D'ya ever wonder what people who are members of local twins clubs like to read in their magasine

[galaxymummy]

I have been asked to write 1 a4 page of text with some photos for my local twins club magasine.
They want me to talk about the antenatal classes I hold for parents expecting multiples.
I have no particular brief!
Could you tell me if you either are expecting twins or have young twins what you would find interesting to read.
Would they like a birth story about one of the couples??
looking for inspiration

Hi I'm expecting twins in the next wk or so, personally I would like to read about birth stories maybe one thats natural and a c-sec and why the c-sec's happen, The things i have found good about mumsnet is that u get advice to feed them together and that its good to put them in the same cot. If I hadn't been on here I don't think I would of had a clue, maybe the people reading your paper feel the same.

Thanks expecting kat, I will ask permission to tell some stories.

Hi galaxymummy

I would be interested in what your class offers that is different to the standard NCT ones. I gave up on my antenatal course as the midwife taking it had no experience with twins and couldn't answer most of my questions. It would also be interesting to hear birth stories from mums who had taken your course and the ways it had benefitted them.

Thanks glamour
I guess the way the classes differ from nct ones is that only parents expecting more than one baby come.
This means that people dont have to sit around and listen to nct teacher saying xxx and of course its different for you.
What expectant twin parents want to know is how is it different.
Specifically antenatal care and choices.
Labour choices
and routines for sleeping feeding + equipment thats useful.

I had some great feedback from mars who reminded me of the normality of twins . This so vitalilised me that on my next course I have been speaking to mum who is pregnant for 2nd time . Last time she had a six hour labour with baby 1. I have suggested she contact mary cronk/jane evans and talk about home birth. She did not realise this was an option. No doubt this will raise ire in obstetricians but I am a firm assertive woman now and can take the flak!
I suppose that it helps that I have experience with twin pregnancy saw my first set of twins born in leicester in 1984, then went on to be the annoyed elder sibling of twin brothers with a 12 year age gap
I will ask the people who came how it benefited them.

I had to have an epidural with my dts (dt2 was breech, but he actually turned once dt1 was out and the way was clear, so it turned out to be unnecessary) so I think they're more common for twin births.

Also that they will become instant celebrities while giving birth! I had several midwives, the consultant, SCBU units and student midwives all in and out at some point while I had my legs in the air , definately different to the quiet births of ds1+4.

Also loads of people have said how they were told they had virtually no chance of breastfeeding twins, but most of us on here managed it for at least some of the time, so let them know it is possible (but obviously jolly hard!)

Yes definitely mention the importance of good breastfeeding information and the fact that everyone and his butcher "knows you'll have to top up"... a complete and total lie! Grrrrrrrrrrrr

Definitely put in a birth story. Talk about how possible it is to have a natural birth with DTs and that epidural isn't automatically necessary unless the mum wants it.

Would love to see your article when it's done.

my dts are 9 mths and I would like to read about different stages, weaning twins, sleeping twins, giving birth to twins and basical the next stage - whatever that may be - potty traing twins arrrgggghhhh that sort of thing. I know how to do it all with a singleton. But twins is totally different

I know it is possible to have a twin home birth BUT my daughter (DT2)would have died if her emergency section had been delayed after DT1 was born so just because it is possible does not mean it is safe for everyone

Renaldo I appreciate that but the point is simply that it is an option and in fact it doesn't have to be a twin pregnancy for emergencies to occur.

I'm glad, however that your daughter is fine and well.

I don't dislike hospitals, I attend a lot of hospital births but I think twin mums should know that they have more options than epidural, constant monitoring and delivering in theatre.

Had good morning today went to do class at home for 2 twin mums and partners on labour relaxation and straightforward birth. One mum has knife phobia and really would like to be mobile. Both seem more comfortable with idea of birth in hospital and have been told that they .. must have an epidural.
Seeing two other people on mon who are breastfeeding but tired. Is it possible to build up milk supply in time by about 12 weeks say and dispense with bottles?

Of course it's possible. What they need to recognise is that of course they are going to be tired. It takes ages before that vanishes. Mums of singletons are exhausted for at least the first 6 weeks.

It depends on what they want to do. Do they want to exclusively bf? If so then they need to batton down the hatches, get family to cook and fill the freezer and babymoon. As with singleton mums it all calms down after a while. You only have to look on the regular d'y' ever thread to see that.

As to the must have an epidural... well again that's up to the mum. The epi will make them immobile and that's where the difficulty lies. If they don't want an epi they don't have to have an epi.

Like the others i would have liked to hear about the birth stories and how to cope after delivery. How feed 2 babies at once, positions for bf etc...

I was very assertive and had a beautiful birth plan but got very little support for any of it from my consultants and various registrars i had throughout the pregnancy. Course the birth was a nightmnare emergency c section at 29 weeks...

I think the most important information would be that there are options. They may not always be possible but i seem to remember drawing blanks at every turn when asking for advice about the birth and feeding.

Thanks gin and ,ars
will get writing when I return wth dd from hockey match in southgate, ?? somewhere near potters bar

My first kids will be twins in just under 3 weeks, planned c-sect due to my health problems, otherwise I'd have gone for natural).
I really had no idea what to buy for them and in what quantity. I know this may seem like sheer stupidity but with none of my peers with small babies there was no one to ask - apart from MN.
I would have liked to know more about combination feeding, B/F, expressing, sterilising and formula, as I am not decided which route to take yet.
Also that it needn't been absolute hell as all the single mums at work implied. Yes, it's a shock to find out you are having twinnies but you are not the first ever and with MN my confidence has been boosted (this coming from the most unmaternal person ever)