Time between twin births

Giving birth to twins | Pregnancy Birth and Baby

Twins are more likely to be born early, often before 38 weeks, so it's important to understand your birth options. Less than half of all twin pregnancies last beyond 37 weeks.

Because of the likelihood that your babies will be born early, there is a good chance one or both of them will spend some time in special care.

As twins are often born prematurely, it's a good idea to discuss birth options with your midwife or doctor early in your pregnancy.

You should also discuss where you would like to give birth. You will most likely be advised to give birth in a hospital because there's a higher chance of complications with a twin birth.

It's common for more medical staff to be involved in the birth of twins, such as a midwife, an obstetrician and two paediatricians - one for each baby.

While the process of labour is the same as when single babies are born, twin babies are more closely monitored. To do this, an electronic monitor and a scalp clip might be fitted on the first baby once your waters have broken. You will be given a drip in case it is needed later.

Vaginal birth

About one third of all twins are born vaginally and the process is similar to that of giving birth to a single baby. If you're planning a vaginal delivery, it's usually recommended that you have an epidural for pain relief. This is because, if there are problems, it's easier and quicker to assist the delivery when the mother already has good pain relief.

If the first twin is in a head down position (cephalic), it's usual to consider having a vaginal birth. However, there may be other medical reasons why this would not be possible. If you have had a previous caesarean section, it's usually not recommended you have a vaginal birth with twins.

If you have a vaginal birth, you may need an assisted birth, which is when a suction cup (ventouse) or forceps are used to help deliver the babies.

Once the first baby is born, the midwife or doctor will check the position of the second baby by feeling your abdomen and doing a vaginal examination. If the second baby is in a good position, the waters will be broken and this baby should be born soon after the first as the cervix is already fully dilated. If contractions stop after the first birth, hormones will be added to the drip to restart them.

Caesarean section

You may choose to have an elective caesarean from the outset of your pregnancy, or your doctor may recommend a caesarean section later in the pregnancy as a result of potential complications. You’re nearly twice as likely to have a caesarean if you’re giving birth to twins than if you’re giving birth to a single baby.

The babies' position may determine whether they need to be delivered by caesarean section or not. If the presenting baby - the one that will be born first - is in a breech position (feet, knees or buttocks first), or if one twin is lying in a transverse position (with its body lying sideways), you will need to have a caesarean section.

Some conditions also mean you will need a caesarean section; for example if you have placenta praevia (a low-lying placenta) or if your twins share a placenta.

If you have previously had a very difficult delivery with a single baby, you may be advised to have a caesarean section with twins. Even if you plan a vaginal birth, you may end up having an emergency caesarean section.

This could be because:

one or both babies become distressed
the umbilical cord prolapses (falls into the birth canal ahead of the baby)
your blood pressure is going up
the labour is progressing too slowly
assisted delivery doesn't work

In very rare cases, you may deliver one twin vaginally and then require a caesarean section to deliver the second twin if it becomes distressed.

After the birth

After the birth, your midwife will examine the placenta to determine what type of twins you have. Twins can either be fraternal or identical.

If your babies need special care

Depending on where you plan to give birth, you may need to go to another hospital with appropriate facilities if complications in your pregnancy indicate you're likely to have an early delivery. This may not be near to home, so make sure to check there are enough beds for both your babies in the neonatal unit.

Ask if your chosen hospital has a transitional care unit or a special care nursery. These are places that allow mothers to care for their babies if they need special care but not intensive care. These hospitals are more likely to be able to keep you and your babies in the same place.

You might also want to ask if your hospital has cots that allow co-bedding (where your babies sleep in a single cot), if this is appropriate and if you want your babies to sleep together.

If you have one baby in the hospital and one at home, you will need to think about splitting your time between the two. When you visit your baby in hospital, ask if you can bring their twin and if co-bedding is allowed during visits.

If you want to breastfeed and only one twin can feed effectively, you may need to express milk to feed the twin who is having trouble feeding. You may then need to put the twin who can feed on the breast to encourage milk production in order to get enough milk to feed both babies.

Check if your hospital offers support from a community neonatal nurse, which would allow for you and your babies to leave hospital earlier, for example if your baby is still tube-fed.

When you go to clinics for follow-up appointments, it's a good idea to ask not to be booked into early morning appointments. Getting out of the house with two babies, particularly if one is unwell, can be difficult.

For more information and support, visit Twins Research Australia.

Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.

