Amazon.com: Twinspiration: Real-Life Advice From Pregnancy Through the First Year (for Parents of Twins and Multiples) (9781589792807): Cheryl Lage: Books

Review

[Cheryl's] writing is beautifully done and the information was excellent. I wish such a resource had been available 8 years ago when my girls were born. A book such as Twinspiration is needed out there for the common sense approach to raising twins, I think it will be well received. I would buy it and recommend it to future twin parent patients. (Lora G. Christian, M.D, Pediatrician and mother of twin girls)

"Packed with advice, personal experiences, and humor(often at the author's expense), Twinspiration should be in the anxious hands of every doubly-blessed parent. In fact, any couple anticipating parenthood (or marriage, for that matter) would benefit from Mrs. Lage's thoughts under the heading "Prenatal Agreements". Failure to consider the topics in that chapter lands many couples in a therapist's office. You will be emotionally richer for reading this wise and witty book." (Katherine B. Coates, Ed.D, Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist)

Anyone who is expecting or has twins needs all the help they can get. Reading Twinspiration is a great start. (Carol Livoti, M.D., Ob/Gyn and Co-author of Vaginas: An Owner's Manual)

"All parents or parents-to-be of twins and higher-order multiples are going to receive their fair share of helpful and less-than-helpful advice on how to handle two-or-more babies, but will probably be lacking in battle-tested advice from parents who've been there, done that. With a nice combination of high humor and low hubris, Cheryl Lage provides a fun and practical handbook for parents of multiples. Written by a long-time, valued contributor to Twinstuff.com, we recommend this book to all moms and dads of multiples." (Craig Sanders, Co-Executive Director, Twinstuff Outreach, Twinstuff.com)

"Twinspiration is the ultimate go-to guide for the mom-to-be with two or more babies on the way. Part pregnancy guide, part heart-to-heart conversation with another mom of twins who has made this exciting journey, this book deserves a place of honor in the mountain of twin pregnancy books accumulating on your bedside table." (Ann Douglas, Author of The Mother of All Pregnancy Books and The Mother of All Baby Books)

"The writing is beautifully done and the information -excellent. I wish such a resource had been available 8 years ago when my girls were born. A book such as Twinspiration is needed out there for the common sense approach to raising twins; I think it will be well received. I would buy it and recommend it to future twin parent patients." (Lora G. Christian, M.D, Pediatrician and mother of twin girls)

"How does a mom handle pregnancy and life with twins? With careful planning, a positive attitude, a sense of adventure, and a copy of Twinspiration by her side. Even though nothing can help with sleep deprivation, the information in Twinspiration will help get new and expecting twin moms through the worry, confusion, and stress so they can enjoy the joy and excitement that all new babies bring." (Connie Correia Fisher -, Co-Author of "Mothers Know Best: Real-Moms Share 1001 Tips on Pregnancy, Birth and the First Year")

"With your pregnancy ups and downs multiplied by two, where do you go for guidance? How will you handle twins? What will raising twins really be like?In Twinspiration, Cheryl Lage provides insight into the life of twin parents, from the early stages of pregnancy through early toddlerdom. She provides the necessary information on how to prepare for and handle the twin-specific situations that are bound to arise. Her book is also chock full of twin-parenting advice that will help you keep your sanity and your twins in check. The more you and your partner are prepared for your "twin mommy/daddy" titles, the more you can look forward to your two bundles of joy. Be confident for your role as a parent of twins! If you're a new twin mommy, or a twin mommy to be, I highly recommend getting a copy of Twinspiration!" (Rachel Lower, Webmaster and author, www.Christian-Mommies.com)

"When I found out I was having twins, I immediately went to the bookstore to find information about my pregnancy and post-partum twin experience. But most of the books were about medical nightmares! Twinspiration was exactly what I needed to understand and get excited about the highs and lows of becoming a parent of twins. Cheryl's witty writing style is perfect for an anxious mom-to-be. It's like getting the real scoop from a girlfriend who's been there! My husband even enjoyed reading her play-by-play labor story, now he's sure he's prepared for the real thing!" (Pam Hervey, y, President-Fuel Creative, Expecting Boy/Girl Twins)

