Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T14:14:01.792Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

An Agenda for Meeting the Special Needs of Multiple Birth Families

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

P.M. Malmstrom*
Affiliation:
Twin Services for Multiple Birth Families, Berkeley, California, USA
R. Biale
Affiliation:
Twin Services for Multiple Birth Families, Berkeley, California, USA
*
Twin Services for Multiple Birth Families, P.O. Box 10066, Berkeley CA 94709, USA

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Over 80,000 multiple birth babies are born each year in the U.S. Their families must cope with a constellation of complex physical and psychosocial challenges, which jeopardizes their health and functioning. The demands of twin pregnancy and the parenting of twins, triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets or more puts these families at disproportionately high risk for infant mortality, birth defects, child abuse, substance abuse, financial problems and marital problems. Health and social service resources must be developed to alleviate the stresses associated with multiple birth and to empower parents to cope well. Guidelines for policies, parent education, professional training and service delivery developed for the California Department of Health Service, Maternal and Child Health Branch, are here offered for the consideration of policy makers and public health planners.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1990

References

REFERENCES

1. Anderson, A, Anderson, B, McInnes, S. Malmstrom, P (1985): The impact of multiple birth upon families. Paper given at Parents of Multiple Births Association Canada Convention, Edmonton, Alberta, 05 5.Google Scholar
2. Bryan, E (1986): Support for parents who lose a newborn twin (abstract). Acta Genet Med Gemellol 35(3–4).Google Scholar
3. Buckler, J (1986): The social consequences of having higher multiple births in the family (abstract). Acta Genet Med Gemellol 35 (3–4).Google Scholar
4. Glaser, K (1987): A comparative study of social support for new mothers of twins. In Boukydis, CFZ (ed): Research On Support for Parents and Infants in the Postnatal Period. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Corporation.Google Scholar
5. Goshen-Gottstein, E (1980): The mothering of twins, triplets and quadruplets. Psychiatry 43:189203.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6. Hay, D, O'Brien, P (1987): Early influences on the school social adjustment of twins. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 36:239248.Google ScholarPubMed
7. Hay, D, O'Brien, P. Johnson, C, Prior, M (1984): The high incidence of reading disability in twin boys and its implications for genetic analyses. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 33:223236.Google ScholarPubMed
8. Hobel, C (1988): Twin pregnancy: “Sharing”: Prenatal – intrapartum – newborn: Information and guidelines for care. Draft #9. Los Angeles: California Department of Health Services.Google Scholar
9. Lazarus, W, West, K (1987): Back to basics: Improving the health of California's next generation. Los Angeles: Southern California Child-Health Network.Google Scholar
10. Malmstrom, P, Faherty, T, Wagner, P (1988): Essential non-medical perinatal services for multiple birth families. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 37:193198.Google Scholar
11. McInnes, S (1979): The impact of a multiple birth on the family in home help and social services. Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada: Parents of Multiple Births Association of Canada.Google Scholar
12. National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, MD (19887: Monthly Vital Statistics Report, 37 (07 suppl.).Google Scholar
13. Nelson, H, Martin, C (1985): Increased child abuse in twins. Lexington, KY: Report of Department of Psychiatry, University of Kentucky Medical Center.Google Scholar
14. Papiernik, e, Mussy, M. Vial, M, Richard, A (1985): A low rate of perinatal deaths for twin births. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 34:201206.Google Scholar
15. Persson, P, Grennert, L (1989): Towards a normalization of the outcome of twin pregnancy. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 28:341346.Google Scholar
16. Rust, KJ, Rust, FP, Williams, RL (1986): 1979-1983 Maternal and child health daa base descriptive narrative. Santa Barbara, CA: Health Data Research Facility Community and Organization Research Institute, University of California-Santa Barbara.Google Scholar
17. Twin Services (1987): Twinshock: Issues in the care of multiple birth children. Berkeley, CA: Twin Services, Special Project of the California Department of Health Services, Maternal and Child Health Branch.Google Scholar