Twin Pregnancy: Answers from an Expert

Twin Pregnancy: Answers from an Expert | Johns Hopkins Medicine

Reviewed By:

When you’re expecting twins, you know you’ll need two of everything for your registry. But what about staying healthy during your pregnancy? Do you need to double your food intake, weight gain and visits to the doctor? With regard to the babies, are there two placentas and two amniotic sacs, or can they share these?

Johns Hopkins maternal-fetal medicine specialist Jeanne Sheffield answers eight commonly asked questions.

Do twins share a placenta and an amniotic sac?

While some twins may share a placenta and an amniotic sac, that is not the case for the vast majority of pregnancies. Here are three major possibilities that exist:
- Two placentas and two amniotic sacs. A twin pregnancy with two placentas and two amniotic sacs is the optimal twin pregnancy, as each baby has its own nutritional source and protective membrane.
- One placenta and two amniotic sacs. In pregnancies with one placenta and two amniotic sacs, you will definitely have identical twins. Additionally, when your babies share a placenta, there is a greater risk for complications, such as twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. Your physician will closely monitor your pregnancy to check for potential problems.
- One placenta and one amniotic sac. This is the riskiest and rarest type of twin pregnancy. Fetal complications can arise due to tangling of the umbilical cords or an imbalance in nutrients, blood or other vital life supporting systems.
Do I need to double my caloric intake during a twin pregnancy?

A common misconception surrounding twin pregnancy is that you need to double your caloric intake to provide your babies with enough nutrients. However, pregnancy nutrition guidelines aren’t simply based on the number of babies you’re carrying. Instead, they’re based on your body mass index at the time you became pregnant.

Your doctor will make individualized recommendations based on your starting weight. On average, it’s estimated that a woman’s caloric requirements will increase about 40 percent for a twin pregnancy. What’s most important, though, is that a woman eats as healthy as possible.
Do I need to take different prenatal vitamins for twins?

If you’re pregnant with twins, you should take the same prenatal vitamins you would take for any pregnancy, but your physician will recommend extra folic acid and iron. The additional folic acid and extra iron will help ward off iron-deficiency anemia, which is more common when you’re pregnant with multiples.
Will I need to visit my doctor more frequently?

While every pregnancy is different, most women carrying twins will have more frequent prenatal visits than women carrying only one baby. If your twins are sharing one placenta, you will automatically have a more frequent monitoring schedule.

If your pregnancy doesn’t have complications, your prenatal visits may not differ much from a singleton pregnancy until you get to the end of your second trimester. At that point, you’ll be seen more frequently because there is a higher risk of pre-eclampsia and preterm labor.
Do I have to see a maternal-fetal medicine specialist for a twin pregnancy?

Maternal-fetal medicine specialists see high-risk pregnancies, but not every twin pregnancy will fall into this category.

To find the best care provider for your twins, make sure that the physician is comfortable managing twins, including vaginal delivery of twins rather than only offering a cesarean section (C-section) for delivery.
Are all twin pregnancies delivered preterm?

A little more than half of twin pregnancies end in preterm delivery (before 37 weeks). While 40 weeks is the full gestation period of the average pregnancy, most twin pregnancies are delivered at approximately 36 weeks (range 32-38 weeks depending on the type of twin pregnancy).

Unfortunately, preventing preterm labor with multiples is more challenging than with a singleton pregnancy because the interventions used with singleton pregnancies are not as effective with multiples.
Can bed rest reduce the risk of preterm delivery?

Scientific data show that bed rest does not prevent preterm delivery. In fact, bed rest can increase your risk of developing blood clots and have negative financial and social consequences.

Although bed rest is not prescribed as frequently as it once was, your doctor may suggest reducing your activity level if you’re showing signs of early labor at the end of your second trimester or early in your third trimester.
Is labor and delivery significantly different with twins?

Labor is generally the same whether you’re having one baby or two. During delivery is when things differ significantly.

When it’s time to deliver your twins, you will go to an operating room even if you are delivering vaginally. This is a safety precaution known as a double setup. Following the vaginal delivery of the first baby, there is a small risk of an emergency cesarean section for the second baby. There is also the possibility of the second twin being delivered breech, which is a safe form of vaginal delivery if the obstetrician is experienced in this type of delivery.

Of women giving birth to twins over 32 weeks, only about 4 percent who try for a vaginal delivery will have a combined vaginal and cesarean section delivery. While it doesn’t happen very often, by delivering both babies in the operating room, physicians are better prepared to protect the health of the mother and the babies.

