When does the belly with twins start to grow?

Many women really dream of having twins, because there are many advantages to this: one pregnancy and two babies at once, and subsequently, the children play and grow together (you can read about how to achieve this in the article: how to get pregnant with twins?). But, of course, this is also an additional difficulty in caring for children, during pregnancy, because the belly grows a little faster during pregnancy with twins.

But these difficulties quickly pass and are forgotten, and all that remains is the great joy of having two beloved children. Basically, twins are completely ready to be born by 35 weeks.

Let's take a step-by-step look at what the average belly is like during a twin pregnancy.

Photos of pregnant bellies with twins

11th week of pregnancy. Before this period, pregnancy is still similar to a singleton pregnancy. The belly is already appearing, it is possible that it is only noticeable without clothes, but it is already emerging.

14th week of pregnancy. The weight of one child is close to 40 g, length - 12 cm. During pregnancy with twins, the belly is already quite visible, located in the middle between the navel and pubis.

15th week of pregnancy. In terms of belly size, you are 2 weeks ahead of mothers who are carrying one child, that is, you look 17 weeks. The weight of children is 100 g. By the end of the 16th week, the sex of the babies can be determined. Length from 12-17, weight about 200 g. Children are already actively moving, although this is not yet felt.

Week 17 The belly has already grown significantly, some inconveniences are beginning. Try to sleep on your left side.

Week 18. We continue to grow, the inconvenience is in full force, my back and lower back are aching.

By week 20, everyone’s weight approaches 300 g, height – 25-27 cm

Week 22. It is impossible to do without help, since the belly is very large; twins in the belly weigh about 400 g. The babies already respond well to sound.

Week 24. Unfortunately, stretch marks may already appear. The kids are pushing with all their might, fighting for their position.

Week 28. Swelling and fatigue may appear. But, this month your babies will already be on the threshold of viability. Weight about 800-100 g, length up to 35 cm

Week 32. During pregnancy with twins, the belly reaches its maximum size. The most difficult time, because it will be difficult even to lie down. Shortness of breath appears. But be patient a little, very soon your stomach will drop and you will feel better. But, be extremely attentive to yourself, notice the slightest warning signs and contact your obstetrician-gynecologist.

35 weeks. The babies are approaching a weight of 2500 and 45 cm in length. Painless uterine contractions may occur.

By the end of the 37th week, the children are already mature and full-term, the belly during pregnancy with twins is huge, but just a little more, and you will meet your long-awaited babies.

The birth of a child in a family is a great joy. The appearance of two causes more mixed feelings - twice as much responsibility, a more complex pregnancy, a difficult birth. The twin pregnancy calendar by week clearly shows how babies develop and the condition of the expectant mother changes.

How does the belly grow during twins?

Pregnancy with twins is probably a dream for every woman. And if you are lucky, I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart. Of course, your pregnancy will have its own characteristics, for example, the belly grows faster during twins, and women reach the point of uterine distensibility earlier, so labor usually occurs earlier during a multiple pregnancy, but there is nothing to worry about.

Nature made sure that twins were ready for birth at 35 weeks, and they most likely will not need medical help.

your twins will already make themselves felt: you will notice that your tummy has become a little larger, but clothes can still hide the fact of pregnancy from strangers.

Your babies will already weigh about 40 grams, and each will be 10-12 cm long. At this time, your tummy will rise, it will be somewhere in the middle between the navel and pubis. Just a little bit left and your belly will become really big.

The belly with twins is the same as that of mothers pregnant with one child for 17. But do not forget that the babies there are no larger than those of other mothers, so you may not feel any movement yet. The babies have already grown a little and weigh almost 60 grams.

The twins are 12 cm long and weigh 100 grams. Your belly will be large during this period and will begin to cause you discomfort. It becomes difficult for pregnant women to find a comfortable sleeping position. Pillows may help. Doctors advise sleeping on your left side when pregnant with twins.

