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Author:
Khushboo Kirale
- >> Post Created: August 22, 2020
- >> Last Updated: May 2, 2024
Medically Reviewed by: Dr. Veena Shinde (M.D, D.G.O, PG – Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) from Warick, UK), Mumbai, India
Pregnant with Twins or multiples - List of FAQs
This article answers some of the very important FAQs that a mother faces when pregnant with twins or multiples starting with what are the different types of twins, how do you know, how much to eating etc.
I have tried to address as many queries as possible for all you women Pregnant with twins or multiples – all from my own experience of delivering triplets coupled with extensive research – online and offline on the topic, when i came to know I was Pregnant with Triplets.
In case you have further questions, please feel free to get in touch with us. We will try and address your queries as soon as possible.
Here is a list of FAQs I have addressed to help you when you are pregnant with twins or multiples:
How can I Prepare for Twins?
- Find the right healthcare provider: When pregnant with twins or multiples, it’s important to choose healthcare providers who have had experience with twin pregnancies. They will be able to answer the questions that are relevant to your pregnancy and offer the appropriate advice and care.
- Take care of yourself: As it is with any pregnancy, rest is important if you’re pregnant with twins, especially during the second trimester. Some gentle exercise may help you sleep better. Following a good pregnancy diet helps ensure that you and your little ones are getting all the nourishment needed for a healthy growth. Also make sure you don’t miss any of your prenatal doctor visits.
- Ask for help: When you are Pregnant with Twins or multiples, you are definitely going to need more help. Discuss with friends, family and caregivers for lending a helping hand to help take care of you and your babies. Of course you would be on the forefront of your babies care, but trust me, you will need all the help you can get. So don’t feel shy to ask for it. In-fact discuss this in advance and keep yourself prepared.
- Shop for tiny ones clothes in advance. Wash them at least twice so that they fall softly onto the baby’s skin and are not hard. Not only clothes prepare whatever you can in advance. Make your list of must haves and plan shopping from time to time. You will have less energy as the pregnancy progresses.
- Keep a look out for newborn baby diaper offers. (Learn more: Choose a right Diaper, Buying Diapers in Bulk, Diapers for sensitive skin & Home remedies for diaper rash)
- Search for good changing tables, changing pads, changing mats etc. You can browse for offers and shop in advance. (Learn more: How to change Diapers)
- Keep other bathing, grooming and diapering needs ready in advance so that you do not need to run around later.
- Make sure you get ready with plenty of time to spare. Consider taking early maternity leave, if you can. Many twin moms-to-be do this because their babies may arrive as early as 35 weeks, and this gives them more time to start preparations at home. This can mean stocking up on sets of everything like car seats, cribs, clothes, diapers etc. Baby proofing your home in advance and getting your hospital bags packed nice and early, at around 34 weeks would be a good tactic as well.
- Stock up. Stock your refrigerator and pantry with essentials well in advance. Frozen home-cooked meals are a good idea as well. You can also make frozen school lunches for your older kids. Leave some space in your freezer, as you will probably need it for expressed breast milk storage. (Learn more: How to store and warm breast milk, Best Breastmilk Storage bags, bottle warmers)
- If you have other children, you need to make sure they have people to take care of them. Take help from friends and relatives to take care of your other kids. Even picking and dropping them at school will be great help for you.
Learn more: Pregnant with Twins/Triplets/ multiples?? First hand tips & how to prepare…
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What are the Symptoms When You are Pregnant with Twins or Multiple Babies?
You may notice some of the following signs earlier on in your pregnancy which could be related to carrying twins or multiples:
- Severe morning sickness. This could be due to higher quantities of hCG hormone produced to endure twins/multiple.
- Faster weight gain during the first trimester.
- The baby bump may be visible earlier on, cause of changes your body is making to accommodate twins/multiples.
- Your breasts may feel extremely tender.
How Did I Become Pregnant with Twins / Multiples?
About 90% of all multiples are twins. Some women are more likely than others to give birth to twins. The factors that increase the odds include:
- Age of the mother—The sex hormone estrogen is seen in higher levels in women above the age of 30 compared to younger women. The higher levels of the hormone stimulates the ovaries to release more than one egg per ovulation.
- Number of previous pregnancies—The greater the number of pregnancies a woman has already had, the higher her odds are of conceiving twins or more.
