Supporting multiple birth families:Perceptions and experiences of health visitors

Objective: To explore the current practice and perceptions of health visitors in supporting multiple birth families. Design and sample: Practicing health visitors across the United Kingdom were invited to complete a cross-sectional, descriptive, online survey. The questionnaire covered multiple birth caseload, education received about multiples and the experience of working with families. Two-hundred and ninety health visitors completed the questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysis of the quantitative components and thematic analysis for the qualitative data. Results: Most health visitors had twins on their current workload. Most health visitors had not received any specific training or continuing professional development regarding the needs of multiple birth families. Supporting the families within the confines of reduced time and increased workload was challenging. Daily tasks of caring for multiples were the main areas that health visitors and parents wanted more information about. Conclusions: In the United Kingdom, health visitors are uniquely positioned to support multiple birth families, in particular during the more challenging early years. However, the findings of this study suggest that many health visitors are aware that the care and support that they are able to provide multiple birth families falls short of meeting their needs

Creating multiple connections - Exploring experiences of families with twins, triplets or more

Adjusting to family life and caring for two, three or more new babies, with possible health problems mainly due to prematurity, provides psychosocial and practical challenges for the multiple birth family. Specialist in formation, advice and support from professionals due to the demands of parenting multiples is needed. There is limited research into the lived experiences of multiple birth families during the early years and their perceptions of family life with young children who are multiples. The aim of the study was to explore the parenting journey of parents of multiples from pregnancy to starting school through the medium of family photographs

RCN multiple births midwife standard: review of distribution and implementation

Reports of an ‘excellent and comprehensive document’, pride, and success stories have shown that the Multiple Births Midwife Standard (MBMS) can be an effective tool for providing multiple birth mothers with personalised and professional care. When staffing, funding, and resources allow, Multiple Births Midwives have affirmed how valuable the role is for co-ordinating care and improving experiences for multiple pregnancy families. Accompanying these success stories are reports from other services around implementation challenges, a lack of strategic plans for improvement, and incomplete multidisciplinary teams

The needs of multiple birth families during the first 1001 critical days: A rapid review with a systematic literature search and narrative synthesis

Objective Supporting families during the first 1001 days from conception to the age of two is vital for setting the emotional, cognitive, and physical building blocks for children's futures. Families with twins, triplets, or higher order multiples (multiple birth families) have unique challenges due to caring for more than one baby at the same time. Therefore, identifying the needs of multiple birth families is necessary to provide optimum support during the first 1001 critical days. Design A rapid review was undertaken to synthesize knowledge of the needs of multiple birth families in the United Kingdom (UK) during the first 1001 critical days. Findings from five databases (MEDLINE, APA PsycArticles, APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, and Web of Science) for peer-reviewed studies and grey literature published between 2012 and 2022 were synthesized. Fifteen studies were reviewed using narrative synthesis. Results Multiple birth families have unique and complex emotional and practical needs across the first 1001 critical days, and in particular, the first-year post birth, impacted further by complicated pregnancies and prematurity. Needs were identified within the four key themes: high risk pregnancy and birth; transformed reality of raising multiples; inadequate support; and positively affecting experiences. Health professional support was inconsistent and particularly lacking in intrapartum, postnatal, and community care including transition. Conclusion Multiple birth families’ needs should be considered in the design and delivery of care within the first 1001 critical days, especially within the first year after birth. Multiples specific advice across the first 1001 critical days is needed and training for health professionals to adapt universal advice for this population is one way to achieve this. Further research is needed to ensure this advice is evidence based and effective

Creating multiple connections - Exploring experiences of families with twins, triplets or more

Adjusting to family life and caring for two, three or more new babies, with possible health problems mainly due to prematurity, provides psychosocial and practical challenges for the multiple birth family. Specialist in formation, advice and support from professionals due to the demands of parenting multiples is needed. There is limited research into the lived experiences of multiple birth families during the early years and their perceptions of family life with young children who are multiples. The aim of the study was to explore the parenting journey of parents of multiples from pregnancy to starting school through the medium of family photographs

RCN multiple births midwife standard: review of distribution and implementation

Reports of an ‘excellent and comprehensive document’, pride, and success stories have shown that the Multiple Births Midwife Standard (MBMS) can be an effective tool for providing multiple birth mothers with personalised and professional care. When staffing, funding, and resources allow, Multiple Births Midwives have affirmed how valuable the role is for co-ordinating care and improving experiences for multiple pregnancy families. Accompanying these success stories are reports from other services around implementation challenges, a lack of strategic plans for improvement, and incomplete multidisciplinary teams

Using innovative observation to improve teaching and learning: a collaboration between students and academic staff in higher education

This chapter explores the experiences of university teachers and students who participated in an innovative model of collaborative observation over two academic years. Drawing on qualitative data from several longitudinal case studies involving small groups of staff and students, we critically reflect on the key findings and implications for improving teaching and learning in higher education. The chapter reveals how these students and their teachers used a model of collaborative observation to develop a collective classroom consciousness about learning and its relationship with teaching. As an antidote to neo-liberal, commodified conceptualisations of teaching and learning that have historically dominated the use of observation in education, the participants’ experiences captured here illustrate how our innovative model can provide a stimulating platform from which to co-develop collective classroom consciousness. This classroom consciousness can subsequently be used to inform and transform the learning and professional practice of students and their teachers meaningfully and sustainably

Learning about learning and teaching: developing classroom consciousness and reimagining collaboration between students and staff

This paper explores what it means for university teachers and their students to work collaboratively to develop a collective classroom consciousness about learning and its relationship with teaching. It draws on qualitative data from several longitudinal case studies comprising academic staff and students who participated in two cycles of collaborative observation over a period of two academic years, as part of an externally funded project in a single faculty at a modern university in England¹. In this paper, we discuss participants’ experiences of identifying the foci of their observation inquiries, developing collaborative learning and teaching relationships through the project’s innovative approach to observation, along with revealing a synopsis of some of their collective discussions and reflections on teaching and learning. Counter to performative modes of understanding and evaluating teaching that have traditionally dominated the use of observation in education, the participants’ experiences captured in this paper illustrate how our innovative approach to collaborative observation can provide a productive platform from which to co-develop collective classroom consciousness that can simultaneously inform and transform the learning and professional practice of both students and their teachers