As I already said, during a multiple pregnancy, the belly grows very quickly, so you may feel pain in your back or lower back. She accompanies some mothers throughout their pregnancy. Special exercises for pregnant women, comfortable shoes and regular rest can help you.

the belly can be so large that a pregnant woman can no longer bend over to tie her shoes. At this stage, the stomach will rise above the level of the pubis by 25 cm. Your twins already weigh 400 grams, and each is about 26 cm long.

You will seem huge to yourself. your stomach will already reach its maximum size, your breathing may be difficult, and it will be difficult for you to even lie down. But it’s okay, there’s not much time left before the birth, the stomach will drop soon, be patient.

Share with your friends!

Development of twins

As with a normal pregnancy, doctors focus on the obstetric period - from the first day of the last menstruation. This period differs from the embryonic period, but is more common for calculating the date of future birth and gestational age.

Multiple pregnancy can occur in several cases:

• Twins after IVF . During in vitro fertilization, several embryos are transferred to increase the chances of implantation.
• The release of two eggs from the follicles. This is possible under the influence of genetic factors or after discontinuation of hormonal contraceptives. In this case, two eggs are fertilized by two different sperm (diamniotic dichorionic twins). Such children are in different fertilized eggs and have different placentas. They can have different genders and different appearances, since their genetic code is 60% the same.
• Violation of the division of a fertilized egg (zygote). Leads to the fact that two embryos are formed from one egg (monoamniotic monochorionic twins). Such twins have one fertilized egg, one placenta, the same gender and appearance. Their genetic code is 99.9% identical.

After the 20th week of pregnancy, twins begin to lag slightly behind babies from a singleton pregnancy in terms of fetometric indicators. This is absolutely normal, they develop the same way, they are just smaller in size.

Multiple pregnancy, twin pregnancy

Of all the things that can happen to a woman, a multiple pregnancy is the one for which it is most impossible to be prepared. Pregnancy with twins and triplets is amazing in its essence; on the one hand, it is a deviation from the norm, since the birth of only one baby is inherent in nature, and on the other hand, it is the dream of many women.

How to get pregnant with twins? What is the probability of twins? The question is asked by thousands, even hundreds of thousands of women.

In reality, twins can actually be provoked. Just don’t believe the stories that you can conceive twins by having sex on a running washing machine, it happens differently. In many cases, twins are the result of artificially stimulated ovulation, and are a gift for a family that has been unable to conceive a child for a long time.

In all other cases, this is a win in the lottery, in which this prize appears 1 time in 100 births. Heredity slightly increases the likelihood of twins, and sometimes it even happens that twins happen again after twins.

For a woman, this only increases the risk of anemia and hypovitaminosis, but everything can be solved by prescribing appropriate medications. Childbirth is usually carried out depending on the specific obstetric situation, this is either an independent birth or a cesarean section if previous twins were born this way. There is no point in wondering how to give birth to twins; you need to perceive such a pregnancy as a gift of fate, and not as something programmable and possible at will.

If a woman is pregnant with twins, the first signs of twins are usually detected by a gynecologist, often even during registration at the antenatal clinic. An unusually large size of the uterus during pregnancy allows one to suspect twins. Usually, the difference is clearly determined by 10-11 weeks; the discrepancy between the size of the uterus and the gestational age forces the doctor to send the woman for early examination; twins can be clearly identified by ultrasound as early as 5-6 weeks.

The most interesting thing is that as the gestational age increases, ultrasound diagnosis of twins becomes more difficult; there are cases when, at a late stage, the second baby is simply... not seen. The reason is that with old ultrasound machines, the beam length does not allow a complete view of the home of two children, and only the one that is closer is seen. So don’t be offended by doctors if this suddenly happens.

There are different types of twins, it all depends on what the mechanism for the birth of a new life was.

If a woman ovulates in both ovaries at once, this often happens with artificially stimulated pregnancy, then these 2 eggs are fertilized by different sperm, and dichorionic diamniotic twins are obtained.

The formation of two eggs is accompanied by the formation of two corpus luteum; they can be in both ovaries or in one. Eggs are fertilized by different sperm and carry different genetic material, twins are born with different genotypes, children look just like two children in the same family, and may be of different sexes.

