For parents and expecting parents of multiples

Clubs: Learn more about parenting twins, meet other parents, and get fantastic deals on used twin stuff

Contra Costa Parents of Multiples

• Serves: Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Concord, Benicia, Pinole, El Sobrante, San Pablo, Hercules, Crockett, Bay Point, Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakley, Brentwood, Discovery Bay
• Meetings: 3rd Thursday of the month, social time at 7:00 pm, meeting at 7:30pm
• Location: Grace Episcopal Church, 130 Muir Station Road, Martinez
• Sales: Holds annual sale in June  

Twins By The Bay

• Serves: Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Albany, El Cerrito, Piedmont, Kensington, Richmond, Moraga, Orinda
• Meetings: Quarterly guest speakers.
• New & Expectant Parent Support Groups:
  
•    Daytime - Every other Friday morning at St. John's, Oakland.
•    Evenings - First Thursday of the month at Emeryville IKEA.
• Location: Meetings are usually held at St. John's Episcopal Church, 1707 Gouldin Rd., Oakland (Montclair) CA 94611.
• Sales: Holds annual sale in June 

San Francisco Mothers of Twins Club

• Serves: San Francisco, East Bay, Peninsula, Marin
• Meetings: 2nd Wednesday of every other month, 7:30 pm
• Location: Kaiser Permanente 2388 Geary St. @ Divasdero
• Sales: Holds sales twice a year, once in spring and once in fall.  Next sale will be October 18 through 20 at the San Francisco County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park near 9th and Lincoln. 

Classes: Local childbirth preparation classes for parents who are expecting twins and higher order multiples

• Location: John Muir Women's Health Center
• Name: Marvelous Multiples
• From the website: Marvelous Multiples®, a national program, is now available at the Women's Health Center. This comprehensive prenatal class series offers expectant parents of twins or more with information regarding the aspects of multiple pregnancy including childbirth, newborn care, and breastfeeding. Fee required.
• Dates and Times: Call 941-7900, option 3

• Location: Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek 
• Name: Multiple Birth Class
• From the website: A one-session class for 2nd or 3rd trimester parents-to-be of twins, triplets, or other multiples births. Class will provide information, resources, and support for parents on issues such as labor and delivery and post-partum care. Includes tour of neo-natal intensive care unit. This class is open to members only.
• Dates and Times: Call (925) 295-5442

Books: A few good titles for those interested in learning more about parenting twins and the experience of being a twin

Fiction:

• I Know This Much Is True, by Wally Lamb. Deals with identical twin brothers, one of whom is schizophrenic.
• The Girls: A Novel, by Lori Lansens. Explores the relationship between female conjoined twins.

Nonfiction:

• Twins! 2e: Pregnancy, Birth and the First Year of Life by Connie Agnew et al. Covers gestation through early infancy with a helpful roundtable discussion at the end of each chapter between parents and experts.
• Mothering Twins: From Hearing the News to Beyond the Terrible Twos by Linda Albi et al. Portland mothers of multiples offer crunchy-granola flavored accounts of how they handled parenting twins. Feels dated in places.
• The Everything Twins, Triplets, and More Book by Pamela Fierro. A fine introduction to the gamut of topics parents of multiples will want to learn about, from pregnancy through early childhood.
• The Early Birds by Jenny Minton. This mom's memoir of the premature birth of her twins is great if you are interested in learning more about the NICU experience.