Christina Boyle - Twin Set: Moms of Multiples Share Survive & Thrive Secrets

CONTENTS

For T and R

CB

For Jack and Emmet

CS

INTRODUCTION

What lucky parents we are: we get twice the smiles and twice the I-love-yous. What a unique and wonderful gift weve been given: to observe and nurture the special bond that our twins have. And we are part of a phenomenon. According to the Centers for Disease Control and the National Center for Health Statistics, the twin birth rate is approximately 34 out of every 1,000 births in the United States. The national twin rate in the United States has risen 74 percent since 1980 and is expected to continue to rise at a rate of 2 percent annually for the next several years. We estimate that by 2010 there will be 1.3 million sets of young twins cruising around America.

Yet parenting young twins can feel like a truly singular experience.

Having had singleton children first (Christina has one older daughter and Cathy has two older sons), weve seen firsthand how raising our own twin sets is markedly different. The blessingsand the challengesseem to grow exponentially, rather than merely doubling. Many of our tried-and-true parenting strategies just havent translated to twins.

On the tough days, weve been hugely comforted by the support weve found in each other (weve been friends for years) and the other mothers of multiples in our community. Hearing advice from someone whos in the twin trenches and really gets it has been crucial to our evolution as moms of twins. Our hope is that this book assures you that you are not alone, and that this will be a place where you can find ideas, advice, support, and laughs.

To cast the widest possible net for the best twin parenting tips, we conducted a survey of more than three hundred moms of multiples from around the country. The moms who responded represent a variety of personal circumstances: some work, some have other kids, some have triplets, and some have multiple sets of multiples. Regardless of their background or location, these moms of multiples were all eager to share the kind of advice moms generally pass on to each other at the community playground or while waiting in line at the grocery store. This unique, connective, candid dialogue, which we call the mommy pipeline, is what weve tried to re-create on these pages. Whenever you need a point of reference from which to develop your own twin parenting strategies and techniques, we hope youll consider this book a worthy girlfriend substitute.

We know from experience that even the most popular parenting philosophies wont work for every family. With the divergent and constantly evolving needs of twins, you need a stash of ideas to help you get through the day; what works one day may not work the next. When weve been out pushing our double strollers, many strangers have reacted to us with a mix of empathy and fascination. Weve heard I dont know how you do it a lotand so have our survey respondents. But as parents, we dont want to simply survive the challenge of parenting young twins. We want to thrive. The reality is that we probably end up somewhere in the middle, a parenting state we like to call thrival. This is your thrival guidethe best ideas and tips vetted by hundreds of people who truly get it.

MEET OUR EXPERTS

MOMMY DOC

Dr. Lori Storch Smith, M.D., F.A.A.P., is a general pediatrician at Bay Street Pediatrics Associates, PC, in Westport, Connecticut. She served as president of Mothers of Multiples of Lower Fairfield County in Connecticut from August 2004June 2007. She is the mother of girl/boy twins and a singleton girl and a singleton boy.

DADDY DOC

Dr. John E. Moore, M.D., F.A.A.P., is a general pediatrician practicing outpatient pediatrics for the Carillion Clinic in Roanoke, Virginia. He has written several articles on twins for pediatric journals, including Contemporary Pediatrics and Pediatrics in Review. He is the father of fraternal twin girls.

Roger B. Newman, M.D., is vice chairman of the obstetrics and gynecology department and director of the Twins Clinic at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Shirley M. Griffith, A.P.R.N., is a womens health nurse practitioner at Maternal Fetal Care PC in Stamford, Connecticut, where she has worked with partner (and husband) Dr. Richard Viscarello to deliver approximately three hundred sets of twins, seventy-two sets of triplets, and two sets of quads.

Soniyu Perl, M.S., R.D., is a nutritionist and mother of three, including fraternal twin girls, in Malibu, California.

Ciara Thurlow, a New York Citybased personal stylist and founder of CPT Styling, is a mother of three, including fraternal twin boys.

John Gugle, CFP, CRPC, NAPFARegistered Financial Advisor, principal, Alpha Financial Advisors, LLC, is a father of four, including fraternal twin boys, in Charlotte, North Carolina.