Double Happiness Multiplied

    Order your pre-launch copy of the book DOUBLE HAPPINESS MULTIPLIED - What you need to know about having Twins, Triplets, & Quads HERE:  https://www.doublehappinessmultiplied.com/twins-triplets-quads-book/     On the final episode of Season One of the Double Happiness Multiplied podcast we discuss the different avenues people take to address their grief when things don’t go the way they hoped during their multiple pregnancies. Alexa Bigwarfe tells us how she turned to advocacy to help her heal following the passing of one of her twin daughters, just two days after her birth. Scott Beedie gives us a dad’s perspective of the emotional struggle and turmoil he experienced when he was told one of his twin’s hearts had stopped beating t just 21-weeks’ gestation. And, Psychologist Dr Gretta Little shares some advice on recognising when it’s time you need to get some professional help to deal with your emotions. Joy and Sorrow We’ve spoken about the joys and the sorrows of multiple pregnancies throughout Season One of this podcast, and it’s clear each and every person who’s been touched by multiples find their own way to face their realities, whether it’s coming to terms with carrying more than one, two, or three babies or finding out that you won’t be taking one or both of your twins’ home. Alexa’s Story After Alexa Bigwarfe’s twin girls were born, she was certain the medical system would fix her daughter who was extremely affected by twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, sadly Kathryn passed away just two days after she was born. Her twin sister Charis had a long journey in the NICU, which saw Alexa turn to advocacy to come to terms with the loss. “In a nutshell, I started blogging both about my grief and about twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome,” “I started interviewing other parents and talking with them about their stories, and what I found was that so many situations were so similar to mine,” “Their doctors were either nonchalant about it, never mentioned it, didn’t give them all the information,’’ says Alexa. Do your Research During her research, Alexa found that there are a significant number of babies born prematurely between 26-and-30 weeks because of twin-to-twin-transfusion syndrome, which means they’re impacted by all the issue that comes with being pre-term. “I wanted to really make some noise about it,” “In the year that I was looking at the research, I found out that more babies died annually from twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome than SIDS,” “We couldn’t change our story but potentially if someone else got...

  Order your pre-launch copy of the book DOUBLE HAPPINESS MULTIPLIED - What you need to know about having Twins, Triplets, & Quads HERE:  https://www.doublehappinessmultiplied.com/twins-triplets-quads-book/     On episode 11 of the Double Happiness Multiplied podcast, we talk about breast and bottle feeding. Lactation Consultant Judy Adams, who is also a twin mum, gives us advice about breastfeeding multiples and also shares her story of the pressure she felt to exclusively breastfeed her boys. Twin mum Rebecca Perrie and mum of Quadruplets Jannelle Snaddon also join us to talk about supplementing with formula to get some rest. BREASTFEEDING TWINS Lactation Consultant Judy Adams from King Edward Memorial Hospital in Western Australia tells us, the business of breastfeeding multiples isn’t easy and many women feel enormous pressure to exclusively breastfeed their babies, which is often an incredible emotional upheaval especially if the babies are born preterm. When you have three babies, breastfeeding is another story. Judy explains that in this situation, some mums often choose to twin feed and then give expressed breast milk to the third baby, while other mums choose to do replacement feeds with expressed breast milk. Is it important to introduce the bottle as well as the breast? Judy says she tries to be very open-minded about it, and part of being a preterm baby means that you have to have bottles, you can’t go home unless you can suck all of your feeds. However, creating an individualised plan with the mum as to what the maximum amount of breastfeeding she can do is the best strategy. If the babies are still in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at 37-weeks’ gestation, Judy says specialised teats are used to help make the baby suck. Supplementing with formula The baby has to be able to grow, that’s the bottom line. So, if mum hasn’t got enough breast milk then you don’t have any option and formula is a necessity. And, if the baby isn’t thriving then you’re running into all sorts of other problem, explains Judy.  “As hard as it is, I know very well myself, I burst into tears when I first bought formula, and I ended up throwing it out anyway,” “But it’s very emotional, you’re in the supermarket and you reach for it, and then you put it back, and then you reach for it again, and I thought I better have some just in case,” says Judy. Some mums don’t have a choice. Whether for health reasons or some other complication, some mums can’t provide milk for their baby, and they shouldn’t feel guilty that they’re...

