I am very lucky within my
role as Early Years Consultant for Norland that I get to do lots of exciting
things and meet lots of interesting people – my day on Sunday was no exception!
I was asked to attend The Baby Show at Excel on behalf of Tamba (Twins and Multiples Birth Association) to
take part in a panel on the topic of ‘Expecting Twins’. As an honorary
consultant for Tamba I am very passionate about raising awareness of multiples
- I have been very lucky over my career to care for several sets of multiples
so was honoured and excited to be part of the panel.
When preparing for the panel
I was thinking about what I wanted to get across to the audience and it came
down to 3 main things;
1. When it comes to multiples; you don’t need
two (or more) of everything
2. You should never be afraid to ask for help
3. The most important point, enjoy your babies!
Having multiples can be hard
work but it is so rewarding and such a special experience.
I was one of 4 panellists –
Jane Denton (Director of Multiples Births Foundation), Professor Mark Kilby
(Consultant in fetal medicine at Birmingham Women’s Hospital) and JennieEdspire (online blogger and mummy to twins).
It was lovely meeting others who share the same passion and approach to supporting
families with the challenges (and successes) they face in the world of
parenting.
As soon as we were on stage
it was evident that we all wanted to get the same things across and had a
shared passion and enthusiasm for wanting families to have as much practical
and useful advice as possible. 45
minutes went by really quickly and there was so much more that we would have
liked to share, but I find that is always the way when talking about children!
It was a privilege to take
part in this event, but more so in meeting the other panellists and families. I hope that we were able to reassure any anxious
expectant parents and offer some hints and tips that we have learnt along the
way!
Claire Burgess
