Is it OK to have twins?

Twin pregnancy is not just risky for the babies, but also for the mother. However, many of the risks to the mother are also risks to the unborn babies, since they can lead to premature labor, complications, or in the worst cases, fetal death.

Is it healthy to have twins?

Multiple birth babies have about twice the risk of congenital (present at birth) abnormalities including neural tube defects (such as spina bifida), gastrointestinal, and heart abnormalities.

What are the disadvantages of having twins?

Multiples are about twice as likely as singleton babies to have birth defects, including neural tube defects (such as spina bifida), cerebral palsy, congenital heart defects and birth defects that affect the digestive system. Growth problems. Multiples are usually smaller than singleton babies.

What age is best to have twins?

Age. According to the Office on Women's Health , women who are aged 30 years or older are more likely to conceive twins. The reason for this is that women of this age are more likely than younger women to release more than one egg during their reproductive cycle.

Are most twin pregnancies healthy?

Women with twin pregnancies are more likely to have pregnancy health problems and complications like gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, premature labour and bleeding. Twins who share a placenta might have extra complications.

How To Have Twins: Get the Truth from a Fertility Expert

Are twins happier?

They examined reported levels of happiness in 1,300 sets of identical and fraternal twins. Identical twins reported similar levels of happiness, while fraternal twins exhibited greater variation in their reported sense of well-being.

Do twin pregnancies last longer?

While 40 weeks is the full gestation period of the average pregnancy, most twin pregnancies are delivered at approximately 36 weeks (range 32-38 weeks depending on the type of twin pregnancy).

Are twins harder to give birth?

Vaginal Birth of Twins

The good news is that even though you have two babies, you only have to labor once. Once the cervix is open, each baby will have its own pushing stage. This means you will have to push twice, but the majority of the time the second twin is born much more easily than the first.

Is having twins harder?

“Having twins is not twice as hard—it's exponentially more difficult,” says Natalie Diaz, author of What To Do When You're Having Two and CEO of Twiniversity, a global support network for parents of twins.

Can you have twins if it doesn't run in your family?

Everyone has the same chance of having identical twins: about 1 in 250. Identical twins do not run in families. But there are some factors that make having non-identical twins more likely: non-identical twins are more common in some ethnic groups, with the highest rate among Nigerians and the lowest among Japanese.

What are the positives of being a twin?

Being a twin may add a few extra years to your life, a new study suggests. Researchers found that identical twins in Denmark tended to live longer than fraternal twins in that country, while both types of twins typically outlived men and women in Denmark who were not twins.

What is the hardest thing about having twins?

The hardest thing about having twins is...

“Managing the movement of two babies. Carrying them both up and down the stairs, getting them into the car, etc.” —Simeon R. “Often having to make one baby wait!” —Catharine D. “Being outnumbered—the logistics of two on one is definitely the hardest.

Why is it so hard to raise twins?

The reality is that raising multiples is hard. You have double or triple the feeding, diapering, and laundry and, as a result, less time to spend cuddling and getting to know each baby. To be sure, there will be days when you feel as if you're walking up a down escalator.

Should twins always be together?

Twins experience social interaction with each other from a very early age. However, ​it's important for them to learn to socialize with other children, sometimes in separate classrooms. If they are exclusive in their relationship, with no interest in playing with other children, they may benefit from being separated.

Do twins marry less?

It's equally unsurprising that a Danish study found that twins are less likely to get married than non-twins. As twins have a partner from birth, the study suggests that they may not have the same desire for marriage as singletons.

What is full term for twins?

Your twins may be born a little early. Doctors consider 37 weeks to be full-term for most twin pregnancies. The average length of pregnancy for twins is 36.4 weeks. Babies who are born between 32 weeks and 37 weeks generally do very well.

Do I need two cribs for twins?

Can my twins sleep in a single cot? You can put your twins to sleep in a single cot while they're small enough. This is called co-bedding and is perfectly safe. In fact, putting twins in the same cot can help them regulate their body temperatures and sleep cycles, and can soothe them and their twin.

How much does it cost to raise twins?

Current estimates state that a family with twins should plan to shell out nearly $26,000 per year—but that's not entirely accurate. Still, it's a great motivator to set—and maintain—a family budget.

What gender are twins most likely to be?

And because the death rate in the womb is higher for twins than for singleton births, female twins are more common than male twins.

Who is most likely to have twins?

Older women generally have a higher chance of conceiving twins. A 35 year old woman is about 4 times more likely to have fraternal twins than a 15 year old! That is because they are experiencing some hormonal changes as they near menopause. This could encourage their body to release more than one egg during ovulation.

What is the safest way to deliver twins?

Many authorities recommend that monoamniotic twin pregnancies be delivered by elective cesarean as early as 32 to 34 weeks of gestation due to the risk fetal demise secondary to cord entanglement. Continuous electronic fetal monitoring of both fetuses is required throughout labor and delivery.

What is the life expectancy of a twin?

In comparison, male identical twins in the study lived, on average, about 60.6 years, while male fraternal twins had a life expectancy of 59.1 years and males in the general Danish population lived about 57.5 years, Sharrow said.

How much harder is a twin pregnancy?

Rob Atlas, M.D., an ob-gyn at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, calls twin pregnancies "double trouble." Moms carrying twins are at higher risk for premature birth, high blood pressure, and—especially in the case of identical twins—fetal abnormalities.

How long is labor for twins?

The interval between vaginal delivery of the first and second twins (mean, 21 minutes, range, one to 134 minutes) was 15 minutes or less in 70 (61%) cases and more than 15 minutes in 45 (39%) cases.

Why are twins so special?

Identical twins share a particularly intense bond. They are the result of one fertilized egg splitting into two, giving them identical DNA. (Fraternal twins are the result of two separate, genetically different fertilized eggs.) As a result, identical twins are as close as two people can be.