Product Description

Having more than one baby at once can test the endurance of even the most calm and experienced parents. This inspiring and enlightening guide, by a practising GP and mother of twins, will be welcomed by all parents of multiple births who find that the standard baby and childcare guides fall short of their special needs. Including new statistics on multiple births and current resources, as well as the latest information on topics such as: fertility treatment, advances in prenatal medicine and surgery, feeding, schooling and looking after sick twins, this book offers first-hand professional, practical and emotional advice to help parents cope with the development and rearing of twins from conception to adulthood. Particular emphasis is placed on the relationship between twins as individuals as they grow up, their relationship with others both inside and outside the family and sibling rivalry. Also incorporating standard information on pregnancy, birth, what to expect and how the process differs from single births, this is an essential, enlightening and often amusing guide for every parent of twins.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #103030 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Dr Elizabeth Bryan, founder of the Multiple Births Foundation
Splendid - just what was needed

Twins, Triplets and More
The author is ideally placed to explain medical terms and discuss problems while appreciating the concerns and worries of parents...

Your Health
Insightful

Customer Reviews

Dull, depressing and opinionated
I could almost have read a different book to the first reviewer. Excited following my first scan which revealed twins, I bought a couple of twin books (this and Double Trouble - which I can heartily recommend).

Whilst there is some useful medical and factual information contained in Carol Cooper's book, it is a dry and frankly depressing read. If I had only read this book I would now be wondering how on earth I will cope with twins - although I recognise that most of it is worst case scenario she manages to remove any ounce of anticipated joy out of expecting twins. Surely there must be some good things about having two at a time Carol?!!

Not only this but the book is peppered with Carol's somewhat opinionated views. Her section on IVF is outrageous - she raises moral issues that have no place in a book being read by many women fresh from IVF and glowing with success. I fully recognise that there are many moral and ethical issues around IVF that need discussion - as do many advances in medical science - but this book is not the place to do it. It's just a gratuitous airing of her personal opinions. Most women who have been through IVF will have already wrangled hard with these issues. You are left in no doubt of Carol's opinions about IVF and left with the feeling that, in her eyes, somehow your pregnancy is not quite as worthy as your 'natural' sisters.

I don't underestimate the amount of hard work that the twins will mean once they're here and I can imagine that once the twins are born I will refer to the book for factual guidance - there's a good bit on weaning for instance - but a fun read it's not. The claim on the cover which reads 'sometimes amusing' made me laugh out loud. And my husband who is a twin himself had a great chuckle at the adult twin chapter (although again we of course recognise that it's worst case - if you were uneasy about your twin pregnancy you could easily imagine all adult twins to be mal-adjusted individuals unable to hold down a relationship).

I was so incensed with the way this book was written I ended up throwing it across the room. Thank goodness for family, friends other books, websites and a supportive midwife.

Practical, positive, informed
This book doesn't insult your intelligence and at the same time is written in clear easy to understand english. It's written by an 'expert' and as such is more objective and less emotionally biased than some of the other twin books out there. As well as being clear about the reality of what you're about to let yourself in for the book keeps positive throughout, with lots of practical suggestions for coping and lots of reasons why this is going to be the best thing that's ever happnened to you! The author explains just about everything you need to know (and didn't know you needed to know) and having read a few twin books now I wholeheartedly recommend this as one of the best.

Useful but a bit depressing
This is a useful book for parents with twins or multiples, giving you good information on things not to do (dressing them the same etc.) but it is a bit heavy on the dire warnings and a bit light on the joys and advantages of having multiples.