I know very few women who initially dreamed of being pregnant with twins. Basically, such a non-standard situation is usually feared. People usually think: I wouldn’t want to be in the place of this mother with a heavy stroller...

Twins and twins: pregnancy, childbirth and the first months.

Twin pregnancy: fears and hopes

In the case of a multiple pregnancy, from the very first weeks after receiving the wonderful news, you will be surrounded by increased attention. It can be of various kinds - in the form of persistent questions about well-being, incorrectly expressed regret, truly wise advice and inappropriate comments like “Poor thing!”

Therefore, many couples striving for a smooth pregnancy often do not advertise that two babies should be born at once.

Immediately after the ultrasound results, the usual pregnancy situation becomes something completely different. And future parents want to get as much reliable information as possible and something to read. But there are very few books and articles on the topic of twins. On at the moment Almost all future and established parents of twins are likely to face a lack of information.

Try to meet other parents of twins (preferably not just one pair, but two or three, so you can talk to them and get an impression of their parenting discoveries and inventions). But remember, your experience may be completely different because every child is different.

Doctors are afraid of multiple pregnancies, because they are considered high-risk pregnancies. If it is important for you not to receive unnecessary medical recommendations made for reasons of reinsurance, contact independent ones (who are not legally responsible for you), i.e. not to district doctors. Try to go to counseling with the children's father to make it easier to remain calm.

Towards the end of pregnancy, it can become quite physically difficult - the stomach is already very large, and the sensations can resemble an aquarium attached to the body. And there is very little space left inside for food... With all this, it is important not to lose physical shape during pregnancy. Stay safe, but don't stay still - that's the rule for the expectant mother of twins. Moving may be hard, but it is absolutely necessary for both you and your baby.

In the last weeks, a mother who is pregnant with twins should try to unload in every possible way, especially if there are already other children in the family. Excessive fatigue in the last weeks can result in significant asthenia after childbirth - and this is completely unnecessary. Try to get some serious sleep in the last weeks and days before giving birth - this will be very useful when the babies are born.

Childbirth and the first time after

When preparing for the birth of twins, you can console yourself with the fact that childbirth is, in fact, one. It’s just that the first one will be born first (and, of course, it’s more difficult for him - he opens the birth canal), and after him the second one.

Scenarios for the birth of twins can be very different. It is absolutely normal to feel anxious and fearful before giving birth. If possible, specialists should be selected in advance and be proponents of natural childbirth.

Pregnancy with twins they prefer to have a preventive “caesarean section”, but after a caesarean section it is more difficult for the mother to recover, and newborn twins will require a lot of strength. That's why C-section should be assigned based on real considerations, and not on the basis of reinsurance. These are your children, and you should do everything from the very beginning to ensure that their birth is smooth.

There are, of course, situations when medical intervention cannot be avoided. In this case, you should try to readily accept the birth scenario that has occurred, reminding yourself that accidents of this magnitude do not happen. What had to happen happened.

If a woman gives birth on her own (even with medical intervention), she has a long-term feeling that she has coped with some vital, primary matter. Caesarean section leaves other feelings associated with uncertainty, a feeling of failing the exam. Except, perhaps, in those cases when the woman was initially a supporter of cesarean section.

Very little twins

For many parents who have two babies at once, the most difficult time is the first months of their children’s lives. Especially if these are the firstborns. After all, you need to not only master the basic skills of parenting, but do it in double volume. It is necessary not only to feel the desires of each baby, but also to realize their difference.

When there are two newborns in the arms of a mother and father at once, one of the most powerful stress factors, in my opinion, is that the babies want a lot at the same time. For example, suck, or on the hands, or both pooped (sorry for the prose of life). And some parents, having not figured out how to calm two squeakers at the same time, refuse breastfeeding, thinking that life will become simpler with a bottle. It may become quieter, but other problems will appear - allergies, for example. If you have twins, you should at least try breastfeeding - this way the children will grow up healthier, and you will have more self-confidence.

