Many questions linger about twin pregnancy, once you learn you are expecting twins. A little forethought will go a long way in mantaining a healthy pregnancy and delivering two little babies.
Once you receive the news you are expecting twins, your life will be changed forever. Nothing much can prepare you for the shock of it. So despite your thrill of being pregnant, knowing there are two babies on the way can shatter your world, if only temporarily.
Initially, you may feel terrified. I know I did. Becoming a mother to one baby is an effort in itself, but two? How will you manage, you might wonder. It is normal to feel this way, along with some disappointment. Because not only will life with twin babies be a task, a pregnancy with twins is equally challenging.
Once your health care provider learns of your multiple pregnancy, you are likely to be told you are now considered high-risk and be run through a barrage of tests or appointments. Depending on when your one baby is discovered to be two, you may be scheduled for routine ultrasounds or more frequent appointments.
The biggest concern for your practitioner is that you do not deliver your babies prior to 37 weeks, which is considered full-term. Babies born before then are considered premature and at risk for a variety of health problems.
You will need to be on the alert for premature labor, particularly around 20 weeks gestation. The uterus contracts throughout pregnancy, but contractions that progress are a cause for great concern and should be taken seriously. Contractions can feel only like a back ache or more like menstrual cramps. Be aware of any that get closer together, longer in duration or stronger in pain or sensation. No concern should be considered foolish for every day gained in your uterus is several days saved from time spent in the NICU.
Babies born at 24 weeks have some chance of surviving with new technology. But rarely does this happen without babies undergoing surgeries, tests and confronting developmental delays. Each week gained will improve your babies' chance for a healthier outcome.
By 32 weeks gestation, you have gained significant ground. Though your babies would still weigh less than 4 pounds, they are nearing the time for a good recovery should they be born early. And once 36 weeks arive, many twins are ready to be delivered and usually do quite well.
Something you can do, other than be alert to changes in your body and contact your provider immediately, is consume more protein in your diet. If you were striving for 60 grams a day, 100 grams will be better for twins. One way of achieving this is to buy protein shake powder to mix with milk or water and calculate your protein grams from there. Cottage cheese and meats also provide valuable protein. The goal is to consume enough protein to feed two growing babies so they won't be so eager to be born, which is one theory on the cause of preterm delivery of twins.
So take your concerns seriously, but don't get too stressed by them, and enjoy the time you have with two bundles in your belly before you have two bundles wiggling in your arms.
