Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez has said that she wants to spend "every free moment" with her twin babies.
According to People magazine, the 39-year-old star said: "[Most days] I get up early with them. Then when the nanny comes, I can take a shower and give them their breakfast. She's there to help me get things done."
Referring to returning to work, she said: "It's gonna be a learning experience. How will I do both? I try to take breaks from work."
"I'll do a little work with the choreographers and then come back. I try to spend every free moment with the babies."
"When they see you and have that big smile on their face - I live for that," she said.
Sunday, 21 September 2008
northern-times - Airlift drama as twins arrive early
SPECIALIST staff and emergency equipment were flown by air ambulance from Inverness and Aberdeen to the Lawson Memorial Hospital in Golspie on Monday as a mother went into premature labour with twins.
Justine Ainsworth, from Loth, near Helmsdale, went into labour on Monday, in the 31st week of her pregnancy, and was taken to Golspie as delivery seemed imminent.
Twin number one (Milo) was born at 10.37am by natural delivery and weighed in at 4lbs. However, support was requested from Raigmore Hospital in Inverness after twin number two (Max) kept everyone waiting and it was decided to deliver him by Caesarian section.Staff and equipment from Raigmore were taken by road and air to Golspie, a specialist neo-natal retrieval team was flown in from Aberdeen, and a staff member based in Wick drove down to Golspie.
Max was born at 1.20pm and transferred by helicopter to Raigmore, while mum and Milo went by road. Justine and the boys are now recovering well and have had a visit from dad, Leon, and big brother Luke (13 months).
Director of nursing and midwifery at Raigmore, Heidi May, said this week: "The staff have responded fantastically well in difficult circumstances. We're very pleased with the twins' progress and are continuing to monitor their condition closely."
Justine and Leon want to say a big thank-you to all the staff involved at Raigmore and the Lawson, as well as those from Wick and Aberdeen. In particular they praised the midwives from Golspie, Brora and Helmsdale – Beatrice Oliphant, Kay Mackinnon and Janice Macrae – and consultant obstetrician Dr Brian Reid and his team at Raigmore.
Said Justine: "Everyone was very calm and we are very grateful to them. We would also like to thank our childminder, Denise Mackay, for taking in Luke at such short notice."
Justine Ainsworth, from Loth, near Helmsdale, went into labour on Monday, in the 31st week of her pregnancy, and was taken to Golspie as delivery seemed imminent.
Twin number one (Milo) was born at 10.37am by natural delivery and weighed in at 4lbs. However, support was requested from Raigmore Hospital in Inverness after twin number two (Max) kept everyone waiting and it was decided to deliver him by Caesarian section.Staff and equipment from Raigmore were taken by road and air to Golspie, a specialist neo-natal retrieval team was flown in from Aberdeen, and a staff member based in Wick drove down to Golspie.
Max was born at 1.20pm and transferred by helicopter to Raigmore, while mum and Milo went by road. Justine and the boys are now recovering well and have had a visit from dad, Leon, and big brother Luke (13 months).
Director of nursing and midwifery at Raigmore, Heidi May, said this week: "The staff have responded fantastically well in difficult circumstances. We're very pleased with the twins' progress and are continuing to monitor their condition closely."
Justine and Leon want to say a big thank-you to all the staff involved at Raigmore and the Lawson, as well as those from Wick and Aberdeen. In particular they praised the midwives from Golspie, Brora and Helmsdale – Beatrice Oliphant, Kay Mackinnon and Janice Macrae – and consultant obstetrician Dr Brian Reid and his team at Raigmore.
Said Justine: "Everyone was very calm and we are very grateful to them. We would also like to thank our childminder, Denise Mackay, for taking in Luke at such short notice."
eadt - Miracle triplets enjoy 9th birthday
NINE years ago, the birth of Jane and Mark Ingram's tiny triplets sent shockwaves through the medical world.Although Mary and Olivia had grown naturally in their mother's womb, sibling Ronan developed ectopically in Mrs Ingram's fallopian tube, somehow creating his own womb and blood supply.Little Ronan beat odds of 100million to one in surviving.He and his sisters have now celebrated their ninth birthdays together - something that would have defied all medical odds back in 1999.
Picture at just six months old. L-R: Olivia, Ronan, Mary Parents Jane and Mark have revealed how the traumatic birth of their young son has made the family realise the important things in life.And while all three display their own individual and unique personalities, the bond between them has put aside any adversity already experienced in their young lives.Speaking from their home in Thurston, near Bury St Edmunds, Mrs Ingram said: “We often think back to what happened and we just thank our lucky stars they are all here and healthy.“The whole family is so close. The older three children are very protective of the younger ones and I think we all have been through so much that it has brought us closer together. It has certainly made you realise what is important in life.”
Ronan, Olivia (left) and Mary The birth of the triplets made national headlines in 1999 when Ronan defied all medical odds when he survived despite developing in his mother's fallopian tube as an ectopic pregnancy and creating his own womb with his own blood supply.The birth was described as a miracle of modern medicine.Experts at King's College Hospital in London worked out how best to deliver the babies with a team of 26 on hand to assist with a complicated Caesarean section.Unsurprisingly, Ronan, Mary and Olivia were all tiny at birth weighing 2lbs 1oz, 2lbs 4oz and 2lbs 10oz respectively and needing round the clock care to nurse them through their first few days. Now the trio have brushed aside their precarious births to become normal, healthy children. The couple, who also has two older sons and an older daughter, said the triplets enjoyed their ninth birthday earlier this month and were now looking forward to Christmas.Mrs Ingram said: “Although there is this really close bond, they each have their own personalities now. Ronan loves his stationery, Olivia is into animals and art and she recently had work published in a children's book at her after school club, while Mary is typically girly.“They are all fit and healthy which is the main thing. They had great birthdays but they are not spoilt - only showered in love.”