  Order your pre-launch copy of the book DOUBLE HAPPINESS MULTIPLIED - What you need to know about having Twins, Triplets, & Quads HERE:  https://www.doublehappinessmultiplied.com/twins-triplets-quads-book/     On this episode, we discuss taking care of your children while you have babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Psychologist Dr Monique Robinson has some tips to help normalise the situation as much as possible. Joanne Beedie shares her heartbreaking story of grieving for her baby boy who died inutero while watching her surviving twin fight for his life in the NICU. And, Senior Social Worker Clare Dimer explains the pressures facing families in this situation. Psychologist Dr Monique Robinson tells us that when you’re going through your NICU journey you will need support, however, asking for help doesn’t come easily to some people and it’s okay to feel overwhelmed and not completely in control. The Reality of NICU Even if you knew leading up to the birth your babies were going to come early, there can often be a sense of this isn’t what I was expecting. This is not what I signed up for, this is not what I imagined having twins would be. “As much as it sounds like it’s just a revision of plans, for many women that total change in expectations, and the change in the plans for the future, and where they thought they were going to be at what time is really difficult.” ~Psychologist Dr Monique Robinson~ Tweet This Dr Robinson says it’s normal to feel overwhelmed and to accept that this is your reality for a while. And, that it’s going to be really tough, really tough. “But, if you’re finding that suddenly getting out of bed in the morning isn’t coming that easy to you, that’s when you need to ask for support,” “It might not be until the babies are 3-months old that suddenly you feel 100% in control and committed to it,...

  Order your pre-launch copy of the book DOUBLE HAPPINESS MULTIPLIED - What you need to know about having Twins, Triplets, & Quads HERE:  https://www.doublehappinessmultiplied.com/twins-triplets-quads-book/       On episode Nine, of Double Happiness Multiplied, we honour the families who sadly didn’t get to take one or more of their babies’ home. Alexa Bigwarfe shares her story of grief following the loss of one of her twins, due to twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. Psychologist Dr Monique Robinson talks about the importance of grieving and reaching out and speaking to others who have experienced the loss of a multiple. And, Joanne Beedie tells us of her devastation at being told the heart of one of her twins had stopped at just 21-weeks’ gestation. They’re known as Angel Babies. They’re the precious souls who didn’t make it into the world alive, or they were only here long enough to exhale a few short breaths of love before passing away. The sad reality of multiple births is that compared with singletons, babies from multiple pregnancies have a substantially higher rate of perinatal death. This higher rate of loss is largely due to preterm birth. It’s not uncommon for one or two babies from a multiple pregnancy to die Inutero and the more embryos you have the more likely you are to have a loss. The emotional pain and the strain on the family unit after losing one or more babies from a multiple pregnancy is undeniably excruciating. Alexa Bigwarfe was has lived this very reality. She was diagnosed with twin-to-twin-transfusion syndrome when she was 20-weeks’ pregnant with her identical twin girls. By the time the condition was detected, the disease had progressed to stage 3, which made treatment options less effective. “There was emotion overload just all the time, and I wanted to be happy and I wanted to have faith and believe, and I still believed when they were both born and they were both alive, I still believed the medical system was going to fix her, that it was still going to be okay,” “So, when they told us it was time to turn off the machines, I didn’t believe it,” says Alexa “There was emotion overload just all the time, and I wanted to be happy and I wanted to have faith and believe, and I still believed when they were both born and they were both alive, I still believed the medical system was going to fix her, that it was still going to be okay. So, when they told us it was time to turn off the machines, I didn’t believe it.”...

  Order your pre-launch copy of the book DOUBLE HAPPINESS MULTIPLIED - What you need to know about having Twins, Triplets, & Quads HERE:  https://www.doublehappinessmultiplied.com/twins-triplets-quads-book/       On this episode of the Double Happiness Multiplied podcast, we talk with Consultant Neonatologist Doctor Patricia Woods from King Edward Memorial Hospital in Western Australia about what to expect when you have babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Mum of quadruplets Jannelle Snaddon walks us through her NICU journey. Psychologist Doctor Monique Robinson offers practical advice about taking care of your emotional wellbeing when you have babies in NICU. I’ll share my NICU story with you and I’ll read a moving letter from a micro-premmie mum written to other parents of premature babies. What does pre-term mean? A Preterm or Premmie baby is defined as being born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed. There are sub-categories of preterm birth, however, based on gestational age: Extremely preterm, or micro premmies, are born at less than 28-weeks’ gestation, Very preterm are those babies born between 28 and 32-weeks’ gestation, And, moderate to late preterm, which are babies born after 32 weeks and before 37-weeks’ gestation. Why does preterm birth happen? There are many reasons preterm births occur, the most common causes include multiple pregnancies, infections, and chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. However, oftentimes no cause is identified but may be due to genetic influences. Pre-term birth facts Worldwide, an estimated 15 million babies are born too early every year. That’s more than one in every 10 babies. Sadly, of these babies, approximately 1 million will die each year due to complications of their preterm birth. Prematurity is the leading cause of death in children under the age of 5 years, globally. In almost...