How to manage everything: issues of assistance and distribution of attention

If at least one of the babies was born physically weakened, it will be difficult, although possible, to cope without second hands in the first months. The fact is that if one of the kids is problematic, in order to “pull” him to a normal level and maintain breast-feeding for both, it requires more strength and attention than a mother who has recently given birth has.

There will definitely be no time left for household chores until the children grow up a little and become more independent, and at what point this happens depends very much on the health and temperament of the twins. Therefore, you need to “delegate”, delegate as many chores as possible and acquire mechanical assistants. Besides washing machine You will need a robot vacuum cleaner and a dryer, a food processor.

Under no circumstances should you overload yourself with ironing or complex cooking - it’s better to relax or chat with the kids. And you can’t completely forget your husband. The birth of twins is also a test for him. Find at least a few minutes a day to talk or just sit next to each other. The children will grow up, but your relationship should remain reliable.

In order for a mother to have the strength to breastfeed two, she needs to eat and drink normally, and also get at least a reasonable amount of sleep. But with twins, you simply don’t have time to eat and drink - because one of the kids always needs something. And the “suck-pee-sleep” carousel continues around the clock.

The birth of twins is exactly the case when you are not ashamed to turn to family and friends for help. Nowhere does it say that you have to cope with little twins solely on your own. And sometimes relatives offer help themselves, and sometimes they wait for you to ask for help.

Ideally, you need a special person who will make sure that the nursing mother eats well, regularly and properly (grandmother or nanny), because the mother herself may simply not notice that she has not drunk for several hours. So you need to “not miss out” on three people at once: mother and babies.

If there are no helpers, and dad needs to go to work, a multicooker and a thermopot (a kettle that is always hot) can help a little.

There should be healthy, fresh food in the refrigerator - mom and the babies won’t be able to go get it in the first weeks either, so dad has a lot of workload at this time. It would be good to take a vacation of maximum duration, not sparing the time of summer vacation.

All somatic disorders, mental and physical breakdowns in mothers and children are most likely in the first months, and their main reason is considered to be an insufficient amount of help, support, and a feeling of a reliable rear. If dad is at home during the period when life is just getting better after childbirth, mom will be much calmer.

Twins and twins: pregnancy, childbirth and the first months

“How are you coping?”: responding to questions from others

It is virtually impossible to walk down the street with a double stroller and not attract attention. In most views there will be something like superstitious horror, and only in a few - delight. But increased attention in itself is not pleasant for everyone.

At some point in life, the father and mother of twins have a normal parental feeling that it has always been this way. You gradually, day after day, train the skills of dividing attention between two babies, and it begins to seem completely natural to you.

And to the question “How are you coping?” you want to answer, “Usually, although not easy.” It’s just that over the months of living with twins you learn something that not all people and not even all parents can do.

For example:

distinguish between the needs of which of the children should be satisfied first, and who can wait;

hear the requests and signals of two children at the same time;

be able to wait out the waves of a child’s cry;

know who to pay attention to first;

How to calm down and come to an agreement with two kids at once.

Two grow at once

The older children become, the more visible the difference in their temperaments and habits. One baby from twins can be significantly ahead of the other in terms of development. As a rule, this is either the one born first or the stronger child of the twins.

The difference between children must be realized, formulated and taken into account in education. You cannot expect or demand from your second child that they develop at the pace of the twin, this will only lower his self-esteem.

If one of the children is more demanding, he himself will attract the attention of his parents. This means that you need to be especially sensitive to the desires of the second, quieter one, especially in the first months of life, when babies are just gaining weight.

Don't try to put your children to bed at the same time: if the routine is not synchronized in the first months, most likely the children have different biorhythms. It is, of course, much more convenient for parents if twins do everything at the same time. But they different people, and their desires may not coincide.

If you can teach your children to fall asleep at the same time at night, it will save a lot of effort. But this is the “maximum task”, and the “minimum task” is to teach the twins to fall asleep on their own, without a breast in their mouth and rocking in their arms.

Most parents find it easier to feed their children one at a time, but some like to feed two at a time using special feeding pillows.

You should not think that if the birth of twins is expected, then problems during childbirth or with health are guaranteed. It happens very differently.

