Multiplication Term 3 2020

MULTIPLICATION NWSMBA Newsletter Term Three 2020 If undelivered please return to: North West Sydney Multiple Birth Association PO Box 562 Winston Hills 2153

North West Sydney Contents: 3 Multiple Birth Association 4 From Your President 5 ABN 41 564 010 893 What’s On for NWSMBA? 6 PO Box 562 Member Announcements 7 Random Acts Of Kindness 8 Winston Hills 2153 Premature Birth Support 9 0402 119 940 Playgroups 11 NWSMBA Events 12 [email protected] Upcoming Events 13 www.nwsmba.amba.org.au Recovering After Twin Pregnancy 14 facebook.com/NWSMBA NWSMBA Website 15 AMBA & NWSMBA Fundraisers 17 Meetings AMBA Discounts 19 Member Benefits 20 Members, prospective members, Club Services 21 friends and guests are welcome. Useful Contacts 22 8pm sharp on the first Tuesday of Information Session each month (except January). Contact Us Confirm with Front Cover [email protected] On our front cover we have three beautiful sets of twins! for venue location and online link. L-R:Scooting around with big smiles are Lily and Toby, the gorgeous girls Gianna and Madison and up early and Membership celebrating their 5th birthday are Amalie and Julian! If you have a photo you would like to share on our front page, please email Natural or adoptive parents, legal it to [email protected] guardians, expectant parents, carers of multiple birth children Copyright and adult multiples are eligible for All material appearing in Multiplication is subject to Copyright NWSMBA membership. unless indicated otherwise. Requests to reproduce material in New Members: $40 pa whole or part should be directed to the Editor at [email protected]. Renewing Members: $25 pa Disclaimer *price change due to COVID-19 Statements, opinions and points of view expressed in this newsletter are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent those of the Association. Information contained herein is not a substitute for personal, medical, psychiatric or psychological advice and readers are urged to consult their health advisers about specific questions or problems. Mention of goods or services in this newsletter does not represent an endorsement by the North West Sydney Multiple Birth Association Changed contact details? Moved house? New additions to the family? Make sure your contact details are up to date by logging onto the NWSMBA MyAMBA portal here: https://my.amba.org.au/site/nwsmba 2

From your President, Term 3 has drawn to a close, and with it a great change We have been lucky to be able to continue our Random in weather. With the start of daylight savings, my family Acts of Kindness program throughout Term 3, with the is looking forward to some outside activities together in recipients receiving a $100 voucher from local catering the evenings after school. Changing time with the start company, Demi-Chef. Random Acts of Kindness will (and end) of daylight savings can be a challenge for continue through to the end of the year. This initiative everyone, and especially those with young children. has been possible due to the fantastic fundraising Trying to negotiate bedtime in summer while the sun is efforts that our little community has done over the last still up is wrought with difficulties and arguments! couple of years. In September, NWSMBA hosted multiple Father’s Day NWSMBA is an affiliated member-club of the Australian celebrations to allow us to catch up while still complying Multiple Birth Association, and will represent its with the COVID-Safe regulations. Three families met at members at the upcoming AMBA AGM to be held on Rouse Hill Regional Park, where the kids enjoyed riding Wednesday 25th November. A number of Board bikes and scooters, playing ball games and exploring the positions will be vacated at this time, and AMBA is maze. Another group of families met at Livvi’s Place at calling for nominations by individuals who have an Bernie Mullane Sports Complex in Kellyville for a play on interest and/or skills in: partnership management, the equipment and building sandcastles. A big thank you advocacy, fundraising, grants, PR, and sponsorship. to our committee volunteers for “hosting” each of these Please be aware that the AMBA Board is a purely events. voluntary position, with no directors' fees or other remuneration. AMBA requires directors to be able to Our Playdays and New Parent Morning Teas commit to meetings outside of normal business hours recommenced in Term 3, with our new coordinators. (generally monthly at 8:30pm AEST on a Tuesday). In Steph “graduated” from NPMT and now coordinates addition, it is expected that directors commit 10 - 15 Playdays, and we welcome Laura as our new NPMT hours per month minimum to their projects. coordinator. As part of our Covid-Safe plan, we will continue to ask that members register their intention to Nicole attend via the Facebook Events as we move into Term 4. With assistance from AMBA, NWSMBA has developed Nicole Chapman - President Risk Assessments for our events to ensure that they are conducted in a safe manner in order to protect our members and the community. About the North West Sydney Multiple Birth Association Founded in 1972, North West Sydney Multiple Birth Association (NWSMBA) is a volunteer run, not-for-profit community association that provides members with support from other member families around the issues relating to raising multiple birth children. Our goals are to provide a means of communication for sharing information on the care and raising of multiple birth children and to provide regular social meetings and functions for our members. 3