  Order your pre-launch copy of the book DOUBLE HAPPINESS MULTIPLIED - What you need to know about having Twins, Triplets, & Quads HERE:  https://www.doublehappinessmultiplied.com/twins-triplets-quads-book/   On episode seven of the Double Happiness Multiplied podcast, we explore birthing options for multiples. We talk to Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist Professor Craig Pennell about the types of twins that will require a caesarean delivery and those that can be safely delivered vaginally. Founder of Rockstar Birth Magazine and Rockstar Birth Radio, Shalome Stone explains why a birthing plan is important. Hypnobirthing Practitioner and Birthing Doula Elysee Jamieson shares her experience of birthing breech fraternal twins. And, I’ll tell you why my girls were delivered by Caesarean section. By the end of this episode, you’ll be armed with all the information you’ll need to make educated decisions about the birth of your babies. Talking About Birth Birth. The topic can get as heated as bringing up politics, religion, or vaccinations at a dinner party. There are many people who have incredibly strong opinions on the matter, oftentimes formed on the basis of misguided information. You’ve probably heard people say things along the lines of, ‘women have been giving birth to babies in the open fields for centuries and they always did fine’, well they often didn’t and the mortality rate was exceptionally high. However, pregnancy and birth have become incredibly medicalised and it’s often difficult to find a middle ground as such. So, whether you’re someone who holds dear to your plans of a drug-free vaginal delivery or you surrender yourself to an attitude of going-with-flow, it’s important to be educated on the possibility that your ideal birth plans might need to be altered. Let’s face it, many multiples wouldn’t cope with the journey down the birth canal and without medical intervention those precious babies wouldn’t survive. On the other hand, if you have an uncomplicated multiple pregnancy, and under the guidance of a team with experience in multiple births, Professor Craig Pennell assures us that in most cases you can achieve a vaginal delivery. As Professor Pennell explains there are many things that need to be considered in planning the most appropriate form of delivery for a twin pregnancy. Type of twins; ...

    Order your pre-launch copy of the book DOUBLE HAPPINESS MULTIPLIED - What you need to know about having Twins, Triplets, & Quads HERE:  https://www.doublehappinessmultiplied.com/twins-triplets-quads-book/     On this episode, we discuss your couple relationship and why it’s important to nurture it before, during, and after your multiple pregnancy. We hear from Psychologist Dr Gretta Little, who offers some practical tips to help keep you on track, and warning signs to look out for that might indicate you need to get some outside help. Rebecca Perrie and Jannelle Snaddon share their stories of the ups-and-downs they had in their relationships while carrying their multiples, and after they were born. And, I talk about the pressure the complications in my twin pregnancy put on my couple relationship. Pressure It’s no secret that carrying more than one baby at a time puts enormous pressure on your couple relationship. And with multiples, there’s the increased risk of complications along with being concerned about how your family unit is going to operate when you take home more than one baby. Psychologist Gretta Little says it’s important to share your feelings about what’s happening and use your pregnancy to reflect on how you’d like things to be when you take the babies home. “If you can talk about how you want to be parents of multiples, how you were parented yourself, what you want to do the same, what you want to do differently, and how the two of you might have common ground in that and how you might support each other in going about that,” “That reflective capacity is really important, and that’s a way as a couple you can bond over the pregnancy as well,” says Gretta.Tweet This Dealing with complications When complications arise in your pregnancy, it’s important to be realistic about what’s achievable for your relationship and not having high...

  Order your pre-launch copy of the book DOUBLE HAPPINESS MULTIPLIED - What you need to know about having Twins, Triplets, & Quads HERE:  https://www.doublehappinessmultiplied.com/twins-triplets-quads-book/     On Episode Five, we discuss the seven most common complications that can arise in a multiple pregnancy. Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist Professor Craig Pennell explains certain conditions to be aware of, what to look out for, and what do when you receive a diagnosis you’re not expecting. Author Alexa Bigwarfe talks about twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, and I share my story of intrauterine growth restriction. By the end of this episode, you’ll have an in-depth understanding of the many possibilities that could affect your pregnancy, but hopefully, you’ll be reassured that if you’re in the right hands those obstacles can be surmounted and you’ll be able to enjoy your pregnancy. The risks of having a multiple pregnancy Once you’ve been diagnosed with a multiple pregnancy, there is so much to learn that falls outside what you might already know about pregnancy. When you’re carrying twins, triplets, or quadruplet babies the risk for complications rises and depending on what type of multiples you have on board will determine the level of that risk, and what treatment options are available to you. Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist Professor Craig Pennell says even though there are increased risks involved with multiple pregnancies that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your pregnancy. “The things that can go wrong in multiple pregnancies are divided into those that can happen to all multiples and those that are specific to particular multiples,” “For example, Monochorionic Monoamniotic twins, also known as MoMos, account for just one-percent of identical twins and they’re the type of twins where cord entanglement can cause problems, which is associated with a loss rate in the pregnancy of up to 50 percent,” “In all the other types of twins where there is a membrane between them so those conditions can’t occur,” explains Professor Pennell. If we look at twins, in general, some of the things that can occur are: Hyperemesis Severe nausea and vomiting are very common in a...

