Blog Archives - Twinfo

March 30, 2020

Home schooling twins and triplets due to COVID-19

I’m not sure about you, but home schooling twins was never EVER on my radar!

But thanks to COVID-19 you will be adding another hat to all the others you wear. You already wear many hats – including cook, nurse, business owner, cleaner, cleaner, meal planner, partner, lover, friend and more. Thanks to COVID-19 you will also be adding “teacher” to the list.

I just wanted to reassure you, don’t freak out, you CAN do this. You aren’t on your own. Schools will be helping in anyway they can. They are providing you with guidelines, worksheets, learning platforms, tasks and so forth. Depending on the school you may even have access to online webinar style learning, where your childs actual teacher will run classes from their home.

It is important to each school will probably do things slightly differently, so please make sure you stay in close contact with your school and your teacher and follow their directions.

This is an anxious time for everyone; however, health is a number one priority.

Please respect what the health authorities are asking us to do. Please do not allow your children to roam around and mingle with their friends. Social distancing will only work if we all stay home as much as possible.

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March 17, 2020

Learning programs and educational apps for school aged children

We all know, being a parent of multiples is hard. And yes, it does mean that we may need to reach for the i-pads and tablets a bit more than we would like to. Don’t beat yourself up about it, there is no judgment here!

The below list is more for older children, which you can use to compliment your children’s learning journey guilt free!

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March 17, 2020

Anxiety due to Coronavirus

Author: Amanda Curran, Registered Psychologist

Dealing with the anxiety around COVID-19

Information is coming from every angle, and it’s confusing.

Things are changing by the day, and even by the hour.

It would be easy to panic, feel your heart race when someone sneezes or coughs around you, but is this helpful?

For the majority of people COVOD-19 will not enter your home. And if it does you will feel unwell for a week or so (or may not even know you have it) and then recover fully, able to re-enter your life fully after all symptoms have subsided. Some however will get very ill, very quickly and will need medical attention.

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March 5, 2020

Twin Pregnancy and Bell’s Palsy

Author: Renae Foggiato

Finding out I was pregnant with twins

It was the last day of our first family holiday with our almost 1 year old boy when I found out that I was pregnant again. Right from the start everything felt different with this pregnancy, I was feeling very nauseous and extremely tired, however I just thought to myself, every pregnancy is different.

We had a dating scan at 7 weeks, and the sonographer quickly found the first baby and then he said to us ‘and there is the 2^nd one’. I remember asking him again what he said, and his reply was ‘twins’. My husband and I just kind of stared at each other. We were going to be parents of 3 kids under 2. We saw our Obstetrician at about 10 weeks and she confirmed that we were having MCDA twins.

33 weeks pregnant with twins

My pregnancy continued to progress relatively smoothly. I had an appointment with my Dr when I was 32+6 weeks. The Dr mentioned to me that my blood pressure was up a little bit but nothing to be concerned about at this stage. She just advised that if I started to feel light headed etc to go and get my blood pressure checked and then give her a call.

5 days later (33+4), I woke up not feeling the best. I took my son to a regular play group that we attended and on my way home I was talking to my husband and saying that I think I will go and get my blood pressure checked after Lucas woke up as I was feeling a bit light headed. Also I had a slight twitch in my left eye, but I didn’t think much of it, just one of my nerves being a bit funny.

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February 25, 2020

Fingerprints in identical twins

Do identical twins have the same fingerprints

Author: Anke

Fingerprints have been used as a means of identification for over 100 years as they are permanent and unique structures.

When are fingerprints formed?

Between the 10^th and 24^th week of gestation in the womb, the skin on the underside of the foetus’ hands, fingers, feet and toes develops and goes through rapid growth. The growth causes a huge amount of pressure and strains on the skin, causing it to buckle into folds. These folds reach all the way to the inner layer of the skin, i.e. the dermis, where it becomes anchored in place. The skin forms a complex friction ridge pattern and is the foundation of our permanent fingerprint.

What role does genetics play in determining fingerprints in identical twins and more?

The friction ridge pattern is determined by both genetic and unique physical conditions.

Genetics generally decide the timing and the position of the skin as it grows and buckles, which is why you end up with potentially similar looking fingerprints to your siblings and your parents. The similarities primarily occur on what they call 1^st level friction ridge detail; the overall flow of the ridges.

You can have loops, arches and whorls as overall ridge flow. A loop shows the ridges entering on one side of the finger, looping around and then exiting on the same side of the finger. An arch has a ridge flow that enters on one side of the finger, goes up, and then down as it exits the other side of the finger, like a wave. A whorl formation looks like a circle or sometimes an ‘S’ shape.