What’s On For NWSMBA? October 2020 November 2020 Tues 6th Committee meeting Tues 3rd Committee meeting Weds 14th Playdays Weds 4th Playdays Fri 16th NPMT Fri 6th NPMT Sat 17th AMBA AGM (online) Weds 11th Playdays Weds 21st Playdays Fri 13th NPMT Mums Night Out Miracle Babies FB Live Fri 23rd NPMT Tue 17th Expectant Parent Evening Weds 28th Playdays Weds 18th Playdays Fri 30th NPMT Mums Night Out Fri 20th NPMT Tues 25th Playdays Fri 27th NPMT December 2020 Tues 1st Committee meeting Weds 2nd Playdays Fri 4th NPMT Weds 9th Playdays Fri 11th NPMT Weds 16th Playdays Mums Night Out Fri 18th NPMT Fri 25th Christmas Day Playdays: Weekly throughout school term 10am-12pm, Restore Church, 47 Britannia Rd, Castle Hill NPMT: Weekly throughout school term 11am - 1 pm, Restore Church, 47 Britannia Rd, Castle Hill Expectant Parents Evening: 7:30 pm, Location advised upon registration Mum’s Night Out: 8 pm, see Facebook Post for location NWSMBA Committee Meeting: 8pm, location and online link advised upon registration 4

Member Announcements Welcome to Our New Members! Lysa and Paul Katoa, along with big sister Brianna welcomed triplet boys Ruben, Benjiman and Jeremiah in January Julie Laing with twins Zoe and Eve who were born in January Cortney and Hadi Zeidan with twins Elana and Zara who were born in January Shruti and Anuj Gupta who welcomed twins Noah and Mireya in April Kristen Heathcote who welcomed twins Max and Bella in June Suchi Rana who welcomed twins Vivaan and Yuvein in July Natalie and Ben Stevens, with big brother Oscar whose twins and due in December Bernadette and Bruce Sinclair with twin boys EJ and JJ Emily and Damien Arnold who are expecting twins next March Membership Coordinator’s Report Thanks to all our members who renewed their membership recently. We are pleased to have you continue on sharing in the journey of raising multiples with our unique community. Our member renewal rate is the best it has been in a number of years. It is wonderful that people are still wanting connection and support during these pandemic times. NWSMBA membership runs on a rolling membership system. This means our members are due for renewal a year after signing up or previously renewing. Your NWSMBA club committee made the decision to offer renewals at a reduced cost due to COVID-19 and the fact we were unable to run our usual activities for a few months. The discounted renewal fee for this year is $25. Emma Innes ([email protected]) Expectant Parent Evenings NWSMBA runs regular Expectant Parent Evenings. Held approx every two months in a location central to North West Sydney, our volunteers cover wonderful hints and hacks on not only surviving but thriving a multiples pregnancy and the first year. To register your interest for an upcoming information evening, email Rebecca at [email protected] 5

