Twins and multiple births - Carol Cooper

Double the pleasure or double the trouble? Having more than one baby can test the endurance of the most calm and experienced parent. The family issues surrounding multiple births extend far beyond the practicalities of how to produce double portions at meal-times or change twice as many nappies and many parenting guides fall short of looking at the special needs of parents of 'more than one at once'. The incidence of multiple births is on the increase thanks to rising maternal age and assisted conception. This accessible and useful book by a GP, health writer and mother of twins, draws on first hand, practical and emotional experience, helping parents cope with the development and rearing of twins from conception to adulthood. Chapters are devoted to how twins and other multiples are conceived, the pregnancy, birth and possible complications, and how this differs from singleton births; schooling, adolescence and insight into how it feels to be a twin. Particular emphasis is placed on the realtionship between twins as individuals as they grow up, their relationship with others inside and outside the family, sibling rivalry, and the importance of fostering individuality and independence from an early age. Full account is taken of triplets and other multiples throughout.