Multiples 101: What to expect when you're bringing home multiples

Our prenatal course, Multiples 101, offers hints, ideas and true-life stories about coping with newborn multiples.  It also offers expectant parents the opportunity to participate in a supportive network with other parents who are expecting twins or more.  These classes are not designed to provide medical information and should not be a replacement for hospital prenatal classes. On the other hand, all classes are taught by volunteers who themselves are parents of multiples (and not medical professionals). We provide you with our own experience and share knowledge and ideas to help you deal with multiples.

Our one-day classes begin at 9:30AM and run until 4:30PM (unless otherwise specified), and alternate between the East and West end of the city.

Cost per couple (not per person): $40 for members and $50 for non-members (includes all relevant materials for the course).

We cover the following topics, depending on the interest in the class:

• Introduction to the MBFA
• Prenatal nutrition and activity
• What to do if put on bed rest
• Common worries, concerns and how to cope
• What it means to be classified as a "high risk pregnancy"
• Other complications of multiples pregnancies
  
• Signs of pre-term labour and what to do
• What to expect and how to cope if you have premature babies
• Pregnancy, labour and delivery stories from parents of multiples and their tips for coping at home
• Labour and delivery of multiples
• The stages of labour
• Medical and non-medicated forms of pain control during labour & delivery
• What to expect if a cesarean section is required
• Post-partum recovery for mom and babies
• Post-partum mood disorders
• Caring for your babies
• Feeding your babies: schedule vs. on-demand, bottle, breast, pumping breast milk, etc.
• Surviving at home with multiples, including what equipment, clothing, etc. other parents of multiples have found useful
• Guest speakers from our community