Moving to a new area while expecting a child is quite a feat for any parent, but for Amanda Faul, the challenge doubled. She moved from Los Angeles to Columbia for her husband’s job when she was 30 weeks pregnant with twins.
When Faul arrived, she started looking for support groups in the area to help with the unknowns of having multiples and found Columbia Area Mothers of Multiples (CAMOM) through an Internet search. She quickly connected with other local mothers of twins and triplets at one of the group’s consignment sales.
“Everyone there was so nice,” Faul says. “I got a great sense of community. CAMOM gives people a village to help them with this new journey in their lives.”
Faul since has become co-president of the group, a staple for Howard County mothers navigating the ups and downs of multiples for more than 20 years.
The group now has more than 250 active members and will host its biggest event this month — the annual convention for mothers of multiples clubs in the region.
“It’s a chance for our members to get away and have a weekend without the kids,” Faul says. “We offer the convention sessions like yoga and self-defense lessons. It allows you to meet people from other clubs and see how they view things and how we can help each other.”
For Colleen Myers of Ellicott City, the club gives her a chance to reach out to others without leaving the comfort of her busy home with one-year-old triplets.
“It’s been really great because they have an online website for members only, and you can ask questions from how to get simple chores done to nursing questions and details for the best doctors for multiples if you’re not from the area,” says Myers, referring to the group’s page on Big Tent, a group forum platform.
“Having multiples is such a unique situation, and this group gives you a unique opportunity to get plugged into the community,” she says.
And when it comes to finding information from someone who has been there and done that, some members say CAMOM brings a chance to turn to someone facing your same challenges.
“It’s immensely helpful and inspiring,” said Marna Schacknies, a mother of twins in Ellicott City. “You hear stories from these moms and realize that you’re not the first to encounter whatever the challenge may be and that they lived through it.”