During pregnancy, try to finish all your work, complete major projects - in the first months, your children will need all your attention.

Try to meet parents who have experience raising twins, observe their “know-how”.

Provide yourself with the maximum possible help with housework given your family's circumstances.

In the first months of life, you will most likely need help with your babies at least a few days a week (or a few hours a day). Try to agree on this with relatives in advance or find an assistant.

Twins will most likely require regular massage courses, and in the future - the help of a speech therapist. Find competent development specialists with whom you will consult about babies.

If you find it difficult to remember which of the kids eats what, how they develop, how they master skills, write them down or talk them into a voice recorder so as not to miss important points and developmental delays in one of the children.

Psychologist Ekaterina Burmistrova

Hi all! My friends with many children, how did you decide to have more children? I look at my guys and understand that they no longer need their mother so much, they have their own lives and interests. And I'm not ready to let them go yet. And, by the way, I don’t want one child after two either. In search of a solution, as usual, I went into the abyss of the Internet for a recipe for “twins after twins.” Interesting?

Naturally, the network immediately found a lot of expert advice on the possibility of the next one. But then I thought that living human examples are much more interesting to me than dry statistics.

Therefore, in addition to medical research, I carefully studied women's forums and groups in which questions were discussed about how to conceive twins and whether twins after twins are possible. Some people believe that such a gift of fate is just a quiet horror, while others believe that it is a gift from God. In general, I found a lot of interesting things. I'm sharing!

Doctors say

Doctors consider us an anomaly, my friends, and even a risk group. Because initially a woman’s body is designed to bear only one child.

But at the same time, harsh medical statistics say that the percentage of twin births in subsequent pregnancies increases every year (). That is, the older the mother gets, the more chances she has to give birth to a “double set” of babies.

And if there are already twins in the family, then the possibility of a new twin increases by 2 times! Does this happen by chance and what is the probability of an ordinary family (without heredity) getting a couple of kids at once?

Twins after twins (the probability of consecutive births) in such people is, of course, different from those families where multiple pregnancy, which is called “in the family.” It's just fate. But one thing is important here: is a woman’s body able to withstand several toddlers at the same time? If so, then conceiving twins can occur without genetic predisposition. As always, a lot depends on desire.

Shall we cheat?

It is impossible to deceive nature, but it is quite possible to outwit it. We all know that in order to conceive several embryos, a certain hormonal background in the ovaries and several mature eggs.

So, those who are trying by all means to achieve the desired double replenishment recommend consuming as much protein as possible every day. And it is found, for example, in liver, meat and dairy products.

It is better to do these tricks in the summer and spring, when hormonal activity generally increases.

In addition, you should remember whether you took expectant mother drugs containing hormones ( birth control pills, means for stimulating the work of the ovaries, etc.). If these medications have been in your life, then your body already has a large dose of substances that can contribute to the conception of not one, but several bellies.

And finally, weight. It has been noticed that women “in the body” more often become mothers of several children at the same time. This is why it is easier for women who have already given birth (and have gained weight after childbirth) to conceive twins than for first-born women.

Modern technologies

If you cannot get pregnant with twins naturally, the achievements of modern medicine will come to the rescue. Artificial insemination has not only helped a lot of infertile couples find parental happiness, but is also often used as an opportunity to have several children in a family at once.

As we know, several embryos can take root in a woman’s body at once. It is this feature of the procedure that can help you give birth to several children at once, since the viability of the fetus can be monitored using tests: for example, the level of hCG during twins increases exponentially.

Are we planning?

It would probably be nice to have a couple of girls after two boys. But, having rummaged through the net, I realized that all the tricks in this regard are the same as with normal pregnancy.

If you want a girl, eat sweets. If you want a boy, go for something spicy. Sex immediately after ovulation, peace and tranquility - in general, nothing original (well, except for sex on a working washing machine).

In general, plans are plans, and a coincidence of circumstances cannot be ruled out either. Whoever ends up living in my stomach, I’ll be glad to see everyone.