  Order your pre-launch copy of the book DOUBLE HAPPINESS MULTIPLIED - What you need to know about having Twins, Triplets, & Quads HERE:  https://www.doublehappinessmultiplied.com/twins-triplets-quads-book/     On episode four, of Double Happiness Multiplied, we discuss Gestational Diabetes (GDM) and why it’s important for women carrying more than one baby to understand how it might impact their pregnancy. The good news is, with the right exercise and nutrition program you can avoid any adverse effects of the condition. More importantly, for 95 percent of women diagnosed with GDM the condition resolves once the babies are born. It’s a fact of life that pregnancy causes a diabetic state in every woman. About 90 percent of pregnant women can cope with it, while 10 percent can’t. It’s this latter group who get GDM. What is Gestational Diabetes? Diabetes Educator, Nurse Practitioner, and Midwife Marina Mickleson has spent more than twenty years explaining this to pregnant women. She says quite simply GDM is diabetes that is picked up for the first time in pregnancy. “What this means is that the woman hasn’t had a prior diabetes diagnosis and the condition has been picked up during routine testing, which shows the woman has glucose intolerance in the pregnancy,” explains Marina. What’s more, the percentage of women diagnosed with GDM varies depending on the population. On average, about 10 percent of the Caucasian population will get GDM, but if you add in the Indian, Asian, Indigenous, and African population, it can be up to 20 percent of the population who get GDM, according to Marina. “These women are more at risk just because of mainly the food they’re eating,” “Compared to what they’d be eating for three or four generations in their communities, it’s the Western diet their bodies aren’t able to cope with,” says Marina. Unfortunately, as Marina explains women who are carrying multiples are also at a higher risk of developing GDM due to the larger placenta, and GDM has a lot to do with placental hormones. So, the more babies you’re carrying, the more placental hormones you’ll be producing, which increases the chances of developing GDM. Testing There are two ways to be tested for GDM: A fasting blood glucose test, usually done in the first 12-weeks of pregnancy for women considered at high-risk of developing GDM. If this fasting level is elevated, then you will get a positive diagnosis and further testing isn’t required. The two-hour glucose tolerance test – this is where after an initial blood test you drink 75 grams of glucose syrup, which is followed by two more blood tests to see how your body reacts to the glucose load. This test is ideally given at 26-to-28-weeks’ gestation, however, if there has been a GDM diagnosis in a previous...

    Order your pre-launch copy of the book DOUBLE HAPPINESS MULTIPLIED - What you need to know about having Twins, Triplets, & Quads HERE:  https://www.doublehappinessmultiplied.com/twins-triplets-quads-book/   On this episode, we tackle the problem of hyperemesis in multiple pregnancies and explain how to maximise your nutrition when you’re too ill to keep anything down, or there’s simply no room left for food. Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist Associate Professor Craig Pennell explains what happens to your body when you’re supplying nutrients to more than one baby at a time, and what supplements are required to ensure your vitamin and mineral needs are catered for. Pregnancy Dietician and Nutritionist Jessica Ruescher offers some practical advice on the types and amounts of foods you’ll need to eat, to maintain adequate weight gain during your pregnancy. Also, twin mum Elyse Jamieson and I talk about our experiences with hyperemesis, while mum of quadruplets Jannelle Snaddon shares her struggle with nutrition towards the end of her pregnancy when she was running out of room for food. Vitamin supplements As a woman carrying more than one baby, your energy and protein requirements are dramatically increased. This is because your resting energy expenditure is much greater than that of a woman carrying a singleton. What this means is that due to the increased maternal tissue you’re carrying you'll burn more calories at rest. And, this, of course, affects your vitamin and mineral levels, which have a significant impact on the growth and development of your babies. Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist Professor Craig Pennell explains that vitamin supplementation is a lot more important in twins than in singletons, and it’s actually not for the baby it’s more for the mother. He says the babies will take what they need from the mother almost always, which leads to the mother losing calcium from her bones. She will also lose iron because she’s making an extra litre-and-a-half to two-litres of maternal blood, plus two placentas, plus two baby blood volumes, all of which uses up iron. Professor Pennell advises all women carrying multiples to take a good pregnancy multivitamin, more folate than normal, iron, and calcium in a preventable manner at the very beginning of their pregnancy. <a...