Mother of Twins Club founder to attend national convention in Toledo

Marge Ainsworth, third from left, with the first officers of the National Organization of Mothers of Twins Club, in 1960. THE BLADE/LORI KING Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Left: Marge and Tom Ainsworth in 1954 with their children, from left, Nancy, Patricia, Tom, Judy, and Bonnie. Right: Marge Ainsworth, center, with her twins, Tom Ainsworth and Patricia Hannifin, now 57, standing behind her, and her great-grandchildren, twins Max and Henry Pekich. THE BLADE/LORI KING Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Toward the end of her last pregnancy, Marge Ainsworth would tell people that "I feel like I'm carrying an octopus."

For good reason. There were two sets of arms and legs moving around inside her — the twins she had always wanted.

That was in 1953, the year Mrs. Ainsworth, of West Toledo, also gave birth to the Toledo Mothers of Twins Club.

"It took off like wildfire," she said.

Now 88, Mrs. Ainsworth will be on hand Aug. 4 when the Toledo organization opens the 50th anniversary convention of the National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs, Inc. at the Park Inn on Summit Street. Mrs. Ainsworth also helped deliver the national group, playing a central role in its formation in 1960 and serving as its first president.

The national has more than 26,000 members in more than 450 clubs in 44 states. Its convention runs through Aug. 7 and will include two events at the Park Inn that are open to the public: opening ceremonies at 7 p.m. Aug. 4 and a retail "showcase" from 5 to 7 p.m. Aug. 6 with vendors selling books, jewelry, and other items relating to multiples.

For the entire month of August the Toledo Mothers of Twins Club will have a display called "Twice Upon a Time" at the Main Library downtown. It will include factual information about multiples and a feature on famous twins — including northwest Ohio's "American Idol" runner-up Crystal Bowersox.

The history of the local organization goes back to November, 1953, when Mrs. Ainsworth's twins, Thomas and Patricia, were 11 months old. Mrs. Ainsworth was making lunch for them and two of her other children, Nancy, 2, and Bonnie, 3. Her oldest daughter, Judy, 9, was in school.

"I was a Brownie Scout leader and my co-leader called me at noon and said ‘Turn on the TV. There's a woman talking about a Mother of Twins Club,'" she recalled.

The interview was over by the time she could break free to watch it, but she learned that the woman was from the Fremont club and was trying to generate interest for a chapter in Toledo.

At the time, there were five Mothers of Twins clubs in Ohio. The first was formed in Akron in 1948, followed by Youngstown later the same year, Warren in 1949, Fremont in 1950, and Port Clinton in 1952.

Mrs. Ainsworth liked the idea. She invited three other mothers of twins to her house to discuss it with several members of the Fremont club.

Then she put a blurb in The Blade inviting mothers of twins to a meeting. "In December we had 13 more people come... By March we had over 50 members," she said.

When the growing club spilled out of members' homes, they gathered in shelter houses and churches. Toledo Hospital invited members to meet there more than 20 years ago, and there they have remained.

As they still do today, the women looked to each other for support, advice, and encouragement. They talked about issues any mother wonders about, like potty training and biting, as well as the questions unique to parents of multiples. Should I dress them in matching outfits? Should they be in different classes in school?

Members also brought their kids' outgrown clothing and equipment to meetings and sold them to each other — a tradition that has grown so large that the sales now are held twice a year, spring and fall, in a local church.

"I made lifelong friends," Mrs. Ainsworth said. That's why she and many of the members who no longer have small children remain active in the club.

"In the Toledo group a large percentage have been in for more than 20 years," said Mrs. Ainsworth, who also is a past president of the state Mothers of Twins chapter, serving from 1955-57.

Diane France of Perrysburg, who is immediate past president of the Toledo club, said Mrs. Ainsworth "is an inspiration to each one of us. She's a pillar of strength, and I think she gives each member hope. She tells new members ‘you will meet your dearest friends as part of this organization.'"

Mrs. France, the mother of 8-year-old triplets, says the Toledo club has 97 members, including:

• Two members with two sets of twins;

• One member with one set of twins and one set of triplets (and a total of 10 kids in all);

• Nine members with triplets;

• Three members who are twins themselves;

• One member with twin grandchildren;

• One member with twin great-grandchildren (that's Mrs. Ainsworth);

• Three sets of twins born on different days.

The group meets the second Thursday of every month, September through May, in Toledo Hospital's Croxton Memorial Auditorium. Dues are $25 a year; for more information go to the group's Web site, tmotc.org.

Mrs. Ainsworth, now a grandmother of 13 and great-grandmother of 17, said every time she was pregnant she'd ask her doctor if he thought she might be carrying twins. She knew of no twins in her family, but she wanted them badly.

"The doctor said it would be very unlikely," she said.

When her wish came true, "the doctor knew but he never told me," Mrs. Ainsworth said, noting there were no ultrasounds back then that would have revealed the two babies to Mrs. Ainsworth and her late husband, Tom. The doctor kept the news to himself to protect her, "if something would have happened," she said.

Years later, when she had the time, Mrs. Ainsworth looked into her genealogy. "I found 28 sets of twins on my mother's side," she said.

Contact Ann Weber at:

aweber@theblade.com

or 419-724-6126.