- Heredity—Just like the color of your eyes, a woman can also inherit the chances of conceiving twins. If she herself is a twin or she has already given birth to twins, she has a higher chance of conceiving twins. If she has siblings who are twins, then also her chances are higher of becoming pregnant with twins.
- Assisted reproductive techniques—Many of these techniques use fertility drugs to stimulate the ovaries due to which more than one egg can be released at a time. This can result in multiple babies.
- Higher body mass index (BMI)—A BMI above 25 is associated with an increased probability of having twins.
How and When Can I Confirm about Multiple Pregnancy?
The best person to confirm if you were pregnant with twins or multiples is your doctor.
Your doctor would also be able to observe if your uterus has expanded more than normal or if there is more than 1 fetal heartbeat.
An ultrasound exam using sound waves to create your babies images will also be able to detect multiples by 12 weeks.
How Is a Multiple Pregnancy Different?
Can tell you from my own experience as a mother of triplets, while pregnant with twins or multiples, your pregnancy is anyway different. Right from the first trimester to the delivery.
You are going to have to go through much more tests, ultrasounds and doctor’s visits, but all this is to make sure you and your baby are growing healthily without any complication.
You might have profound symptoms as a result of carrying twins or multiples like morning sickness, food cravings, fatigue, frequent urination and other symptoms which are commonly experienced by pregnant women.
Please keep in mind that a twin pregnancy/ multiple pregnancy is a high risk pregnancy and it’s essential for you to be as comfortable as you can be with your doctors and your maternity team, as they are going to be helping you remain healthy and assist in delivering your bundles of joy.
What Types of Twin Pregnancies are there?
Twins are of mainly two types—identical (monozygotic) and fraternal (dizygotic).
- Identical twin pregnancy: Approximately, one out of every 3 sets of twins are Identical Twins. Identical twins are conceived when 1 fertilized egg divides into 2 while staying in a tiny collection of cells. These self-contained halves slowly develop into two babies. These babies have the exact same genetic formation—SAME DNA. Which means, they will be the same sex and look very much alike with the same eye color, hair color, and blood type.
- Fraternal twin pregnancy: Every 2 out of 3 sets of twins are Fraternal Twins. These twins would usually be more alike than siblings born in different time frames. They can be of same sex or opposite, with odds roughly equal for any probable combination. Fraternal twins are conceived when 2 separate eggs (ova) get fertilized by 2 separate sperms making fraternal twins.
For more details on Types of Twin Pregnancies refer to our post: Types of Twins
Are the Placenta and the Amniotic Sac Shared by Twins?
Some twins do share a placenta and amniotic sac but it’s not the case with all of them. Here are some possibilities listed:
- Two placentas and two amniotic sacs. This is the ideal scenario in a pregnancy as both the babies will have their own placenta and amniotic sac which enables them to have their own protective membrane and nutritional source.
- One placenta and two amniotic sacs. In pregnancies with one placenta and two amniotic sacs, you will definitely have identical twins. There is a higher risk of complications when the babies share a placenta. One of the complications can be Twin–Twin Transfusion Syndrome. Your doctor will have to monitor you closely to detect any potential risk in advance.
- One placenta and one amniotic sac. This type of pregnancy comes with the biggest risks, but is thankfully the rarest type. Complication can occur because of unequal distribution of nutrients and blood, the umbilical cords getting tangled, etc.
For more details on this topic refer related to: Types of Twins
Common Types of Identical Twins
Fraternal Twins
What is the gestation period for when Pregnant with Twins of multiples
The average and normal gestation for women carrying a single baby is around 40 weeks.
However, the gestation period while pregnant with twins or multiples —is generally about 38 weeks on an average. This happens due to the increased pressure on the mother’s body for fulfilling the growth of two babies, and the inability of the babies to receive the necessary nutrients they need in the uterus.
As twins have a lowered gestation time, they tend to be born prematurely with a lower birth weight, which may lead to a number of disorders including jaundice.
Do I have to eat for 3 when pregnant with twins?
Nutrition is a vital element for having a healthy pregnancy, as what you eat will feed your baby’s growth. Therefore, eating a balanced diet filled with the right nutrition is recommended by all doctors.
Your doctor may prescribe important prenatal vitamins, extra folic acid, or iron pills to make sure you are getting enough nutrients for you and your growing baby.
Your doctor may also suggest you to increase your calorie intake anywhere between 300 – 600 calories, depending from patient to patient, apart from giving you a detailed diet chart.