Picture at just six months old. L-R: Olivia, Ronan, Mary Parents Jane and Mark have revealed how the traumatic birth of their young son has made the family realise the important things in life.And while all three display their own individual and unique personalities, the bond between them has put aside any adversity already experienced in their young lives.Speaking from their home in Thurston, near Bury St Edmunds, Mrs Ingram said: “We often think back to what happened and we just thank our lucky stars they are all here and healthy.“The whole family is so close. The older three children are very protective of the younger ones and I think we all have been through so much that it has brought us closer together. It has certainly made you realise what is important in life.”
Ronan, Olivia (left) and Mary The birth of the triplets made national headlines in 1999 when Ronan defied all medical odds when he survived despite developing in his mother's fallopian tube as an ectopic pregnancy and creating his own womb with his own blood supply.The birth was described as a miracle of modern medicine.Experts at King's College Hospital in London worked out how best to deliver the babies with a team of 26 on hand to assist with a complicated Caesarean section.Unsurprisingly, Ronan, Mary and Olivia were all tiny at birth weighing 2lbs 1oz, 2lbs 4oz and 2lbs 10oz respectively and needing round the clock care to nurse them through their first few days. Now the trio have brushed aside their precarious births to become normal, healthy children. The couple, who also has two older sons and an older daughter, said the triplets enjoyed their ninth birthday earlier this month and were now looking forward to Christmas.Mrs Ingram said: “Although there is this really close bond, they each have their own personalities now. Ronan loves his stationery, Olivia is into animals and art and she recently had work published in a children's book at her after school club, while Mary is typically girly.“They are all fit and healthy which is the main thing. They had great birthdays but they are not spoilt - only showered in love.”
Thursday, 18 September 2008
mirror - My baby gave her twin cancer... in the womb
Weeks after she gave birth to two girls Alissa Dunn was dealt a double blow – in an incredibly rare case one of her daughters caught cancer from the other. Here she describes their fight..
When my two-month-old daughter Maddie’s stomach became bloated I didn’t think it was anything serious.
Even when she vomited, I thought it would be nothing more than a tummy upset. But at a check-up for Maddie and her identical twin sister Bella, the doctor told me she needed to go to hospital.
I began to fear the worst. And soon my fears were confirmed – Maddie had cancer.
But a few days later things got worse. Maddie had given it to her twin sister too, while they were both growing in my womb
I’d had a trouble-free pregnancy. Maddie and Isabella – who we call Bella – were born at 37-and-a-half weeks on July 4.
Isabella was born first at 4.28am, weighing 5lb 12oz. Then under 15 minutes later Maddie came along, weighing 5lb 8oz.
I had a feeling I was having boys so it was surreal when I saw these two perfect little girls. We already had a son, Isaiah, three, but I’d always wanted a girl so I felt our family was complete.
Just 24 hours later I took the girls home. They were very docile babies, and by eight weeks they were sleeping through the night.
Then, a few days before their two-month check-up, Maddie seemed a bit off-colour. Her tummy was slightly bloated and she vomited too.
The doctor prescribed drops, for wind, but she was still unwell at her check-up. The doctor said Maddie needed X-rays and I began to feel that something was horribly wrong.
On the way to the hospital I looked at my husband Michael, 32, and without thinking, I blurted out: ‘What if it’s cancer?’
I don’t know why it crossed my mind. But I clung to Bella while the doctors ran tests on Maddie.
A few hours later doctors broke devastating news.
Maddie had a neuroblastoma – a massive cancerous tumour in her abdomen. She was admitted to intensive care, where the doctors fussed round, covering her in tubes and wires as I willed her to pull through.
It was the worst moment of my life. I had to stay strong for Bella and Isaiah but all I could think about was Maddie lying in her tiny incubator.
Then, three days later, when she came to visit, I noticed that Bella’s tummy was swollen too. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
We rushed to tell the doctors straight away. I prayed there was no way lightning could strike twice.
But after countless tests, the doctors diagnosed Bella with cancer too.
It didn’t feel real.
The only difference was that while Maddie had a tumour, Bella didn’t. Her body was full of cancerous cells – in her bone marrow and blood, but not growing in a ball like Maddie’s. The doctors decided there was only one way it could have happened – Bella had ‘caught’ cancer from her sister through the placenta while they were still in the womb.
Because they shared the same blood, the cancer had passed between them. It was only the ninth recorded case of it happening in the world. The girls needed urgent treatment.
Maddie’s cancer was stage four – the worst kind.
I knew deep down what the prognosis could be, but it was still a shock when the doctors said that she only had a 20 per cent chance of survival.
Bella would have to go through chemotherapy too. All I could do was hope the doctors could mend their tiny bodies before the cancer took hold completely. They lay in intensive care surrounded by wires while I looked on helplessly.
Watching the girls fight it was agony. Worst of all I couldn’t pick them up because of risk of infection. And they were in so much pain that touching would have worsened it.
As their mum there was nothing I could do. I told myself I had to stay strong so they could take strength from me. I was sure they could feel my desperation, though.
And the girls were so amazing throughout they made us braver. No matter how much they were poked by the doctors, they would just cry for a second and then let the doctors get on with it. They were my inspiration.
But as their tufts of soft hair fell out from the chemo, my heart broke. I should have been watching my girls grow into toddlers, not waiting to find downy hair on their pillows.
While Isaiah stayed at home with my family, Michael, my mum and I lived in a special house for families with children at the hospital, so we could be close to the girls.
Maddie was on a ventilator because she couldn’t breathe on her own and they were both on big doses of morphine.
But I needed to be with Isaiah too. He was so young and needed his mum. And thankfully my mum, Lora, always stayed with the girls when I went home to see him.
One day, about three weeks after the girls were admitted, I came home and saw their babygrows in the airing cupboard.
I lost it. I screamed and cried, all my anger and fear pouring out.