Each fortnight during Term 3, these 5 lucky members received a Demi Chef voucher valued at $100. 1. Ashlee Tenberge 2. Melissa Meeba 3. Belinda Zimmermann 4. Felicity De Bruine 5. Lysa Nuku This initiative will continue into term 4 with the choice of one of the following, $50 voucher for Coles, Woolworths or Uber or $100 from Demi Chef. We encourage members to nominate another member who is in need of a pick-me-up for special consideration by emailing [email protected]. Sometimes a recipient will be chosen at random from our membership database. This initiative is possible thanks to Demi-Chef and the awesome fundraising effort of our members and volunteers over the few last years. ‘Kindness is spreading sunshine into other people's lives regardless of the weather’ - RAKtivist 6

Premature Birth Support Barbara Heffernan has recently taken on the role of Premature Birth Support Volunteer with the North West Sydney Multiple Birth Association. Barbara shares her story below: After having her boy / girl twins at 33 weeks following a diagnosis of preeclampsia, we ended up spending 5 weeks in the Special Care Nursery. It was overwhelming at times and looking back I now wish I had reached out for advice from parents who had been through a similar experience with the premature birth of their twins. I hope that by taking on this role I can offer advice and support to our members who are currently on this journey but also to check in with those who have been through it but still feel like they need someone to share their experience with. Our members are our greatest source of information and I would welcome messages to let me know of anyone who needs support. Due to COVID-19 restrictions hospital visits are challenging at the present time however I’m more than happy to chat over the phone, FaceTime or send messages with information on what support is available. If you would like to contact Barbara for support or just a chat please email her at [email protected] 7

Playgroups 8

NWSMBA Events NWSMBA jumped at the chance to keep our members connected online and in person (finally!) by hosting several events during Term 3. Keep an eye on our closed Facebook Group for event invites and updates. Got an idea for an event or activity? Email [email protected] to see how you can make your idea a reality! Breastfeeding Q&A Coinciding with World Breastfeeding Week 2020, we hosted a Facebook Live from fellow twin mum and Registered Nurse Jennifer Middleton. Jennifer breastfed her twins for 2+ years and with over 15 years nursing experience is currently a Registered Nurse in the Neonatal & Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. She was fantastic in bringing a wealth of knowledge in answering all our questions about breastfeeding and more. Check out the recorded video here and other videos and resources: · Simultaneous Breastfeeding · Setting Up Your Space · Online meal calendar for family and friends to help out Children’s Dentistry Q&A NWSMBA highlighted the importance of teeth and mouth care during Dental Health Week 2020 with a live Q&A with General Dentist, twin mum and NWSMBA Committee Member, Dr Rebecca Cerfontyne. Rebecca is an Associate Dentist at Maven Dental who enjoys being able to help her patients maintain excellent oral health. While enjoying family dentistry, her main interests lie in oral surgery (particularly difficult extractions), paediatric dentistry, helping anxious patients of all ages and relieving dental pain. Rebecca answered all our questions about oral hygiene for our little ones. Thanks Rebecca! Search any time using the search bar in our Closed Facebook Group for Rebecca’s advice in the discussion thread. School Holiday Catch up NWSMBA hosted a casual school holidays catch up at Livvi’s Place in late September. The children enjoyed themselves in the sandpit and playing on the various play equipment. A fun day had by all and a few beautiful memories captured in the photos below. 9

NWSMBA Events Little Gym at Dural Private Class The Little Gym at Dural opened its gym exclusively for NWSMBA members! The kids had a great time at our private class where they created opportunities for our little ones to try new things and build self-confidence, all with a grin that stretches from ear to ear. Multiple Multiples Father’s Day Events This year, we couldn’t do our usual Father’s Day event so instead we took inspiration from our multiples and held multiple smaller events! These were held simultaneously just at different locations. It was great to catch up with so many families at Bernie Mullane and at Rouse Hill Regional Park for our Multiple Multiples Father’s Day events. Hope everyone had a good time and the kids slept well! ARE YOU ON FACEBOOK? Our Closed Facebook group is a key communication channel with and between our financial members, and we don't want you to miss out on any events, information and sale items. If you are on Facebook, request to join our group by clicking the following link: http://www.facebook.com/groups/NWSMBA for one of our Committee to approve you. 10

