Twin hospital stays vary widely, from just a few days if healthy and full-term (around 37 weeks) to weeks or months in the NICU if premature or experiencing complications, with an average NICU stay potentially around 2-4 weeks for some, but often dictated by individual baby's progress, feeding, and weight gain, alongside mom's recovery.
If your babies are born early they might need to spend time at the special care baby unit (SCBU) or the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). In just under half of twin births and almost all triplet births, at least one baby has to go into special care for a while.
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).
In general, if you delivered vaginally, you'll likely feel better in three weeks, though it can be six weeks or longer if you had a tear or an episiotomy. A Cesarean recovery may take four to six weeks, though it's not uncommon to feel some pain for months.
Generally twins don't go past 37-38 weeks due to the increased risk of still birth, 37 weeks is full term.
But if your twins are born at 37 weeks, that's as close to actual full-term as many twins get. At that point, they have full lung maturity and should be able to leave the hospital within a few days of delivery.
A full-term pregnancy is 37 weeks. Twin pregnancies rarely last this long, with the typical twin pregnancy lasting 35 to 36 weeks. It's common to go into labor sooner.
The most common complications include the following:
The 5-5-5 rule is a postpartum guideline for the first 15 days of recovery, emphasizing rest to help the new parent heal and bond with the baby, by spending 5 days in bed, followed by 5 days on the bed, and then 5 days near the bed, gradually increasing activity while prioritizing rest, nourishment, and self-care over chores or visitors. It's a framework for creating boundaries and slowing down to prevent overexertion, though individual recovery needs should guide the pace.
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.
So the question of going past 38 weeks on day six of that week (6/7) doesn't come up that often! But for those who do get there, the best data available suggests that at 38 to 39 weeks, the risk of stillbirth for twins seems to be higher than the risk of neonatal death after delivery.
The average weight of twins is 2.5kg.
Monochorionic-diamniotic twins are identical twins that share a placenta but each develops in their own separate amniotic sac. This is the most common type. Monochorionic-monoamniotic twins are identical twins that share both a placenta and an amniotic sac. This is the rarest and highest risk form of twin pregnancies.
It is generally recommended that newborn twins have their own separate sleep spaces, such as individual cribs or bassinets. Sharing a sleep surface can increase the risk of suffocation or entanglement.
A daisy baby is another name for babies with TTTS. The Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome Foundation coined the term after its founder planted daisy seeds with her surviving twin son in their backyard. The daisy field is a symbol of hope that all babies affected by TTTS will survive.
The 40-day rule after birth, often called confinement or "The Golden Month," is a widespread cultural tradition emphasizing a mother's deep rest, healing, and bonding with her newborn, with family often handling chores and visitors, promoting physical recovery (like stopping bleeding) and mental well-being, rooted in ancient practices from Asia, Latin America, and religious traditions like Judaism and Christianity. Key aspects involve nourishing the mother, sheltering her from stress, and focusing solely on resting and bonding, a stark contrast to Western pressures to "bounce back" quickly.
In reality, the third week might be the hardest week postpartum, since everything seems to feel “normal,” but so much is happening at the same time. This being said, the third week will be an important week to focus on your mental health.
On the second night, babies often nurse on and off for hours. Many new parents are caught off guard by this pattern, and some assume that their babies are starving.
Premature birth
Twins and triplets have a higher risk of being born prematurely (before 37 weeks) and having a low birthweight. Your risk is also increased if you've given birth prematurely before, or if a cervical length scan found that you have a short cervix. Most twins and triplets are born prematurely.
Does each twin have an umbilical cord? It doesn't matter if they are identical or fraternal; all twins, triplets, et cetera, et cetera, have their own umbilical cords. This means that, no matter what, there will be cord blood and cord tissue that can be (SPOILER: and should be) collected and preserved for each twin.
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.
The average birth weight of twins is around 5 pounds each, which is lower than singletons. Smaller babies may need extra care in the NICU, especially if they're born before 34 weeks.
Three key signs that labor is approaching soon are regular contractions, losing your "bloody show" (mucus plug), and your waters breaking, often accompanied by lower backache, baby dropping, or a sudden urge to clean (nesting). These signals show your body is preparing for birth, with contractions becoming stronger and closer together as labor progresses.
A typical, single pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks, but a twin pregnancy often lasts between 35 to 37 weeks. More than half of all twins are born prematurely (before 37 weeks), and the risk of premature delivery increases with higher-order multiples.