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Multiple birth stories
- Mum-of-12 has quintuplets<p>An unnamed woman in Australia, already mum to 12 children, <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/09/05/mum-of-12-has-quintuplets/" target="_blank">gave birth to quintuplets</a> in September 2012. The 48-year-old woman, who conceived naturally, gave birth to two boys and three girls at Monash Medical Centre, Victoria. Sadly one of the girls did not survive. </p>
- Czech woman gives birth to country's first quintupletsAlexandra Kinova, 23, <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2013/06/03/czech-woman-gives-birth-to-first-quintuplets/" target="_blank">gave birth</a> to four boys - Deniel, Michael, Alex and Martin – and one girl Terezka - via planned Caesarean section at 31 weeks. The five babies - the Czech Republic’s first ever quintuplets - were conceived naturally and have been given a 95 % chance of growing up without any health problems.<br />
- Parents beat 500,000 to one odds to welcome third set of twins<p>Giving new meaning to the phrase 'two's company and three's a crowd', mum and dad Karen and Colin Rodger <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/pregnancy-and-birth/birth-stories/" target="_blank">welcomed their THIRD set of twins</a> in June 2013. Beating 500,000 to one odds, Karen, 41, and Colin, 44, from Langbank, Renfrewshire, welcomed new arrivals Rowan and Isla at Southern General Hospital in Glasgow last week. Non-identical Rowan and Isla join Lewis and Kyle, 14, and Finn and Jude, 12.</p>
- Mum who lost three babies has triplets - by accident<p>A mother who tragically lost three babies <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2013/05/22/mum-who-lost-three-babies-has-triplets-by-accident/" target="_blank">unexpectedly became pregnant with triplets</a> - all in the space of two years. Gemma Schollick, 28, and her husband Stephen, 30, were devastated after the stillbirth of their daughter and a further two miscarriages. The couple decided to stop trying for a baby and focused on the three children they already had - Ben, eight, Josh, six, and five-year-old Sophie. But while on honeymoon in Cornwall in July 2011, Gemma became pregnant again, and Alfie, Andrew, and Aidan have just celebrated their first birthday.</p>
- Mum's 70 million-to-one quads from a single embryo<p><a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2013/05/16/70-million-to-one-quads-from-a-single-embryo/" target="_blank">A couple who tried for a baby for nine years</a> defied odds of 70 million to one to produce quadruplet daughters from a single IVF embryo. Christine and Justin Clark, from Rotherham, started IVF treatment after trying to conceive naturally. A single embryo was implanted and Christine found out she was pregnant three weeks later. Their girls - Darcy, Caroline, Elisha and Alexis - were born by Caesarean section weighing just over 10lbs between them.</p>
- Mum gives birth to sextuplets 12 years after she had quadruplets<p>Salud Romero Ruiz from Michoacan in Mexico had <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2013/01/14/mum-gives-birth-to-sextuplets-12-years-after-she-had-quadruplets-mexico/" target="_blank">four baby girls and two boys via Caesarean section</a> at just 27 weeks into her pregnancy. The babies each weighed just 1lb, 5oz, and were treated in an intensive care unit following their premature birth. Ms Romero's quadruplet pregnancy 12 years ago resulted in only two of her babies surviving. All of her children were conceived naturally. </p>
- Mum gives birth to world's heaviest triplets<p>The world’s <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/11/16/mum-gives-birth-to-worlds-heaviest-triplets/" target="_blank">heaviest triplets</a> were born in November 2012, weighing in at a whopping 20lb (that's altogether, not each – thankfully!). Brittany Deen, from Sacramento, California, delivered her healthy triplets at 37 weeks by C-section. First-born Sidney came in at a 7lb, 8oz, and brother Elliott was close behind at 7lb, 3oz. Little brother Jenson tipped the scale at 5lb, 5oz.</p>
Diplomatic parenting phrases
- You poor things! She's been up all night vomiting, and yet you still managed to drag yourselves round here for a play date?<p><strong>Means:</strong></p> <p></p> <p>“Thanks a lot, you've just given us all norovirus.”</p>
- He knows what he likes, doesn't he?<p><strong>Means:</strong></p> <p></p> <p>“Gets his own way a lot for a two-year-old. Have you ever considered saying 'no'?”</p>
- So, have you not thought about potty training yet?<p><strong>Means:</strong></p> <p></p> <p>“I can smell him from here.”</p>
- Your daughter is ever so outgoing!<p><strong>Means:</strong></p> <p></p> <p>“I'm getting a migraine. How offended will you be if I 'sshhhsh' her?”</p>
- They just find the sharing thing so hard at this age, don't they?<p><strong>Means:</strong></p> <p></p> <p>“That's my daughter's security blanket, actually – it's kinda crossing the 'sharing' boundary.”</p>
- Aw, does she not have a nap in the day anymore then?<p><strong>Means:</strong></p> <p></p> <p>“Your child has been whining, screaming and having mini tantrums for the last 45 minutes. I really want you to get out of my house now.”</p>
- He certainly has bundles of energy!<p><strong>Means:</strong></p> <p></p> <p>“Please tell him to stop kicking my garden to bits.”</p>
- Children pick up on the funniest things!<p>Means:</p> <p></p> <p>“Are you aware that your three-year-old can use the word b****cks in context?!”</p>
