Rating: 
Summary: A mixture of nonsense and actual information
Review: A refreshingly non-bubbly book full of detailed medical and statistical information, but is it all nonsense?The references to astrology are the first tip (pg 9, 10, 36.) The inability to distinguish correlation from causality is the next (castor oil preventing hare lip, pg 183.) But the worst is the entire chapter on fetal memories, recovered with the aid of hypnotic or primal therapy. The author remembers knowing about, while still a fetus, not just the death of her sibling, but the death of her theoretical twin, whose existence is unsupported by any other evidence. On top of this are the obvious errors: 15,000 diaper changes in the first year (pg 55), mislabeled graphs which contradict the text (pg 90), presenting only a study contradicted by the bulk of the medical literature on the miscarriage rates from amniocentesis (pg 166). Given the new age nonsense, the lack of understanding of what constitutes scientific proof, and the fact that the book is dated (revised in 1991, there is no mention of the triple screen AFP test), it is impossible to evaluate the author's much more reasonable sounding advice on topics like diet.
Rating: 
Summary: The Truth Is Out There
Review: As a mom of triplets and a childbirth educator who works with multiples I suggest this book for all expected parents. The simple truth is that most OBs don't tell couples what they really need to know. I think couples need to be able to make informed choices and to do that they need ALL information. They need information about nutrition, lifestyle, bedrest, preterm labor and the drugs that are used to try and stop it, and about how important state of mind is in every pregnancy. I believe Elizabeth has one of the most honest books about multiple pregnancy. She has good information about nutrition and the work Dr. Brewer has done in the field. She gives accurate informtion on the side effects of most preterm labor drugs and she gives moms the information they need to make it to term. It isn't bad to question authority it is healthy. Be pro-active in your pregnancy your babies will thank you.
Rating: 
Summary: Not What I Expected
Review: Finding out I was pregnant with twins was moving, exciting, shocking and scary. I wanted a book that would help me understand how my pregnancy would be different to a singleton pregnancy, what to expect and some guidelines on how to look after myself. Although the book was informative and I loved the little comments made my mothers of multiples in the borders I didn't feel satisfied. I was more worried than before as the book goes into so much detail about the loss of a twin (this was the majority of a book) and premature labor. It started out good explaining the types of multiples and how common they are (or not) was interesting but there were very few pictures and I found it to be quite long winded. I must say that although this book was informative I felt more worried and anxious for my twins after reading it than before and was left still not knowing what to expect during my pregnancy.
Rating:
Summary: Very RISK focused - It scared me to death!
Review: Having already had one child, I am aware of what childbirth entails, and the associated risks. When I bought this book, I was hoping to have more of a comparative narration of the differences that I would go through with a twin pregnancy. I find that the so called advise that this author gives is not clear, is not helpful, and above all puts a fear on the mother, above and beyond the recognition of risk. The excerpts that are included in the margins are extremely negative, and irrelevent to the reader. Almost every time a doctor is mentioned, the person describes how the doctor didn't/wouldn't believe them, or that the Dr. did not take anything the patient said seriously. Along with that the exerpts generally describe the doctor as being incompetent in his/her diagnosis. The information that is included in these exerpts is irrelevent to carrying twins - nurses yelling at you because you're not pushing correctly, or experiences at the doctors office that resulted in the patient being ignored. This information has more to do with the assertiveness of the patient than it does of carrying twins and I found it to be very discouraging. The incessant focus on the loss of one twin is also extremely disturbing. While the occurance can happen, I desperately searched in the book for a positive majority of successful twin births, and this book did nothing to assuage my fears that had been instilled right from the beginning. The authors descriptions of the irreperable damage that having twins will do to your body, does not allow for any alternative methods to avoid such things. Vericose veins, and stretch marks, and incontinence apparently are a guarantee with twins, as is the extra fold of skin that will never go away. Nothing I read in this book gave me anykind of positive outlook for carrying, delivering, or caring for twins. I do not recommend this book to anyone who is expecting twins.