What role do environmental factors play in determining fingerprints in identical twins and more?

When you start looking a lot closer at the fingerprint, you start noticing 2^nd level detail such as a ridge ending or a bifurcation (where the ridge splits). These little details are called minutiae and when you compare your fingers to someone else’s, you will find that the patterns formed by these minutiae are different, no matter how similar the 1^st level detail looks.

This is because innumerable environmental factors are thought to influence the formation of fingerprints, such as blood pressure, hormone levels, the exact position of the foetus in the womb and the complexity and density of amniotic fluid. A huge number of variables decide how each ridge is formed. The complexity of the conditions within the womb prevents fingerprints from developing exactly the same way in any two foetuses.

are the fingerprints of identical twins the same

Study: A Computational Discriminability Analysis on Twin Fingerprints

Sharing similar genetic traits makes the investigation of twins an important study in forensics and biometrics.

In 2009, a study was done where fingerprints from both fraternal and identical twins were compared to test whether fingerprints from twins were more similar to each other than to those of the public.

298 pairs of twins were studied, and the results showed that 1^st level detail between twins were highly correlated in ridge flow and pattern (62.78% for both fraternal and identical) compared to the public (32%).

Minutiae characteristics (2^nd level detail) were similar between twins, however there was still a significant discriminable difference between twins and non-related persons despite having similar pattern types and ridge flow.

(Liu, Y. & Srihari, S.N. (2009) A Computational Discriminability Analysis on Twin Fingerprints. IWCF 2009 pp. 43-54)

Images of fingerprints in identical twins and more

The images of (a) and (b) are the index fingers of identical twins, while image (c) is the index finger of an unrelated person. You can see that the twins have very similar looking fingerprints and have more points of similarity between each other than compared to that of an unrelated person with similar fingerprints.

Twinfo provides a connection to resources, information, products and service providers who specialise in supporting multiple births at every stage of their life.

Connect with the Twinfo community via the Twinfo Website, FaceBook Page, Facebook Group, Pinterest or via the Twinfo Instagram page.

February 24, 2020

Twins born on different days. Twins born four days apart have different star signs.

Author: Emma Tyler

Our rainbow story I guess started like many others, it was eight years ago, with a desperate desire to add to our little family. This road was proven to not be an easy one after trying to fall pregnant naturally for so long and so challenged us both in all aspects; physically, financially, emotionally & mentally.

Finally falling pregnant………………. with twins

From the highest of highs with hope, unwavering determination and fleeting moments of excitement to the lowest of lows with absolute devastation and heartbreaking losses. We endured many medical procedures, including thirteen rounds of IVF and additional treatments. We experienced multiple miscarriages, a biochemical pregnancy and a still born and nearly gave up on our dream.

Then finally in our last desperate attempt we were blessed with our rainbow twin boys….our hearts were exploding with excitement and love when the sonographer said ‘can you see what I see’….and our cautious reply ‘uhhh no’ but thinking please no bad news, please no bad news and the sonographer then saying ‘there’s two sacs in there, you are having twins’. Our response; flowing tears of happiness.

Never did we suspect that we would end up with twins born on different days.

19 weeks pregnant with twins

My pregnancy up until the 20 week scan was relatively uneventful even though I was still following through with some medical treatments to decrease the chances of miscarriage and was extremely vigilant about everything especially my health and wellbeing. We didn’t want to take any chances.

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February 18, 2020

Cars for twins, the other kids AND all the extra stuff you need

Author: Jodi Collins

My two, his two, our two. Between us, my husband and I have six kids. Thank God, only the twins are in car seats. But still… that’s A LOT of bums on seats!

So, shopping for our plus-size family car was a sobering exercise in ‘if you find a shoe (or in my case, a car) that actually fits, just bloody take it!’

What I wanted was… a car with enough room for the eight of us, four school bags, a double pram and a shopping bag or two. USB ports and lots of cup holders. Oh, and, anything BUT a Kia Carnival.

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February 14, 2020

Triplets Starting School – Reflections of a Triplet Mum.

Author: Larissa Jordan

Since my trio were born, starting school has always been the ultimate goal. Now it is so close, just like a dangling carrot finally within our grasp. My multiple mum friends and I have joked about toasting our champagne glasses as the bell rings at 9am on the first day of school because surviving for five or more years as a mum of twins, triplets or more, really is a massive accomplishment.

I do not feel sad like so many other first-time school mums seem to be, in fact I am rather excited. I am excited to see how much my three will achieve in their first year at school because they have already accomplished so much.

Triplets born at 26 weeks and four days

For my triplets starting school, together, and ready, really is a miracle. Born at 26 weeks and four days, weighing under a kilo each, things were touch and go at the start.

