Wasaga
Beach, ON: Multiple
Births Canada (MBC) is pleased to provide ongoing updates to its members,
chapters and colleagues. Your
commitment to Supporting Multiple Births
Together is of great importance to Canada’s multiple-birth
community.
Chapter
Representatives: Please
forward the information below to your Chapter Executive and
members.
The Board of Directors, on
behalf of the delegates who attended the 2006 MBC
National Conference, would like to take this opportunity to thank
Chatham-Kent Multiple Births Association for hosting what turned out to be a
spectacular educational, motivational, and inspirational weekend! The three-day event, Plowing Thru
Parenthood, provided many opportunities to learn, network, recharge, and
relax. Here now is a brief overview
of the excellent program delivered to MBC members in the comfortable
surroundings of The Wheels Inn, in Chatham,
Ontario.
Let’s
Take a Babymoon – Ann
Douglas: This Ontario author and
mother of four has authored over a dozen Baby books. Ann’s message was a reminder that
especially in the homes where the newborn is two or more new bundles of joy
there is a need for some organizational rules in the early days following the
birth of a baby(ies). This time period Ann refers to as a “babymoon”. She recommended appointing someone you
trust to be your “Executive Secretary”, advising family and friends the times
for home visitation, assigning duties to those who volunteer, and handling more
sensitive issues particularly when premature infants need extra special
care.
Living
with Ease –
Kristina Sisu: From eating properly
to conscious care of one’s physical and spiritual well being, this wellness
expert led delegates through an informational program that focused on how to
balance the demands of a multiple-birth family, volunteer commitments, and a
busy career remembering to take care of ourselves. At a point in our lives when there are
so many people depending on us, it is definitely important that we create an
environment where we can live with ease.
HELP! We have
Multiples –
Audrey Huberman: An adult
monozygotic twin and a member of the MBC Advisory Board, Dr. Huberman delivered
a lively workshop introducing the idea that twins are simultaneously independent
of each other while being parts of a pair.
The interactive session asked participants to recount early memories of
multiples, analyze current knowledge gained from having multiples, and translate
that knowledge into proactive responses.
Dr. Huberman pointed out that the multiple-birth relationship is not
about how or if the egg(s) were split, rather it is about the social
relationship of experiencing and living the same milestones
together.
Coping
Strategies – Bruce
Cowan: Using pre-recorded
interviews, Bruce introduced delegates to three cases he studied in an attempt
to identify coping strategies. The
challenges faced by the people in these cases were extreme including special
needs children, large families, and single parent homes, yet the underlying
message from each case was that they had hope for the future, an ability to
cherish special moments, an appreciation of the love within the home, and a
desire to help those less fortunate.
As Bruce demonstrated, attitude is
altitude.
MBC
Resources Workshop – MBC
Board of Directors and Vicki Riley:
Delegates were introduced to the current selection of MBC fact sheets and
support kits available from the Business Office; they were also shown how to
access and/or order them online. Six new fact sheets were unveiled and given
out, and it was announced that some publication prices will increase as of
September 1st, 2006. The Board demonstrated how to access the Chapter
Executive section of the website and reminded participants that members are sent
a password every year with their membership renewal package. The online forums
were presented as an easy-to-use communication tool for multiple-birth families
to share and discuss topics of mutual concern. A brief overview was given of the
MBC Volunteer Training Site, and a certificate was presented to the
Kitchener-Waterloo Chapter for having the most volunteers complete the training
modules since our Volunteer Retreat Weekend in Mattawa, Ontario last year. Lori
MacEwen, Volunteer Coordinator, announced that all Chapters are welcome to get
involved in this annual competition simply by encouraging their chapter
volunteers to complete the modules. The new bilingual PR poster donated by
Temiskaming Multiple Births was introduced as a valuable communication piece in
building chapter awareness. Delegates were informed that Duchesnay Inc. has
donated funds that will be used to produce a new bilingual PR pamphlet. Both
posters and the new PR pamphlet will be available for free as of September 1,
2006. The session ended with a quick lesson on how to develop effective media
relationships.
Friday
Night Social – A
Taste of Country Life: Delegates got up close and personal with livestock and
crops during a brief tour of a Chatham-area farm (Roesch Meats), which was
followed by a wholesome meal of pork, baked beans, salad and more. The after dinner entertainment included
a trivia game, a PowerPoint presentation featuring the Dads of Chatham-Kent
Multiple Birth Association at play with their children, and an instructional
experience whereby the “fit” and “almost fit” tried their best to “follow the
leader” in a line-dancing lesson. Much of this was captured by dozens of cameras
and the pictures were later produced as evidence that everyone had a grand ole
time!
MBC
Annual General Meeting – MBC
Board of Directors: It is with
great pleasure that we note the Annual General Meeting kept with recent
tradition and was completed in the two hours it was allotted. The 2006
Annual Report was presented and is posted on the MBC website. The full AGM package handout and 2006
AGM Minutes are posted in the Member’s Only section and the Chapter Executive
section.