Rating:
Summary: Focuses on the negative
Review: Having just been told I was expecting twins, I was keen to find a book that could give me the information and reassurance that standard, "singleton" pregnancy books could not. But instead of finding useful information and reassurance, I finished this book feeling anxious and alarmed. It focuses far too much on the negative aspects of having twins - loss of one twin, preterm labor, birth complications, vanishing twin syndrome, etc. It is daunting enough being pregnant with twins without reading a book that reminds me of all the things that can go wrong. In addition, the author offers impractical advice on nutrition and exercise, which in many cases is contrary to advice from the medical profession. Not everyone has the money or the desire to eat seaweed and other "macrobiotic" health store food. All in all, I would not recommend this book to any woman expecting twins. It is alarmist and out-of-touch with real pregnant women.
Rating: 
Summary: parts of this book are indespensable
Review: I agree that many sections of this book are out of date and that some of the material can be scary but for those of us who experienced difficult twin pregnancies it was a great resource. I found this to be the only book that described in detail the complications I experienced and medical solutions to those problems. I felt comforted to read about my situation and read botht he positive and negative outcomes so that I was prepared. If you have and uncomplicated pregnacy I would not recomend the book.
Rating:
Summary: Still the Best!
Review: I bought this book back in 1991 when it was just published, and I was pregnant with twins. My twins are now 9 years old, and I have not seen a book since then that is as informative and emotionally holistic as Elizabeth Noble's HAVING TWINS. I followed her advice for weight gain and protein intake as well as whatever other advice I was able to accomodate. My twins were born 1 week AFTER their due date and 7 lbs 2oz and 7 lbs 4 oz. I guess you could say it really worked! I felt the chapter on the death of a twin was completely appropriate. I appreciated being able to talk about that possibility and make plans for "what if." The chapter is tastefully written with deep respect for the reader. I found it extremely moving and useful. I am just about to buy this book and give it to a friend of mine who is pregnant with triplets - super twins. If I had been able to find a better book, I would have bought it, but the writing and advice in Elizabeth Noble's book is as good today as it was 9 years ago when I bought it for myself.
Rating:
Summary: biased and dated
Review: I bought this book because it seemed to be highly regarded by other parents of multiples. However, I have been disappointed in the overall content. While Elizabeth Noble does a fine job of pointing out that carrying and delivering multiples is often risky (which I knew -- that's why I wanted a book!), she inserts a lot of personal bias and commentary into passages that are presumably meant to be factual/informational. Those of us who are not strongly interested in an organic, vegetarian/vegan diet, and those of us who are NOT REMOTELY interested in childbirth without pain meds, might find the tone of the book off-putting. The many cross-references could be valuable resources for the reader, but the references and information do tend to be older. The first edition of the book was published in the early 1980s; subsequent editing has not addressed Ms. Noble's reliance on studies from the 1970s. Without more recent information on twin mortality and complications, it is difficult for the reader to determine what is REALLY worrisome or advisable. My biggest concern about this book is its focus on all the things that could go wrong. It's true that expectant mothers need to be informed, but we also need to be supported and reminded that the vast majority of twin pregnancies result in two perfectly healthy babies. FWIW, *most* resources that I've seen focus on the scary side -- but the fact that they all do it doesn't make it ideal. I plan to buy another, more recent book to get me (and my babies!) through my twin pregnancy.
Rating:
Summary: When all doesn't go well!
Review: I bought this book when I found out I was having twins in 1997. The chapter on Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome scared me to death and I skipped over the information on loss and planning after the loss. I SHOULDN'T HAVE! We lost our twins to TTTS on 7-4-97 and I then went back to the chapters I had skipped and found very useful information that I wished I had taken the time to read before our loss. Not all parents have successful twin or higher pregnancies and the media tends to 'glamorize' the successful ones while the rest of us are left to wonder if we made the right decisions or not. More needs to be available to the parents who are struggling daily to save their babies. Not all multiple pregnancies end with two or more healthy beautiful babies to bring home. But these babies do matter and do affect many, many lives and are NEVER forgotten by the families that lose them.
Rating:
Summary: It scared me to death!!!!
Review: I do not recommend this book at all. There is way too much discussion of what can go wrong and too much "new age" philosophy that is very strange to me. Elizabeth Noble is under the impression that she had a twin that died in utero and that influences the way she has gone about writing this book. This is very scary reading for any woman pregnant with twins.
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