Philippa Murphy is the proud director of 20 Tiny Toes Ltd - a unique, innovative company dedicated to educating families with multiples ranging from antenatal, postnatal and beyond to the age of five.

Philippa's knowledge was gleaned from living and breathing many families' individual emotional highs and lows, twenty-four hours a day, six days a week. She personally experienced what you are going through, or may go through, and has had the pleasure of being there for over thirty-two sets of multiples. This gives her an expansive understanding of the emotional rollercoaster ride that parents and siblings often find themselves on.

Since Philippa's involvement was so intense she had to create methods and techniques for herself and the multiples in her care to enable her to continue to be an asset to the families she was teaching. By looking outside the square, by recognising that all babies are not a completely different species and, most importantly, by listening to their form of communication, Philippa was soon to discover techniques and methods that would bring calmness to everyone involved in the family environment.

As her expertise grew and families benefited from taking on Philippa's natural, instinctive techniques, there came a point where she knew this valuable information needed to be given to a wider audience and has written many articles and a book to do just that. Philippa says, 'It's like I have to say thank you for all the valuable experiences that each individual baby has shared with me.'

Philippa
This is your opportunity to be a part of that wider audience whether this is by holding a seminars, massage class or by booking a personal individual consultation.
Feeding

Views

Whether breast-feeding or bottle-feeding Philippa can relay the advantages and disadvantages of both options. Whichever choice you make, in her experience, feeding both of your twins together has huge benefits for your babies and yourselves.

BREAST-FEEDING Techniques

  • Latching techniques
  • Bringing in of initial milk
  • Feeding two at once while being hands free
  • Expressing milk
  • Latest guidelines for storage of breast milk
  • Assessing the quality of Mums' milk
  • Nutritional advice to achieve the best quality milk
  • Successful ways to recognize dehydration
  • Weaning

BOTTLE-FEEDING Techniques

  • Techniques for feeding two at once
  • Formula knowledge
  • Sterilization of bottles
Breast Feeding
Daily Patterns

Views

We as adults have a basic routine in our lives consisting of breakfast, lunch, dinner and bed. We know what is coming next and our bodies and health benefit from this knowledge and practice. Your babies will benefit from a structured day in the same way as will any breast-feeding mother, older siblings and you as a couple. In Philippa's experience, it is easier for all to start a feeding routine in the first two weeks of your twin's lives however, this is still manageable after two weeks. Once you have formed a feeding pattern you can then start to form a sleeping, winding, playtime, bath-time and massaging pattern that suits the whole family. At first this needs to be reasonably set to enable your babies body clock to adjust. Once they start waking up for their feeds on their own and show you they feel very comfortable with their daily pattern your lives can become more flexible as they will always return to the basic pattern that you have taught them.

Of course demand feeding is also an option and Philippa has experienced both but feels a routine benefits a family with multiples as a whole.

Techniques

  • Providing a daily pattern based on your twins weight and family commitments
  • This includes aiding you to put the routine into practice
  • Combining maximum feeding, winding and sleeping potential for your twins
  • Practical and pleasant methods to keep twins awake or aid their sleep
  • Achieving quality time for your marriage and older siblings
Daily Pattern
Winding

Views

Wind is an asset to babies as an innate gift from nature. It aids your twins with five fundamental survival tools. These are communication, bonding, awareness of surroundings, security and physical development. Philippa believes quality feeding and quality sleeping can only be achieved by quality winding. She is currently in the process of finishing, with the view of publishing, a guide on the three-step connection between feeding, winding and sleeping which, will benefit both parents of multiples and singletons in the first three months of life.

Techniques

  • Positions to release wind easier
  • Calming methods for both your multiples and you
  • Distinguishing between the signs of hunger and wind
  • Minimizing wind while your twins are breast-feeding or bottle-feeding
  • Understanding what your babies are communicating to you
  • Beliefs on why wind exists
  • Feeling and listening to wind
  • Incorporating winding into your day
  • Winding while your twins sleep
  • Advantages and disadvantages of pacifiers and the correct way to use them
  • Natural remedies to ease wind
Phillipa
Massage

Views

Over Philippa's career there have been parents who have wanted to massage their babies twice a day and others not at all. Through her experience, the multiples that were massaged benefited greatly by being more aware of their bodies while achieving a calmness within their environment. Quite often, with multiples, you can get so caught up with the normal day of feeding, winding, nappy changes, etc that, as one mother put it, you really just end up following your nose. Massage gives you all the opportunity for another pleasurable and beneficial bonding moment.

Techniques

  • Massaging two at once
  • Benefits of massage
  • Dos and don'ts of massage
  • Reflexology
  • Techniques including effleurage, petrissages, friction and dotting
  • Knowledge of oils
Massage
  • Making changes that will provide a more restful experience for both twins and parents.
  • Techniques on easing older siblings into the inevitable changes that happen and helping to develop a loving relationship between them and their new brothers and sisters.
  • Basic advice on Homeopathic remedies and natural creams for healing of caesareans, tears, mastitis, sore nipples, nappy rashes and much more.
  • Achieving a calm and enjoyable bath-time for all.
  • Methods to counteract sleep deprivation for mothers and fathers alike.
  • Coping with baby blues.
  • Imparting knowledge to Dads on how to pick up the early signs of postnatal depression.

2002 – ENGLAND

Baby Massage Diploma
Registered as a Graduate Member of British School of Yoga
Breastfeeding & Human Lactation Consultant Training
Management of Infantile Colic & Gastro Oesophegeal Reflux

1999 - ENGLAND

Child Development & Psychology Diploma
Pre & Postnatal Certified Exercise Specialist

1993 – NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand Nannies Training Course
Credentials
Over Philippa's outstanding experience of thirty sets of twins she has written many informative articles for 'The National Childbirth Trust' (NCT) in Wales, United Kingdom as well as the 'New Zealand Multiple Birth Association'. 'Little Treasures Magazine' approached Philippa for an interview about different aspects of twins which was published in an article in the February 2005 Issue and she is currently in the process of writing and publishing her first book which guides all parents through a three step connection between feeding, winding and developmental sleeping.

 
© 2006 - 2007 Philippa Murphy