I felt so cheated that these first weeks of their life were being snatched from me and that they might not ever make it home again.
Finally, 44 days later, the doctors said the girls were well enough to come home with us. I held them close as I carried them to the car.
They’d been through two gruelling rounds of chemo and still needed more anti-cancer drugs. But all that mattered was I could have them with me, in their room at our house in Grand Blanc, Michigan, USA.
Having them back home with us was amazing. Just being able to bathe and feed them was a joy. Though we did have to take the girls back to hospital for more treatment.
On December 20, 2007, we got the news I’d hoped so badly for. After four rounds of chemotherapy my little girls were cancer-free. It felt so amazing. I couldn’t believe they’d both beaten the cancer.
It’s a year on now, and both girls are doing well. Their hair has grown back, and they are both full of life.
They still need regular scans and blood and urine tests to check the cancer hasn’t returned, and it’s hard not to want to wrap them up in cotton wool.
They can both walk already – it’s such a change from seeing them lying in their hospital cots surrounded by wires – and as they totter around the house I feel so lucky.
Some people have asked me whether I’ll tell Maddie she ‘gave’ Bella cancer, and of course I will. It’s nothing to feel bad about – she had no control over it
And in a weird way I think it’s for the best that Bella got it too. Otherwise Bella couldn’t have been with Maddie through her treatment and I’m sure it was their incredible bond that gave Maddie the strength to fight.
Dr Bruce Morland, a consultant specialist in children’s cancer and the Chairman of Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group, says: “This is fantastically rare.
“Neuroblastoma is one of the more common tumours. But like leukaemia it’s blood borne and as identical twins share a blood supply and a placenta then it can be ‘caught’.
“However it’s a one-way stream, so the mother won’t catch it. It couldn’t happen with non identical twins as they don’t share a placenta or blood supply.
“Neuroblastoma is quite common among infants and it’s not uncommon to be diagnosed on a scan or early in a baby’s life. Fortunately the majority of infants with neuroblastoma can be cured.”
When my two-month-old daughter Maddie’s stomach became bloated I didn’t think it was anything serious.
Even when she vomited, I thought it would be nothing more than a tummy upset. But at a check-up for Maddie and her identical twin sister Bella, the doctor told me she needed to go to hospital.
I began to fear the worst. And soon my fears were confirmed – Maddie had cancer.
But a few days later things got worse. Maddie had given it to her twin sister too, while they were both growing in my womb
I’d had a trouble-free pregnancy. Maddie and Isabella – who we call Bella – were born at 37-and-a-half weeks on July 4.
Isabella was born first at 4.28am, weighing 5lb 12oz. Then under 15 minutes later Maddie came along, weighing 5lb 8oz.
I had a feeling I was having boys so it was surreal when I saw these two perfect little girls. We already had a son, Isaiah, three, but I’d always wanted a girl so I felt our family was complete.
Just 24 hours later I took the girls home. They were very docile babies, and by eight weeks they were sleeping through the night.
Then, a few days before their two-month check-up, Maddie seemed a bit off-colour. Her tummy was slightly bloated and she vomited too.
The doctor prescribed drops, for wind, but she was still unwell at her check-up. The doctor said Maddie needed X-rays and I began to feel that something was horribly wrong.
On the way to the hospital I looked at my husband Michael, 32, and without thinking, I blurted out: ‘What if it’s cancer?’
I don’t know why it crossed my mind. But I clung to Bella while the doctors ran tests on Maddie.
A few hours later doctors broke devastating news.
Maddie had a neuroblastoma – a massive cancerous tumour in her abdomen. She was admitted to intensive care, where the doctors fussed round, covering her in tubes and wires as I willed her to pull through.
It was the worst moment of my life. I had to stay strong for Bella and Isaiah but all I could think about was Maddie lying in her tiny incubator.
Then, three days later, when she came to visit, I noticed that Bella’s tummy was swollen too. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
We rushed to tell the doctors straight away. I prayed there was no way lightning could strike twice.
But after countless tests, the doctors diagnosed Bella with cancer too.
It didn’t feel real.
The only difference was that while Maddie had a tumour, Bella didn’t. Her body was full of cancerous cells – in her bone marrow and blood, but not growing in a ball like Maddie’s. The doctors decided there was only one way it could have happened – Bella had ‘caught’ cancer from her sister through the placenta while they were still in the womb.
Because they shared the same blood, the cancer had passed between them. It was only the ninth recorded case of it happening in the world. The girls needed urgent treatment.
Maddie’s cancer was stage four – the worst kind.
I knew deep down what the prognosis could be, but it was still a shock when the doctors said that she only had a 20 per cent chance of survival.
Bella would have to go through chemotherapy too. All I could do was hope the doctors could mend their tiny bodies before the cancer took hold completely. They lay in intensive care surrounded by wires while I looked on helplessly.
Watching the girls fight it was agony. Worst of all I couldn’t pick them up because of risk of infection. And they were in so much pain that touching would have worsened it.
As their mum there was nothing I could do. I told myself I had to stay strong so they could take strength from me. I was sure they could feel my desperation, though.
And the girls were so amazing throughout they made us braver. No matter how much they were poked by the doctors, they would just cry for a second and then let the doctors get on with it. They were my inspiration.
But as their tufts of soft hair fell out from the chemo, my heart broke. I should have been watching my girls grow into toddlers, not waiting to find downy hair on their pillows.
While Isaiah stayed at home with my family, Michael, my mum and I lived in a special house for families with children at the hospital, so we could be close to the girls.
Maddie was on a ventilator because she couldn’t breathe on her own and they were both on big doses of morphine.
But I needed to be with Isaiah too. He was so young and needed his mum. And thankfully my mum, Lora, always stayed with the girls when I went home to see him.
One day, about three weeks after the girls were admitted, I came home and saw their babygrows in the airing cupboard.
