Shock and elation is what you are likely to feel when you first discover you are carrying more than one baby. The ride is certainly going to be different from what single baby mothers-to-be go through. Everything multiplies when you are expecting twins: the risks, the care you have to take, antenatal checkups you will have to attend and ultimately the joy when you deliver.

A Twin Pregnancy is Different

• Most women feel differently from early on when they are carrying twins. They guess from the shape and size of their uterus. This guess can be confirmed with a scan from as early as week 8 else week 12 when the routine ultrasound is performed.

• The gestation period is shorter. In normal situations it is about 40 weeks while in a twin situation it is 37 weeks or less. One reason is due to space shortage in the womb

• The birth weight of twins is less than single babies

• The second twin has to face extra risks and suffer more namely oxygen levels will be lower and they will need to experience contractions twice over

Double Trouble..

Pregnancy complications increase when there are two babies growing inside of you:
• Preeclampsia

• Bleeding before and post delivery

• Symptoms of pregnancy like anemia, exhaustion, sickness, odema, sleeping problems, shortness of breath are all heightened

• Pregnancy stress

• Faster and greater weight gain in the early weeks; the extra weight composes of extra baby, extra placenta, extra amniotic fluid and extra body fluid. In the later part of pregnancy, size will make daily activities laborious

• The odds for a C-section rises

• Preterm labor

• IUGR is at a higher rate when two babies or more share space; regular ultrasound becomes a must to keep track of growing babies

Fraternal or identical

• One third of all twins are identical, meaning they share the same sex and genetic package

• Identical twins are rare; they develop from the same egg and are genetically identical. They may share the same or develop their own individual sac and placenta

• Identical twins occur randomly

• Two thirds of all twins are fraternal twins, meaning their placentas and sacs are separate

• They develop from two different eggs; each egg is fertilized by a different sperm. Non-identical twins can be of different sexes.

• Half of all fraternal twins are boy-girl pair and the other half are same sex pair

• Fraternal twins run in the family

Likelihood of Twins increases..

• If you had fertility treatment

• If there is a family history of twins

• If your abdomen appears larger than the expected at your stage of pregnancy

• If you experience increased symptoms of pregnancy like morning sickness which tends to be much worse and lasts much longer

Checkups you can expect..

• Once you know you are carrying more than one, prenatal appointments increases, usually every 2-3 weeks in the first and second trimester and a weekly appointment in the final trimester

• Frequent ultrasounds to check if the babies are developing on track

• In the final trimester expect to have nonstress tests to ensure babies are thriving

• You will need to up your iron supplements now that your blood volume is much higher

• For your own health sake, you will have to eat well, rest more and work less. Avoid strain of any kind, both physical and mental. Lack of rest can trigger premature labor

Twin labor and delivery..

• On the average the gestation period is 37 weeks

• Delivering vaginally depends on the position the babies assume at the time of birth. Both babies can be headfirst, one headfirst and the second breech, or both breech.

• Other complications include problems with the umbilical cord, placenta's position and postpartum bleeding

• The rate of stillbirth is higher with twins

• The incidence of C-section is higher; this largely depends on the position of the first twin and if a twin appears to be in danger. If it is head down, then vaginal is possible but if it is breech, c-section becomes inevitable