EdInTwinsClub.co.uk
Title
The Edinburgh Twins Club - Est 1978
Description
How The Twins Group Started
On 17th January 1972 I had the biggest surprise of my life. I gave birth, at 31 weeks, to undiagnosed twin boys. I thought the doctor was joking when after one tiny baby arrived, he said to me, "wait a minute, I think there's another one." They were very small, they took ages to feed, we had no family support, and we were completely, totally and utterly unprepared. The world was not at all "twin friendly" in these days, so weekly shopping was a huge challenge, necessitating wheeling round two shopping trolleys, with a baby in each. The twin baby-buggy I managed to obtain, after searching the city, would not fit through shop or house doorways, and disposable nappies were completely useless as they leaked profusely and soaked everything.
The first twelve months passed in a sleep deprived daze, but, as I had an extremely supportive and helpful husband, each year got easier. Well, they might have, had not our third son arrived only two years later. It was while I was in the post natal ward with him that my husband brought a book called "Twins and Super Twins", which I read with great interest although it was a bit too late to be to be of any great practical help. However, I was particularly intrigued with the section about support groups for mothers of twins, and as there were none in Scotland, I vowed that one day I would set one up myself. The idea stayed with me, but was not put into action until Michael and Kenneth were six, when Marlene Booth and her twin girls aged four moved in nearby. Six mums and six sets of twins met in my living room in June 1978, if my memory serves me correctly, and a twins club named The Double Trouble Club was born. We met regularly, every month, in either mine or Marlene's house, until we had over 40 members, when we moved to a Church Hall in Blackhall. It was always great to meet other mums who really knew about the trials and tribulations of life with twins, as well as the glory that carries us through it all. We even had an annual picnic, complete with mums, dads, and brothers and sisters, as well as the occasional wine and cheese with our partners. I was so pleased with how it prospered that I even included it on my CV!
It was with sadness and mixed feelings that I felt I had to hand over The Twins Club in 1981, because I had decided to recommence my career and train as a Health Visitor. Each week, while on that college course, I used to learn that there was something else I had not done in the approved manner while rearing my sons. How did they survive!