Although being pregnant with twins can seem very different, your doctor will treat your pregnancy like any other unless a complication occurs.

Sign Up for Our Free Newsletter

One of the best things you can do to protect and improve your health is to stay informed. Your Health is a FREE e-newsletter that serves as your smart, simple connection to the world-class expertise of Johns Hopkins.

Planning a Pregnancy
How to Prepare for Pregnancy
Fertility, Pregnancy and Childbirth
Complications of Pregnancy
Planning a Pregnancy
Ovarian Tissue Freezing Cryopreservation

A woman gives birth to twins 11 weeks apart - expert material, Lahta Clinic

When Lilia Konovalova became pregnant with twins, she never expected that she would have to give birth twice. And yet, a 29-year-old woman from Northern Kazakhstan had to be hospitalized twice: in May she gave birth to a daughter, and then in the first days of this month [ August 2019 ] her son was born.

“It’s just that he was in no hurry to go out into the world,” noted L.Konovalova in an interview with " Daily Mail ".

Twins born 11 weeks apart. Such a large gap is rare, but not unique (the world record - the birth of twins with a difference of 87 days - was set in 2012). However, not only the age difference distinguishes this case. The fact is that each of the twins was born in a separate, own uterus.

Lilia Konovalova has an anatomical anomaly called uterus didelphys, which actually means the presence of two uteruses. This phenomenon is surprisingly common - in about one woman in two thousand - and is formed at the stage of intrauterine development of the female fetus, when the two fallopian tubes, instead of merging into a single uterus, develop as two separate cavities. But at the same time, the chances of such a pregnancy as Konovalova , that is, the successful bearing of twins in two wombs, are negligible - according to " Scientific American ", they are one in 50 million (even the probability of simply conceiving twins in each uterus separately for a woman with uterus didelphys does not exceed 1 :25,000).

However, such cases have already been documented. In 2009, a Michigan woman also having uterus didelphys gave birth to two girls from different wombs, and in 2014 a British citizen with the same anomaly gave birth to triplets: two were born in one uterus, the third in another. nine0007

But in none of the listed cases were babies born with such a large interval of time that a second hospitalization in the maternity hospital was required - almost three months after the first birth. This means that Konovalova's case is rare in two aspects at the same time.

From time to time in obstetrical and gynecological practice there are situations when, after the birth of the first twin, the contractions subside. Sometimes, if the first-born twin turns out to be extremely premature, doctors decide to leave the second in the mother's womb - until the term is as close to normal as possible. This is exactly what happened with Lilia Konovalova , reports " The Washington Post ". At the time of the birth of her daughter Leah, the woman was only 26 weeks pregnant - barely crossed the threshold when a child can even survive outside the mother's body. By the time of the birth of his son Maxim, the duration of his intrauterine development was already much longer.

L.Konovalova and both twins are healthy, they are preparing for discharge in full force.

Based on Live Science

Pregnancy and childbirth records

Checking the Guinness Book of Records

The fertility record of belongs to our compatriot, the second wife of Fyodor Vasiliev from the city of Shuya, who between 1725 and 1765 gave birth to 69 children, 67 of whom survived infancy. All her pregnancies were multiple: twins were born 16 times, triplets 7 times, 4 children appeared four times at once. Interestingly, the name of this unique woman is not mentioned in Western sources. More precisely, they call her "Mrs. Fedor Vasiliev" . ..
Leontina Espinoza was born in Argentina to triplets. She got into the Guinness Book as a "super mom" - she gave birth to 57 children (9 triplets, 11 twins, 8 singles), six of whom died during childbirth.
Mrs. Mary Jonas, who died in 1899, gave birth to 15 pairs of twins, all pairs of opposite sexes: a boy and a girl.

The shortest pregnancy lasted just over 23 weeks, ending 117 days earlier than expected. As a result, Jimmy and Missy Fisher were born on March 27, 1999. The previous record was held by Joanne and Alexander Bagwell, born June 2, 1993 in England 114 days ahead of schedule.

www.bio-vet.ru

The longest interval between the birth of twins. Mrs. Peggy Lynn gave birth to daughter Hanna on November 11, 1995, and her brother Eric on February 2, 1996, 84 days later.

The tallest male twins are Americans Michael and James Lanier, each 2 meters 24 cm tall. Women are Heather and Heidi Burg (195 cm). Heidi played on the WNBA women's basketball team for the Los Angeles Sparks at 19.97-1998.

