As soon as you discover that you are having twins, your first thought is probably excitement! Twins are double the fun! Or are they double the challenge? Well, the truth is expecting twins or more is both exciting and a bit more nerve-wracking. How will your pregnancy, birth and postpartum period be different if you are carrying multiples as opposed to just one baby?
Expecting Twins Labels Your Pregnancy as High-Risk
Your care provider will consider your pregnancy to be high-risk if you are carrying twins or more. You will be at greater risk for developing anemia since multiple babies will place a greater demand of iron on your body. You can also more likely develop pregnancy-induced hypertension or gestational diabetes with a twins pregnancy. It is also more likely that your babies will be born a bit earlier than 40 weeks.
Expecting Twins Requires Additional Calories and Weight Gain
It is not unusual to gain more weight with twins and in fact, your provider may recommend that you gain between 34 and 44 pounds. So how does that translate to calories? Mothers expecting twins should be eating about 500 calories more each day than moms with a singleton pregnancy. You should plan to get about 2700 calories per day if you are expecting twins.
Expecting Twins Requires More Prenatal Visits
In early pregnancy you may not require any additional prenatal appointments beyond what a mother expecting one baby would need. However, during your second trimester, you will be visiting your care provider every 2 weeks instead of just once a month. In your last trimester, your care provider may want to schedule weekly prenatal visits with you.
Expecting Twins May Increase the Chance of Having a Cesarean
Because both babies are not typically "head-down" (also called vertex) with twins, some providers may not be comfortable attempting to deliver your twins vaginally. Sometimes both twins are breech or one might be vertex and the other can be breech. Occasionally, you may find a provider willing to deliver your twins vaginally as long as the lower twin (known as twin A) is vertex, even if twin B is breech. It is always a good idea to check with your provider early in your pregnancy to see what options you will have for a vaginal birth versus when you might need to have a cesarean with your twins pregnancy.
Expecting Twins May Increase Your Chances of Postpartum Depression
While there are many factors that can increase a mother's chance of postpartum depression, carrying more than one baby does seem to increase the odds substantially. A 2001 study conducted at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore found that a twins' pregnancy increased a mother's risk of postpartum depression by 43% over carrying a singleton pregnancy.
So what increases your chances of expecting twins versus one baby?
You are more likely to have a twins pregnancy if:
- You are over 35.
- You are of African descent.
- You have used fertility treatment.
- You have just stopped using oral contraceptives.
- A relative on your mother's side of the family had fraternal twins.
- You are taller than average height or obese.
If you find out in your first trimester that you are expecting twins, it can be helpful to be prepared for the challenges ahead. Despite some of the possible complications during pregnancy, don't forget that one of the best parts about having twins is the enjoyment of raising two babies side-by-side! Enjoy your twins pregnancy.
Have you had twins? Or are you currently expecting twins? What challenges are you facing or did you face in your pregnancy? Leave a comment here to share your story with others.
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