What month are most twins born

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.

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Twin Pregnancy: Answers from an Expert

Twin Pregnancy: Answers from an Expert | Johns Hopkins Medicine

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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.

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Today more twins are born in the world than ever before

March 15, 2021 13:53 Olga Muraya

Most twins in recent years were born in Asia and Africa.
Pixabay Photos.

Since the 1980s, the number of twins born worldwide has increased by a third. Scientists have also found that in some regions of the world, twins are always born more often than in others.

Researchers from the Netherlands, Great Britain and France have studied twin birth statistics for 2010-2015. They found that today in the world one in 42 newborns is a twin, and in total about 1.6 million twins are born every year. Scientists compared these data with statistics 1980s and it turned out that the birth rate of twins has increased by a third since then.

Recall that children born from one pregnancy are considered twins. There may be two or more. Most often, two types of twins are distinguished - identical and fraternal (they are also called twins).

Identical, or monozygotic, twins develop from one egg, fertilized by one sperm, which at some point split into two parts. These twins are called identical because they share 100% of their genes.

Fraternal or heterozygous twins, respectively, result from the fertilization of two eggs by different spermatozoa. Such twins can be of different sexes, and they do not necessarily look like two peas in a pod, because they have only 50% of their genes identical.

Pregnancy in which the mother bears such twins (or more children) is called multiple pregnancy.

The chance of multiple pregnancy increases with maternal age and is also associated with ovulation-stimulating drugs. Today, in vitro fertilization (IVF) is increasingly practiced, as a result of which twins are also often born.

Scientists attribute the rise in the birth rate of twins in the 20th century to the achievements of modern medicine. They believe that in recent years the proportion of twins among newborns has become higher than was ever possible. Therefore, the findings of the current study did not come as a surprise to them.

After examining data from 165 countries, scientists noticed that over the past 40 years, the proportion of newborn twins has declined only in countries in South America. At the same time, approximately 80% of twin births occur today in Asia and Africa. The most interesting thing is that in Africa and at 19The 1980s, and now a record number of twins were born, and their proportion among newborns has hardly changed over the years.

This led scientists to the idea that the population of the African continent has a certain genetic feature that makes women predisposed to multiple pregnancies.

"This is important to note because twin births are associated with increased infant mortality and a high risk of complications during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum recovery," said study lead author Christiaan Monden, professor at the University of Oxford. ).

Some researchers argue that the proportion of twin births in high-income countries has peaked today and will only decline further. They explain this by the fact that IVF technologies are changing today in the direction of reducing the number of multiple pregnancies. Most women who want to get pregnant still do not want to give birth to several children at the same time, and their desires are taken into account by scientists and doctors.

Sociologists are planning to update the data in a few years to determine whether the birth rate of twins in high-income countries will decline soon. They also look forward to seeing what changes will happen in poorer countries where reproductive medicine (including IVF) is just beginning to develop.

A scientific article detailing this large scale study was published in the journal Human Reproduction.

Earlier Vesti.Ru wrote about how scientists were able to increase the effectiveness of artificial insemination and found out at what age it is best to turn to the IVF method. We also reported that the danger of artificial insemination is just a myth.

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dates, characteristics, zodiac sign compatibility

Published: May 06, 2022, 19:23

Gemini: dates, characteristics, zodiac sign compatibility: Pixabay

Easy-going Gemini - lovers of noisy companies and adventures, love to gossip and unravel other people's secrets. Why are they loved, what is their nature and compatibility with other people? The secrets of the third sign of the zodiac were revealed by astrologers Sergey Shestopalov and Irina Pigulevskaya.

The main characteristics of the sign Gemini

Smart and talented Gemini is always in the spotlight. In their quest for freedom, these people are able to quit overnight, get divorced, move and completely change their lives. We will find out what else the generous and courteous representatives of this sign are capable of.

Date and element of the sign

People born between May 22 and June 21 are under the auspices of Mercury, which makes them brilliant, artistic and sociable. Like all personalities born at the turn of the seasons, Gemini is charming and changeable.

What is the element of the zodiac sign Gemini? These are representatives of the trine of Air, which also includes Libra and Aquarius. The typical features of air signs (curiosity, eloquence, abundance of connections) are also found in Gemini. Their symbol is the wind. The sign is never at rest, says Sergey Shestopalov, author of the book Predictive Astrology.

Constellation Gemini: Pixabay

What does the zodiac sign Gemini look like? It is a paired sign depicting two male figures (twin brothers) or the Roman numeral two - two parallel lines united by two moons, waning and growing. What does the zodiac sign Gemini mean? It symbolizes the division of matter into parts and the soul in two, it is considered a symbol of internal torment and duality.

The half-brothers Castor and Pollux, mortal and immortal, became the symbol of the sign. Irina Pigulevskaya in the book “Your sign in myths and legends” writes that brotherly love conquered Zeus, and he turned Castor and Pollux into a constellation.