I lost it. I screamed and cried, all my anger and fear pouring out.
I felt so cheated that these first weeks of their life were being snatched from me and that they might not ever make it home again.
Finally, 44 days later, the doctors said the girls were well enough to come home with us. I held them close as I carried them to the car.
They’d been through two gruelling rounds of chemo and still needed more anti-cancer drugs. But all that mattered was I could have them with me, in their room at our house in Grand Blanc, Michigan, USA.
Having them back home with us was amazing. Just being able to bathe and feed them was a joy. Though we did have to take the girls back to hospital for more treatment.
On December 20, 2007, we got the news I’d hoped so badly for. After four rounds of chemotherapy my little girls were cancer-free. It felt so amazing. I couldn’t believe they’d both beaten the cancer.
It’s a year on now, and both girls are doing well. Their hair has grown back, and they are both full of life.
They still need regular scans and blood and urine tests to check the cancer hasn’t returned, and it’s hard not to want to wrap them up in cotton wool.
They can both walk already – it’s such a change from seeing them lying in their hospital cots surrounded by wires – and as they totter around the house I feel so lucky.
Some people have asked me whether I’ll tell Maddie she ‘gave’ Bella cancer, and of course I will. It’s nothing to feel bad about – she had no control over it
And in a weird way I think it’s for the best that Bella got it too. Otherwise Bella couldn’t have been with Maddie through her treatment and I’m sure it was their incredible bond that gave Maddie the strength to fight.
Dr Bruce Morland, a consultant specialist in children’s cancer and the Chairman of Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group, says: “This is fantastically rare.
“Neuroblastoma is one of the more common tumours. But like leukaemia it’s blood borne and as identical twins share a blood supply and a placenta then it can be ‘caught’.
“However it’s a one-way stream, so the mother won’t catch it. It couldn’t happen with non identical twins as they don’t share a placenta or blood supply.
“Neuroblastoma is quite common among infants and it’s not uncommon to be diagnosed on a scan or early in a baby’s life. Fortunately the majority of infants with neuroblastoma can be cured.”
bridlingtonfreepress - Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt will have to - so how do you cope with twins?
Following news that Angelina Jolie gave birth to twins, we look at what she and partner Brad Pitt will be going through in the early days and ask the experts how they'll cope as they welcome the babies into their family.
Hollywood's golden couple, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt – already the parents of four children – are now celebrating the birth of twins.Angelina, 33, gave birth to a boy, Knox Leon, and a girl, Vivienne Marcheline, by Caesarean in a hospital in the South of France. Brad, 44, was by Angelina's side. The tiny pair –- weighing around 5lb each – join Cambodian-born Maddox, aged six, Vietnamese-born Pax Thien, four, and Ethiopian-born Zahara, three, as well as the couple's biological daughter, two-year-old Shiloh.The wealthy superstars undoubtedly have already experienced some of the highs, lows and demands of parenthood with their multicultural "rainbow" family. But having twins is a uniquely challenging – as well as joyful – experience according to childcare experts and other famous parents of twins.TV presenter Alice Beer, mother of five-year-old twin girls Dora and Phoebe warns: "No matter how much money you can throw at it, those early months with twins are inevitably blooming hard work! So although having twins is incredible it's also non-stop and exhausting."There are around 11,000 twin and multiple births each year in the UK and that average is set to rise as women delay parenthood until after 30 and are increasingly overweight – both factors which raise the likelihood of twins. Alice, co-author with leading baby expert Gina Ford of the book A Contented House with Twins admits: "Nothing quite prepares you for the reality of having twins."Those first weeks were quite a shock. I had a Caesarian like Angelina and so I was not only sore and fragile after having an operation but also having to cope with two babies instead of just one."There are have been reports the first photographs of the film star couple and their twins are going for £8 million – a fee they plan to donate to charity.Alice, 43, says that she agreed to a Hello! exclusive, with the fee going to charity Tamba (the Twins and Multiple Births Association, www.tamba.org.uk). Alice jokes: "I'd advise Angelina not to rush to have those photos done. I must have been high on some kind of hormone when I agreed to it!"The twins were only about four months old when the magazine came and I was still finding it pretty stressful even to get myself organised enough to leave the house with the twins in tow, let alone getting them both looking perfect – at the same time – in their best outfits for photographs!" She adds: "You can't anticipate how much of your life is going to be stolen by these tiny babies. It's unbelievable."My husband Paul and I, who pre-twins were incredibly organised and punctual, found we always got everywhere two hours late – if at all."And she has some advice for Brad and Angelina. "You need to be a team. That's the way Paul and I got through. He would hold one baby and walk around with her while I fed the other, or we would be cuddling them both together.
With twins both of you always seem to have your hands full with one of them."For Brad and Angelina there will have been the initial joy and relief at the birth of healthy babies – twins are more likely to be premature and Angelina's planned Caesarian was brought forward for "medical reasons". GP Dr Carol Cooper, who is also a parent of twins and author of Twins And Multiple Births, says the higher risk of post-natal depression is not surprising: "Think two babies crying at different times, waking at different times and wanting feeding at different times. Life can become just looking after the babies 24/7."Brad and Angelina are privileged and wealthy, but for ordinary couples there may be the added stress of affording two of everything, perhaps even having to get a larger car or house. It can all add to the strain."Family and friends may underestimate the early challenge of twins, she adds. "Naturally everyone is happy for you when you have a baby – and especially two which may be a novelty in the family. But if everyone around you keeps saying, 'You're so lucky! How marvellous! Twins!' it can heighten your feelings of inadequacy if you're actually not always feeling lucky but are anxious, worried you're not coping and feeling low following the births. "Things that are straightforward with a single baby become difficult if not impossible with two. For instance, if you're holding two babies you have no hands free so you can't shut a door, make a snack or answer a phone – all possible when holding just one baby. It's helpful if family and close friends offer to do practical things for you to give you a break." Dr Cooper had an son of two when her twins (now 21) were born. "In general, a child that age can find it hard to adjust to the arrival of one baby – let alone two. They feel jealous and pushed aside and once it dawns on them that the babies are not going to be sent back – young siblings often think this is an option in the early days! – they can be quite troublesome."It's all attention seeking and will usually settle quickly as long as the parents give the child separate attention to make them feel special, too."Rumour has it that Brad and Angelina have already sought advice from other celebrity parents of twins particularly Julia Roberts and Danny Moder – who have a son and a daughter now three, Phinnaeus and Hazel.Brad is said to have asked Julia (Brad's co-star in Ocean's 11) whether there were different rules for bringing up twins as opposed to single children, to which she replied: "It's the same – only twice as hard!"
