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An Agenda for Meeting the Special Needs of Multiple Birth Families

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

P.M. Malmstrom*
Affiliation:
Twin Services for Multiple Birth Families, Berkeley, California, USA
R. Biale
Affiliation:
Twin Services for Multiple Birth Families, Berkeley, California, USA
*
Twin Services for Multiple Birth Families, P.O. Box 10066, Berkeley CA 94709, USA

Abstract

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Over 80,000 multiple birth babies are born each year in the U.S. Their families must cope with a constellation of complex physical and psychosocial challenges, which jeopardizes their health and functioning. The demands of twin pregnancy and the parenting of twins, triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets or more puts these families at disproportionately high risk for infant mortality, birth defects, child abuse, substance abuse, financial problems and marital problems. Health and social service resources must be developed to alleviate the stresses associated with multiple birth and to empower parents to cope well. Guidelines for policies, parent education, professional training and service delivery developed for the California Department of Health Service, Maternal and Child Health Branch, are here offered for the consideration of policy makers and public health planners.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1990

References

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