canada) were the first quintuplets known to survive their infancy The Creel Triplets - Leanna, Monica, and Joy born August 27, 1970 starred in Parent Trap 3, and Parent Trap 4: Hawaiian Honeymoon, two Disney made-for-TV movies The Haden Triplets born in New York City on October 11, 1971 were Petra, Tanya and Rachel The identical Hansen Quadruplets born in San Antonio, TX on October 24, 1974 were Alison, Brooke, Claire and Darcy. They appeared on the Johnny Carson show. They attended Baylor University on academic scholarships and graduated in 1997 The Rosenkowitz sextuplets (born on January 11, 1974 in Cape Town, South Africa) were the first sextuplets known to survive their infancy The Walton sextuplets (born on November 11, 1983 in Liverpool) were the first sextuplets born in the United Kingdom known to survive their infancy The Bergeson Triplets born in Baltimore, MD on October 17, 1984 were Ryan, Amy, and Jesse. The Frustaci septuplets (born on May 21, 1985) were the first septuplets to be born in the United States. Only three babies survived The Williams Quadruplets born at Duke Hospital on February 14, 1987 were Elizabeth, Christopher, Michael, and James The Dilley sextuplets (born on May 25, 1993 in Indianapolis) were the first surviving sextuplets to be born in the United States The McCaughey septuplets (born on November 19, 1997 in Des Moines, Iowa) were the world's first surviving set of septuplets The Humair septuplets (born on January 14, 1998 in Abha, Saudi Arabia) were the world's second surviving set of septuplets, born to a 40-year-old mother The Brino quadruplets were born on September 21, 1998 in Woodland Hills, California to Tony and Shawna Brino, and have all appeared in the popular television series 7th Heaven when they were infants as the twin boys born in season 3- when they all started to look different the only girl (Miranda) stopped appearing in the show, and Zachary and Lorenzo starred in the first episode they were credited in. From then on, only Nikolas and Lorenzo Brino starred in the show, and did through the show's last season, season 10 The Chukwu octuplets (born in December 1998 in Houston) were the first set of octuplets born in the United States. The smallest of the octuplets, Odera, died a week after birth The Qahtani septuplets (born on July 12, 2001 in Washington, DC) were the third set of septuplets to live past infancy The Armstrong triplets - Lil, Helen and Kate, were the first triplets to all be accepted to Cambridge University The Saunders Triplets played the baby Harry Potter in the 2001 film "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" Labels: news

New Fertility Treatment Guidelines Released

The March of Dimes applauds new fertility treatment guidelines from the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) calling for a limited number of embryos -- in some cases only one -- to be transferred during in-vitro fertilization procedures. "Limiting the number of transferred embryos will mean fewer higher-order multiple gestations, defined as three or more fetuses, and reduce the risk of complications for both the mother and the fetus, including preterm birth," said Dr. Nancy Green, March of Dimes medical director. "New parents may think there's more to love when you have more than one baby, but there's also more to worry about; more than half of twins and nearly all triplets are born prematurely, associated with an increased risk of death and disability." About 12.5 percent of U.S. babies are born too soon (before 37 completed weeks gestation) each year and babies who survive face risks of lifelong health challenges. The March of Dimes, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and ASRM issued a first-ever joint consumer document stressing the importance of reducing the risk of a preterm birth for women undergoing fertility treatments. More than one-third of pregnancies conceived using assisted reproductive therapies (transferring a fertilized egg into a uterus) result in a multiple birth. Pregnancies conceived using ovarian hyper-stimulation drugs, which accelerate egg production, often result in a multiple birth. Women considering these 'fertility drugs' should consult a specialist prior to using them. The March of Dimes also suggested additional steps, beyond the ASRM guidelines, to help women make informed decisions about fertility treatments: Require informed consent documents include explicit information about the risk of multiples and premature birth. Require annual review of clinics' performance and publish a list of those with highest and lowest rates of higher-order multiple births. "Consumers should demand quality assurance in the fertility business, just as they do in other aspects of health care," says Dr. Green. "Women should ask about a center's multiple birth rate, ensure it follows the guidelines and reports results to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology." Information is available from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/art.htm. Labels: news, science, studies

Taller Women More Likely to Have Multiples

If you're a taller-than-average woman in the US, you're more likely to experience multiple-birth pregnancies than women of average height. So concludes a study from the Journal of Reproductive Medicine published in September of 2006. The study, conducted by Gary Steinman, MD, PhD, of the Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center, found that the reason for the increased risk could be traced to Insulin-like growth factor (IGF), which influences both height and multiple births. A protien the liver releases in conjunction with growth hormones, Insulin-like growth factor (IGF), ups the sensitivity of ovaries to hormones that stiumulate follicles and increase the rate of multiple pregnancies. Dr. Steinman examined records of 129 women who bore identical or fraternal twins or triplets (105 sets of twins, 24 sets of triplets) comparing them to records of US women of average height, sourcing the National Center for Health Statistics. Multiple-birth mothers averaged 5'5", compared to the average US woman's height of 5'3". IGF also has been found to prompt cells in long bone shafts to grow. Other studies have found that people of lower-average height have lower levels of IGF. Additionally, IGF studies have concluded that elevated levels of IGF might assist in embryo survival during early gestation. Labels: news, studies