Double the trouble. No one in my family had twins, so as you can imagine, it was quite a shock when I found out that I had two babies growing on me at the same time. Remembering the day the doctor told us always makes me smile. As I was doing the usual ultrasound during my third month, he says in a calm voice. “Here’s the baby’s heart,” then moving to another spot, “and here’s the other baby’s heart.” Just like I did then, he still stopped breathing for a minute. Although she was extremely excited, she was also very scared. I didn’t know what to expect from the pregnancy, the delivery, and my God, how was I going to take care of two babies?
No one can really prepare you for twins, but I am going to try to help some.
Double the symptoms.
You are probably wondering what pregnancy symptoms you will have. Most of the twin mothers had the same symptoms as a normal pregnancy, only multiplied.
Double the nausea. Like me, many women experience increased nausea and vomiting, known as morning sickness. If you are vomiting severely and cannot keep any liquid down for more than 48 hours, you should contact your doctor. They may want to hook you up to an IV to keep you hydrated. Lack of hydration can cause premature labor.
Double the size. Maybe not exactly double, but definitely bigger. A sure symptom of a twin pregnancy is a bigger belly. Expect to gain about 1 pound per week, or about 40 pounds for a full twin pregnancy. Weight gain for a single pregnancy is normally 25 pounds. You may want to eat especially healthy when you are pregnant with twins. You don’t want to get too big. Too much weight can push you into preterm labor. Many women complain that their sleepless nights have multiplied what at the time seemed like a million times. Since your stomach will grow significantly larger than a normal pregnancy, you can expect it to be quite uncomfortable.
Duplicate the moves. Yes, you can expect more movement. Many women pregnant with twins experience more movement than normal. You may feel a kick in your upper stomach and at the same time in your back. My four year old and I loved laying on our backs and watching them move. “It’s an earthquake in your belly” he said. It is normal for movement to decrease later in the pregnancy, as there will not be much room for them to move. I highly recommend watching a movie about the development of twins in the womb. It’s really amazing to see them interact. Also consider getting a 3D ultrasound video.
Double the ultrasound. One of my personal favourites. Ultrasounds are most often used in twin pregnancy to detect possible problems. An early ultrasound is needed with twins to establish the due date and see if they are developing in separate amniotic sacs. If they share the same bag there is more risk and complications. Fortunately, this rarely occurs with twins, only about 1% of all twins. Ultrasound is a great way to compare the sizes of twins. A baby can be a bit bigger, but hopefully not too much. Sometimes one baby will steal from the other.
Double the complications. Twin pregnancies have a much higher risk of preterm birth. They are also at risk of low birth weight, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, toxemia of pregnancy, and complications of childbirth.
premature labor Preterm is anything less than 37 completed weeks. More than 60% of all twins will give birth prematurely. Most of these preterm births occur after 34 weeks, in which case the overall long-term risks to the babies are quite rare. Deliveries before 34 weeks, especially before 32 weeks, can result in low birth weight and increased risks of permanent disabilities such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, hearing or vision problems. The best time to deliver twins is before the actual due date. Keeping them until the due date can result in larger babies, but it also further increases the risks of placental complications, labor-related complications, and delivery-related complications. The ideal time to deliver twins is 37 1/2 to 38 weeks pregnant.
Signs of preterm labor include: cramps, period cramps and cramps, increased pelvic or vaginal pressure, increased lower back pain, heavy vaginal discharge, vaginal spotting or bleeding, rectal pressure. If you experience any of these signs, you should contact your doctor. Better safe than sorry.
Double delivery. The chance that you will have a vaginal birth with your twins is around 50%. For your doctor to consider a vaginal delivery, both babies must be head down; both must weigh more than 4 to 5 pounds and be more than 35 to 36 weeks gestation. They should be of similar size with no evidence of growth problems. There should be no other pregnancy complications, such as high blood pressure or a low placenta. Twin deliveries usually occur in an operating room with staff ready at any time for an emergency C-section. Twins born by C-section are usually about 1 minute apart. Many consider that a cesarean section is a better option for twin deliveries since if a complication occurs they are better prepared. However, this is something you should discuss with your doctor.
I experienced toxemia, often known as preeclampsia, which led to an emergency C-section. I was scared, but when it was all said and done, I was rushed into surgery at 34 weeks. 5 minutes after the epidural was given, my baby boys were born. Everyone’s experience is different. Just make sure you find a doctor you trust who will keep you as informed as possible.
Duplicate the questions. Get ready now. Everyone is going to want to know right?
Twins. Fraternal twins occur when a woman ovulates more than one egg per month. Two babies are born from the same pregnancy that was fertilized by two separate eggs and two separate sperm. Fraternal twins can be of the same or opposite sex and differ both genetically and in appearance. Fraternal twins resemble each other just like any other sibling. Two thirds of twins are fraternal.
Identical twins. Medically identical twins occur when an egg cell splits during early embryonic development, resulting in two offspring from the same pregnancy. Identical twins are always of the same sex, have the same genetic makeup, have identical blood groups, and will physically resemble each other. Only a third of all twins are identical.
Do twins run in your families? When having twins, parents often find themselves subject to questions about genetics and the birth of their twins. Twins that run in families are fraternal twins. Since releasing more than one egg during ovulation is a trait that tends to run in families. Identical twins come from the same egg and do not run in families. There is no concrete link between genetic inheritance and identical twins, as no one knows when or why certain eggs will divide to cause twins while others will not.