Carrying Twins

Women pregnant with their first child are often wary about the whole process. They usually have numerous questions to ask their doctors as they prepare to give birth for the very first time. But what if your doctor informs you that you are carrying twins? Twin pregnancies have added risks and you must be in touch with your gynecologist at all times.

Detection- You need to first be certain that you are carrying twins. Sometimes a woman may feel that she is carrying twins only to be proved wrong. Normally a woman reports increased bouts of nausea and fatigue when carrying multiple fetuses. The size of the abdomen also increases at a much more rapid pace. An ultrasound test carried out at six weeks may be able to confirm twins but an embryo may be completely missed so early in the pregnancy too. Conversely, an ultrasound test confirming twins at six weeks may be altered by another test later on. There is no guarantee that both the embryos will survive the entire nine month ordeal.

Weight Gain- Women pregnant with twins are normally expected to gain at least 40 pounds steadily over the entire course of their pregnancy. Underweight women are advised to increase their weight a little more than average.

Complications- Carrying twins are fraught with dangers. Such pregnancies often end in miscarriage or mal formation of a fetus. Extreme care should be taken after detection of twins within the womb. Pre-eclampsia, placental abruption, placenta previa and premature birth  are often associated with multiple fetuses too. Blood pressure and blood sugar level of the expectantmother should be monitored closely and medical facilities should be near at hand during the entire period of the pregnancy.

C-Section- Most parents are concerned about the process of labor and delivery while carrying twins. Although about 60% of all twins are delivered with the aid of C-section, twins can be delivered by the normal process as well. Positioning of both the fetuses as well as the complications must be taken into consideration while deciding the process of delivery.