Important Things to Know When Pregnant with Multiples

Multiples are increasing due largely to the use of fertility experts to help those who otherwise would not become pregnant, to conceive. Multiples are more common when using fertility intervention. There has also been an increase over the years in women desiring to conceive later such as in their 30s, and 40s. Women who conceive after 35 are more likely to conceive multiples.

There is more than one way for multiples to be conceived. If a single egg becomes fertilized and identical or monozygotic results the multiples are often referred to as identical multiples. All the babies conceived from this single egg will be of the same sex and all will look exactly alike. Identical multiples are not influenced by the woman's age, heredity, or race and can occur in as many as 3 or 4 out of every 1,000 live births according to statistics. Multiples that are fraternal/dizygotic result from infertility treatments or from older women conceiving. Women who have a higher body mass (BMI) are also prone to having fraternal/dizygotic multiples. Fraternal multiples are from multiple eggs being fertilized at the same time. Higher order multiples (those of triplets and greater) are usually a mix of both identical and fraternal multiples. Identical triplets would all come from one egg that split into 3 and triplets can also be two eggs fertilized where one splits into two separate and identical babies.

Seldom do parents of multiples receive a surprise in the delivery room. Medical advances have led to many ways of discovering the presence of multiples early on especially with the frequent use of ultrasound scanning done in most obstetrical practices today.

Other ways of discovering that you are carrying multiples are:

·Doppler detection of more than one fetal heartbeat

·A higher-than-usual hCG level could indicate multiples

·Test results that indicate a possible multiple gestation such as an unusually high positive result on the triple or quad screen during the second trimester of pregnancy.

·Abdominal measurements (height of the fundus) that measure larger than is expected for the gestational age of the pregnancy many be multiples

Multiples understandably will multiply the discomforts felt by the mom-to-be usually. With two or more babies growing in her uterus she is more likely to experience more discomforts than a mom that is carrying only one baby.

A woman pregnant with multiples can also expect to see an increase in the risks involved in carrying the pregnancy to term without complications. Some of the risks of a multiples pregnancy include:

Preterm labor and premature birth

Low birthweight

Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS)

Preeclampsia

Gestational diabetes

Placental problems

Timing of birth of multiples is another tidbit that pregnant moms want to know about. If you are carrying multiples and give birth vaginally, expect to have the 2nd baby approximately 10 to 30 minutes after the first. If giving birth by C-section, the babies can be born within seconds of each other.