Keynote
Address, Dr. Louis Keith, M.D., Ph. D.:
Controversies in the Diagnosis of Zygosity in Multiples: The address began with Dr. Keith reading
a statement provided by his twin Donald Keith, who apologized for his unexpected
absence. This warm icebreaker
quickly led into an interesting PowerPoint presentation, Dr. Keith advised the
audience they should help others to understand that the terms identical and
fraternal are misleading. He went
on to explain that the only time that monozygotic twins are “identical” is at
the moment that the cell splits.
From that point onward they are individuals and as such, develop as a
response to their individual environments.
Dr. Keith further explained that this is why it is challenging to
diagnose the zygosity of multiples.
Using the example of the Keith brothers, their lives and subsequent
zygosity testing are a true indication of just how complicated the process of
identifying zygosity can be. Dr.
Keith was subjected to the raw anaesthetics used in operating rooms in the 60’s
while his twin was in Vietnam during the days of Agent Orange experimentation;
these chemicals most certainly had an affect on their bodies. Many zygosity tests followed, each using
different indicators in their assessment.
Some resulted in the Keith brothers being identified as monozygotic,
others indicated they were dizygotic. Dr. Keith then shared with the delegates
how the delivery team can help parents to identify the zygosity of their babies
at birth; he offered to share this information with the MBC Health and Education
committee, who will turn this information into a new MBC Fact Sheet. The session had a surprise ending for
Dr. Keith. Gail Moore, Director of
Communications, presented the Keith brothers, who together founded the
non-profit Centre for the Study of Multiple Birth in 1977, with the 2006 Dionne
Award. This award recognizes
adult multiple-birth individuals who, through their actions, have created a
deeper awareness of the challenges faced by Canada’s multiple-birth children and
their families and/or have made a significant impact on the multiple-birth
community.
MBC
Chapter Exchange –
Nicole Fisher, Director of Membership:
This was a well-attended workshop that has already resulted in a renewed
interest in the sharing of Chapter newsletters. At the wish of those in attendance it
went longer than expected and resulted in many positive ideas being shared. A full description of the exchange will
be sent to chapters in the near future.
Making
A Difference Awards –
Katherine Romaine, Chairperson: The
2006 winners
are… Shelly Blizzard-Jones received the Local award for her enthusiasm in
helping multiple-birth families in the Durham region; Kimberley Weatherall was
awarded the National honour for her passion and dedication to improving the
quality of life for multiple-birth individuals and their families in Canada; and
Dr. Nancy Segal, was recognized with the International Award for her
contribution as a distinguished Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences and
Director of the Twin Studies Center at California State University. A full description of their achievements
will be featured in Multiple Moments.
Winning the new Media Award was CBC Radio which featured stories
coast-to-coast last year on the 1st National Multiple Births
Awareness Day event and encouraged a call to dialogue regarding the current
distribution of maternity benefits for multiple-birth families. CBC’s Kathy
Stackleburg in Sudbury first picked up the story. She interviewed both Cheryl Wadasinghe
and Gail Moore in Mattawa. That
feature was broadcast on CBC Radio’s regional and national news. Additional coverage came from CBC
stations in Thunder Bay, Windsor, Ottawa, Saskatoon and Vancouver.
Focus
on Families
– Kitchener-Waterloo 2007: Dressed
in Oktoberfest dirndls this merry group of gals invited delegates to join them
at the celebration of Kitchener-Waterloo POMBA’s 30th Anniversary and
the 2007 AGM and Conference. They asked everyone to mark May 31-June 3, 2007 on
their calendars. The weekend will
include a unique mix of cultures at the newly renovated Delta Hotel in
Kitchener. K-W POMBA promised
interesting and informative speakers, a shopping trip to the quaint town of St.
Jacobs, and a celebration of the multiple-birth adventure. For more information email conference2007@multiplebirthscanada.org
and check the website for updates - http://www.multiplebirthscanada.org/english/conference2007.php.
National
Multiple Births Awareness Day
– Gail Moore: Tracey Jardine,
mother of Jack and Evan born at 33 ½ weeks, and Keith Pennington, father of
Jared, Brendan, Brittany and Sarah, born at 32 weeks and 1 day, shared their
personal and emotional multiple-birth stories. Donna Launslager, author
of Low
Birth Weight & Preterm Multiple Births – A Canadian
Profile,
a new publication produced by Ontario’s Best Start Resource Centre, in
collaboration with Multiple Births Canada, spoke afterwards. Donna advised journalists and delegates
that it is possible to minimize risks related to multiple-birth pregnancy and
birth, leading to better outcomes, “The key is early and accurate diagnosis
followed by prompt recognition that all multiple-birth pregnancies are high
risk.” See the next Multiple
Moments for a more detailed synopsis of the celebrations that
occurred.
Please
view the post reports and pictures from the 2006 Conference at this link - http://www.multiplebirthscanada.org/english/conference2006.php
- this section will be updated as information is made
available.
Multiple
Births Canada/Naissances multiples Canada
PO
Box 432
Wasaga
Beach, Ontario L9Z
1A4
Toll-free
(in Canada): 1-866-228-8824
Tel:
705-429-0901
Fax:
705-429-9809
mailto:office@multiplebirthscanada.org
http://www.multiplebirthscanada.org/
National
Multiple Births Awareness Day
– May 28th
The
content of this email is not intended to be a substitute for professional
medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health
provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical
condition.
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