Expecting twins

Finding out you’re having twins is both wonderful and scary, and puts your pregnancy in a whole new perspective.

Here Jacqui Commerford, mom of twins, shares seven things you need to know about expecting twins.

1. Obviously your risks are higher in general. Not double, thank goodness, but you’ll certainly have to be prepared to take it easier during a twin pregnancy than a single one. Premature birth is the most likely (see number 4 below). Pre-eclampsia, characterised by high blood pressure and protein in your urine, is more common in multiple pregnancies and can be very dangerous for both mother and child. With identical twins, twin-to-twin transfusion can happen when one twin receives more blood than the other because of mistakenly connected blood vessels. It’s dangerous for both babies and requires rapid medical intervention. Caesarean sections are a likely conclusion to a multiple pregnancy – either because of complications with the babies and/or mother, or problematic positioning of one or both of the babies.
2. Unfortunately you might be more prone to the minor but irritating symptoms of pregnancy than if you only had a singleton. You’re more likely to have heartburn, varicose veins and piles because of the extra pressure on your organs and blood vessels. You’re also likely to experience backache and pelvic pain from earlier on as your body rapidly expands.
3. Your babies (and therefore your body) will be as big as a full-term singleton baby by week 28. When you hear pregnant friends sigh dramatically at 38 weeks that they feel huge and just want the baby out, realise you’ll have that feeling way more as the twins keep growing for at least a few more weeks.
4. Twins are likely to come early. In fact, optimal gestation for twins is 36-37 weeks (a month short of optimal in a normal pregnancy), and average gestation is about 35 weeks. I had mine at 31 weeks – and believe me, you don’t want that to happen. So don’t be scared to be completely precious about taking care of yourself – the longer you can keep them in, the more healthy they are likely to be.
5. You’ll probably be given a dose of steroids, via two injections, at around 28 weeks. These steroids encourage rapid development of the babies’ lungs so that if they do come early, they have higher chance of survival. This steroid dose is probably the primary reason my babies are both alive today.
6. You’ll need to double your pregnancy supplements, and also take extra iron. In my dietician’s frank terms: ‘Your babies are parasites – they suck every ounce of nutrition from you’. Carry on taking your pregnancy supplements while you breastfeed as your gorgeous little parasites continue to suck you dry.
7. For once in your life, don’t be too concerned about exercise. In the first trimester – if you’re not overwhelmed with nausea – it’s a good idea to do gentle exercise such as swimming, walking, pregnancy yoga and Pilates. But after that it’s more important to listen to your body and keep your feet up. While singleton mommies may tell stories of exercising right up to labour day, your situation is vastly different and you should take your doctor’s advice very seriously.

Despite the risks and discomfort, try to enjoy your multiple pregnancy. The process of growing two (or more!) babies is amazing. From feeling those babies moving inside you (usually from about 18 weeks) to watching the series of incredible scans as two little blobs grow and become real humans, it is a phenomenal and awesome experience. And it goes by way too quickly.