If initially there was only one zygote, identical twins are born, of the same sex and similar as two peas in a pod. Developmental disruption occurs in the third week, at the blastocyst stage. The first cells in the morula, blastocyst, are capable of development in any direction, forming any tissue; when separated, a whole organism is capable of developing from each individual cell. Depending on the exact stage at which the division into 2 embryos occurred, the following options may exist:

a) Dichorionic diamniotic twins

is formed not only if ovulation occurs with the formation of two eggs, but also during the division of the fertilized egg at the stage before implantation, from the first division of the zygote to the morula stage. Children each have their own placenta and amniotic sac, developing completely independently.

b) Monochorionic diamniotic twins

, occurs most often. It occurs when implantation of the fertilized egg has already occurred, but instead of one embryonic tubercle, there are two. Children have one placenta for two, but each has their own amniotic sac.

c) Monochorionic monoamniotic twins.

If the separation of the blastocyst occurs later, when the embryo has already formed the amniotic cavity and yolk sac, twins end up in the same amniotic sac and have the same placenta. This option happens less often.

A woman pregnant with twins should be monitored by a gynecologist more carefully than usual. This is associated with an increased risk of complications in multiple pregnancies.

There is a risk that twins will be born prematurely. Although the weight of children is usually lower than in singleton pregnancies, since the babies share everything, the combined weight of twins and the increased volume of amniotic fluid can cause an overstretched uterus to signal the end of pregnancy earlier.

While a typical newborn weighs between 2,500 and 4,500 grams, a twin baby is often born weighing only about 2,000 grams.

How to give birth to twins

The birth of twins often occurs by caesarean section.

The reason for this is the high risk of fetal malposition, which is especially common in monochorionic monoamniotic twins.

If children lie correctly, head down, childbirth is quite possible on their own, through the natural birth canal

.

Most often, twin births occur at 35-37 weeks, rarely women carry them to 39-40 weeks. The frequency of births of premature twins is quite high, at 27-28 weeks, which is why it is so often necessary to undergo preservation.

If these are triplets, the risk of complications becomes even higher, which means that it is necessary to be observed by a gynecologist even more carefully. Triplets are almost never born spontaneously; as a rule, a caesarean section is performed.

Now a little about moments not directly related to pregnancy, but such important ones for the expectant mother

Maternity capital at the birth of twins

Maternity capital for the birth of twins is paid to all women, regardless of whether it is the first or second birth. However, its size does not increase; you will not receive twice as much money just because twins were born.

But the lump sum maternity benefit will be paid to you in double amount.

Preparing for the birth of twins

Superstitions sometimes prevent a woman from thoroughly preparing for the birth of a child. This is not true. When you bring home two newborn babies, everything should be ready. Carrying out repairs in the nursery, running around to choose a stroller and buying rompers will be extremely inconvenient if you do not do it on time, before the children are born.

A nursery for twins, like any other children's room, should be a dry, bright and quiet room, the warmest in your house. When performing repairs, use only natural materials; it is better not to do it yourself; entrust the repairs in the nursery for your twins to relatives or professionals.

Buy furniture thoughtfully, it should be comfortable for both you and the children, take into account the fact that very soon they will begin to travel throughout the house, there should be a lot of space.

Cribs for twins can be different, or you can buy one for two, it all depends on how it fits into the interior, the main thing is that the cribs do not create a risk of injury and do not clutter the room.

A stroller for twins is very important, you shouldn’t skimp on it. You should immediately expect that you will be able to buy based on your financial capabilities.

Transformable strollers for doubles are good because they can be used for up to a year or even longer, but this means that you will have to carry a heavy stroller for this entire period. It is more convenient and practical to have a stroller for up to 6 months. And when the children learn to sit, buy a cane stroller for doubles. It is much lighter and easier to handle. This is especially true if the second half of the year falls in the summer months.

The most popular strollers for doubles today are the Taco for twins, the duo stroller for twins, and many others.

Strollers for doubles are presented in a huge assortment; when purchasing, pay attention to: quality, lightness, ease of handling, absence of easily broken plastic parts. In summer, bicycles are convenient for twins, in winter, sleds.

