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.
First-year costs more than double when you have twins. Look for ways to divide expenses. Twins can share a room, toys, and clothing. You also may be able to find other twin discounts.
1 For most families, the cost of housing would remain the same whether they have one child or twins. Your rent or mortgage payment will not fluctuate because you have multiples, unless, of course, you have to move to a larger home because you're having two children at the same time.
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.
Birth of twins has significantly increased over the past years, as you can see on the graph below. As of 2003, there are on average around 16 sets of twins born per 1,000 births in the United States. It is estimated that 1 in 250 natural pregnancies will naturally result in twins.
"Moms of twins face unique psychological challenges," says Ruth Simon, a clinical psychologist in San Francisco who works with parents of multiples. These mothers often compare themselves to parents of single infants, and say they feel guilty about not having as much time to bond with each child, she says.
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).
Multiple birth babies have about twice the risk of congenital (present at birth) abnormalities including neural tube defects (such as spina bifida), gastrointestinal, and heart abnormalities.
“Managing the movement of two babies. Carrying them both up and down the stairs, getting them into the car, etc.” —Simeon R. “Often having to make one baby wait!” —Catharine D. “Being outnumbered—the logistics of two on one is definitely the hardest.
1. At three months: The three-month stage marks the end of the “fourth trimester” and your twins can better adapt to life outside the womb. For one thing, they'll sleep in longer stretches of about three- to four-hour chunks.
A few said that the first two months with twins are easy (being in the rose-colored glasses phase), then reality hits from months 3-6 (when the sleep deprivation catches up), then it can get easier again.
Researchers analysed records from more than 100 countries and found a substantial rise in twin birthrates since the 1980s, with one in 42 people now born a twin, equivalent to 1.6 million children a year. According to the study, the global twin birthrate has risen by one-third, on average, over the past 40 years.
The older the parent, the more likely they are to have naturally occurring multiple births, according to research from Brown University. That's because older childbearing people have higher levels of follicle stimulation hormones (FSH), making it more likely to have multiple eggs released instead of just one.
A third milestone in a twin pregnancy is 32 weeks to 34 weeks. Babies born then generally have an excellent chance of survival, without any major long-term complications, though they might not have full lung maturity and will need to spend time in the NICU.
It's common for twins to be born by 38 weeks, and roughly 60% of twins are born via c-section.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), for example, recommends delivery between 34 and 37 weeks for twins with a shared placenta and at 38 weeks for twins with separate placentas. Some other physician groups recommend delivery closer to 39 weeks with separate placentas.
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.
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. If you put your twins in the same cot, follow the same safe sleeping advice as for a single baby.
Fraternal twins share half of the same DNA. These twins typically don't look exactly alike and don't have to be the same gender, unlike monozygotic twins. That means you're more likely to have a girl and a boy. Dizygotic twins are similar to other sets of siblings that aren't twins, as they share half of their genes.
You've probably heard of identical and fraternal twins, but a report released this week says there's a third kind -- sesquizygous twins or "semi-identical." Researchers say they share anywhere from 50 to 100% of their genomes.