Sunday, January 8, 2012

Membership Diversity

New and potential HAMOM members may be interested in our group's diversity. In fact, learning about the diversity of the group is an important element in understanding what kind of MOMs (mothers of multiples) are HAMOM members. When you understand the diversity, you understand how women from all walks of life come together with one common thread, and not only do we learn from each other, but we relate to each other in ways we might find surprising!
We have MOMs with twins and triplets, and have found that MOMs with higher order multiples can't seem to find the time for HAMOM. That's okay, we understand! But those of you sitting out there with four or more may still find our group beneficial (if anything, it's a great reason for having some MOM-only time).

At the end of our 2009-2010 Membership Year, we had 19 sets of girl/girl twins, 25 sets of boy/boy twins, 16 sets of boy/girl twins, and 5 sets of triplets, and total of more than 40 siblings in the group. We also have one member with two sets of fraternal twins, a girl/girl set and a boy/boy set.

We have MOMs that are stay-at-home, work-at-home, and working MOMs. We've got MOMs with children from different marriages, step-children, and blended families.

HAMOM's members have a wide range of experiences regarding fertility and infertility. Some people don't understand that yes, some twins are spontaneous (identical twins, for example) and even fraternal twins can be completely by chance. We've got MOMs who've gotten pregnant on the first round of fertility help, and we've got MOMs who've tried for years upon years to get pregnant, and were truly blessed with multiples.

We all understand how difficult life is with multiples. Whether it has to do with juggling two babies at a time, or even the day-to-day complications and challenges we face when dealing with our personal lives, whether it be a relationship with our family members who just don't understand what we are going through, or challenges our marriages and partnerships have faced after the arrival of our multiples. We've got MOMs who've been through separation and divorce, and are still standing strong.

In addition to blessings, some of us have faced tremendous challenges and even some have faced tragedy. We have children with mild to severe health problems, including debilitating diseases that leave them in need of constant care and medical assistance. We also have MOMs who've lost children.

Our MOMs are strong and wonderful women who gather and support other MOMs still in need of help. HAMOM is a wonderful organization where a new MOM off the street can come in and feel right at home. We welcome, with very open arms, all new and potential members. Being a MOM is something a mother of one or a dozen singletons just can't understand. We are always told others know how it feels to be a MOM because they have two that "are just a year apart" or are "really close in age." We've got news for those people - it's nothing like that! Unless you've had multiples, you will never know what it is like to have twins, triplets, or more. That's what bonds MOMs together and that is what makes HAMOM a wonderful organization to be a part of!

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