Keeping Pace has been my shoulder to cry on for the last year! There were days with a toddler and infant twins that I just didn’t think I could make it through the day but I did with the love & support of everyone in Keeping Pace. Thanks!

–Tara Coleran

There is so much I can say about KPMM that I don’t know where to began. KPMM has been a great support for me. Someone is always there to listen. I’m a mom if 5 kids and without KPMM I wouldn’t know what to do. When times were tough, they were there, when something great happens they are there to say, “We’re so happy for you” I don’t think I could repay KPMM for all the love and support my family and I have received. KPMM is not just a group, they’re a great bunch of friends.

–Nikiesha Whitman
mom of 2 plus triplets.

My husband and I had been married for nearly 10 years when I quite unexpectedly discovered I was pregnant—with twins! As the pregnancy progressed, our feelings of excitement were mingled with a fair bit of trepidation. The possibilities of bedrest, prematurity, and wondering just how it would be possible to breastfeed two babies at the same time occupied our thoughts. Friends and family who were fond of making well-intentioned, albeit unhelpful and daunting, comments like: “Wow, having two babies is going to be a lot more work than one!” (Gee, do you really think so?) didn’t help ease our minds any.

We were first made aware of KPMM when we were enrolling in classes and workshops in childbirth and parenting offered at Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton. Linda Frenette, who organizes the workshops and classes at the hospital, told us about a multiples “Boot Camp” that was offered by KPMM. We were thrilled at the prospect of such a resource! We signed up immediately.

Unfortunately, I ended up giving birth to our two beautiful babies before the Boot Camp session happened; however, we kept the information we had received about KPMM, and joined the group soon after arriving home from the hospital with our new miracles……..

Those first few weeks at home were a whirlwind! Colicky babies, exhaustion from a difficult delivery and lack of sleep, raging hormones, and just being first-time parents……there were times that I really didn’t think we were going to survive the experience. We had lots of support from family and friends, but no one really understood how different it is having twins as opposed to a singleton. Every day I would find ten minutes to log on to the postings on the KPMM website, where I would always find the answer to a question or an issue we were having with the girls. Just knowing there were others out there who were having the same experiences we were kept us going. We also received phone calls from a Mentoring MOM, offering support in any way we needed it.

A few months later, we started thinking about the need for safe and reliable childcare. Our finances dictated that I would need to return to work in six months’ time, and we had no idea where to start looking for help. So, I logged on to the KPMM website and asked some questions about daycare facilities in our area or the possibility of a nanny. Within a day, I had tons of information from other members about daycare options. A few of the members put me in touch with people who had experience taking care of multiples, and we ended up employing the sister of one of the KPMM members as a nanny for our girls! She has been with us now for a whole year, and we couldn’t be happier.

KPMM has literally been a lifesaver for us in many ways. (Sounds corny, but it’s the truth.) As the girls grow older and we become more experienced as parents, I look forward to the day when I can “give back” to KPMM and help other new MOMs in the same way that we have been helped.
–Laurie

Mum to Natalie & Sarah, born 06/11/05