Above you will see price and availability details for Twins and Multiple Births: The Essential Parenting Guide from Pregnancy to Adulthood by Carol Cooper from the leading UK book stores.
To allow you to quickly compare prices, the stores are arranged in order of delivered price, cheapest first. Click on a store name to buy this book or to view further details.
Books Related to Twins and Multiple Births Carol Cooper - ISBN: 0091894859
Good for basic facts on twins - Rated
I found that this was useful for getting an understanding on the general facts on twins. Its a good read at the beginning for when you know very little. Although its not the worlds most exciting book I'm not sure I would call it dull. I also didn't find it depressing like other readers. The authors are just stating the facts so if you don't want to know them don't read it.
Dull, depressing and opinionated - Rated
I could almost have read a different book to the first reviewer. Excited following my first scan which revealed twins, I bought a couple of twin books (this and Double Trouble - which I can heartily recommend).
Whilst there is some useful medical and factual information contained in Carol Cooper's book, it is a dry and frankly depressing read. If I had only read this book I would now be wondering how on earth I will cope with twins - although I recognise that most of it is worst case scenario she manages to remove any ounce of anticipated joy out of expecting twins. Surely there must be some good things about having two at a time Carol?!!
Not only this but the book is peppered with Carol's somewhat opinionated views. Her section on IVF is outrageous - she raises moral issues that have no place in a book being read by many women fresh from IVF and glowing with success. I fully recognise that there are many moral and ethical issues around IVF that need discussion - as do many advances in medical science - but this book is not the place to do it. It's just a gratuitous airing of her personal opinions. Most women who have been through IVF will have already wrangled hard with these issues. You are left in no doubt of Carol's opinions about IVF and left with the feeling that, in her eyes, somehow your pregnancy is not quite as worthy as your 'natural' sisters.
I don't underestimate the amount of hard work that the twins will mean once they're here and I can imagine that once the twins are born I will refer to the book for factual guidance - there's a good bit on weaning for instance - but a fun read it's not. The claim on the cover which reads 'sometimes amusing' made me laugh out loud. And my husband who is a twin himself had a great chuckle at the adult twin chapter (although again we of course recognise that it's worst case - if you were uneasy about your twin pregnancy you could easily imagine all adult twins to be mal-adjusted individuals unable to hold down a relationship).
I was so incensed with the way this book was written I ended up throwing it across the room. Thank goodness for family, friends other books, websites and a supportive midwife.
Practical, positive, informed - Rated
This book doesn't insult your intelligence and at the same time is written in clear easy to understand english. It's written by an 'expert' and as such is more objective and less emotionally biased than some of the other twin books out there. As well as being clear about the reality of what you're about to let yourself in for the book keeps positive throughout, with lots of practical suggestions for coping and lots of reasons why this is going to be the best thing that's ever happnened to you! The author explains just about everything you need to know (and didn't know you needed to know) and having read a few twin books now I wholeheartedly recommend this as one of the best.