Moms with multiple pregnancy are generally suggested to increase calorie intake up to 600 calories per day.
At one point of time during my pregnancy, my doctor had suggested that I should eat as much as I could as I was suffering with really bad acid reflux for some time.
If you follow a vegan diet, vegetarian diet or any other diet as a lifestyle choice OR have religious restrictions on certain food intake, make sure you inform your doctor so they can build a diet plan based on your preferences.
Also, inform your doctor about any allergies that you may have, so they can eliminate the same from your diet.
How Much Weight Would I Gain in a Twin Pregnancy?
While pregnant with twins or multiples, be prepared, as you are going to put on more weight to sustain the pregnancy.
However, please make sure you follow a balanced diet as charted out by your doctor or dietitian so that you’re gradually and naturally putting on weight which is needed for you and your baby to remain healthy and you can support your babies throughout the gestation period.
In general, if you are healthy and had a normal weight before becoming pregnant, the recommended weight gain with twins ranges from 37 to 54 pounds. This may require an additional 600 calories a day (300 for each baby), depending on your activity level. Ideally you would gain about a pound a week in the first half of your pregnancy, and then a little more than one pound a week in the second half.
What are the Various Risks Associated with Twin Pregnancy?
- Placenta previa: The placenta is low and covers the cervix.
- Premature delivery: When you are pregnant with twins or more there is a higher possibility of premature delivery. Calculate your approximate due date, but keep in mind your little gang might arrive early, possibly even before 36 weeks. In this case, your babies might need special assistance with breathing or sucking for a while.
- Low birth weight: Most multiple pregnancy babies have a lower birth weight which averages at around 5.1 pounds for each baby. Don’t be scared to see very tiny babies, they will grow strong soon.
- Tangled umbilical cord: One of the babies can get tangled in the umbilical cord. In very rare cases, some twin babies can share the same amniotic sac. This can be risky if one of the babies becomes tangled up in one of the umbilical cords. Should you have this kind of pregnancy, your healthcare provider will monitor you more frequently, and it is likely you will have to give birth via a C-section.
- Placental abruption: The placenta tears away from the uterine wall.
- Twin–twin transfusion syndrome: Another risk is twin–twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), where one baby gets too much blood flow, and the other baby doesn’t get enough. You can discuss this with your doctor and know how to overcome these challenges.
- Gestational diabetes: If you’re carrying multiples, you’re at increased risk of gestational diabetes. This condition causes high blood sugar that can affect your pregnancy and your babies’ health. An endocrinologist, a registered dietitian or a diabetes educator can help you learn to manage your blood sugar level during your pregnancy.
- Placenta accreta: The placental blood vessels along with some other parts can grow too deeply into the uterine wall.
- Gestational hypertension:If you’re carrying multiples, you’re at an increased risk of developing high blood pressure disorders during pregnancy.
- C-section delivery:When you are delivering twins, vaginal delivery is performed quite frequently, especially if the first baby’s position is head down. If the first baby is in the feet down position, a C-section can be advised by the doctor. In some cases it has been observed that complications develop after the vaginal delivery of the first baby; therefore, the second baby requires a C-section. For triplets or more the common route of delivery is usually a C-section.
- Postpartum hemorrhage: The woman has heavy bleeding after delivery because the placenta is large and the uterus has stretched too much.
Related Posts: Types of Twins >> This post has more details of various anomalies that can happen in twin pregnancies related to Types of Twins.
Is It Normal to Feel Anxious About a Twin Pregnancy?
It’s natural to feel apprehensive about expecting two or more babies. After all, you’ll have to be prepared, focused, and physically fit to take care of more than one newborn at once.
Although being pregnant with twins or multiple babies will mean more of everything. Remember, your growing family will be a whole lot of fun, with more children bringing love into your life.
Try to seek out support networks, speak to your doctor, and find other moms of twins for guidance.
Be sure to take a childbirth class; there are some that are designed specifically for parents of multiples.
Twins may be a challenge, but you will get double the joy. They will keep each other company and you will get the wonderful experience of watching them grow into little people with different personalities.
If you have been struggling to narrow down your baby name wish list, one of the benefits of having twins is that you can choose even more names for your little ones.
Soon enough, you will have not one, but two bubbly little munchkins adding joy to your family.
Khushboo Kirale
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