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Having Twins
A Parent's Guide to Multiple Pregnancy, Birth, and Early Childhood
To say that Having Twins
by Elizabeth Noble is a complete guide would be an understatement. The book is a chock-full, encyclopedic guide to pregnancy and birth with twins. It also has extensive sections dealing with the physiology of twins and with rearing twins in their early years.
The book is extensive and scope and for the most part it gives solid advice. It begins by explaining a little about multiples. Noble goes into a detailed explanation on how twins begin and develop. She does a great job of explaining the different types of twins and why it's important to know what kind of twins you have.
Noble has an entire chapter devoted to bonding with your twins. I thought this chapter was particularly through and very perceptive. It even deals with issues of gender and bonding.
There's a chapter on the hazards of twin pregnancy. Reading this chapter will aid you in becoming completely informed about the unique risks of carrying twins. It also empowers you to understand how many of those risks can be avoided.
I feel like Noble's chapter on nutrition is important. She gives excellent information on protein and weight gain in the twin pregnancy. I'm saddened that she dismisses dairy and meat proteins as somehow "less healthy" than vegetable protein. Clean, whole dairy products and organic meats are an excellent way for the mother of twins to get the protein and healthy fats she needs.
Noble does give good coverage of prenatal testing and of preparation for birth. Her information on prenatal tests is well researched and clearly gives all sides of the issues related to the tests. In the chapter on birth preparation she gives practical and truly helpful suggestions for getting ready to birth your babies.
The labor and birth chapter is extensive. In addition to covering all the normal physiological information on labor and birth Noble has recorded many inspiring birth stories. Some of the stories have pictures. I think it's a wonderful section of the book. The stories will encourage you to explore options besides an automatic c-section.
The remainder of Having Twins covers caring for your twins after birth and through the early years. This section is also chock-full of information. It encourages breastfeeding as best and has lots of clear pictures. It also gives information on other feeding methods and solids. Noble discusses how having help in caring for the babies is helpful to the new parents.
She has special chapters on caring for preemies and multiples with special needs, as well as a chapter on how to stay pregnant longer with your twins. There is a chapter dealing with the loss of one or more of your twins/multiples.There is a lot of criticism towards Having Twins because Noble takes a strong natural health approach. Many seem to find this derogatory. I believe, however, that the book is right in its approach. Women should strive to naturally nurture their twins and should be free to enjoy pregnancy and birth without over management.
This book is an excellent choice if you are looking to have a healthy twin or higher order multiple pregnancy. It's especially good if you are seeking to have a naturally healthy twin pregnancy with minimal medical intervention. I recommend any mother expecting twins pick this informative volume up.