Keeping them together and on the same routine helps life run smoothly. This makes alone time all the more important for twins. They can play and just focus on themselves, no one bothering them.
Moms of multiples will tell you that the first three to four months is a stage of pure survival mode and sleep deprivation. The babies are colicky, gassy, and don't even offer a smile in return. Tandem breastfeeding is awkward, and you still have to cradle their heads.
One on one time helps twins bond with parents/caregivers
You might think twins would form a stronger attachment being together and with their parents. But Joan A. Friedman states that having separate experiences with parents actually strengthens the bond between each twin and their parents.
8. DON'T go in alone. Caring for twin babies is a lot of work. There are two mouths to feed, two diapers to change and two different cries to soothe.
It is likely that twins' awareness of one another starts sooner than seven or eight months of age. An article by the late doctor, T. Berry Brazelton, observed that at age three to four months, an infant identical female twin seemed disoriented when her sister was removed from the room.
For women born 1870-1899, moms of twins averaged reproductive spans of 14 years 11 months versus 14 years for singleton moms. Both results were statistically significant. Moms of twins also were older at the time of their last birth.
Studies show several possible benefits of letting twins sleep together in the NICU. 1 Multiples who are co-bedded seem to sleep better, gain weight better, have fewer episodes of apnea and bradycardia, and (as long as they're about the same size), keep each other warm.
Separation anxiety in twins is an extreme reaction with normal circumstances during separation. However, growing up, separation might be inevitable for twins. Parents may address the behavior by talking to their twins and helping them understand that their separation is only temporary in some instances.
“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.
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.
When your twins are older, you may choose to put them in separate cots placed close together so they can continue to comfort each other. If older twins are disturbing one another, you may think about giving them separate rooms if you have enough space.
Since embryo splitting is a random spontaneous event that happens by chance, it doesn't run in families. Genes are not involved and there's no scientific evidence that being from a family with identical multiples has any impact on your odds of having 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.
It's a common misconception that twins skip a generation in families. There is absolutely no evidence, other than circumstantial, that twins are more likely to occur every other generation.
Twins and other multiple-birth individuals can suffer from much deeper and troubling loneliness than single-born individuals. Separation anxiety, which often begins at birth, is the underlying cause of loneliness for twins.
Even when twins remain conflicted and are unable to resolve their anger and disappointment with one another, they still miss each other. Fortunate twins who have a strong sense of themselves as individuals and are able to resolve their differences can support one another through difficult life situations.
The longest interval between the birth of twins is 90 days, in the case of Molly and Benjamin West, dizygotic (fraternal) twins born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA to parents Lesa and David West (all USA) on 1 January and 30 March 1996.
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.
Having two babies at a time is associated with a longer life, according to a new study. But that's not because doubling up on dirty diapers increases life span; instead, moms of twins are physically stronger in the first place.
A little more than half of twin pregnancies end in preterm delivery (before 37 weeks). 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).
Try some baby-soothing tactics
Try singing or reading to them, giving them a little massage, doing a funny dance to entertain them or even taking them outside for some fresh air. Just remember that what works for one baby may not work for the other, so you may have to try something totally different for each infant.
Measures included actigraphy, sleep diaries, and standardized instruments for fatigue, sleep quality, and depression. According to the results, by the time the twins reached full-term, mothers were sleeping an average of 5.4 hours in a 24-hour period, with over 70 percent reporting less than six hours of sleep.