Planning for Twins - Your Essential Preparation Guide
Expecting twins is an exciting time, but it also brings unique challenges. Here's a guide to help you navigate this journey.
Importance of Antenatal Care
Antenatal care is crucial for twin-mothers, requiring frequent scans and tests to monitor the health of both babies. Given the increased risks associated with multiple pregnancies, mothers expecting twins are generally treated as 'high risk' patients and require double the care and monitoring.
Seeking the Right Medical Team
It is advisable to approach a team of obstetrician/gynaecologist, paediatrician, and sonographers who have handled many cases of multiple pregnancies. This ensures that you receive the best possible care throughout your pregnancy and delivery.
Support for Twin Mothers
Joining support groups of twin-mothers can provide valuable guidance and emotional support during this challenging time. Enrolling in groups of twin-mothers can also offer valuable tips from experienced mothers.
Preparing for Premature Births
Twins often arrive earlier than expected, so learning about the signs of preterm labor is essential. Since twins are often premature, it's important to schedule services and choose a hospital with necessary facilities in advance.
Lifestyle Factors and Twin Conception
Contrary to popular belief, lifestyle factors such as diet, rest, and exercise do not significantly influence the likelihood of conceiving twins. Instead, key factors related to increased chances of having twins include maternal age, genetics/family history, previous twin pregnancies, and certain physical attributes like weight and height [1][2].
Planning for Twins
Preparing for twins requires hiring professional help or seeking support from family members. Additional help is essential for ensuring twins are fed on time. Buying different clothes for twins is recommended for easier wardrobe interchange. Stocking up on warm clothes, diapers, and bibs for twins is also advisable.
Maternal Ancestry and Twin Conception
Maternal ancestry plays a greater role in twin conception compared to paternal. Some races have a greater capacity to produce multiple babies at once, with Nigerians being the greatest and Japanese being the lowest.
Fertility Treatments and Twin Conception
Fertility treatments can increase the likelihood of conceiving twins. Though not lifestyle factors, assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF and IUI significantly increase twin pregnancy rates but lifestyle changes in diet or exercise do not alter this risk [1][3].
Accommodating Twins
Well-designed single strollers to accommodate twins are available. It is suggested to buy a crib divider or use a towel to separate twins in a single crib.
[1] Human Reproduction, 2019, Vol. 34, No. 10, pp. 1845–1854 [2] American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2016, Vol. 215, No. 6, pp. 669.e1–669.e12 [3] Nature Genetics, 2016, Vol. 48, No. 11, pp. 1369–1375 [4] Twin Research and Human Genetics, 2016, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 329–336
- Given the increased risks associated with multiple pregnancies, it's important to prioritize health-and-wellness for both mother and babies, seeking antenatal care that includes frequent scans and tests to monitor the health of both babies.
- To ensure the best possible care during pregnancy and delivery, consider approaching a team of medical professionals who specialize in handling cases of multiple pregnancies, such as obstetrician/gynaecologists, paediatricians, and sonographers.
- Navigating the challenges of parenting twins can be daunting, but supporting networks like twin-parenting groups can provide guidance, emotional support, and valuable tips for managing this unique family-health experience.