Upcoming Events World Premature Day - Facebook Live Event with Miracle Babies Foundation Friday 13th November at 11.30am Tina Parker from The Miracle Babies Foundation will be joining our members for a Facebook Live session. Keep an eye out for further updates and reminders on our club’s Facebook page World Prematurity Day falls in November so it’s a good time to discuss the challenges that parents of premature babies face and look at what help is available. 11

Recovering After Twin Pregnancy Any pregnancy is essentially an endurance event for your body. It is even more challenging if you’re carrying multiple babies. Over the course of 9 months your body undergoes an enormous amount of change preparing for the arrival of your baby or babies. At the end of that period of change, you have another huge event – birth – which on its own can vary enormously in how long it takes, how difficult it is and how it plays out. At the end of this, all your poor body is then supposed to miraculously pull itself together again so you can get on with things. When you’re pregnant your abdominal muscles undergo a huge stretch. The six-pack muscles (rectus abdominus) separate to accommodate the need for space. This separation can be much more significant in a twin pregnancy. It is important to work with physios that truly understand what your body is going through because they specialise in this field. After you deliver there is very frequently still a separation. Sometimes that gap will never close all the way because your body is physically a different shape now than it was before – regardless of your weight. What is extremely important is that the tissue in the middle of the separation (linea alba) is able to tense and help transfer load around the body. When it doesn’t take load properly then the chances of disc bulges, back pain and pelvic pain increases dramatically. After carrying twins or even triplets the stretch that your abdominals have experienced is more significant and it is even more important that a quality physio examine your stomach and make sure that you can generate tension in the linea alba. Failing to rehabilitate your stomach muscles adequately can lead to chronic back and pelvic pain, prolapses, incontinence issues, strain on the pelvic floor, hernias and a wide range of other issues. It often also impacts how women feel about how their stomach looks. Please read the full article from Sydney Advanced Physiotherapy here and check out the informative video about the “Mummy Tummy” 12

NWSMBA Website Have you browsed our brand-spanking new website? Need to hire a breast pump or a feeding pillow? Nappies running low and looking for a sustainable option of cloth nappies? Your multiples need to burn off some energy and a visit to The Little Gym is sounding perfect? All of this and more can be found on our website, head over to https://nwsmba.amba.org.au/ Now that it is up, we are looking for a volunteer who would be interested in helping us maintain the website. Would this be something you can volunteer your time and give back to your club? To find out more, please contact Nicole Chapman via the Facebook Closed Group or email [email protected] 13

AMBA & NWSMBA Fundraisers Don’t forget to select North West Enter our fundraising Sydney Multiple Birth Association code nwsmba12 at the at check out and Bright Star Kids donates 15% back to our club! checkout. 20% of all sales will come back to our club! 14

AMBA Discounts 15

AMBA Discounts 16

Member Benefits 17

Member Benefits 18

NWSMBA Club Services Expectant Parent New Parent Playdays Evenings Morning Teas For pre-school aged children, every Wednesday during school term from We offer information sessions For parents of multiples aged up to 10am–12pm. $4 per family per visit or for parents expecting multiples. 18 months, every Friday during school term from 11am–1pm. $4 $30 for 10 visits (first visit is free); Experienced parents of multiples will be per family per visit or $30 for 10 bring your membership card. on hand to share their stories and tips visits (first visit is free); bring your about the special challenges associated membership card. VENUE: Restore Church, 47 Britannia with raising twins, triplets or more. For VENUE: Restore Church, 47 Rd (cnr Bounty Ave), Castle Hill.. For Britannia Rd (cnr Bounty Ave), details email: Castle Hill For details details email [email protected] email:[email protected] [email protected]. a.org.au. Equipment Hire Member Discounts Facebook Group Full, Electronic and Life members As an AMBA member you have Current members can ask to join may hire NWSMBA equipment in received an Australian Baby Card and our closed group: accordance with our insurance you are entitled to receive exclusive fb.com/groups/NWSMBA requirements. discounts from a range of retailers Australia-wide. It’s an ideal place to post questions For equipment hire details email: and seek support from other Save on furniture, baby equipment [email protected] hire, swimming and dance lessons, families of multiples — plus your educational toys, clothing, shoes, friends can’t see! You can also post Feeding Pillows—We have several cloth nappies, play centres and much items to buy/ swap/sell/give away pillows to make breastfeeding and more! (subject to our guidelines). bottle feeding See www.abcbaby.com.au for more Follow our public page to find out easier. information! what’s happening at your Club: Hire: $10 per month fb.com/NWSMBA Refundable Deposit: $100 Formula Discounts Mums Nights Out Hospital Visits Ask us about the discounts for Held at 8pm on the third multiples on formula available Wednesday of the month, all mums We can visit our members while through Nutricia , Bellamy’s., and are invited to get together for a light they are in hospital, either on bed supper and a lot of laughs. This is Blackmores. a great opportunity to catch up with rest or after the arrival of your some old friends and make some multiples. For details email new ones without the kids (subject to volunteer availability) [email protected] interrupting every few minutes. [email protected] The locations change to spread the 19 love across our geographic catchment, so save the date and keep an eye on our Close Facebook Group for details.