Caring for twins

If you are lucky enough to become a mother of twins, this creates an additional burden of childcare. It is clear that you will need twice as much of everything. See the article where we covered the preparation of a baby’s dowry and the features of caring for a newborn. Important points if you have twins: do not refuse help, try to rest more. Feeding twins is not an easy task. Believe that there will be enough milk for both children, this is true. Take care of the convenience of breastfeeding in advance; you will definitely need a pillow for feeding twins, so have it at home in advance.

You will find twin pregnancy week by week in the descriptions for each article about each specific week of pregnancy; we talk about this in detail.

Our gallery contains photos of twins in utero; twins on ultrasound; by week; pregnancy with twins, photos of bellies by week; children, twins, and photographs such as twins (photo), twins (photo) are collected, they also say opposite-sex twins, but this is not correct, they wrote above why; Siamese twins (photos). We also found for you a video of the birth of twins, and just twins on video. If you are expecting twins, our site is definitely for you.

Read, learn, learn and get ready to accept congratulations on the birth of twins...

Photos of belly changes by week

The table shows how the expectant mother’s feelings change when carrying twins:

The weight norm when carrying twins will be greater than during a singleton pregnancy - due to the greater total weight of the children, the volume of amniotic fluid, the weight of the placenta, and the volume of circulating blood.

How does the cervix behave?

It is with multiple pregnancies that the risk that labor will begin earlier increases. Therefore, the condition of the cervix should be monitored and determined as carefully as possible. The doctor can do this manually - on a chair, and using ultrasound and a special sensor (the most accurate assessment method).

At 34 weeks of pregnancy, doctors consider twins to have a long neck when it is more than 35 mm. If a woman is diagnosed with this size, then there is every chance of carrying children to a later date.

But most often, with multiple pregnancy, during this period the cervix already softens, which leads to termination of pregnancy. And this condition develops more often than when carrying one fetus.

You might be interested to know

Why does pneumonia occur in premature babies?

When is the birth certificate issued? Find out here.

Difference between twins and twins

Twins are any children whose conception occurred at a close time. At the same time, the conception of both babies does not always occur at the same time; there are often cases when the second egg is fertilized within a week after the first, which does not prevent, in exceptional cases, two or even three babies from developing at once. Twins, triplets - this is just a clarification of the number of brothers and sisters.

However, twins are divided into identical and fraternal - here the difference is quite serious:

1. Identical twins are the result of one fertilized cell dividing into two, which must subsequently separate before attaching to the mother's uterus. If this happens in the first three weeks after conception, both fetuses will receive their own placenta for nutrition, but if this happens later, then there will be one placenta. In this case, both babies will receive the necessary nutrients through one placenta, to which two umbilical cords will be attached at once.
2. Fraternal twins always develop separately, have their own placenta, and are less similar to each other, while the bond between identical relatives is extremely strong. The reason, according to scientists, lies in an absolutely identical set of genes, since both babies, in fact, come from the same cell. Fraternal twins are no more similar to each other than ordinary brother and sister.

Signs of this feature

Pregnancy with twins has a slightly different course compared to normal pregnancy. Thus, during pregnancy with twins, the belly grows more intensively, and, often, quite quickly begins to advance beyond its due date, compared to a normal pregnancy. This may be one of the signs of twin pregnancy.

However, this largely includes rapid enlargement of the uterus, which, when observed by a doctor, becomes noticeable in the early weeks, at about 6-8. Agree, if at 6 weeks your beloved’s belly is 3 centimeters larger than what happens during a singleton pregnancy, you are unlikely to notice it, and neither will she, especially if this is the first pregnancy with twins.

Expectant mother of twins

In terms of size, it is better to judge at a later date, when at 10 weeks your chosen one becomes the owner of a beautiful tummy, more typical for the 14th week of pregnancy. However, at this stage it is always known for certain that there are at least two babies, and, in principle, it is not uncommon for a competent doctor to notice signs of a twin pregnancy a little later than the fifth week.