Hollywood's golden couple, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt – already the parents of four children – are now celebrating the birth of twins.Angelina, 33, gave birth to a boy, Knox Leon, and a girl, Vivienne Marcheline, by Caesarean in a hospital in the South of France. Brad, 44, was by Angelina's side. The tiny pair –- weighing around 5lb each – join Cambodian-born Maddox, aged six, Vietnamese-born Pax Thien, four, and Ethiopian-born Zahara, three, as well as the couple's biological daughter, two-year-old Shiloh.The wealthy superstars undoubtedly have already experienced some of the highs, lows and demands of parenthood with their multicultural "rainbow" family. But having twins is a uniquely challenging – as well as joyful – experience according to childcare experts and other famous parents of twins.TV presenter Alice Beer, mother of five-year-old twin girls Dora and Phoebe warns: "No matter how much money you can throw at it, those early months with twins are inevitably blooming hard work! So although having twins is incredible it's also non-stop and exhausting."There are around 11,000 twin and multiple births each year in the UK and that average is set to rise as women delay parenthood until after 30 and are increasingly overweight – both factors which raise the likelihood of twins. Alice, co-author with leading baby expert Gina Ford of the book A Contented House with Twins admits: "Nothing quite prepares you for the reality of having twins."Those first weeks were quite a shock. I had a Caesarian like Angelina and so I was not only sore and fragile after having an operation but also having to cope with two babies instead of just one."There are have been reports the first photographs of the film star couple and their twins are going for £8 million – a fee they plan to donate to charity.Alice, 43, says that she agreed to a Hello! exclusive, with the fee going to charity Tamba (the Twins and Multiple Births Association, www.tamba.org.uk). Alice jokes: "I'd advise Angelina not to rush to have those photos done. I must have been high on some kind of hormone when I agreed to it!"The twins were only about four months old when the magazine came and I was still finding it pretty stressful even to get myself organised enough to leave the house with the twins in tow, let alone getting them both looking perfect – at the same time – in their best outfits for photographs!" She adds: "You can't anticipate how much of your life is going to be stolen by these tiny babies. It's unbelievable."My husband Paul and I, who pre-twins were incredibly organised and punctual, found we always got everywhere two hours late – if at all."And she has some advice for Brad and Angelina. "You need to be a team. That's the way Paul and I got through. He would hold one baby and walk around with her while I fed the other, or we would be cuddling them both together.
With twins both of you always seem to have your hands full with one of them."For Brad and Angelina there will have been the initial joy and relief at the birth of healthy babies – twins are more likely to be premature and Angelina's planned Caesarian was brought forward for "medical reasons". GP Dr Carol Cooper, who is also a parent of twins and author of Twins And Multiple Births, says the higher risk of post-natal depression is not surprising: "Think two babies crying at different times, waking at different times and wanting feeding at different times. Life can become just looking after the babies 24/7."Brad and Angelina are privileged and wealthy, but for ordinary couples there may be the added stress of affording two of everything, perhaps even having to get a larger car or house. It can all add to the strain."Family and friends may underestimate the early challenge of twins, she adds. "Naturally everyone is happy for you when you have a baby – and especially two which may be a novelty in the family. But if everyone around you keeps saying, 'You're so lucky! How marvellous! Twins!' it can heighten your feelings of inadequacy if you're actually not always feeling lucky but are anxious, worried you're not coping and feeling low following the births. "Things that are straightforward with a single baby become difficult if not impossible with two. For instance, if you're holding two babies you have no hands free so you can't shut a door, make a snack or answer a phone – all possible when holding just one baby. It's helpful if family and close friends offer to do practical things for you to give you a break." Dr Cooper had an son of two when her twins (now 21) were born. "In general, a child that age can find it hard to adjust to the arrival of one baby – let alone two. They feel jealous and pushed aside and once it dawns on them that the babies are not going to be sent back – young siblings often think this is an option in the early days! – they can be quite troublesome."It's all attention seeking and will usually settle quickly as long as the parents give the child separate attention to make them feel special, too."Rumour has it that Brad and Angelina have already sought advice from other celebrity parents of twins particularly Julia Roberts and Danny Moder – who have a son and a daughter now three, Phinnaeus and Hazel.Brad is said to have asked Julia (Brad's co-star in Ocean's 11) whether there were different rules for bringing up twins as opposed to single children, to which she replied: "It's the same – only twice as hard!"
Monday, 15 September 2008
Mail - Two babies die and 1,200 more fall sick as industrial chemical is added to baby milk formula
Two babies died and more than 1,200 were left sick after an industrial chemical was added to milk in China, it emerged today.
Today 53 infants were fighting for their lives and 240 were being treated in hospital after developing kidney stones from drinking the contaminated formula.
Chinese police have arrested two brothers they suspect added melamine, a chemical used in plastics, to watered-down milk at their dairy collection centre to make it appear higher in protein.
Worried: A father stands by his ill son holding a packet of contaminated formula
It was then sold on to Sanlu, China’s biggest provider of powdered milk, and turned into baby formula.
