A comfort blanket to cling to in case you're carrying twins

With more people having multiple births, you can now buy cover before the first scan to ease the financial strain. Laura Harding and Julian Knight report

With the patter of tiny feet comes the gurgle of money being washed away. As any parent knows, having a family can create a massive drain on resources as the children grow older. Now imagine the extra pressure on personal finances of giving birth to twins, triplets or, in very rare cases, even more little bundles of joy.
But if that prospect seems daunting, there is at least a comfort blanket you can cling on to. Mums- and dads-to-be can now take out multiple-birth insurance, giving them a cash payout in the event they have more than one baby.
And the chances of this happening are greater than you might think. There are around 10,000 multiple births in the UK every year, equating to one in 67 of all maternities.
Older mums are far more likely to have multiple births and, because as a nation we're becoming parents later in life, that means an increasing number of us are going to be hearing the patter of more than one set of tiny feet.
Prospective parents must take out the policy before the 11th week of the pregnancy – in other words, before the first ultrasound scan – and the cost of the insurance is calculated according to certain details about the couple. Those who have had fertility treatment in the past two years are not eligible to apply.
"The age of the expectant mother and her family history, and the history of the father, can increase the cost of the premium," says Dean Atkin from Marcus Hearn, an insurance broker offering a multiple-birth policy. "The minimum cost is based on someone up to the age of 24 with no record of twins."
In this minimum-cost category, according to Mr Atkin, the one-off premiums range from £84 (for a £2,000 payout after the birth) to £210 (for a £5,000 payout). At present, payments are capped at £5,000.
However, for older parents and those with a family history of multiple births, premium costs can be far higher – in some cases, many hundreds of pounds.
"As the expectant mother gets older, this adds to the increase in the costs," Mr Atkin confirms.
Marcus Hearn sold 125 policies in 2007 and paid out three times; so far this year, it has sold between 40 and 50.
"I certainly think our insurance is good value for money," adds Mr Atkin. "We launched the policy to assist with the cost of bringing up two babies instead of one, which can be substantial. The latest figures show that the average cost of raising a child up to the age of five can be as much as £20,000."
But Peter Gerrard, head of insurance research at price-comparison site Moneysupermarket.com, is far from convinced of the worth of this "quirky" insurance. "There is a massive chance you won't have them [twins]," he argues.
"When you look at the statistics of how much it costs to have kids, for the sake of a £5,000 payout, I would say put the premium money into a high-interest savings account and then take that money and use it for baby costs."
David Kuo, head of personal finance at financial comparison site fool.co.uk, is even more scathing about the worth of multiple birth insurance. "You're better off putting money on the horses," he says. "If you know there's a history of multiple births in your family, then make a contingency plan yourself because it's just not worth it. Start putting money to one side in a savings account or, if you're prepared to take those kinds of risks, into a stock market unit trust fund, and it will add up."
He adds: "I'd stick to essential policies like motor and building insurance."
A gamble pays: baby cover 'takes the pressure off'
Liz Elkington, 34, a TV producer and director from London, took out insurance for the possibility of a multiple birth because she was a twin herself.
The gamble paid off when Liz and her husband Chris, 34, an accountant, had twin boys, Bailey and Reece, in July last year.
They paid a £700 premium to broker Marcus Hearn soon after Liz found out she was pregnant. The cost was higher than usual due to her history. At the three-month scan, Liz was told she was going to have twins. And when they arrived, she received a cheque for £5,000.
This windfall came in very handy. "It's kept us in nappies, milk – everything you double up on with twins," says Liz. "When we found out we were having twins, we were delighted, but we never budgeted for it. It's not a massive amount we received but it's enough to take the pressure off."
The couple say they would not hesitate to take out a policy again if they decide to have more children. "The babies are amazing, so if they would be anything like them, I would like to have more. The older you get, the more likely you are to have twins, so I would definitely take out the insurance."

New Multiples Group in Cynon Valley

A NEW playgroup has been set up in the Cynon Valley to cater especially for parents with multiple tots.
Magical Multiples is run every Wednesday, from 10am until noon, at St Elvan’s Parish Hall, Aberdare.
Faye Airey, a mother of two-and-a-half-year-old twins, thinks the group is a great way for parents, grandparents and carers to spend a couple of hours a week.
“Going to playgroups are often a bit difficult for parents of twins and triplets,” she said.
“While other mothers are sat down while their child is playing happily, we are usually busy trying to settle the second or third child.
“It is a lot easier to relax when you are with people in a similar situation, who understand the demands of having not one, but two or three children of the same age,” she said.
Triplets mother Yvonne Morgan loves going to Magical Multiples and believes it not only improves her own social life, but that of her two-and-a-half-year-olds Abi, Jac, and Kara.
“I feel it is important for them to mingle with other children their own age, because otherwise they only have each other to play with,” she said.
“They love coming to the playgroup – it also means my house stays a lot tidier too,” she said.
Magical Multiples is the only playgroup of its kind in the South Wales Valleys, the next nearest being either Cardiff or Newport.
Playgroup co-ordinators are keen to get parents and carers from all over the Rhondda Cynon Taff area to bring their children along. The playgroup is non-profit-making and costs £2 per session, which covers the cost of the hall and also snacks for the children.
Monthly newsletters about forthcoming events are also included. For more details call 07852 666556.

