The experience of being pregnant with twins or more is one that many around you may not be able to relate to. There are many myths and false information out there that you will hear. You may be told many horror stories about giving birth to twins. And that doesn't even begin to cover what you will hear about the first year of raising your babies! LOL
Every situation is different, so we have different views based on what we have experienced during our own pregnancies. Please enjoy reading this, but know this is no substitute for researching for yourself and talking to your health care provider (physician, ob, midwife and/or doula). If you are really concerned about a problem, please call your caregiver immediately!!
FAQ (frequently asked questions)!!
What were your BETA/HCG #’s for your multiples pregnancy? Here’s a link to check out!
BETA NUMBERS for successful Multiple Pregnancies
How was the multiple pregnancy confirmed? The one true way to know is through an ultrasound.
What’s the ideal weight for my twins during this pregnancy? Check out this site to find out.
IDEAL WEIGHTS for twins during pregnancy
What is considered full term for multiples? 36-38 weeks is considered full term for twins. 34 weeks for triplets and 32 weeks for quads on up.
What week is common for a MOM (mother of multiples) to give birth? Here is a poll I did from the TWINS magazine site that might help answer this question:
Twins Magazine: what week did you deliver poll
What things do you need 2 of? Check out the
Twins Necessity list post to see the list of items along with the doubles.
How much weight do you gain with a multiple pregnancy? The recommended weight is 25-35 lbs. But that depends on your pre-pregnancy weight. It ranges anywhere from 15lbs to 100 lbs! But the majority of it is shed at the birth and soon after.
When did you feel them kick? As a first time mom, you might not feel them kick til around 20 weeks. If you’ve had previous pregnancies it might be before that time.
How long does morning sickness last? It can start as early as 6-8 weeks and last as long as 14—16 weeks. Some people have it worse then others or even longer then others, but it’s not worse because you’re having twins.
When do MOM’s start showing? This varies from woman to woman and again depends on your pre-pregnancy weight. It can be as early as 10 weeks to as late as 20+ weeks.
Will I have to be put on bedrest? Not necessarily. It will be harder to move around the later in the pregnancy one goes so it’s just better to take it easier then if possible. It’s found that moms of identicals are put on bedrest more then moms of fraternals only because of the risks to identical twins – like TTTS and the sort.
What week is good to have the baby shower? Anytime before 28 weeks would probably be best. After that it might be too uncomfortable to move around and such. Plus with the risk of pre-term labor, it’s better to be prepared and have everything before that time if possible.
How many diapers will I need & what kind? Estimate a newborn goes thru 8-10 diapers a day. PER CHILD. So with twins that’s up to 20 diapers a day. I would have a few packages of newborns, but not an overabundance. They go thru them sooo quickly. It’s best to stock up on other sizes as well, so you know if one size isn’t working you at least have some to transition to. And because they go thru them so quickly – the cheaper brands will work just as well as the more expensive ones early on.
What week can you tell the sexes of the babies? Usually anywhere from 16 weeks on up. Most doctors check around 20 weeks.
Failed the 1 hr GD test, now what? It’s not uncommon for a MOM to fail the first test and then pass the 3 hr test with flying colors. It’s one of those strange things about a twin pregnancy. I wouldn’t be overly concerned unless your doctor is.
When do docs check the cervix/internal exams? They normally check early on and then won’t check again until around 32 weeks unless there are problems prior to that. It’s believed that if they do internals it can start up labor.
Do they have birthing classes for multiples? Marvelous Multiples® Prenatal Education classes are offered all across the United States and now in Canada. Most programs are hospital-based and are open to anyone expecting multiples. You might want to see if your hospital has one of these classes specifically for multiples!
MARVELOUS MULTIPLES CLASSES
What’s the most common delivery method of a multiple birth? Csections are more common among multiple births, but it IS possible to have a vaginal birth with twins. I'd say it's 60% csection rate to 40% vaginal rate. It all depends on the doctors, the babies and the mom though. Check the following link out to see what’s common among twin births:
Delivery Methods for MOMs
Can multiples be breastfed? Absolutely! Is it easy? Nope! It’s very tiring and time consuming, but it IS possible. Check out these sites for more information:
Breastfeeding multiples from About.com
Breastfeeding multiples from Parent Web.com
Breastfeeding multiples from ProMOM.org
Are my twins identical or fraternal? If your twins have one placenta and/or one amniotic sac – they are identical. If they have two placentas and two sacs they could be
either identical or fraternal. If the cord comes off of the placenta in a T shape – it apparently means that it was one egg that split - which means identical twins. If it was a Y shape it could be either fraternal or identical - meaning it could be 2 placentas fused together. Only DNA testing after the babies are born will give you the answers. If of course they are boy/girl – they are definitely fraternal.
WORRIED ABOUT PREMATURE MULTIPLES? Check out these sites for more information:
Premature Multiples from About.com
NICU do's and don'ts
Primer on Preemies
Common diagnosis in the NICU
Where can I get freebies/discounts on things for multiples? Check out this site to see if it will help!
Freebies for multiples from About.com
Freebies from twinslist.org.
Welcome to Expecting Multiples - FAQs and other information
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