Let's sum it up? So, in order for our families to become sleep-deprived again, the following is necessary:

• the stars must align correctly (how could we do without this?);
• we wait for the right age (a little over 30 is just right);
• it must be summer (remember about the activity of hormones);
• We always have meat and milk in the refrigerator;
• Let's not lose weight!
• We are working on conception for results.

Risks? Well, what would it be like without them? Yes, another double load is not as easily tolerated by the body as before. Yes, it will most likely be a cesarean section. And yes, it’s quite likely that you’ll have to wait in storage. Well, then there’s the hassle, stress, maternity hospital, tandem feeding, dressing and bathing at the same time, trips to the clinic (oh, God!).

But how much joy do you remember? Sea! Double positive, first smiles, words, hugs, kisses. How did your husband immediately mature and be respected by his family? We give birth, maybe for ourselves, but we give happiness to the whole family. Shall we risk it again?

As always, I hope that my throwings were useful to you. Thank you in advance for your comments and reposts to friends and acquaintances. Rays of goodness to everyone!

Twins are fraternal twins. They are born as a result of fertilization of two different eggs. Twins are born as a result of the division of one fertilized embryonic cell. Twins may not look much alike, but twins are as similar as two peas in a pod.

Why they are born is still unknown exactly. Here are the reasons for the birth of twins modern science found out. There are seven main factors that increase your chances of conceiving twins.

How to conceive and give birth to twins

Genetic predisposition plays a major role in the possibility of conceiving twins, and only women are carriers of the gene responsible for the development of two eggs at the same time.

If a man had births in his family, then he can pass this feature on to his daughter. This is why they say that twins are born every generation. If a woman has twins in her family, then her chances of giving birth to two babies at once increase by 2.5 times.

Long-term use of hormonal contraceptives can also cause the conception of twins. If pregnancy occurs immediately after taking the pills, then it is quite possible that the pregnancy will be multiple. Women's ovaries have the ability, after a long medicinal "rest", to work with redoubled force. That is why during this period several eggs can mature at once during one ovulation.

Scientists have discovered an interesting pattern: with each subsequent birth, the likelihood of having twins increases. Incredibly, after your fifth pregnancy, your chances of conceiving twins increase fivefold.

In vitro fertilization will help give birth to twins with an almost 100% guarantee. The fact is that during IVF, up to 6 fertilized eggs are implanted into a woman’s uterus to increase the likelihood of conception. Often parents resort to this method in order to have two babies at the same time.

As female body approaches menopause, ovulation becomes irregular and more and more often there are moments when a woman after 35 years can mature two eggs at once. The chance of having twins in women aged 35-38 increases sharply.

It turns out that the time of year in which the child is born plays an important role in the birth of twins. In spring, the activity of sex hormones increases, and the likelihood of two eggs maturing at once becomes much higher.

There are many different diets that claim to increase your chance of conceiving twins. Science still does not know for sure the products that can affect the maturation of several eggs at once. What is known is that malnutrition and a strict diet deprive a woman of the opportunity to give birth to two babies at the same time.

To the ends of the earth for twins

In India, there is a unique village located in the state of Kerela, where there are 500 pairs of twins per 2.5 thousand families, and their number is increasing every year. This phenomenon has not yet been explained. The local residents themselves claim that all this happens thanks to God Rama.

There is a similar place in Russia. The village of Denisovka in the Rostov region, where 19 pairs of twins are born per 500 residents.

As soon as a young girl thinks about children, she immediately imagines the ideal picture of the “standard set”: two children, and always a boy and a girl. I also dreamed. I thought that children must be of different sexes, and that it would be absolutely ideal: for them to appear at once as a “set”. That is, twins, or (even cooler!) twins.

But it turns out that not all parents manage to create such a miracle. The fact is that if there are any methods for conceiving a child of a certain gender, then plan the birth of twins or twins naturally- almost impossible.

For example, in order to produce twins (fraternal twins), two eggs need to mature and be fertilized at the same time. In nature, this happens extremely rarely. The exception is the second option, when one egg is fertilized by two sperm (this is like during presidential elections - most often only one candidate wins).