The firm, which is partly owned by New Zealand dairy farmers’ cooperative Fonterra, has now been ordered to cease production pending an investigation.
The brothers are accused of selling Sanlu about three tons of contaminated milk a day, Hebei police spokesman Shi Guizhong said.
Chinese investigators say melamine may have been added to the milk to fool quality tests after water was added to fraudulently increase the milk’s volume.
Melamine is rich in nitrogen, and standard tests for protein in food ingredients measure nitrogen levels.
China’s Health Ministry said a total of 1,253 babies have been sickened after drinking the formula.
Vice Health Minister Ma Xiaowei told a news conference that 913 of the infants were only slightly affected and their condition was not considered life threatening.
However, 340 remained in hospitaland 53 cases were considered especially severe, he said.
No information was given about the fatalities.
Critics have claimed the problem had been known of for weeks, but had been hushed up because China did not want bad publicity during the Olympics.
Sanlu is 43 percent owned by a New Zealand firm Fonterra, the world’s biggest milk trader.
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said today that she had learned of the problem on September 5 .
She convened a meeting of senior ministers three days later at which she ordered officials to directly inform senior authorities in Beijing.
At the time provincial Chinese officials appeared to be dragging their feet in ordering a recall.
‘We were the whistle blowers and they leapt in and ensured there was action on the ground,’ Clark told reporters.
‘At a local level ... I think the first inclination was to try and put a towel over it and deal with it without an official recall,’ she said.
Fonterra said it had urged Sanlu to recall the product as early as six weeks ago. Sanlu did not order a recall until last Thursday.
Chinese officials have defended their response to the country’s latest product safety disaster but blamed Sanlu Group for delays in warning the public.
Inspectors will check the country’s 175 baby milk food factories and their findings will be released within two days, Li said.
The incident is an embarrassing failure for China’s product safety system, which was overhauled in an attempt to restore consumer confidence after a string of recalls and warnings abroad over tainted toothpaste, faulty tires and other goods.
The milk scandal is especially damaging because it involves a major Chinese food company and the government expects such companies to act as industry role models for safety and quality.
Shoddy and fake goods are common in China, and infants, hospital patients and others have been killed or injured by tainted or fake milk, medicines, liquor and other products.
Today 53 infants were fighting for their lives and 240 were being treated in hospital after developing kidney stones from drinking the contaminated formula.
Chinese police have arrested two brothers they suspect added melamine, a chemical used in plastics, to watered-down milk at their dairy collection centre to make it appear higher in protein.
Worried: A father stands by his ill son holding a packet of contaminated formula
It was then sold on to Sanlu, China’s biggest provider of powdered milk, and turned into baby formula.
The firm, which is partly owned by New Zealand dairy farmers’ cooperative Fonterra, has now been ordered to cease production pending an investigation.
The brothers are accused of selling Sanlu about three tons of contaminated milk a day, Hebei police spokesman Shi Guizhong said.
Chinese investigators say melamine may have been added to the milk to fool quality tests after water was added to fraudulently increase the milk’s volume.
Melamine is rich in nitrogen, and standard tests for protein in food ingredients measure nitrogen levels.
China’s Health Ministry said a total of 1,253 babies have been sickened after drinking the formula.
Vice Health Minister Ma Xiaowei told a news conference that 913 of the infants were only slightly affected and their condition was not considered life threatening.
However, 340 remained in hospitaland 53 cases were considered especially severe, he said.
No information was given about the fatalities.
Critics have claimed the problem had been known of for weeks, but had been hushed up because China did not want bad publicity during the Olympics.
Sanlu is 43 percent owned by a New Zealand firm Fonterra, the world’s biggest milk trader.
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said today that she had learned of the problem on September 5 .
She convened a meeting of senior ministers three days later at which she ordered officials to directly inform senior authorities in Beijing.
At the time provincial Chinese officials appeared to be dragging their feet in ordering a recall.
‘We were the whistle blowers and they leapt in and ensured there was action on the ground,’ Clark told reporters.
‘At a local level ... I think the first inclination was to try and put a towel over it and deal with it without an official recall,’ she said.
Fonterra said it had urged Sanlu to recall the product as early as six weeks ago. Sanlu did not order a recall until last Thursday.
Chinese officials have defended their response to the country’s latest product safety disaster but blamed Sanlu Group for delays in warning the public.
Inspectors will check the country’s 175 baby milk food factories and their findings will be released within two days, Li said.
The incident is an embarrassing failure for China’s product safety system, which was overhauled in an attempt to restore consumer confidence after a string of recalls and warnings abroad over tainted toothpaste, faulty tires and other goods.
The milk scandal is especially damaging because it involves a major Chinese food company and the government expects such companies to act as industry role models for safety and quality.
Shoddy and fake goods are common in China, and infants, hospital patients and others have been killed or injured by tainted or fake milk, medicines, liquor and other products.
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
mailonsunday - Twin girls born either side of midnight to be split up in school - because they fall in different academic years
As twin girls, the parents of one-week-old Lexus and Amber Conway expected them to share everything as they grew up.
But the possibility they will be separated for much of their formative years is already hanging over the pair - and all because they were born either side of midnight.
The girls were born just 45 minutes apart on the the night of August 31, but one arrived before it officially became September 1 and one after.
A matter of minutes means they are now facing being separated at school because their official birthdays fall either side of the division for academic years.
Unique: Newborn twin girls Lexus (left) and Amber face being schooled apart because they were born on either side of the cut-off date for academic years
Under the current rules, Lexus would be able to go to school aged four but because she was born slightly later, Amber would have to wait until she was five.
Their parents, Sarah Conway and Ian Caldwell, however, are determined they will not be split up and plan to fight for the next four years to prevent it.
Miss Conway said: 'Doing everything together is what being a twin is all about. How could I keep one at home and send one to school?
