| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
Welcome! This chat is to focus on our new program Magnificent Multiples. The program offers educational materials and gifts for parents experiencing a multiples pregnancy. Please feel free to ask any questions. |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
My name is Deanna Williams and I am the manager of Labor and Delivery and Maternal Fetal medicine at Rush-Copley. |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
We have prenatal classes that are offered quarterly that are tailored to the needs of parents of multiples. They are not meant to be a replacement for our other prenatal classes, but rather an enhancement of multiples specific information. They are taught by a nurse that is also a mother of twins who works in labor and delivery at RCMC. |
| janice71: |
I just found out I'm having twins. I'd like to be able to breastfeed - is this possible and what should I know about breastfeeding for twins? |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
It's very possible to breastfeed twins! We have that topic covered in our multiples classes and our lactation consultants on site are all very experienced in helping you get started. :) |
| Treynece: |
Can you explain more about your program? |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
The program includes an education binder that has a wide array of information from pregnancy articles, to NICU articles, to birth, to bonding with infants, to enhancing relationships with siblings. In addition to the binders we also have gifts for parents when they come in to deliver. Two books written by a local author (from naperville) Elizabeth Lyons with practical advice about getting through the first years with twins... |
| Treynece: |
We also have a DVD called Together with Baby that has tons of songs and activities that can be done with babies to promote language, social and emotional development. Use of this DVD is especially encouraged when one parent is feeding a baby, the other can be doing activities with the other baby. |
| Dawn: |
Are pregnancy symptoms worse when you're expecting more than one baby? |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
That is a great question for your doctor. You can have an increased risk for preterm labor, for stretching pains earlier on in the pregnancy because of the uterus being larger earlier... but each pregnancy is different. I would encourage you to discuss any unusual symptoms you are having with your doctor. |
| Jaden34: |
Do you offer any educational/support programs for those who already have twins? |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
I would be happy to provide our education binder to parents that already have twins. It has information about support groups and lots of great articles for after babies are born. We also have a book about toddlerhood with twins if you are interested. You may contact me at 630-898-6465 to request these items. |
| Treynece: |
I have been told to look into Rush-Copley Medical Center because of your Level III program. Can you explain what this means and the benefits? |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
The benefits of level III are that we have physicians specially trained in the care of high risk pregnancies and pre-mature infants on staff 24 hours a day. We also have the facilities to support a baby as young as 24 weeks gestation. We have specially trained nursing staff and have met many requirements by the state of Illinois to have this designation. There is a great chance that Mom and Babies wouldn't be separated (in different facilities) at birth. A preterm delivery at a level II hospital may result in babies needing to be transferred to a level III hospital. |
| Treynece: |
Do you offer any classes about breastfeeding for twins? |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
We do offer classes through our quarterly multiples classes. The next one is scheduled for June 12th. Please register online for class or you can call 866-4Copley |
| Jaden34: |
If you are planning to have you babies at Rush-Copley are you automatically enrolled in the program or do you need to register. Is this something I should discuss with my doctor? |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
Anyone pregnant with twins, triplets or more is eligible for the program. You can register in several different ways. You may call me at 630-898-6465 to arrange pickup of your binder. Registering for the classes will automatically put you on the list. Referrals may come through the physician's office or through our Maternal Fetal medicine clinic as patients' are seen, and some patients we won't meet until they deliver. We have included information that will be helpful at all of these points of contact. |
| janice71: |
What are some of the other topics covered in the class besides breastfeeding? |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
Possible pregnancy complications, diet and nutrition, bedrest support, mode of delivery (vaginal vs. c-section delivery), services available in the Maternal Fetal Medicine Center and at Rush-Copley, Infant and Parent bonding and Sibling bonding. It's also possible to arrange a tour of our NICU. |
| Jaden34: |
Does your hospital offer maternity tours and if so would it include the Level III area? |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
Yes we do. The tours may be scheduled through our website or by calling 866-4Copley. When registering, mention that you are interested in a NICU tour as part of our Magnificent Multiples program. We have a very detailed tour of our labor and delivery and post-partum areas as well. |
| Dawn: |
How typical is bedrest when having more than one baby? What kind of bedrest support does Rush-Copley offer? |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
Bedrest is much more likely when having twins. There may be a chance that you are on bedrest at home or possibly in the hospital. We offer prenatal classes taught at the bedside for patients that are in the hospital. Our binders and our website page on multiples have suggestions for activities that you can do to make your day go by more quickly while confined to bed. I personally was on bedrest for 8 weeks during one pregnancy, so I have worked diligently on getting resources available for mom's that are experiencing this unique form of torture. I can attest to the fact that even dishes in the sink that needed to be washed looked inviting. :-) |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
There also is a new resource on our website called Care Pages. You can start a journal now outlining events in your pregnancy and it can be a great place that you can send family members to get updates on how the pregnancy is going so you don't have to answer the same questions 20 times. Check it out! There are places to upload pictures and keep a blog type of diary. |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
Care pages is a secure website that is password protected. You can invite people that you want to have access to your page. They can post comments for you and let you know they stopped by. What you post cannot be viewed by the general public. It's a great communication tool to keep all of your family and friends involved. You can maintain the site through delivery and beyond. There also is a laptop loaner program that you can use to update your site while in the hospital if you so desire. |
| Dawn: |
I've heard you have to watch your diet more closely when having multiples. What is different and what should I be concerned about? |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
Actually you require more calories to support a multiple pregnancy than a singleton pregnancy. It's very important to take a prenatal vitamin and iron as well as the additional demands on your body can rob your body of nutrients as it supplies to the baby what the baby needs. |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
I'm so happy you all stopped by. How did you hear about our chat? |
| janice71: |
the newspaper |
| Dawn: |
The Beacon |
| Treynece: |
A read about it in the newspaper. |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
Great! Thank you! Do you have any more questions? Have the answers been helpful? |
| Jaden34: |
me too! |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
I forgot to tell you earlier that one of the fun presents when you come in to deliver are onesies that say, "I'm a Rush-Copley Magnificent Multiple." on them. They're adorable. They were shown in the newspaper pictures, but hard to read as the babies were small. |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
Please feel free to call me and I can make arrangements to get your binders to you so you can start looking at the resources. Is everyone expecting twins? triplets? |
| Jaden34: |
twins |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
One of the nice resources in the binder is a list of support groups in the area where you can meet other parents of multiples. Networking can be very helpful in finding people that understand the unique things you are going through. |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
There is also a great website that is linked on our website. http://www.multiplematters.com The founder of this website is also a mother of twins and she has put together products, resources, a list of companies that offer great discounts and products geared just for multiples. This is a local Aurora company. |
| Treynece: |
Twins! |
| Dawn: |
I'm not pregnant yet, but twin run in my family. |
| janice71: |
twins |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
I have time for a couple more questions and then I must log off. Does anyone have any further questions? |
| Deanna Williams, RN, BSN: |
I thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and learn more about our program. We hope that it will help to meet the needs of parents having multiples and that it will provide a valuable resource for them. |