Seeing double in Telford at Christmas party for twins and more

And the answer was on show when more than 20 sets of siblings put on their dancing shoes for a Christmas party.

Those attending Saturday's Telford Twins or More Group event at the Hadley Learning Community included Rosalind Ireland, from Wellington.

The mother of three certainly had her hands full with her latest arrivals - six month olds Olivia and Max Island-Cartwright.

"Both are very different," said Rosalind, 43. "Olivia is a chatterbox whereas Max is a bit quieter.

"We had to buy double of everything so for Christmas. I am hoping to get two car seats."

She added: "We had IVF, so I wasn't surprised when I found out I was expecting twins. It has been a crazy few months and things have been a lot different from my first baby. Both twins sleep at opposite times to each other at the moment which means I am functioning off not a lot of sleep."

Fortunately Rosalind had her mother-in-law on hand to help, and also support from the Telford Twins or More Group.

This is a weekly club for parents of twins, triplets and more in and around the Telford area. The club has run for over 12 years and now has over 100 member families throughout the area, offering support and advice to parents and weekly play sessions for babies and pre-school children.

About 25 families attended Saturday's party, including single mum-of-six Tracy McGrath, 35, from Stirchley, said she was very shocked when she found out she was expecting twins Franky-George and Ocean-Rose.

She said: "I went into hospital with a bad stomach and they told me I had an ectopic pregnancy. After more scans doctors found it wasn't an ectopic pregnancy and I was actually expecting twins. I couldn't move. I was in a state of shock. It didn't sink in until they were born. I still can't believe it. It has been a bit of a blur.

"My older children have been amazing helping me out. They are a godsend, and I am lucky as the twins sleep at the same time. I don't have any time to myself but have managed to get back to work. I now work for Asda who have been great with the shifts they give me so I can work round the twins."

Also at the party were Heidi Weideman, 35, and her husband Martin, with their 16 month old twins, Grace and Kyle.

The couple are expecting their next child in March.

Heidi said: "My mum was a twin so I wasn't surprised when I found out I was expecting two babies. It has been very busy looking after two little people - it is double everything. They have started to play together now which is nice and when one is in a different room they start looking for each other.

"They have the same sleep patterns, except in the morning Kyle will wake an hour earlier and have some toast in bed with me while we wait for Grace to wake. I want to encourage their relationship and hope they form a strong bond.

"Kyle is a thinker and looks closely into things, whereas Grace likes to play with her teddy bears and is a right chatterbox. She has come on quickly and is always talking."

Heidi, who is originally from South Africa, said the couple had already taken their twins to her homeland and had taken them on Safari.

She said: "There are lots of positives of living over here - the education is good and I cannot fault the health care. But I don't think we will stay here forever - I want the children to experience a warm climate like we did.

"One tip I would give to parents with twins is go with the flow - don't have rigid rules."

One mother who has been using the support club for eight years is Dawn Taylor, mum of twins Hannah and Poppy Hayward and three year old Daniel Taylor.

Dawn, of Wellington, said: "I never thought I would be able to get pregnant and spent four years trying.

"So when I found out I was expecting twins it was a lovely shock. They were 5lbs when they were born 15 minutes apart. The group was a big help to me and I have kept in contact with other parents with twins over the years which has been nice.

"Now both girls have grown up you can see how different they are. One is very girly and the other is a tomboy. They both go to stagecoach and love dancing and drama though and they support each other.

"They are in the same class at the same school but have different friends. I wouldn't change the experience for the world."

*BLOB The Telford Twins or More Group meets each Tuesday morning at the Hadley Learning Community between 10am and 11.30am.

Further information on the group can be found on the Telford Twins or More Facebook page.