"If you are the least bit curious about what to expect at each phase of your twins' development — and you need to know that you're not insane if the same kind of anecdotes that Cheryl (and Scott) share so humbly with us happen to you and your twins — then you need to read this book. I only wish that Cheryl had written it before my wife and I had our twins! People always say they wish their babies came with an instruction manual. While no book will give you all the answers, Twinspiration is as close as it comes — with a huge heaping of humor thrown in to let you know that the main criteria for getting through it all is something you were born with and the reason you decided to start a family in the first place: love. An absolutely wonderful book!" (Bruce & Susan Lindeman, Parents of Jack & Chase, 22 months)

Mother of twins Darren and Sarah, Cheryl Lage uses humor, personal anecdotes and a friendly, conversational tone in her helpful book, Twinspiration. The host of the popular online twins website twinsights.com and a contributor to Twins™ Magazine, Lage provides insightful, honest advice and practical information for new and expecting parents of multiples. (Twins Magazine)

About the Author

Cheryl Lage is the web hostess of twinsights.com, a successful Q&A and twin tales website specifically geared towards parents of twins and multiples. Recently, Cheryl was sited as a twin expert in Christine Krogue's article "The Emotional Toll of Twins" for the September issue of Parenting magazine.

Customer Reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars

(58)

See all 58 customer reviews

“ I would recommend this book to anyone who's pregnant with twins! ” TWIN MOMMY | 20 reviewers made a similar statement

“ Cheryl's honesty, humor and helpful advice was great. ” Jessica Stoll | 17 reviewers made a similar statement

“ The twin message boards have been helpful, but I feel like this book was a "primer" to start with and then extend with the message boards and support groups. ” J. Bengel | 9 reviewers made a similar statement

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Guide for New Parents! December 10, 2006

By J. Bengel

Format:Paperback

My wife and I found out we were expecting twins late in the game... at nearly 20 weeks along. We were both shocked! After reading many of the reviews of different twin books, I blindly selected this one to give my wife as a gift for Xmas.

I opened it and started skimming the pages before wrapping it... but three days later, ended up finishing the entire book!

Now, my wife is wondering why I've gained confidence in knowing the items we'd need to buy, and how to respond to people who say "Double Trouble" or ask, "Do twins run in your family?"--'No, but they do now!'. She wonders why I suddenly flipped on the idea of getting a food processor to make our own baby food, and our parents have admired and are amazed my sudden knowledge of raising twins and what to expect in the first year. Some of my burning questions that were helped by this book are... get two cribs from day one? How much clothing to buy? How many diapers to expect? What to expect during the first year? What kind of stroller? How to deal with the soon to be annoying comments and questions from strangers (if you've heard "double trouble" enough to explode, just wait until your twins are born.)

Fathers-to-be, the humor in this book will keep you reading -- I liked how the medical stuff was embedded, though. There's even a chapter on intimacy and what to realistically expect. Throughout the chapters, there is a "daddy perspective" that I liked reading, and although the book is probably aimed more towards moms, you'll impress your wife!

This book does not cover the deep scientific nature of twins (e.g., twin language), the birthing process (just read the message boards for data on that......the book appropriately skips something that too many other books already cover), nor the step-by-step on how to breastfeed twins (which I felt was appropriate--the book recommends how to go about breastfeeding, such as hiring a lactation consultant), though it discusses the techniques that worked for the author, which might help a person to get a start on things. It certainly remained within scope of the whole twin-experience that answers the most immediate fears that newly expectant parents are looking for (at least for me).

The reason I'm writing this review was because we're currently looking at strollers and have been swamped with the features out there. I found the author's website and posed a question to her...and she responded, with the same sort of writing style that she wrote the book in (informative, touched with humor, and realistic). I've never emailed an author before, and wouldn't expect a quick response from any, but feel like the author is in it for helping people in this situation. The twin message boards have been helpful, but I feel like this book was a "primer" to start with and then extend with the message boards and support groups.

The true "test" of this book will come after the twins are born. But let me say, this book has certainly answered a lot of my concerns (and of course, generated more, but we'll just take it a day at a time!).
-----------------

UPDATE: Our twins were born 8 weeks early. We've returned back to this book and the "What to Expect" chapter. It's been extremely helpful (and fun to review the chapter on how to respond to people who say the obvious -- the first time we read it, we never saw those phrases coming!). The author's pregnancy was near-term, whereas ours was very pre-term. At the time when buying this book, I hadn't realized how "high risk" a twin pregnancy was.