- Don't worry, they all do it, I know exactly how you feel…<p></p> <p><strong>Usually means:</strong></p> <p></p> <p>“Don't worry, they all do it, I really DO know exactly how you feel…”</p>
- Gosh, she's ever so strong isn't she?! You're going to have to watch that one!<p><strong>Means:</strong></p> <p></p> <p>“If my daughter shoved me in the face like that, she'd be on the naughty step.”</p>
The pleasures and pains of summer
- Pain: The best laid plans<p>The best planned days out often turn into a string of disasters from washouts, to dropped ice creams and the kids getting lost.</p>
- Pleasure: Time for yourself<p>Do you dream of sunbathing by the pool on holiday while they lark about or enjoying a drink in a pub beer garden as they occupy themselves in the play area? Summer can make these parental fantasies come true!</p>
- Pain: The slap flap<p>Cursing while you struggle to smear enough sunscreen on your children’s skin in a vain bid to protect them from sunburn, you inevitably miss a spot and get half of it on their clothes instead. </p>
- Pleasure: Thrills and spills<p>Now summer’s here you’ve got the perfect excuse to get in touch with your own inner child, whether it’s joining them on a theme park ride or rolling down a grassy hill together. </p>
- Pain: Heat is on sleep<p>The hot weather makes you sleepy, but seems to mean that they just wake up earlier and go to bed later, because it’s so light. </p>
- Pleasure: Natural wonders<p>Ever spent a few minutes lying on the grass with your children spotting shapes in the clouds or perhaps looking at the stars together on a clear night? Enjoying summer with the children helps you take stock and appreciate the natural world.</p>
- Pain: A wee bit of trouble<p>They refused to ‘go’ before setting out. Now, just as you are beginning to enjoy the chance of getting out and about in the summer sunshine you’re forced to bundle your child off in search of a squalid public toilet or help them to go behind a tree and, more often than not, over your shoes too. </p>
- Pleasure: Making a splash<p>Children love water and there’s nothing better than watching them having a splash in a paddling pool, spraying each other with water or even taking their first dip in the sea.</p>
- Pain: Shelling out for going out<p>As the weather hots up the heat is on parents finances. A simple trip out to a theme park or zoo comes with a hefty bill after you’ve added in drinks and food, petrol and those pricey souvenirs in the gift shop. </p>
- Pleasure: Creature comforts<p>From hunting bugs in the garden to visiting the zoo or exploring rock pools at the seaside you become more of an animal lover than you ever thought possible as the summer offers plenty of opportunities for the little monsters to monkey around. </p>
- Pain: The hat trap<p>Thanks to the unreliability of the British summer you spend any day out burdened with all their coats and jumpers - ‘just in case’ and spend much of the time making sure they keep that hat on.</p>
- Pleasure: Cheap thrills<p>During winter you had to stump up for indoor attractions from museums to soft play. Now they’re just as entertained climbing trees or simply enjoying themselves at the swings.</p>
- Pain: Are we there yet?<p>You’ve tried I-spy and hoping they’ll fall asleep to the CD of children’s songs that - after hearing 100 times - you already loathe. Yes, that hot holiday car journey just seems to be going on forever, plagued by summer traffic and losing your way as you lie to them about how much longer it will take. </p>
- Pleasure: Getting sporty<p>Summer plus kids equals the chance to burn off some calories enjoying a kick about as a family, going on a bike ride or teaching them to play a new sport like cricket. </p>
- Pain: It'll end in tears<p>Your kids are playing happily in the garden or the park and everything seems too good to be true as you relax with a drink. And, of course, it is. Before long your child comes running after being bitten by a bug or having injured themselves in a fall. </p>
- Pleasure: Taking picnics<p>You get to indulge in some al fresco eating with all the family’s favourite treats. There’s the added bonus that it’s so much cheaper than the café or restaurant - and you don’t even have to worry about the children’s table manners.</p>
- Pain: Packing it in<p>You’ve been looking forward to a holiday with the kids for months. Now you’re struggling to get everything in the car and organise the children, leaving you more stressed than ever, even before you’ve left.</p>
- Pleasure: Eating yourself silly<p>Could you really justify eating all that ice cream yourself if you didn’t have kids? And how about finishing their half eaten fish and chips on a trip to the seaside? Well, it would be wasteful not to!</p>
- Pain: Kitting them out for school<p>As the summer holidays wear on so does all the stuff that has to be sorted out before they can go back to school, making sure they’ve got all their uniform and kit. And once they get older you spend a large chunk of the summer holidays worrying about what their exam results will be like. </p>
- Pleasure: Getting creative<p>Building sandcastles, helping out in the garden, making a den - the sunshine helps you make sure the days don’t drag!</p>
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Today’s writer
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Tracey is a mum of three and a parenting and travel writer.