The shortest twins among men today are John and Greg Rice from the USA, their height is only 86 cm, and among women - Americans Doreen Williams and Darlene McGregor (125 cm). But the short stature record belongs to the brothers Matthews and Bela Matina, who were born in Hungary and moved to the United States. Their height in adulthood was 51 cm.

The least weighed at birth were Anna Faith Sarah (400) and John Alexander (430) Morrisons. They were born in Canada on January 14, 1994 years old. Before them, Roshan Marilyn (490) and Melanie Louise Gray (born in Australia in 1993) had the flyweight

The twins born to Mrs. Haskin on February 20, 1924 in Arkansas had the highest birth weight - together the babies weighed 12.5 kg.

The heaviest twins in adulthood are Billy and Benny McCrary (born December 7, 1946), their weight is 337 kg. and 328 kg. respectively. They developed like normal children until the age of 6 and began to put on a lot of weight after they had been ill with rubella measles. Billy died in a car accident at 1979 year.

The record for life expectancy of among female twins belongs to Japanese women Kin Narita and Jin Kani, who were born on August 1, 1892 in Nagoya. Keene died on January 23, 2000 from cardiac arrest at the age of 107. (By the way, in Japanese their names mean: Kin - gold, Jin - silver). Women managed to live in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
The longest living brothers of the men were Eli Shadrak and John Meshark Phillips, born February 14, 1803 in Virginia. Eli passed away when he was 108 and 9days.
Of the currently living male twins, Lee and Sam DeSpain from Kentucky, who celebrated their 98th birthday on January 13, 2000, are considered the oldest.
Gertrude Blasingame and Pearl Dew of Arkansas hold the palm for women. The sisters were born on July 27, 1899 and are now 101 years old.

World's first test-tube twins - Steven and Amanda Mays, born June 5, 1981.

The youngest mother of twins was British citizen Nicola Dougherty, who gave birth to girls Courtney and Caitlin on April 20, 1997 when she was 14. Her compatriot James Sutton became the father of twins Leah and Louise at the age of 13 (his mother was his 17-year-old girlfriend). It happened in 1999.

The longest missing twins Iris Jones and Aro Campbell. They were separated on January 13, 1914, and the meeting took place 75 years later, in 1989.

John and William Reiff from Pennsylvania are recognized as the most similar twins in the world. From 1957 to 19In 1996, they won the title of "most identical" 22 times in identical twin competitions.

The biggest difference in height between twins was between Don Koehler and his sister. Both were born in Denton, Montana in 1925. Don began to grow abnormally fast at the age of 10, and by the end of his life (1981) his height was 2m. 50cm. (There was only one person above him in the 20th century). His sister's height was 1m.75cm. height difference was 75 cm.

The oldest mother of twins is Lin Fu-Mei. She is from Taiwan. She gave birth to twins when she was 59 years old. Jodi Cates from the USA gave birth to twins at the age of 58.

The most famous of the Siamese twins are Chang and Eng Bunkers (05/11/1811-01/17/1874). They were married to sisters Sarah and Adelaide Yates of North Carolina and toured with the Barnum and Bailey Circus. They had 21 children. They lived 63 years and 8 months, which is the life expectancy record among Siamese twins. Read more about their life story here…. nine0007

On November 19, 1997, 90,003 seven 90,004 twins were born in the McCogay family from Iowa (USA): Kenneth Robert (1475), Alexis May (1220), Natalie Sue (1190), Chelsea Ann (1050), Brandon James ( 1305), Nathan Roy (1445) and Joel Stephen (1335).

The first successful birth of eight twins was recorded in Houston, Texas on December 20, 1998. Parents - Nkem Chukwu (mother) and Ike Louis Udobi (father). Despite excellent medical care, the smallest of Oder's children (the name means "My life belongs to God") died on December 27, on the 7th day of life. All children were given the names of the Ibo tribe (Nigeria), where the parents come from. The total weight of children at birth was a little over 4.5 kg. nine0053 9 more cases of birth of eight children at the same time were recorded, but there were never deaths of at least two babies during childbirth.

9,10,11….15!
There are known cases of very multiple pregnancies.
However, in none of the cases has it ever been possible to save all the children: either all those born died during childbirth or in the first hours after them, or the mother agreed to medical intervention in order to leave 2 to 4 children in the womb, or there were miscarriages. nine0053 The largest number of births in one birth was recorded in Brazil on April 22, 1946 (2 boys and 8 girls), but it is not known whether any of the children survived, just as the fate of the other two "tens" is unknown (in Spain in 1924 and in China in 1936.