Twin pregnancy is common in families and in some races. Fertility drugs have raised the cases of twin pregnancy but there can be other reasons for multiple babies. Many mothers, who are above thirty-five years, give birth to twin babies and mothers need extra nutrition and care to stay healthy and to keep the babies healthy.
Twin pregnancy can be surprising and amazing for mothers, but it needs extra care to have a healthy pregnancy.
1. Twin pregnancy can be detected through ultrasound after almost four weeks of pregnancy as the ultrasound picture shows two gestational sacs but the ultrasound cannot show the babies in the four weeks.
2. After six weeks the embryo can be seen in the amniotic fluid, and brain, bladder, kidney and liver of the baby starts growing. The baby is of the size of a rice grain, after six weeks and after eight weeks, the babies may be of height of two rice grain.
3. In the prenatal tests, presence of high level of HCG indicates the presence of twin babies.
1. Smaller babies: The fetus of twin pregnancy may be smaller than the single baby because the twin babies need extra nutrition, and the babies share the nutrients taken by the mother.
2. A high risk of delivering premature babies: Many twins are delivered in even weeks as the prenatal mortality rate of twins is high as compared to single babies.
3. Congenital abnormalities and complications: Twins are at high risk of suffering from congenital abnormalities, cerebral palsy and labor related complications such as premature separation of the placenta or hemorrhage.
4. Delivery of twins: Twins may be delivered through caesarean because it prevents deaths caused by intrapartum anoxia. Sometimes, twin babies are locked in a position and they are unable to move, in such as situation the babies may be delivered through cesarean. In case of twin babies if the babies are moving and one of the baby is head down, then normal delivery can be attempted.
5. Delays in development: There are also problems related to the development of the babies after birth. Twins may suffer from speech delays, behavioral problems, and difficulty in parent-child interaction and other after birth related issues.
1. Mother-to-be needs 300 more calories for extra baby, and extra protein for two babies. The need for calcium and vitamins also increases.
2. Mother may have to gain weight for the babies.
3. Adequate rest is needed to prevent tiredness and fatigue.
4. Twin pregnancy may cause more nausea, heartburn and vomiting. Mother may have to drink a lot of water and fluids to prevent constipation.
5. The mucus membrane of the body gets extra blood supply during pregnancy and the mother of twins may suffer from bleeding or stiffness.
6. Anemia and risk of toxemia is high.
7. Twins may suffer from twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, in which, the blood vessel connection between the twins can cause imbalance in blood circulation in the fetus. The imbalance may cause twin to twin transfusion syndrome.
