Whether you have already had a singleton pregnancy or you’re going through your first pregnancy and are having twins, you are sure to know that there are going to be some differences between the two.
For starters, the number of babies growing inside of you! Although the number of babies that are growing inside of you is only one of the differences between having a twin and singleton pregnancy.
The body of a woman carrying twins can go through a lot of different and bigger changes than that of a woman carrying just one child. This means that the body of a women carrying twins is going to have to allow for the extra baby and in such make allowances.
Exhaustion
During the pregnancy a women carrying twins is more likely to feel the effects of being tired and run down, especially in early pregnancy. The feelings of exhaustion and morning sickness can be significantly increased when the body is accommodating multiple fetus?. Your body is trying to create enough energy to not only keep you going but to assist with the growth of multiple babies ? you are using a lot of energy! Along with this the hormone changes that you are going through will feel a lot more heightened.
Foods and smells
Cravings and disagreements with different foods and smells can also be a lot different when carrying twins. You may notice that you are craving a lot more than what you were with a singleton pregnancy or you may be turning off a lot more foods or scents as well. This is due to the amount of hormones that are being released and how your body is processing and dealing with the extra hormonal stress.
Pregnancy complications
When pregnant with twins there is an increased risk of health concerns during your pregnancy. Don?t stress though ? many of these can be managed and maintained throughout your pregnancy and with care from your doctors and midwives you can still lead a relatively regular life throughout your pregnancy. Preterm labour, preclampsia and high blood pressure are a couple of the health concerns that can arise throughout a twin pregnancy. These will be monitored throughout your pregnancy and addressed appropriately if they arise.
Dietary requirements
During your pregnancy you need to ensure that you are eating enough to sustain your own energy and to also provide enough to aid the growth of your baby. Having more than one baby growing inside of you means that you are needing to consume more food and vitamins to ensure that you and the babies are healthy and growing. This means that the calorie intake and fluid intake of a women carrying twins is more likely to be higher than that of a women carrying a singleton. Weight gain then plays a part as well, if you are eating more to bring in the energy you are likely to be bringing in additional weight as well. Women carrying twins are more likely to put on more weight during their pregnancies.
A twin pregnancy is… just different to a singleton pregnancy
One of the best pieces of advice is to accept from day one of your pregnancy, well the first day of knowing that you are carrying twins is that the pregnancy is going to be different. If you are expecting it to be the same as a singleton pregnancy or are referencing how you dealt with different symptoms with your singleton pregnancy you are going to cause yourself a lot of emotional concern. The pregnancies will be different and it is likely you will need to change your lifestyle a bit during the pregnancy. You are growing two wonderful human beings which means that you may need to slow down a bit and take it easy earlier than you did in a singleton pregnancy.
In no means is a twin pregnancy bad or worse than a singleton pregnancy – it is just different.
Passionate about all things multiple, Naomi is the founder of Twinfo and a twin mum herself. Twinfo is an online community for multiple birth parents. It is also a directory of services and products that truly meet the needs of multiple birth families.
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