He sends the mother for examination to monitor the pregnancy of twins with an ultrasound, since this is the most reliable way to determine this interesting, rare fact. It is also possible to diagnose this trait using a blood test, but this is not as accurate and is not used often.

What you need to know

At this stage of pregnancy, the babies are almost full term. They look like regular newborns, only slightly smaller in size and weight. But there are some points that the expectant mother needs to familiarize herself with in advance.

What is the probability of childbirth?

Since this is already a significant stage of pregnancy, it is necessary that things for the maternity hospital for twins are already collected.

The development of children at this stage already suggests that they will be born healthy. All systems and organs have already been formed, so children are able to develop fully outside the mother’s belly.

Mom and newborns are kept in the neonatal unit a little longer to make sure the babies are healthy.

Caesarean or ER?

If there are no medical prescriptions, then a woman can quite easily give birth on her own. If the babies have already turned their heads down, then the natural birth of twins should go well.

If, for example, the doctor discovered a breech birth, or there are some other prerequisites, he may recommend a cesarean section to reduce the risk for both mother and children.

Forecast of children's health at birth at this stage

The babies are already completely ready to be born. The nervous system is practically formed. A sleep and wakefulness pattern is established, so now the children’s activity is similar to their mother’s. They can react to bright light by closing their eyes, and when they hear their mother’s voice, they calm down.

The endocrine system already functions independently. It has its own metabolism, producing hormones of the pancreas, thyroid glands, adrenal glands, and growth hormone. The digestive tract also comes into perfection. Babies swallow amniotic fluid with particles of lubricant from the surface of their bodies, and passing through the gastrointestinal tract, meconium is formed - this is the first stool of babies.

Therefore, doctors can make an unambiguous forecast that children (if there were no difficulties during pregnancy or any ambiguous situations) should be born healthy.

If the plug comes off

Doctors are convinced that normally the plug should come out no earlier than half a month before the expected due date.

The passage of the plug is a harbinger of labor. But from the moment it leaves, not only several hours, but also several days may pass. You should definitely inform your doctor about this. Perhaps he will be placed in the prenatal ward.

In most cases, the plug can come off while taking a shower or when the woman goes to the toilet. But she may not detect this, she will simply feel that something has come out of the vagina

During a long period of pregnancy, a pregnant woman should pay attention to not very strong painful shocks and tension in the lower abdomen. This is similar to a plug coming out before labor begins.

Aching pain, similar to menstrual pain, is also possible. As a rule, such pain turns into contractions. This is already the beginning of labor.

You might be interested to know

How is the 35th week of pregnancy with twins?

How to choose formula for premature babies for weight gain? Find out here.

What to do if a premature baby cannot hear? Read here.

When to go to the doctor

You should contact a doctor at the slightest suspicion of the onset of labor or any strange sensations. After all, there are often cases in which it was the expectant mother, thanks to timely advice from a doctor, who could protect her babies.

And don’t forget about routine routine inspections.

A dangerous complication of the third trimester of pregnancy is preeclampsia - the presence of protein in the urine, swelling, and high blood pressure.

Gestational diabetes can manifest itself in frequent and heavy urination, extreme thirst and hunger, and blurred vision. But it can often only be detected through testing.

If pain begins in the abdomen, contractions that intensify and do not go away within an hour, as well as vaginal discharge, you must call an ambulance.

Positive aspects of the feature

If we talk about the benefits of pregnancy with twins, just look at the photos of happy mothers and fathers hugging their identical children. Yes, you shouldn’t expect any global list of advantages: there is only one plus, but what is it:

• babies, be they twins or twins, will always get along well with each other, nipping all possible quarrels in the bud. Such kids also do not have jealousy towards each other, which is often found in other children of different ages, when an older child is jealous of a younger one because he receives a little more attention from his parents;
• later, when the kids grow up, there will be no rivalry between them either, this is understandable - why compete with someone who was always there, with whom you shared everything, including maternal love during the first 9 months of life in your mother’s tummy?
• All these related feelings are especially strongly expressed, of course, in identical twins, who often feel the state of their other half even at a distance;
• and, of course, the most pleasant moment for parents will be watching how two identical children with their eyes frolic and play together.

