Support for Moms of Multiples

For a first-time mom, having a newborn baby can be a bit overwhelming. When you multiply that by two, three or more, it can be downright intense.

Kimberly Moore of Gages Lake clearly remembers the first few months after having twins, Erik and Zack.

“That time is hard," Moore said in a huge understatement.

She had attended a meeting for the Lake County Mothers of Twins Club (LCMOTC) while she was pregnant. The non-profit club has been helping moms of twins, triplets and more since 1963. Its purpose is to provide emotional and educational support for parenting multiples.

Monthly meetings give moms a chance to connect about various issues as basic as how to feed two babies at a time or how to get newborns on the same sleep schedule, to broader subjects like whether to separate kids once they attend school, and how to avoid constantly comparing the siblings to each other.

Moore enjoyed the group, but after she delivered her twins said she was consumed with the babies. “I totally forgot about everything else," Moore said. "I was exhausted and stressed out. It was such a challenge, really hard.”

That’s when Moore saw a post online from Kerry, another member of the Twins Club. “She was fantastic," Moore said. "I needed to talk through some of the issues I was having with the babies, and Kerry was there for me.”

Now eight months later, Moore is learning the ropes of raising twins and is becoming a regular at the club’s meetings.

“These are the people who get it,” says LCMOTC President Jennie Winters. “This is your social support network.”

The club includes 140 members from throughout Lake County, including Grayslake, Gurnee, Libertyville, Antioch, Lake Villa, Vernon HIlls, Round Lake Beach area and from as far north as Salem, Wis.

Monthly speakers cover a wide variety of topics including children’s allergies, nutrition and health, dental hygiene, traveling with twins, sensory and speech issues, and physical development.

The club also plans several family, couples and mom-only events each year including a Pamper Night for moms, a winter party and summer picnic, outings to pumpkin farms, theater shows and baseball games.

A wine-tasting party and Murder Mystery nights are popular couple’s nights to also give dads a chance to connect with other fathers of multiples. “It’s hard to get our husbands out talking about our kids. These couples’s events are a great way for them to talk with other men about raising twins.” Winters says.

LCMOTC also hosts a bi-annual resale where members have an opportunity to sell their infant and child items – everything from cribs and furniture to strollers, bicycles, clothing, shoes, toys, books, bottles and more. 

For Laura Rash of Libertyville, mom to 5 year old boy/girl twins, LCMOTC has been a great outlet in walking her through raising twins. “It’s nice to hear another mom say – don’t worry, this too will pass. We’re supporting each other. And, it’s nice that we can come here and brag, or vent, about our kids.”

LCMOTC meets the fourth Tuesday of every month at the Grayslake Middle School. For more information visit their website at www.lcmotc.com or contact President Jennie Winters at thewinters@ymail.com.