And in order for identical twins (children similar to each other) to be born, it is necessary that the fertilized egg, at the very early stage of its fragmentation, divides into two separate organisms with absolutely identical genetic material.

The reasons for the development of this process have not yet been precisely established by science due to the complexity of the biochemical mechanisms that regulate cell division.

Genes decide everything!

But it turns out that there is a possibility (but not a complete guarantee) of the natural conception of twins in families in which this predisposition can be traced, mainly through the female line.

And this information was very encouraging to me. The fact is that my mother was pregnant with twins before I was born, but, unfortunately, she did not maintain the pregnancy. Otherwise, maybe there would be two of me! And also my father is one of twins: he and my uncle “sat” in the same stomach and were born on the same day, but they are completely different from each other in appearance. So, given the predisposition of my mother and grandmother to having twins, my chances of having such a “set” increase. But nature is not so simple. The genetic code also has its own nuances. Great value has a combination of genes from both partners (homogeneity of their composition) and patterns of inheritance that are observed after a generation or two, and most often, in the lateral branches of the genus (inheritance cousins and sisters). With the most favorable combination of these factors, the possibility of having twins is only 50%. If there are fewer hormones or weaker heredity, the probability of having twins is reduced to 10-5%. It is absolutely impossible to influence this process psychologically.

Shall we do it ourselves?

If you really want to, you can artificially plan the birth of twins. There is one such option when the likelihood of a multiple pregnancy is higher. This is possible during stimulation of ovulation during the treatment of infertility in women, when a woman is prescribed special drugs that stimulate egg growth, follicle rupture, etc.

In such a situation, the body seems to wake up and can “release” several eggs at once. Of course, it all depends on the single dose of the drug. But it is extremely dangerous to stimulate this process yourself.

Firstly, with an overdose (hyperstimulation), ovarian cysts and bleeding very often occur. Only a specialist should select the drug, prescribe the dose and monitor the treatment process.

Secondly, if a woman does not yet know about pregnancy and decides on her own, without consulting a doctor, to take these medications, she puts the already conceived child at great risk, since in this case the effect of such medications may further affect its sexual development. And also absolutely healthy woman These drugs can most often cause a sharp enlargement of the ovaries, their soreness, fever, development and rupture of cysts.

At artificial insemination the likelihood of conceiving and having twins becomes even higher. Indeed, in addition to prescribing stimulating drugs, the doctor specifically tries to grow as many eggs as possible in order to have them “in reserve.” There are many reasons for such reinsurance: not every egg can be “caught” in time, not every one of them will survive in vitro, fertilization may not occur at all, and the embryo does not always take root. Therefore, several fertilized eggs are introduced into the uterus. At the woman's request, she is left with one embryo or all of them.

If you are simply interested in what your chances of having twins are, only a geneticist can help predict their birth. You just need to make a pedigree from at least the fourth generation in the direct line and the line of cousins, and also undergo the appropriate examination. Well, I will hope that my genes and nature will help me in my desire to have two children at once. Although, what difference does it make: how many children will there be, will they be born at once or separately, and what gender will they be? After all, children are our happiness!

Who and when are twins born?

Why twins and twins are born, and how exactly twins are born is described in the article. When are twins born?, this is of course happiness, but what exactly is this due to? Who can have twins or twins? Read in this article.

Evgenia Anisenko

If either twins or twins were born in a family on the maternal side, then expectant mothers quite often think about whether they will have the same double happiness. Indeed, in this case, there is a huge probability of multiple pregnancy, which will need to be taken quite seriously.

Twins occur when several eggs are fertilized at the same time. Such a pregnancy can be determined by the first planned ultrasound procedure. But many people think about the question of how to find out if it’s twins or not without an ultrasound?