Diagnosis of an interesting situation

You can usually find out for sure that you are having twins fairly quickly. An ultrasound can accurately answer your question already at 5-6 weeks - usually at this point the babies already reach several centimeters in size, and they can be examined.

It is noteworthy that, in principle, few people do an ultrasound before 4 weeks, since girls often find out about their pregnancy after a delay, which occurs four weeks after intimacy with a man. Only after this should pregnancy tests and ultrasound visits be performed in order to see a twin pregnancy in ultrasound photographs for the first time.

As already mentioned, pregnancy with twins is a more complex process that is more difficult for both the baby and the mother. Let's look at the weekly changes in the body that will be most noticeable to the expectant mother during pregnancy by weeks of twins, accompanied by a photo of the belly:

from 1 to 5 weeks;

Usually everything goes smoothly and unnoticed. Often during this period the pregnancy itself is not yet known.

Possible onset of toxicosis. This unpleasant phenomenon is especially common in pregnant women with twins, and very often lasts longer than usual. In terms of intensity, toxicosis is usually stronger in a mother with many children.

from 7 to 10 weeks;

The expectant mother's uterus enlarges, and by the 10th week its size becomes identical to the 14-week uterus of a singleton pregnancy.

from 11 to 13 weeks;

It goes on as usual, until the 13th week, when pain makes itself felt, but it is in no way related to the proximity of labor, since there is no pressure in the lower part. Most often, discomfort appears in the so-called iliac region.

from 14 to 25 weeks;

A smooth increase in the abdomen, to a size that is usually not found in mothers of one baby. During this period, you need to be attentive to your health, and if you have the slightest pain in the abdomen or even the head, consult a doctor. And in general, it is simply necessary to go to an antenatal clinic when you are pregnant with twins or triplets earlier than ordinary pregnant girls visit.

Shortness of breath appears, since the size of the uterus does not allow the lungs to expand sufficiently. After the thirtieth week, babies are usually no longer in danger, and they can completely calm down.

There may be unpleasant sensations in the rib area associated with an impressive tummy. It’s time to switch to constant monitoring with a doctor, and everything will end with the birth of the long-awaited twins.

Signs of twin pregnancy before missed period

The first signs appear already 3-5 days after conception

The first signs of twins before a missed period are exactly the same as with one fetus. They concern the general well-being of the mother. Drowsiness, fatigue, mild irritability. Such symptoms may appear from 3-5 days after conception. There is even a chance of mild nausea, but do not confuse this with true toxicosis of pregnancy. It occurs at 12-14 weeks.

These are only indirect indicators, but there are more accurate ones. They are associated with the restructuring of the female body and preparation for bearing fruit. At the same time, symptoms of twin pregnancy in the early stages can occur as early as a week after unprotected intercourse. When no test has shown anything yet.

Implantation bleeding

After meeting the sperm, the fertilized eggs enter the uterus. There they “invade” the soft tissues. This may release a small amount of blood. 5-7 days after unprotected intercourse, this is visible as a brown smudge on the panties. This is one of the signs of early pregnancy.

Implantation into the uterine wall. The fertilized egg turns into a blastocyst and “invades” the endometrial tissue - the upper layer of the uterus.

Implantation bleeding occurs a week before your expected period

Implantation bleeding occurs around day 21-22 of the menstrual cycle. That is, the woman has not yet missed her period. It lasts from several hours to 2 days. The discharge is so scanty that most girls don’t even notice it. It is important to remember that implantation bleeding does not coincide with menstruation. It occurs 3-7 days before the expected start of menstruation.

A similar symptom occurs in a very small number of expectant mothers. And it is considered an exception to the rule rather than the norm. Basically, any bloody or brown discharge indicates the need for urgent medical attention. These may be signs:

• sexually transmitted diseases;
• inflammatory process in the uterus;
• miscarriage;
• frozen pregnancy.

