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How to Stay ‘Sane’ During Twin Pregnancy

Twin pregnancy can be grueling — mine was uncomfortable to the point that the actual birth was the most relaxing part — and I’m talking about a C-section, a surgery for which I was awake and watching.

For most of the months leading up to the arrival of my sons, I felt like a bread machine into which someone had mistakenly crammed two loaves. Don’t get me wrong — I wanted that bread, and had struggled with failed fertility recipes for years. I had opted to transfer two embryos through IVF, so the fact of twins wasn’t exactly a shock. Nevertheless I worried that the dough-baking appliance — in this case my body — was going to bust under the sheer strain of cooking up two.

Pregnancy…

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Featured

 Twin Births in the U.S. Are Dropping, and Experts Have a Theory

Researchers believe that the decline may be connected to advances in embryo transfers during in vitro fertilization.

Articles of Interest

A baby was born with her own twin growing inside her

Here's how fetus in fetu happens.

Are Twins Taking Over?

Twenty-five years ago, almost no one had a cell phone. Very few of us had digital cameras, and laptop computers belonged only to the very rich. But there is something else—not electronic, but also man-made—that has climbed from the margins of the culture in the 1980s to become a standard accoutrement in upscale neighborhoods across the land: twins.

Do genes influence whether someone has twins, either identical or fraternal?

There is no doubt that twinning seems to run in some families. Closer investigation reveals that this is mainly confined to nonidentical, or fraternal (dizygotic - DZ) twins, although there are a few rare families with extraordinary numbers of identical (monozygotic - MZ) twins.

Fertility Drugs, Not IVF, Are Top Cause Of Multiple Births

Drugs that help women become pregnant have replaced in vitro fertilization as the main culprit behind high-risk multiple births, according to a study looking at births of triplets and higher-order multiples.

Fertility Study Warns of Risks From Multiple Births

Experts counter notion that having twins is a blessing.

Having Twins? 37 Is the Magic Number

The safest, most ideal time for women to give birth to dichorionic twins in otherwise uncomplicated pregnancies is at 37 weeks, found a new study. Women carrying monochorionic twins, appear to have the best outcomes for their newborns when giving birth at 36 weeks, the same study found. Currently, 1 in 10 twin pregnancies are delivered before 32 weeks of gestation.

Here’s Why IVF Is Becoming Less Likely To Result In Multiple Births

And as the unbelievable becomes run-of-the-mill, it’s refined and adapted. Where it once was considered necessary to transfer multiple embryos to the womb, more recent practice is to return as few as possible, reducing the chance of multiples and therefore the risk to mother and child.

Is the Rise in Twin Births Cresting?

Fertility procedures have pushed multiple births higher, prompting policy changes

The Two-Minus-One Pregnancy

For all its successes, reproductive medicine has produced a paradox: in creating life where none seemed possible, doctors often generate more fetuses than they intend.

There Really Are So Many More Twins Now

A million more, roughly, when compared to the pre-1980 twin rates. So what changed?

What It Is Like Being Pregnant With Twins – My Personal Journey

There is a curiosity about a pregnancy with multiples. It’s understandable. A body is creating more than one person at once. Not only is there the mind blowing fact that (in my case) multiple eggs have been fertilized, your body then knows to create two placentas, two amniotic sacs, more blood, more amniotic fluid and your skin and muscles can stretch and stretch! It truly is amazing.

What My Post-Twin Pregnancy Body Taught Me

This is what my post-pregnancy body has to teach me: I will never be the same. To be stretched is also to grow, in all the ways that count.

Why we should aim to deliver most twins at 37 weeks

Twin pregnancies are often complicated by problems related to the placenta, maternal age, obstetric complications, and concerns about the growth of the twins. Complications can often happen in pregnancies near term that have otherwise gone well, with no single cause identified for why this happens.

Womb for More

How many babies can fit inside one woman?

Resources

10 Reasons Why a Twin Pregnancy Is Not the Same As a Singleton

Despite what others may try to tell you, a twin pregnancy is NOT the same as a singleton. I am in no way trying to say having a singleton pregnancy is a breeze, because growing tiny humans is hard work, but it is different.

14 Notable Multiple Births

Triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets, and more may seem almost commonplace now compared to years past, at least to those of us who just read about them. But they are anything but commonplace to parents who find themselves suddenly leading a large family!

Hijacked By Twins

Hijacked By Twins is where I share my passion for good, home cooked food. I specialise in family friendly recipes that are not only super tasty but can be easily made regardless how manic life can be!

Twin Pregnancy and Beyond

If you have just found out about your twin pregnancy, or if you already have twins, this site was created especially for you. It's time to get ready for an extraordinary ride! From birth to parenting there is so much to learn and enjoy about twins.