International Multiple Birth Awareness Week

Building upon the awareness work of many national multiple-birth organisations in their own countries, ICOMBO recognises that the journey toward creating awareness of multiple-birth issues and challenges, needs and rights, is to collectively educate the public.

Why Multiple Birth Awareness Week?
ICOMBO hosts International Multiple Birth Awareness Week in November each year. A key focus of the week is to educate communities and professionals about the unique challenges of the world of twins, triplets and higher order multiples. It is also a chance to celebrate the joy of parenting multiples and what we can learn from them.

It may seem a bit strange to have a ‘Multiple Birth Awareness Week’ but so many people think twins and higher order multiples are cute, or perhaps even freaks of nature. They don’t appreciate the challenges faced, apart from them just being “double trouble”, and no it is not the same as having two children close together! We think it is important to spend some time raising awareness because the difficulties faced by families with multiples are often ‘hidden’ from public view. Greater awareness of these difficulties might mean that families could get more research, support and understanding, or at least kinder words when out in public trying to wrangle multiples.

Multiple birth families are faced with increased mental and physical health risks that include high risk pregnancies, premature birth, pre- and postnatal depression, social isolation, financial hardship, schooling issues, identity problems and strains on family relationships. Getting sufficient sleep is often a challenge and the logistics of feeding, clothing and bathing multiples are tricky. This may mean that the babies experience less one-on-one time cuddling and being spoken to by their parents. As a result, there are higher rates of parental guilt and despair and post-partum depression for both mothers and fathers. Additionally, the rates of divorce are much higher.

International Multiple Birth Awareness Week is also an opportunity to highlight the rights and needs of multiples and their families. A passion for the rights of multiples led ICOMBO to create a document outlining their rights – Declaration of Rights and Statement of Needs of Twins and Higher Order Multiples