The difference between implantation bleeding and menstruation:

1. Occurs 3-7 days before menstruation. 2. Very scanty brown or pink discharge, without blood clots or unpleasant odor. 3. The spotting goes away in 1-2 days.

Pain in the lower abdomen

With twins or triplets, the walls of the uterus stretch faster than with one fetus. This leads to uterine tone. A woman feels heaviness in the lower abdomen or nagging pain, as during menstruation. The symptom may appear early. Approximately 5-7 days after sperm enters the vagina.

Pain in the abdomen is a possible sign of uterine distension

Similar sensations arise when the body is preparing to accept embryos. After conception, they travel to the uterus for another whole week. During this time, the structure of the inner mucous membrane of the uterus - the endometrium - must become loose so that future embryos can firmly enter the tissue. The uterus is preparing for this process, and therefore mild pain in the lower abdomen may occur, most often a tingling feeling.

Breast tenderness

Swelling of the mammary glands and increased sensitivity of the nipples are also signs of early twin pregnancy. This is due to hormonal changes in the woman’s body. The symptom may appear even before your period is missed.

With twins or triplets, hormones are produced more strongly. The feeling that the breasts are “filling up” occurs in women with twins earlier than in singleton pregnancies. Usually this symptom occurs at 6-7 obstetric weeks (the period is counted from the first day of the last menstruation). In case of twins, it is possible earlier - at 4-5 weeks.

Constipation

As soon as fertilization occurs, the woman’s body begins to produce a whole cocktail of hormones. One of them is progesterone - the main hormone of pregnant women. It “protects” future children, creates all the conditions for their development, but at the same time leads to a weakening of intestinal motility.

Pregnant women with twins produce more progesterone. That's why constipation starts earlier.

How does childbirth go?

Childbirth, like pregnancy with twins, is more difficult than for others, and there are a number of reasons for this.

1. Firstly, the position of two or more fetuses is often unpredictable, so natural childbirth is not always successful, although such cases do occur. But even with the apparent absence of alarming facts during pregnancy, in the end you still have to do a cesarean section. However, today it is not so scary, and there is no need to be afraid of it.
2. Possible complications during childbirth also include tangling of the umbilical cords, which often causes additional troubles for doctors. All this serves as a reason for mothers carrying twins to be hospitalized in advance, most often 3-4 weeks before delivery, in order to carefully study the mother’s body and prepare for all possible developments of the situation.

However, the overall positive impression of giving birth to twins cannot be overshadowed by any of the problems that young mothers have to go through. We have not yet examined in detail the general discomfort, fatigue, etc. from carrying several babies at once. But reviews about twin pregnancy are extremely positive.

Reviews from happy mothers

This has never happened before in our family. Now I’m already 19 weeks old, I was in the hospital, but I was so drawn to go home that I didn’t want to eat or sleep. But at home it became much better. I also warn everyone that twins are born a little premature, so be careful not to carry heavy things.

I experienced so much on July 22! This day became the birthday of my two daughters, Anya and Veronica. It all started with the fact that I began to feel sick from the usual foods, and my head was still spinning, but this is not the first time I’m giving birth, and this has never happened before! I decided to check with the doctor, he reassured me, said that everything was fine, and only later, at 7 weeks, I found out that there would be twins! At first there was a slight shock, and then joy, which is with me to this day.

About the author : Borovikova Olga

How quickly everything heals after giving birth to twins and what can happen to babies

Then I was taken to a separate room in the intensive care unit. 15 doctors were crammed into this small room . Some stood at the door. They brought an ultrasound machine on wheels and were deciding whether to remove my uterus due to incessant bleeding or not. After about five minutes, the head of the department ordered to prepare me for a second operation . But then another doctor intervened, who noticed that it was possible to install some kind of balloon into the uterus and the blood would stop. No sooner said than done.

But the manager did not back down and said that the ultrasound showed some kind of cavity, which she really didn’t like and that the uterus would still have to be removed . Thanks to that sweet female gynecologist who stood up for me like her own daughter and the manager left me alone along with my uterus! The blood, thank God, really stopped, and little by little the medical staff disappeared in all directions. I was left alone with the nurse, who looked after me until the evening.

