During Twins, Triplets and More Week last month a proud Lewisham mother gave birth to healthy twin girls.

Midwives at University Hospital Lewisham (UHL) could not believe they were delivering Comfort Oyelumade's daughters during the awareness week for multiple births.

According to the Multiple Birth Foundation there are more than 9,000 multiple births each year in the UK.

The number is increasing with medical advances such as attention to pre-birth care and better IVF treatments which enhance the chance of multiple births.

Frankie Turner, UHL's practise development midwife, says the hospital has a twin clinic to monitor mums. She recently delivered the twins of someone she knew and says it was an amazing experience.

She said: "There are lots of types of twins. There can be quite a lot of dangers as some identical twins share the same placenta and need to be monitored very closely.

If a mother is expecting more than one they are scanned every two weeks."

The twin clinic educates expectant mums on their birth choices, as Frankie says there are many different ways to deliver.

She said: "Vaginal births are always encouraged as these are better for the babies - this is they way they are designed to come out. This way their lungs are squeezed of all the fluid they have had in the womb.

"Triplets always have to be delivered by Caesarean section, as not all the babies will be head down they may be lying across.

A Caesarean also prevents the chord coming out first which would mean the baby would just have a few minutes before it suffers. The babies are still squeezed a bit this way."

Mums of triplets are encouraged by the clinic to act as a resource for new mums - offering advice and support based experience.

"Families need to be prepared," Frankie said.

"For example breast-feeding can be difficult. Mums need to know how to do this in tandem or a breast for each baby. All these techniques are covered at our Breast Feeding Clinic for new mums."

For more information, call 020 8333 3000.