Useful Contacts Breastfeeding Helpline 1300 308 307 ParentLine NSW 1800 686 268 1300 1300 52 rednose.org.au breastfeeding.asn.au Weekdays: 9am–9pm Child Protection Helpline Weekends: 4pm–9pm Tresillian Parent’s Help Line to report suspected child abuse or 1300 272 736 (7am-11pm) 1300 364 277 neglect nsw.relationships.com.au tresillian.org.au 132 111 24 hours, 7 days Suicide and crisis support Karitane Careline 02 9382 6539 13 11 14 Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm (except 1300 227 464 lifeline.org.au public holidays) Mon–Thu: 12.30pm–9pm www.mothersafe.org.au https://www.lifeline.org. Fri–Sun: 9am–3.30pm For au/ Call a Mum on (02) 9477 6777 parenting help, visit 8am–11pm, 7 days dialamum.com.au www.karitane.com.au 20 beyondblue 24 hour Help Line Child Abuse Prevention Service 1300 22 4636 1800 688 009 beyondblue.org.au childabuseprevention.com.au

Information Sessions Workshop: Expecting Twins or More at Westmead Hospital This is an additional workshop for those couples expecting twins or more. Parents-to-be of multiples are encouraged to attend this workshop before 34 weeks gestation if possible. DVDs specific to multiple birth and parenting are shown. The educator is a mother of twins, and a member of NWSMBA This program is offered on a Saturday throughout the year. The workshop starts at 9am and finishes at 1pm, with a morning tea break. This program is discounted for those who have booked into the 'Having a Baby' evening course series or Saturday/Sunday Birth Course. Make sure you include your booking number when completing the registration. We advise that you first attend the 'Labour and Birth' classes before this workshop. Cost: $30.00 if you are attending the Birth Course on a Saturday or Sunday. Cost: $50.00 if you are not attending the Birth Course an a Saturday or Sunday. Bookings Essential: 1 ticket per couple Expectant Parent Evenings NWSMBA runs regular Expectant Parent Evenings. Held approx every two months in a location central to North West Sydney, our volunteers cover wonderful hints and hacks on not only surviving but thriving a multiples pregnancy and the first year. To register your interest for an upcoming information evening, email Rebecca at [email protected] 21

Contact Us Thank you to our amazing team of volunteers who work endlessly to bring the club and all its support and services to our multiples families. President [email protected] Vice President [email protected] Secretary [email protected] Treasurer [email protected] Membership Coordinator [email protected] Expectant Parent Coordinator [email protected] New Parent Coordinator [email protected] Playdays Coordinator Contact [email protected] Editor [email protected] Higher Order Multiples Support [email protected] Premature Birth Support [email protected] Special Needs Support [email protected] Bereavement Support [email protected] Perinatal Depression & Anxiety Support [email protected] Dads Support Contact [email protected] Equipment Officer [email protected] 22