Gym fixes for mum

JUDO champ Sharon Mills knows all the right moves when it comes to keeping the kids occupied... she takes them all - including her three-year- old triplets - to the gym.Blonde bombshells Poppy, Peaches and Pebbles, and their sister Laura, four, like nothing better than a five-minute session on the mini exercise bike or a little rowing. Then there are the dance classes and they all enjoy a dip in the pool.Sharon, 38, who also has a 14-year-old daughter, is a former British and Commonwealth judo champion, was a member of the gold medal-winning European judo team and achieved fifth place in the individual world champion- ships. Now the super-fit mum, of Birch Road, Walkden, teaches judo - when she's not busy keeping her lively gang of girls fit and healthy.She said: "People think I'm very brave taking four children with me to the gym but I don't really have any choice. And anyway, they love it."

Nigeria's Land of Twins

A farming community in southwest Nigeria has been named the The Land of Twins because almost all the babies born here are twins.
And, this even has the experts baffled.
Community leader Olayide Akinyemi, a 71-year-old father of 12, reveals that for generations, people in Igbo-Ora had been welcoming twins and not single children into the family.
“There is hardly a family here without a set of twins. My father had 10 sets, while I had three sets,” China Daily quoted him, as saying.
Overall, almost 5 percent of all Yoruba births produce twins, a Belgian study has now found. The figure is just around 1.2 percent for Western Europe and 0.8 percent for Japan.
They believe that one of the reasons may be yam consumption in West Africa.
Yams contain a natural hormone phytoestrogen which may stimulate the ovaries to produce an egg from each side.
However, while some of Igbo-Ora’s residents believe that this might be a good theory, others are not so sure.
“We eat a lot of okro leaf or Ilasa soup. We also consume a lot of agida (yam). This diet influences multiple births,” Akinyemi said.
“The real cause of the phenomenon has not been medically found,” said Akin Odukogbe, a senior consultant gynaecologist with the University Teaching Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, the nearest big town. (ANI)

Quintuplets mother 'advised to abort'

Doctors in Russia urged a woman pregnant with quintuplets to have selective terminations, it has emerged.

The woman has since given birth to the first set of quintuplets to be born in Britain for 10 years. She had had a drug-based fertility treatment which makes multiple births more likely, but refused to have abortions on religious grounds.
The mother, a 29-year-old music teacher who does not wish to be named, gave birth to five girls 14 weeks prematurely at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford on Saturday.
They were born by caesarean section and their weights range from 1lb 13oz to 2lb 2oz.
The babies are said to be doing well and are being cared for in intensive care units at the John Radcliffe and at Queen Charlotte's Hospital in west London.

The woman and her husband had travelled to Oxford after doctors in Russia advised her to have a selective reduction, in which some of the foetuses are aborted to give the remaining ones a better chance of survival.
The treatment was paid for by wellwishers in Russia. It is thought around eight in 10 babies born so early survive.
Mr Lawrence Impey, an obstetrician who led her care, said: "I'm very pleased to be able to help this delightful family.
"Mother is recovering well and the babies are doing well."
The babies will be cared for in Britain until they are strong enough to go home.
Their mother received intensive treatment in recent weeks to prevent her from delivering even earlier.

Baby units stretched to breaking point

Units for sick and premature babies have been stretched more than ever in the past year, a charity claims. Baby care charity Bliss says its survey of 195 neonatal units across the country revealed that a lack of resources and staff means units are now at breaking point. Only a handful of units met the minimum nursing levels, resulting in some being forced to refuse new admissions for considerable periods of time. The survey showed that units have to turn away people for an average of two weeks in a six month period. Ten per cent said they closed their doors for eight weeks or more every six months. This in turn leads to parents having to travel longer distances to find an available unit and can result in twins and triplets needing special care being separated; 35 per cent of these babies were found to parted in this way. One in eight of the most specialist units operated at an average occupancy of 100 per cent or more for a whole year, but half of these units have half or less of the minimum staffing levels. Bliss says that despite an increase of new nurses, 2,600 more are needed to meet recommended standards. Until this is reached the charity warns staff morale will remain low and parents who are already anxious about their children will face extra stress. Bliss chief executive Andy Cole said: "Bliss is concerned that the government still gives less priority to intensive care for babies than for adults and children, even though all the evidence points to a neonatal service that is on the brink of collapse. 'The Department of Health's recent commitment to provide extra midwives is a step in the right direction for maternity services. We now need to see the same commitment to ensuring there are adequate numbers of trained neonatal nurses for those babies born sick or premature.'