'I've been told this is a really unique case and I'm going to fight to make sure they go to school together even if it takes me the next four years.'
The 37-year-old administrator gave birth to Lexus naturally at 11.40pm on August 31at the Barratt Maternity Unit in Northampton.
Amber was delivered by Caesarean section just 45 minutes later but by that time, it had become September 1.
'The midwife said it was the first time she had ever heard of this happening to twins,' Miss Conway, from Northampton, said.
'It's such a shame for the girls, especially as Amber only missed the cut-off point by a matter of minutes.
'We tried to persuade the registry office to give them both August 31 as their birthdays but they said there was no leeway.'
Determined: Parents Sarah Conway and Ian Caldwell plan to fight to ensure their daughters can go to school at the same time
Mr Caldwell, who is also a twin, said they would teach the girls at home or move to Spain if they cannot start school together.
'My family live in Spain and they have a different academic year so we'd rather move out there than split up the twins,' his girlfriend added. .
Keith Reed, chief executive of the charity The Twins and Multiple Births Association, said this was the first case of its kind he had ever heard of.
'It's highly unusual for twins to be born in separate school years and I hope the local authority gives due regard to the individual needs of the children and family involved,' he said.
Northamptonshire County Council, the family's local authority, have also never encountered such a scenario before.
A spokesman said: 'We will need to look into this nearer the time Lexus and Amber are due to start school as part of their overall application for a school place.
'Any decision made will be in the best interests of both children as well as taking into consideration the wishes of the parents.'
But the possibility they will be separated for much of their formative years is already hanging over the pair - and all because they were born either side of midnight.
The girls were born just 45 minutes apart on the the night of August 31, but one arrived before it officially became September 1 and one after.
A matter of minutes means they are now facing being separated at school because their official birthdays fall either side of the division for academic years.
Unique: Newborn twin girls Lexus (left) and Amber face being schooled apart because they were born on either side of the cut-off date for academic years
Under the current rules, Lexus would be able to go to school aged four but because she was born slightly later, Amber would have to wait until she was five.
Their parents, Sarah Conway and Ian Caldwell, however, are determined they will not be split up and plan to fight for the next four years to prevent it.
Miss Conway said: 'Doing everything together is what being a twin is all about. How could I keep one at home and send one to school?
'I've been told this is a really unique case and I'm going to fight to make sure they go to school together even if it takes me the next four years.'
The 37-year-old administrator gave birth to Lexus naturally at 11.40pm on August 31at the Barratt Maternity Unit in Northampton.
Amber was delivered by Caesarean section just 45 minutes later but by that time, it had become September 1.
'The midwife said it was the first time she had ever heard of this happening to twins,' Miss Conway, from Northampton, said.
'It's such a shame for the girls, especially as Amber only missed the cut-off point by a matter of minutes.
'We tried to persuade the registry office to give them both August 31 as their birthdays but they said there was no leeway.'
Determined: Parents Sarah Conway and Ian Caldwell plan to fight to ensure their daughters can go to school at the same time
Mr Caldwell, who is also a twin, said they would teach the girls at home or move to Spain if they cannot start school together.
'My family live in Spain and they have a different academic year so we'd rather move out there than split up the twins,' his girlfriend added. .
Keith Reed, chief executive of the charity The Twins and Multiple Births Association, said this was the first case of its kind he had ever heard of.
'It's highly unusual for twins to be born in separate school years and I hope the local authority gives due regard to the individual needs of the children and family involved,' he said.
Northamptonshire County Council, the family's local authority, have also never encountered such a scenario before.
A spokesman said: 'We will need to look into this nearer the time Lexus and Amber are due to start school as part of their overall application for a school place.
'Any decision made will be in the best interests of both children as well as taking into consideration the wishes of the parents.'
guardian - France: Woman, 59, is oldest mother of triplets
A woman in France has become the oldest known mother of triplets after giving birth at 59, reigniting the debate about late pregnancy and so-called fertility tourism.
The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, is of Asian origin and had fertility treatment in Vietnam. She gave birth by caesarean section at the weekend, the Cochin maternity hospital in Paris said yesterday. The triplets, two boys and a girl who weighed 2.3kg (5.1lb), 2.1kg and 2.4kg, were described as being in good health.
But fertility experts said it could not be taken as proof of the success of late pregnancies. It is illegal for French IVF clinics to treat women deemed too old to reproduce naturally. The age limit is generally 42, and the number of embryos used is limited to lessen the risk of multiple births.
"[Fertility laws] are there to treat infertility," Professor François Thépot, medical director of France's Biomedicine Agency, told Agence France-Presse. "We do not want to turn them into a new means of procreation for people who would like to have children out of the natural context."
The trend for women to seek IVF treatment in countries with less stringent regulations - dubbed fertility tourism - has prompted concern from specialists. A woman of 44 who had IVF in Greece against the advice of her French doctors has been in a coma since June after giving birth to healthy triplets in Angers.
"The complications are manageable until about 42, 43 years old," said Professor René Frydman, the doctor behind France's first test tube baby, in 1982. "But after that you're going into the danger zone, in particular around 60. The heart just isn't made for it,"
The previous oldest mother of triplets is thought to be an unidentified Italian woman of 57.
The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, is of Asian origin and had fertility treatment in Vietnam. She gave birth by caesarean section at the weekend, the Cochin maternity hospital in Paris said yesterday. The triplets, two boys and a girl who weighed 2.3kg (5.1lb), 2.1kg and 2.4kg, were described as being in good health.
But fertility experts said it could not be taken as proof of the success of late pregnancies. It is illegal for French IVF clinics to treat women deemed too old to reproduce naturally. The age limit is generally 42, and the number of embryos used is limited to lessen the risk of multiple births.
