International Council of Multiple Birth Organisations (ICOMBO)

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞, 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 – 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞. This World Prematurity Day, we are focusing on equal access to quality care for preterm babies worldwide. From life-saving medical interventions to long-term follow-up, every baby born too soon deserves the best care, no matter where they are born. The Declaration of Rights and Statement of needs of twins and higher order multiples outlines the care that should be given to multiples, and the needs of their families as well. Join us in raising awareness and calling for change for multiples! 💜👶👶 Find out more: 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞, 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 – 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞. This World Prematurity Day, we are focusing on equal access to quality care for preterm babies worldwide. From life-saving medical interventions to long-term follow-up, every baby born too soon deserves the best care, no matter where they are born. The Declaration of Rights and Statement of needs of twins and higher order multiples outlines the care that should be given to multiples, and the needs of their families as well. Join us in raising awareness and calling for change for multiples! 💜👶👶 Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eSHTuy6H #WorldPrematurityDay2024 #WPD2024 #WorldPrematurityDay #WPD #BornTooSoon #PreemiePower #PretermBirth #PrematureBirth #WorldPrematurityDay2024 #WPD2024 #WorldPrematurityDay #WPD #BornTooSoon #PreemiePower #PretermBirth #PrematureBirth #MultipleBirths #ICOMBO EFCNI - European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants

🌍 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐲! Over 13 million babies are born too soon every year. 💜 Every baby, no matter where, when, or how they are born, deserves access to quality care to survive and thrive. 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐯𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. The ICOMBO Declaration of Rights and Statement of Needs outlines the need for these families to be supported appropriately, and that monitoring and followup care is essential. You can read more in our declaration here: https://lnkd.in/eSHTuy6H Join us in raising awareness for preterm babies, especially multiples and their families. Let’s work together to ensure every baby gets the care they need! 💪👶 #WorldPrematurityDay2024 #WPD2024 #WorldPrematurityDay #WPD #BornTooSoon #PreemiePower #PretermBirth #PrematureBirth #ICOMBO #MultipleBirths EFCNI - European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants

𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟑 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 – 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨? This World Prematurity Day, 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞. It’s not just about survival; it’s about giving multiple births the chance to thrive. 💜 With 60% of twins, and even greater numbers of higher order multiples are born pre-term. Many, especially those in low-resource settings, don’t receive the care they need to overcome the challenges of early birth. Improving maternal and neonatal care systems can significantly reduce the risk of long-term disabilities and preventable deaths. 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞! #WorldPrematurityDay2024 #WPD2024 #WorldPrematurityDay #WPD #BornTooSoon #PretermBirth EFCNI - European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants

𝐖𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬. Its goal is to enhance understanding of the changes and challenges faced by multiples, while also offering insights into parent-child relationships. This helps parents feel more confident in their ability to support their children as they grow and transition into adulthood. The guide covers various aspects of physical, psychological, and social development, including: Accepting bodily changes and sexuality; Transitioning from a dependent child to an independent adolescent, while establishing connections with peers and peer culture; Forming a personal identity, which includes developing a sense of individuality, beliefs, and aspirations; Distinguishing themselves from their co-multiple while navigating the adolescent stage. These topics are explored in detail, along with discussions on dating, school, and career options for multiples. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://lnkd.in/e274Kv3c hashtag #ICOMBO hashtag #RaisingMultiples hashtag #MultipleBirths hashtag #AdolescentTwins

International Multiple Birth Awareness Week has ended. Thank you all for your support and engagement over the week. We will be back this time next year (Monday 3rd – Sunday 9th November 2024; the theme to be decided) but there are plenty of other awareness days, weeks or months to celebrate in the meantime and in particular these ones happening in the next month: 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐲 – 𝟏𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫  ( EFCNI https://lnkd.in/ekuhJE8N) 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐓𝐓𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲 – 𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 (TTTS Foundation https://lnkd.in/e5pJ6tgR) #IMBAW2024 #ICOMBO #mentalwellbeing #supportingmultiples

  𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨-𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐝. For those out there who have experienced this, do you have any tips or suggestions of support networks? #IMBAW2024 #ICOMBO #mentalwellbeing #supportingmultiples

The Skye High Foundation created the purple butterfly cot card, which is to be placed in an incubator or cot in memory of their sibling. The cot card is used in conjunction with a poster that is placed around maternity and neonatal units, which explains the meaning of the purple butterfly. The cot card allows families the opportunity to make others around them aware of the journey they are going through. The foundation plays a key role in supporting families during and after the loss of a twin, triplet or higher order multiples. They have also produced a 4-hour eLearning course, aimed at health care professionals but that may also be of interest to families and friends. https://lnkd.in/eRfziZQn #IMBAW2024 #ICOMBO #mentalwellbeing #supportingmultiples

Most people probably haven’t heard the term ‘womb twin survivor’. Research has shown that losing a twin or multiple in the womb can have an impact on the mental health of the surviving twin. So, what exactly is a womb twin survivor, and how can their mental health be affected?  This article provides some explanations and tips: https://lnkd.in/eG-tJG6r #IMBAW2024 #ICOMBO #mentalwellbeing #supportingmultiples

 Vanishing twin syndrome (VTS), defined by first-trimester spontaneous loss of a twin, is a common phenomenon with a reported prevalence of 15–35% of twin pregnancies. The incidence may be higher in triplet or more pregnancies. #IMBAW2024 #ICOMBO #mentalwellbeing #supportingmultiples

𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨 ‘𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡’ 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲. Despite recognition of the syndrome since 1945, a lack of comprehensive guidelines and protocols for its management remains, which may create challenges in patient care and support and has implications for the mental health of parents. A recent study has explored this topic and highlighted challenges in communication and support for individuals diagnosed with Vanishing Twin Syndrome. It emphasized a need for improved patient education and guidelines for optimal care. Addressing gaps in patient-provider communication and support may lead to better outcomes and experiences for patients diagnosed with Vanishing Twin Syndrome, as well as their families. https://lnkd.in/emrJySKP #IMBAW2024 #ICOMBO #mentalwellbeing #supportingmultiples