Twinspiration has offered just what the title says -- inspiration for dealing with twins. After having them home for just 5 weeks, we are still on 3-hour sleep cycles, and the tips Cheryl offers will help us stick to a routine once that option is available.

As a money-saving penny-pencher, I have to say that Twinspiration has been worth it. Check out the author's website, too -- she has a nearly weekly Q&A. I think I'm going to go over there and ask how she had the time to write a book, as right now, my wife and I see no time left to even eat!

If you're looking for medical knowledge during your pregnancy, this is not the book for you. This is best for after the babies are born, but I'd advise reading it before they're born. Because once they are, you'll be too sleepy to enjoy it. Read more ›

Comment |

Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars FANTASTIC! July 1, 2006

By elviswoman

Cheryl Lage's "Twinspiration: Real-Life Advice From Pregnancy Through the First Year for Parents of Twins and Multiples" is an outstanding resource for expectant parents of twins. She covers all the stages of pregnancy and what to expect, pre-natal testing, birth, and all the real life scenarios that come after the babies arrive. Cheryl writes from real-life experience with wit and humour. She does include cautions about things that can go wrong, but what I really love about it is that she does this in a NON-alarmist way. I had ZERO panic attacks while reading this book, but at the same time, I feel that I have gained INVALUABLE information from Twinspiration. The writing style in this book reminds me of a big sister telling it all how it is. Let's just say that I was freaking out when I found out there are two in there, but now I am ready to face it all head on and I can credit a lot of that to this book. Thanks Cheryl, you have done a great thing with this book!

I STRONGLY recommend Twinspiration to any expectant parents of twins.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-have for parents of twins May 12, 2006

By J. Robbins

As a new parent of twins, I could not read this book fast enough - flipping pages while nursing, and even sacrificing much needed sleep to read the informative chapters. Lage writes from the heart, making you feel like she is with you through your own twin trials and tribulations. It is so refreshing to read the true-to-life account of her experiences in the early days - the good, the bad, and the ugly. She shares the mistakes and triumphs of motherhood with twins with honesty and a level head. While drawing from her personal experiences, she does not give too much information as to exclude those with different circumstances, i.e. not telling you the exact time her babies started sleeping through the night!

I have a five year old, but like so many others upon coming home with newborn twins, I too wished I had a manual for my beautiful boys. If you are expecting twins, this book is a must-have to put you in a positive, yet realistic frame of mind. My only regret is that I was so obsessed with labor and delivery, I did not read this book sooner. However, the great insight into the logistics, emotions, and wonder of twin parenting will have me revisiting this book frequently throughout the first year.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not a scary thought in it May 15, 2006

By Fonda White

Too many books about pregnancy and in particular, multiple births, have scary facts and issues that really make you not want to read them. This book is funny, amusing, and very informative. Some of the things mentioned in her book worth looking forward to... "Turn the computer off", "Baby's first bloodshed (daddy did it!)" and all the oops' and laughs along the way. It makes up for all those horror stories that seem to pervade the pregnancy shelves of every book store.

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT--- A MUST READ!!!! April 5, 2006

By Jessica Stoll

I thoroughly enjoyed Twinspiration! Cheryl's honesty, humor and helpful advice was great. She covered sooo many topics. As a mother of sixteen month old twin boys, I read and kept thinking to myself, "yes...i agree there...and that is sooo true...yep, I've been through that!". It was a true joy to read even with my boys being past that one year mark. As I read, I fondly reminisced of the joys of pregnancy and those difficult first couple months with our wee ones home. It was interesting to read Cheryl's perspective, and how she got through some of those early months. I enjoyed the guidebook of helpful advice as well as her personal added touches. I also liked how she was very openminded on what works for twins. She didn't try to push her advice on others (like so many books do). If something works...great, but if not...You're not a failure. I appreciate hearing words similar to those because every family is different..and some things work for some, and some things don't. It's just a fact of life. Cheryl Lage's book was very encouraging, enlightening, and truly a joy. Thank you!

Jessica

St. Louis, Missouri