It is worth noting that there are several ways in which you can understand how to identify twins without an ultrasound. But you need to remember that they are not one hundred percent reliable, like an ultrasound examination. But many women still use them:

Taking a blood test for hCG. This is a special glycoprotein hormone that confirms the presence of pregnancy on ultrasound. If a girl has a multiple pregnancy, the levels of this hormone increase several times, so you can understand that there will be twins. If the doctor has impressive work experience, he will immediately determine, by looking at these test results, that there are twins in the pregnant woman’s tummy. How do expectant mothers feel when they hear this news? It varies, but in most cases the first reaction is slightly panicky, since it is a complete surprise, but very pleasant, so many cannot immediately realize it.

Conducting a special AFP test, which is carried out in the second or third trimester. This test is very important, because if there are twins in the stomach, a positive result will immediately appear without any kind of abnormalities.

Quite often in medical institution resort to the following method: the doctor listens to the fetal heart sounds. After all, it is known that the baby’s heart begins its formation from 5-6 weeks after conception, but you can listen to the heartbeat only when the second trimester of pregnancy begins. During this method, the doctor listens to heart sounds in several areas of the uterus. But scientists have discovered that between the two fetuses there is a place where the tones cannot be heard, and so the frequency is different, this moment also makes the doctor understand that the pregnant woman will have twins.

At the appointment, the doctor also palpates the woman’s abdomen, feeling large parts of the baby’s body. But this method does not accurately determine whether the pregnancy is multiple.

During an early gynecological examination, the doctor may notice that the uterus has increased quite significantly in size. This fact also indicates the presence of twins.

Many expectant mothers are interested in how long it takes to identify twins? It is worth noting that already at 5-6 weeks it can be determined that such good news awaits the mother.

A sign of twins can be this: the mammary glands rapidly increase in volume, and when touching them, the woman feels incredible pain. It is worth noting that during normal pregnancy, breasts also increase in volume, but not so much.

There are other methods traditional methods, which have come to us since the time of our great-grandfathers. Of course, sometimes they are inaccurate, but most of the time they are not very true.

When a woman carries twins under her heart, her body is subjected to double the load, so her organs work several times faster, in an enhanced mode. Therefore, the pregnant woman’s well-being immediately deteriorates:

First of all, severe toxicosis appears, and at the very early stages. It is caused by a large number of toxins, which is why increased nausea and vomiting occurs. It’s hard for a woman to bear it, her mood leaves much to be desired. But this method is not always reliable, since toxicosis can overtake a woman even during a singleton pregnancy.

When a woman has twins, her appetite immediately increases, in addition, she constantly feels that she wants to eat. Excessive fatigue and frequent urination also plague the pregnant woman constantly. When the second or third trimester begins, many people experience severe swelling in their legs and shortness of breath. Women especially gain a lot of weight; their belly looks simply huge.

Since there are a lot of hormones during multiple pregnancy, anemia begins to develop. But this is also not an accurate method, since anemia can also develop in pregnant women with one child.

The presence of twins in the stomach is confirmed by bright and clear stripes on the test. They say that the woman has a highly elevated level of HcG in the blood.

Be that as it may, it is advisable to check the reliability of the above methods using an ultrasound procedure. After all, it will not only confirm the presence of a multiple pregnancy, but will also indicate other important parameters in the development of the fetus. The doctor will tell you if there are any problems or abnormalities in the pregnancy, whether the babies are in the right position, and so on.

Under no circumstances should you refuse an ultrasound scan, because a multiple pregnancy is a risky pregnancy, so doctors often prescribe this procedure in order to constantly monitor the fetuses.

In order for a pregnant woman with twins to always be under the control of experienced specialists, after 30 weeks she is offered to go into confinement. Also, in many cases, birth is premature and is in danger of being interrupted.

But how a multiple pregnancy will proceed will depend on the characteristics of the body, the presence various diseases and many other factors.

When a woman carries twins under her heart, her subconscious begins to panic in advance, so her mood changes very quickly. It's hard to do even easy things physical activity It’s very difficult, shortness of breath simply doesn’t give me rest even at night.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that when a woman finds out about pregnancy, she should immediately visit a doctor, because the methods traditional medicine may not be entirely reliable, but specialists will immediately, after an ultrasound examination, accurately determine that there are twins in the pregnant woman’s tummy.