"[Fertility laws] are there to treat infertility," Professor François Thépot, medical director of France's Biomedicine Agency, told Agence France-Presse. "We do not want to turn them into a new means of procreation for people who would like to have children out of the natural context."
The trend for women to seek IVF treatment in countries with less stringent regulations - dubbed fertility tourism - has prompted concern from specialists. A woman of 44 who had IVF in Greece against the advice of her French doctors has been in a coma since June after giving birth to healthy triplets in Angers.
"The complications are manageable until about 42, 43 years old," said Professor René Frydman, the doctor behind France's first test tube baby, in 1982. "But after that you're going into the danger zone, in particular around 60. The heart just isn't made for it,"
The previous oldest mother of triplets is thought to be an unidentified Italian woman of 57.
Monday, 8 September 2008
dailyrecord - Mum blasts bus company after being told baby triplets can't ride for free
A MUM who was told she must pay to take one of her baby triplets on a bus has accused bosses of discrimination.
Carolyn Armstrong says she was "outraged" when drivers told her only two children under five could travel free.
They refused to back down even though the family do not use a single seat and Carolyn already pays for six-year-old son Euan.
Full-time mum Carolyn, 43, parks her double buggy in the wheelchair bay at the front of the bus and stands with the third triplet in a carrier on her back.
She gets off the bus if a wheelchair user requires the space.
But she says the only reply she has received to her complaints from Lothian Buses - in which Edinburgh City Council are the major shareholders - has been a copy of their policy.
Most other firms, including First Bus, say drivers are encouraged to use discretion when it comes to babies. They say mothers need not pay unless the children are occupying seats.
Former British Airways purser Carolyn, from Corstorphine, Edinburgh, said her husband Ricky, 49, a finance manager for Alliance Boots Pharmacies, often works away.
That leaves her to cope with 21-month-old triplets Ben, Laura and Grace and Euan alone.
She said: "I have always used the bus to get into the city centre - the number 26. But when I took the triplets I was shocked to be asked to pay extra money.
"I pay for Euan. If my babies were walking about and sitting on seats then I would have no problem paying for them too.
"But two stay in the double buggy while I have the other baby in a backpack on my back while I stand. They don't charge if you have a rucksack on your back.
"It is hard enough being in charge of triplet babies and I find myself limited in what I can do and where we can go now.
"I've written to Lothian Buses on several occasions but they just quote their policy. Some of the drivers have been quite rude."
She added that the firm's policy was "blatant discrimination".
A spokesman for Lothian Buses said: "Our conditions clearly state two children under the age of five can travel free with every full farepaying passenger. Additional children pay the child fare of 60p."
A spokeswoman for the Twins and Multiple Births Association said: "This is shocking. It is difficult enough to get out when you have twins, triplets or more in the first place."
Carolyn Armstrong says she was "outraged" when drivers told her only two children under five could travel free.
They refused to back down even though the family do not use a single seat and Carolyn already pays for six-year-old son Euan.
Full-time mum Carolyn, 43, parks her double buggy in the wheelchair bay at the front of the bus and stands with the third triplet in a carrier on her back.
She gets off the bus if a wheelchair user requires the space.
But she says the only reply she has received to her complaints from Lothian Buses - in which Edinburgh City Council are the major shareholders - has been a copy of their policy.
Most other firms, including First Bus, say drivers are encouraged to use discretion when it comes to babies. They say mothers need not pay unless the children are occupying seats.
Former British Airways purser Carolyn, from Corstorphine, Edinburgh, said her husband Ricky, 49, a finance manager for Alliance Boots Pharmacies, often works away.
That leaves her to cope with 21-month-old triplets Ben, Laura and Grace and Euan alone.
She said: "I have always used the bus to get into the city centre - the number 26. But when I took the triplets I was shocked to be asked to pay extra money.
"I pay for Euan. If my babies were walking about and sitting on seats then I would have no problem paying for them too.
"But two stay in the double buggy while I have the other baby in a backpack on my back while I stand. They don't charge if you have a rucksack on your back.
"It is hard enough being in charge of triplet babies and I find myself limited in what I can do and where we can go now.
"I've written to Lothian Buses on several occasions but they just quote their policy. Some of the drivers have been quite rude."
She added that the firm's policy was "blatant discrimination".
A spokesman for Lothian Buses said: "Our conditions clearly state two children under the age of five can travel free with every full farepaying passenger. Additional children pay the child fare of 60p."
A spokeswoman for the Twins and Multiple Births Association said: "This is shocking. It is difficult enough to get out when you have twins, triplets or more in the first place."
irishhealth - Caesarean mums not as responsive to crying
Mothers who give birth vaginally are more responsive to the cries of their baby compared to mothers who have a Caesarean section, the results of a new study indicate.The number of women undergoing Caesarean sections in Ireland has been rising steadily in recent years. According to the latest figures available, one in four births (25%) in Irish hospitals are now by Caesarean, compared to just 12% in 1992.Researchers at Yale University in the US carried out MRI scans on women up to four weeks after giving birth. They found that mothers who had given birth vaginally were significantly more sensitive to their own baby’s crying. This was noted in the scans in the regions of the brain that are believed to regulate emotions, motivation and habitual behaviours.According to the researchers, the capacity of adults to develop the thoughts and behaviours needed for parents to care successfully for their newborn infants is supported by specific brain circuits and a range of hormones.They noted that a vaginal birth involves the release of oxytocin, a key hormone linked with maternal behaviour, while a Caesarean section does not.“We wondered which brain areas would be less active in parents who delivered by Caesarean section, given that this mode of delivery has been associated with decreased maternal behaviours in animal models and a trend for increased postnatal depression in humans,” explained lead author, Dr James Swain.He said that their results support the theory that variations in delivery conditions, such as with a Caesarean section, ‘alter the neurohormonal experiences of childbirth and might decrease the responsiveness of the human maternal brain in the early postpartum’.
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