While I was recovering from the birth of my twins, my little ones on the second floor were also going through very difficult times for them. And not even because they were temporarily separated from their mother, but because a pressure drop occurred during the CS, and both, a few hours after their birth, suffered a cerebral hemorrhage . It is also called intraventricular hemorrhage or IVH . I described in detail how we dealt with its consequences in the Diary of my twins.

My Margot

On the second day, I, still staggering and moving along the wall, hobbled, accompanied by a nurse, to the neonatal intensive care unit, where my dearest in the world lay, premature babies, in order to see them for the first time (during the birth I was not even allowed to look at the second daughter, and I only saw the first one wrapped in a sheet). They slept in incubators. line was connected to Margot’s navel (1743 grams) . They lay like little frogs with their arms and legs spread apart. The newborn diapers looked huge on them.

My Mila

Radmila (2230 grams) was yellow. Later I came across the concept of newborn jaundice. In my diary, I also described how we treated her at the second stage. Both of my girls had somewhat elongated skulls ( dolichocephalic head shape). Then I found out that this happens with IVH. All this passed for us by the ninth month. Now that my daughters are already 2.5 years old, you can never tell from them that their heads were once a little “alien” shaped. These are ordinary, large, well-fed children.

I couldn't get out of bed without pain . In the intensive care unit there is a special metal triangle suspended at the top. So I held on to it in order to relieve tension from the abdominal muscles when rising. It was more difficult to get off the steps onto the floor. It was also very difficult to get up from the toilet, so I endured it as much as I could. By the way, I spent the first day with a urinary catheter . I asked to remove it myself. It was, firstly, embarrassing that they were cleaning up my urine, and secondly, it was unpleasant when the empty catheter forced air into the bladder.

But the biggest problem was severe pain in the head after epidural anesthesia . This pain is simply unbearable to live . I got out of bed to wash my face and brush my teeth in the morning in such a position that my head was below my lower back. This was the only way to move without pain. The anesthesiologist didn’t want to admit her mistake, and I couldn’t even lie down without pain in my head. It was such debilitating pain! I asked her to give me an injection with my own blood into the vertebra, this is called a blood block. She did not agree and only on the third day of my torment she realized that there had been a medical error after all - a catheter had been placed in the wrong place in the spine.

In the morning they took me to the operating room and took 20 ml of blood . This is such a huge, huge syringe. Then all this blood was injected into the vertebra with the same syringe - where the catheter was previously inserted. I thought that at that moment my legs would just come unfastened. It was incredibly painful. But this pain quickly passed. It's like a shot . Then I lay on the couch for about an hour and thought whether I would be able to walk at all after this or not. I could. With twins, whether you like it or not, you’ll even start running! That same morning the headache subsided . adhesions appeared in my vertebrae at the injection site and because of this it hurt me so much when they did the blood blockade - they ruptured.

And this situation happened due to the fact that at the point of entry into the back of the catheter, with which I lay in intensive care for two more days, there was a “leakage” and intervertebral cerebrospinal fluid flowed out . I actually noticed a wet, colorless spot on the sheet under my back . This is what happens after an epidural. The main thing here is not to remain silent and immediately say that your head hurts very much. Otherwise, you may be discharged home with such pain. In this case, your headache will go away only when a sufficient amount of cerebrospinal fluid has formed in the vertebrae. And this happens even after two months.

Gradually it became easier and the stitches healed . Six days later, I was already calmly getting out of bed. On the fourth day I was transferred to a regular ward, and on the sixth day they wanted to transfer my children (alone!) to a children's hospital, and leave me in the maternity hospital for another day. I won’t tell you what hardships I had to go through to achieve my simultaneous transfer with the children to another hospital. But we checked out together. True, my daughters were transported by ambulance, but I had to get there on my own. How we lived at the second stage and what happened after is a completely different story, which I also described in my diary.

This is how my twin births . Send us your stories about how your birth went and express your opinion in the comments. I'll be glad to talk. Return to home Return to section