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| Find table of contents pages for other back issues of SUPERTWINS magazine |
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In This Issue:
SUPERTWINS 19 1
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Read about this issue's
cover families (PDF) |
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FEATURES |
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Issue 19-1 Letter From the Editor: Maureen A. Doolan Boyle (PDF) |
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How My Triplet Pregnancy Prepared Me for an Autism Diagnosis
Article available for individual purchase
Expecting triplets can be overwhelming, but imagine being told that 2 of them, identical brothers, had a rare condition called Twin-to-Twin-Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) putting the whole pregnancy at risk. After pressure to terminate two of the triplets, and a tenuous but ultimately successful pregnancy, all turned out fine: or so they thought. In less than 2 years, their triplet son who was not affected by TTTS would be diagnosed with Autism.
Resources on Autism and Developmental Delays
Developmentally Supportive Care in the NICU
Article available for individual purchase
The number of preterm births in the US has increased. As a result, many of these babies are subjected to long periods of Neonatal Intensive Care in an environment which differs markedly from the intrauterine environment during a highly vulnerable period of brain development. This article provides details about Developmentally Supportive Care (DSC) and Newborn Individualized Development Assessment Program (NIDCAP). These protocols incorporate a combination of strategies designed to minimize stress on the developing nervous system for small premature infants in the NICU through such measures as positioning, controlling the NICU environment, Kangaroo Care, co-bedding, and family involvement in care.
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EXPECTING MULTIPLES |
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Nursery Preparations: Equipment, Layettes, and More
Article available for individual purchase
One commonly asked question by expectant parents of multiples is, “What do we need to buy?” To help with that process, MOST has put together an 8-page article covering baby showers for expectant parents of multiples, and extensive shopping lists for clothing, baby equipments (with a special section on car seat resources), baby furniture, diaper supplies, breast and bottle feeding items, medical supplies, toys and more. We also include a list of items not to buy and why.
Resources on Shopping for Multiples
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IN THE BEGINNING - INFANTS |
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Raising Multiples, Inc.: A Survival Guide for Managing Multiples
Article available for individual purchase
Author and mother of triplets explains how caring for multiples can be like running a small corporation. From those frantic early days trying to establish a routine to those inevitable kinks in the plan, she walks us through The Employee Handbook (charting and keeping records), Break Time (syncing the babies’ nap routines to allow parents time to sleep, do chores, or just relax), Working Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (managing feedings), The Assembly Line (managing diaper changes), Headquarters (setting up the house to function) and the Addendum (adjusting the routine as babies grow and change.)
Resources for Parenting Multiples
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TODDLER TIMES |
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My Top Ten Time Saving Tips
Read this article online now FREE! (PDF)
Looking for some time-saving tips? Look no further. A mother of 7, including 2 singletons and quintuplets, shares her top 10 tips covering everything from innovative uses for common kitchen tools, to precooked or prepared meals, toy rotation systems, and pre-bought presents for birthday parties. Music to get toddlers helping with clean-up
A Primer on Preschool Multiples
Article available for individual purchase
Triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets and other multiple births may have some unique challenges and possibly a few advantages during the preschool development phase. Author Maureen A. Doolan Boyle, MOST’s Executive Director, offers some key insights as well as some laugh-out-loud personal experiences she had with her triplets during the preschool phase.
Resources for Preschool-Age Children
Multiples Blossom in Pre-K
Article sold sith the Primer on Preschool Multiples article above
Don’t miss this wonderful interview with Sister Barbara Whelan of New York. Sr. Barbara has been a Pre-K teacher at St. Mary’s Elementary School for over 22 years, and she shares her experience teaching twins and triplets over the years including 5 sets of twins and 1 set of triplets in this year’s classes. Sr. Barbara answers questions about the increases in the number of multiples in the classroom, how multiples help as well as compete with each other, the importance of teaching to each individual student, managing teacher conferences, what parents can do to help multiple have a successful Pre-K experience, classroom placement of multiples, the role of gender in multiples, the reaction of peers to multiples in their classroom, dressing multiples alike, and social skills/friendships of multiples this age.
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SCHOOL AGE QUANDARIES |
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Multiples and College Part II
Article available for individual purchase
This second article in a series of stories covering the topic of starting college. Articles include tips, resources, and information on school age children with IEP’s attending college, starting the transition process in high school, choosing the right college, transition and other higher-education resources for families, and tips for all parents sending multiples to college.