In the early days there were mentions of surgeries, diagnoses and complications, but we were so fortunate and escaped relatively unscathed. We still have numerous appointments to attend and have had our fair share of medical issues but the three of them are truly excelling from such humble beginnings.

They are so eager to learn and I’m sure they will thrive in the vibrant school environment. As a primary school teacher myself, it is so exciting for me to see them grasp new skills and concepts that I know means that they are well and truly ready for school.

Separating triplets at school, or keeping them together?

The first question everybody asks when they hear multiples are starting school is will they be together or separate? Classroom placement is always a contentious topic and truly there is no one size fits all answer.

Starting school is a major transition and we have chosen not to add the further transition of separation at this point. Even though our children are quite different and very independent, it is reassuring to know that they will have a familiar face with them as they begin this new adventure. I believe that my children will be able to make the decision to separate in the future, once they have had an opportunity to find their feet, building friendships and confidence in their new surroundings.

There is not only the transition for the students to consider but also the parents. Navigating three classrooms, liaising with three teachers, helping out in three rooms, attending three Mother’s Day events is a challenge I’ll leave for another year. Starting school will be enough of a juggle for now without adding any more balls.

Fraternal triplets starting school

Being fraternal triplets means that my trio won’t face the additional challenge of identity confusion that many identical multiples face. Their school mates will hopefully recognise them as individuals, by name, and hopefully without the cringeworthy label of ‘the triplets’. Don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that they are triplets, but I don’t want that to be their primary identity.

Even though we have chosen to keep them together, I want their teachers and school mates to know that they are not joined at the hip and do not need to do everything together. They don’t need to do special jobs at the same time or get awards together. Families don’t have to invite all three to a party just because they are triplets.

We very much nurture their individuality even if we chose to do so together, in close proximity. The whole family is about to embark on this massive adventure together and I for one am very excited about this new chapter in our lives. Wish us luck xo

Twinfo provides a connection to resources, information, products and service providers who specialise in supporting multiple births at every stage of their life.

Connect with the Twinfo community via the Twinfo Website, FaceBook Page, Facebook Group, Pinterest or via the Twinfo Instagram page.

February 12, 2020

Coles Stikeez

Note from Twinfo: This post has not been sponsored or endorsed by Coles and Twinfo is not affiliated in any way, I’m just sharing the news! Images courtesy of Coles.

Hold on to your hats, grab the tissues and weep fellow multi parents. The Coles Stikeez are back. And you know what that means…………….you need to get TWO or even THREE full collections. Triplet parents, this is one time I am glad I don’t have triplets (the other time is at fingernail cutting time!).

Yes, you read that correctly parents, as of TODAY the “delightful” Coles Stikeez are back. And you have until 11.59pm AEDT 24 March 2020 to collect not one, but TWO (or even three) sets. And that’s not taking into consideration any other beautiful singleton children that you may have.

Coles Stikeez terms and conditions

Let’s get the boring things out of the way first.

As per usual, you will be “blessed” with one Stikeez with every $30 you spend in one transaction. I will leave you to check out the Coles full terms and conditions and cut to the chase.

Note though, a maximum limit of twenty Coles Stikeez per qualifying transaction applies for Coles Online. Also the Collectables are for those aged 5 years and older. Adult supervision is advised for those aged younger than 5 years of age due to the risk of choking.

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February 11, 2020

Treetop Twins Adventures series at McDonald’s

Note from Twinfo: This post has not been sponsored or endorsed by McDonalds and Twinfo is not affiliated in any way, I’m just sharing the news! Images courtesy of McDonald’s.

Would you like a book with that? Yes, you read that correctly. Not fries, or even a toy, but a book! McDonald’s will now give you a choice when you order a Happy Meal – a toy or a book. And not just any book, but a book where the main characters are TWO sets of TWINS!!!!

Introducing the Treetop Twins Adventures series! An exclusive 12-book series written by Cressida Cowell, and only available at McDonald’s. This novel idea (see what I did there???) has been designed to promote literacy in children, something that, naturally, appeals to any parent.

Cressida Cowell is a mother of two children, and the author and illustrator of the “How to Train your Dragon” series. She is also the wife of Simon Cowell, the reality judge on shows like American Idol etc.

Cressida Cowell has written a series of 12 hardback books called the Treetop Twins Adventures, with two new titles available every eight weeks. The books are about two sets of twins, Asha and Alfie and Tulip and Ted, and their parents Professors Pablo and Penelope. In this series they travel in a time machine that can also travel under water, across snow and ice, through jungles and plains to study amazing animals, past and present. They will run with dodo birds, save pink dolphins and more!

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