A twin pregnancy with two placentas and two
While there are risks associated with all twin pregnancies, dizygotic (fraternal) twin pregnancies usually bring about the least amount of complications, carrying the lowest risk of all types of twins.
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.
You're more likely to have a vaginal birth if the first twin is in a head-down position. But there may be medical reasons why a vaginal birth is not recommended. If you have had a caesarean section before, for example, it's not usually recommended that you have a vaginal birth with twins.
Triplets and identical twins who share a placenta and amniotic sac (Monochorionic monoamniotic or MCMA) are the most likely to experience problems. This is followed by identical twins who share a placenta, but have their own amniotic sacs (Monochorionic diamniotic or MCDA) .
Multiples are about twice as likely as singleton babies to have birth defects, including neural tube defects (such as spina bifida), cerebral palsy, congenital heart defects and birth defects that affect the digestive system. Growth problems. Multiples are usually smaller than singleton babies.
Premature Birth
One of the reasons multiple pregnancies are considered higher risk is because 50 percent of them deliver prematurely. A premature delivery occurs prior to 37 weeks of gestation, while a normal full-term pregnancy lasts 38 to 42 weeks.
Knowing which twin is the older one is usually a no-brainer. The time of birth is recorded, and whichever one is born first is officially the eldest.
Fraternal twins, in which each of two eggs is fertilized by a different sperm cell, occur in about four of every 1000 births. About half of those result in male-female twin pairs.
If you are keen to avoid a c-section, the first and best decision you can make is to choose a care provider who supports natural twin birth. Stay as healthy as possible by eating well during pregnancy in order to avoid issues like gestational diabetes and encourage your babies to settle into an optimal birth position.
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.
However, for a given pregnancy, only the mother's genetics matter. Fraternal twins happen when two eggs are simultaneously fertilized instead of just one. A father's genes can't make a woman release two eggs. It sounds like fraternal twins do indeed run in your family!
Most practitioners advise women who start their twin pregnancy at a normal weight to gain 37 to 54 pounds. You should gain a little more if you were underweight (between 50 and 62 pounds) and a little less if you were overweight (between 31 and 50 pounds).
The average weight of twins is 2.5kg.
Classically, the bigger twin is the more physically dominant. It's basic human nature, and particularly applicable to boys as they hit puberty. It happens often with singleton siblings too… the older is bigger and enforces him/herself through physical dominance.
Even if your fraternal twins don't share that many chromosomes, they can still look alike because they were born at the same time and age at the same rate, so it's natural for them to resemble each other.
Fraternal twins may or may not be assigned the same sex at birth. That means fraternal twins could be two boys, two girls, or one boy and one girl.
A couple of findings on ultrasound can help. If a first trimester ultrasound between weeks 8 and 13 shows that the fetuses share one placenta(or are “monochorionic”), the fetuses are identical more than 99% of the time. However, if the fetuses have two separate placentas, they can still be identical.
There is one particular power though which twins possess, longevity. Fraternal twins live longer than singletons and identical twins longer still. Male identical twins on average, saw the most benefit.
For the most part, twins and multiples share the same birthday. However, depending on the time of day the babies are born and how long the timespan is between each baby's birth, twins can be born on different days.
As you age, your chance of conceiving twins increases. Researchers have found that women over 35 produce more follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) than younger women, which may cause more than one egg to drop at ovulation.
Since many twin births happen early, the average twin arrives weighing about 5 1/2 pounds.
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That's not all, Monga says. Women pregnant with twins complain of more back pain, sleeping difficulties, and heartburn than those who are carrying one child. Being pregnant with twins also carries a higher rate of maternal anemia and a higher rate of postpartum hemorrhage (bleeding) after delivery.
Can twins have different fathers? In rare cases, fraternal twins can be born from two different fathers in a phenomenon called heteropaternal superfecundation. Although uncommon, rare cases have been documented where a woman is pregnant by two different men at the same time.