Strolling in twin sets and pearls

By REBECCA WALSH

When Michelle Mann first took her newborn twins out shopping her pride turned to hurt as strangers exclaimed she was in for "double the trouble".

But the West Auckland woman soon had a quick reply: "They're twice as nice."

Yesterday, Mrs Mann and her 5-year-olds, Caitlin and Briahna, joined other families with twins and triplets for a walk around the Auckland waterfront to promote Multiple Birth Awareness Week, celebrated this month.

Statistics show record numbers of twins are being born in New Zealand as women delay childbirth - older women are naturally more likely to have multiple births - and fertility treatments are used more often.

From 1980 to 2000 the number of multiple births rose 74 per cent. The 54,916 births in 2001 produced 885 multiples.

For parents, adjusting to the arrival of more than one baby is a major challenge.

Shona Cates said the first three months with twins April and Joshua, now 20 months old, was a blur. Practical tasks such as getting them out of the house and into their pram were harder than with just one child and she valued the support of other multiple-birth parents.

The twins' father, Dean, said taking the children out sometimes felt like "a bit of a circus" but mostly the attention was positive.

Tsitsi Kuuya has become used to the attention her 3-year-old triplets attract.

"I know how to respond, even when I'm tired. Usually I thank them because most people say how lovely they are."

The Mt Albert woman, who already had two children, described the triplets as her "lovely surprise".

Despite their matching outfits, the girls had very different personalities, she said.

"There are times for similarities and times for differences. Today is a day for similarities."

Leanne Cox, mother of identical twins Chontel and Dabria, 3, said they had their own language and were best friends.