Resources for College
Book Review: Janey Junkfood’s Fresh Adventure
Read this book review FREE on the MOST website now
A mother of triplets reviews the children’s book Janey Junkfood’s Fresh Adventure that focuses on the negative effects of eating junk food instead of making healthy food choices. |
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SPECIAL IN MANY WAYS |
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Feeding Disorders in Children
Article available for individual purchase
Most children have a normal course of development and learn early on to accept a variety of foods and textures to maintain a well balanced diet that promotes healthy growth. Unfortunately, some children fail to adapt to these eating patterns along a typical developmental pathway, inhibiting their growth and causing further complications such as decreased immunity, delayed cognitive development, or possibly even death. Read more about these disorders with detailed discussion on feeding problems, failure to thrive, feeding disorders, contributing factors, resources, what parents should do if they suspect their child has an eating disorder, and what treatments are available.
Resources on Feeding Disorders
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WOMAN-TO-WOMAN |
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All I Want: My Triplets…and My Old Body Back
Article available for individual purchase
One mom of triplets, who gained over 80 pounds and ultimately decided to have a tummy tuck to correct her stomach muscles and remove the excess skin, shares her story with readers who may be considering this type of surgery following delivery of multiples. Read how she made the decision to undergo surgery to get her old body back after being told that she had a condition known as diastasis recti, as well as some of the tips she shares with others facing the same situation.
Resources on Tummy Tucks
Book Review: We Carry Each Other
Read this book review FREE on the MOST website now
A review of a book that addresses the issues surrounding caregivers. If someone you care about has just gotten a life threatening diagnosis or has a loved one that was recently injured, has had a loss or has a family member with significant ongoing medical challenges, you may find this book review helpful. |
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FATHERS FORUM |
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Race Report: San Jose International Triathlon
Article available for individual purchase
A father of triplets finds deeper meaning in his favorite sport of triathlon racing. After a recent race, he finds himself appreciating how the love and support his father has shown him over the years is now being passed on to the next generation. Don’t miss this poignant and uplifting story.
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SIBLING SPOTLIGHT |
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6 Little Feet: A True Story
Article available for individual purchase
When 10-year-old Lydia learns her mother is expecting not 1 but 3 babies, her life is turned upside down, in all the right ways. This delightful story gives readers the unique perspective of an older sibling who, along with her parents, faces the trials and tribulations of expecting and raising multiples including the long weeks of bedrest, the excitement of delivery day, the hardships of the NICU, and those wonderful crazy first days at home with infant triplets. |
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GRANDPARENT PEARLS |
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Meeting My Quintuplet Grandchildren
Read this article online now FREE!
A special grandmother of quintuplets leaves her home in Hungary for the long trip to finally meet her new grandchildren in Indiana. Armed with a camera and a heart filled with love, she embraces her new role and looks forward to sharing her stories with all her friends and family back home.
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WHAT’S HAPPENING AT MOST |
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SUPERTWINS Cover Families
The cover families on this issue of SUPERTWINS are the Kessler family of Herndon, VA and the Webb sisters of Clyde, NC.
MOST Family Support Forum Update
The MOST Family Support Forums now have 24,000 topics, over 1,200 participants and are STILL GROWING!
What’s New at www.MOSTonline?
MOST introduces our BenefitBar toolbar to help families more easily access MOST resources and help raise money for MOST just by clicking.
2008 Adopt A Family Program Wrap-up: Caring Support From One Multiple Birth Family to Another
Learn more by visiting our Adopt A Family web page.
MOST Volunteer from Massachusetts
MOST introduces 2 volunteers from the state of Massachusetts: one a long-time MOST volunteer and mother of 14-year-old quadruplets, and one mother of adorable 4-year-old triplets.
Donors and Announcements
Find out whose generous support is making all the efforts at MOST possible! Please consider making a donation to MOST. You are the key to these successful programs that help many families of multiples. Also be sure to catch-up on which families are expecting multiples, announcing the birth of their multiples, or who have just joined MOST.
2009 MOST Wonderful Carnival
The event is June 20, 2009. Sign up today!! |
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LOST ANGELS |
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With a heavy heart, MOST announces the passing of an infant quintuplet son and a quadruplet daughter.
Poem: You Can’t Win with Me
If you don't know what to say to me that's okay because I don't know what to say to you either. If you see me smile or laugh don't assume I must have forgotten my baby for the moment, I haven't, I can't, I never will…You could try asking if I want to talk, but don't be surprised if I say no. You can't win with me.
Multiples and Infant Loss: A Real Story
Article available for individual purchase
Increasing numbers of multiple births have led to more high-risk pregnancies and premature births, and with that rise comes an increased number of infant deaths. This article recounts one family’s personal story of loss that starts like many others: with a couple desperately seeking to have a baby. Sadly, this story does not have a happy ending. They share this very personal experience about the 14-month long journey of their beloved daughter’s struggle to survive a very preterm birth at only 23 weeks gestation, and then her tragic passing, in hope that they can bring awareness to the issue infant and child loss in multiples.
Resources on Bereavement:
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The MOST Supertwins Store |
Updated 7/26/10
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