Character of Gemini, representatives of the sign

What is the character of Gemini? They are adventurers with powerful intellects and complex, dual natures. They are prone to sudden mood swings, reckless and independent. They lead an active social life, love to shock the public, causing admiration of others.

Positive character traits of the sign:

Sociability and easy temper.
Generosity and responsiveness.
Wit and enthusiasm.
Mind and charisma.

Gemini is witty and charismatic: Unsplash/Gabrielle Henderson

Gemini is not perfect, they have negative character traits:

Lies and pretense.
Talkativeness and frivolity.
Indecision and instability.
Selfishness and narcissism.

They speak quickly, but they do not know how to listen, therefore they perceive information superficially. They don’t like conservatives and love everything new, so there are many bright, outrageous talented personalities among them:

Donald Trump and Prince William.
Marilyn Monroe and Johnny Depp.
Alexander Pushkin and Mikhail Sholokhov.
Robert Schumann and Paul Gauguin.

Life, friendship, career and health of Gemini

In everyday life they are unpretentious, but neat. Cooking, washing, cleaning, absolutely independent. They do not like rituals and conventions, they prefer comfort and simplicity. They know how to take care of those they choose.

Talented Gemini is loved and appreciated in society. They are not only very attached to their parents, but also devoted to friends. They love parties, host guests at home. Talented scientists are obtained from them, since intellectual professions are suitable for Gemini. These people achieve the best success in such professions:

Lawyer and prosecutor.
Teacher and nanny.
Journalist and translator.
Marketer and copywriter.
Guide and traveler.

To stay healthy, Gemini needs to get rid of bad habits. They are prone to diseases of the skeleton and spine, have weak lungs. They often suffer from arthritis and migraines, colds and allergies.

Gemini suffers from migraine: Unsplash/Nik Shuliahin

Gemini in love and family who is compatible with

Who are Gemini compatible with? They reach mutual understanding with representatives of the elements of Air (Libra, Aquarius) and Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius). Gemini lives with them, raises children, sometimes from different marriages, since the air sign is easily divorced and again goes down the aisle.

What are Gemini looking for in a relationship? This is communication, joint pastime, recreation and entertainment. Passion and intimacy are second to none. They can negotiate with anyone, because they have incredible flexibility and the ability to adapt to almost any situation, according to Cass and Janey Jackson, authors of the book Astrology.

Who is not compatible with Gemini? Gemini does not get along with representatives of the Earth sign (Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn). It is not easy with Gemini for water signs - Cancer, Pisces and Scorpio. The accumulated mutual claims lead to a break in relations.

Let's take a closer look at what Gemini can expect from relationships with other signs:

A wonderful union of two kindred souls with Aries. They create a strong, interesting and active couple. There are enough adventures in the life of a couple to live together to old age.
An honest relationship with Taurus. They see each other's shortcomings, learn to smooth out sharp corners. To cope with the growing irritation due to the pragmatism of the earthly partner, hobbies, sports and recreation will help Gemini.
With Gemini. Partners understand each other very well. They have a similar life credo, goals and values. To strengthen relationships, they must keep promises, be faithful and respectful.

Two Twins understand each other perfectly: Unsplash/Jason Goodman

Conflicts are not uncommon in a pair with Cancer. The difference in temperament and attitude to life do not match, which creates a negative atmosphere in a couple. To be together, you need to agree and share areas of responsibility.
With Leo, strong attraction alternates with outbursts of irritation and aggression. A very temperamental couple in which partners are interested, but difficult. To be together, you need to give Leo leadership.
Virgo considers Gemini to be too superficial, and they do not tolerate partner's criticism. Signs are better friends than dating. In addition, they are not compatible intimately.
With Libra Gemini easily reach mutual understanding. The couple enjoy each other's company. The head here is Gemini, and Libra remains the role of inspirer of the union. Easily enter into marriage and work to save it.
With Scorpio. These people are too different, which is noticeable at first sight. Everything will be in a pair: jealousy, the struggle for power and material resources. There will be no harmony and common plans in it, each on its own.
With Sagittarius there will be love, passion, interest and desire at first sight. Both partners are active, they have common goals, tastes and interests. Power struggles can undermine the foundation of a relationship.
A strong Capricorn is able to cope with the windy Gemini. Two opposites attract and can no longer part. Both are smart and striving for success, more often converge in adulthood.
With Aquarius. The perfect compatibility of the signs of the elements of Air guarantees a happy marriage. Modern, active, future-oriented people will become an example for everyone. Possible common business or business for the soul.
With Pisces. Partners prefer to transfer responsibility further. They have low compatibility, and only a small part of people will decide on marriage at the age of 45+. An interesting experience without a sequel.

Gemini and Sagittarius are united by passion and rivalry: Unsplash/kumar chandugade

Gemini are charming and caring people, not without cunning. Numerous connections allow them to succeed in life, but the path to success can be thorny. Having understood the dual nature of the sign, it is easier to get along and make friends with him.