Twins! - Softcover

Agnew, Connie; Klein, Alan; Ganon, Jill Alison

3.36

121 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062734601 ISBN 13: 9780062734600

Publisher: HarperPB, 1997

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The likelihood of giving birth to twins has shot up from one-in-90 to one-in-40 in recent years, thanks to the escalating use of fertility treatments and the advancing age of first-time mothers. Today, more than 100,000 multiple births take place annually, but despite this astonishing statistic, there hasn't been an authoritative reference that adequately focuses on the unique concerns of the parents until now.

Twins! gives parents comprehensive information on the physical, medical, emotional, and psychological issues involved in having twins. The first part of the book covers the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience, and discusses a broad range of twin-specific information such as the epidemiology of twinning, fetal and embryonic development, nutritional needs, and exercise. The second section covers the first year of life, discussing such topics as telling the twins apart, size and energy differences, and how to cope with the extra work.

Additional features include discussions with parents of twins, in which they share their experience on a variety of topics; sidebars filled with fascinating facts; a workbook for recording the pregnancies progress; and several appendices.

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Review:

The authors bill it as a "truly epic journey": the voyage from pregnancy through a lifetime of parenting twins. Perinatologists Connie L. Agnew, M.D., and Alan H. Klein, M.D. (also a pediatrician) incorporate a winning combination of helpful facts, educated opinion, and candid roundtable discussions--a combination that nicely maps the journey's first course for expectant parents of multiples.

Those readers familiar with the ever-popular What to Expect When You're Expecting--a mainstay for first-time parents--will be delighted to see a similar format employed here. The pregnancy and birth chapters break down into chunks of gestational weeks, outlining basic fetal development, mom's changing body, and special "transitional" issues common to each trimester. These chapters are further enhanced by pencil illustrations of the mother's pregnant body (with a peekaboo view of the developing twins) and roundtable discussions involving the authors and a panel of twins' parents.

The book's second half delves into getting through that first, tough year. While ample information on labor and delivery overlaps both halves of the book, this second section spends more time focused on the growing babies and the challenges new parents face in their relationships with their children and with each other. Again, the roundtable discussions prove quite valuable; it's always nice to read encouraging words from those who have lived through preterm delivery, sleep deprivation, and older sibling regression. Growth charts and a helpful resource guide of organizations, periodicals, and retail outlets round out the package. --Liane Thomas

About the Author:

Dr. Connie L. Agnew is a perinatologist in private practice in Los Angeles. She's a leading specialist in the care of high-risk mothers and infants.

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