What are the disadvantages of having twins?

With twins, you're at greater risk for:
  • Premature birth. Twins are born prematurely more than half the time. ...
  • Low birth weight (LBW). More than half of twins are born with LBW, weighing less than 5 1/2 pounds. ...
  • Twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS).
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What is the hardest thing about having twins?

Competition between twins starts surprisingly early in life, and the squabbles can become incredibly intense. The constant cycle of fighting and refereeing is a burden on parents. Many parents would agree, the squabbling and competition between twins is one of the hardest things about parenting them.
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Do twins have more health problems?

Multiples are about twice as likely as singleton babies to have birth defects, including neural tube defects (such as spina bifida), cerebral palsy, congenital heart defects and birth defects that affect the digestive system. Growth problems. Multiples are usually smaller than singleton babies.
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How does having twins affect your body?

Women with twin pregnancies are more likely to have pregnancy health problems and complications like gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, premature labour and bleeding. Twins who share a placenta might have extra complications.
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What are the pros and cons of having a twin?

  • PRO: Twice as many gifts. Parents with multiple children know just how expensive each additional child can be. ...
  • CON: Alone time. When you have just one child, it's easier to hand them off to your (equally sleep-deprived) partner and dash out for some solo time. ...
  • PRO: Getting over perfection. ...
  • CON: Mess.
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Everything You Need To Know About Fraternal and Identical Twins | Dr. Sarah Finch



What are the benefits of being a twin?

The findings suggest that being a twin offers social, psychological and physiological benefits that could improve health and extend longevity, Sharrow said. The researchers called this concept a “twin protection effect,” he added.
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What is good about being a twin?

It's the feeling of never being completely alone; there's always someone on your side. Being a twin doesn't feel like there is another “you.” Instead it feels like together we make one; that we complement and complete each other. We are the Yin to each other's Yang! It's having a teammate for life.
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Is your body ruined after twins?

Be patient and know that it'll take longer for your midsection to return to normal after a multiple birth than it does after having just one baby. Your abdominal skin will be really stretched out after giving birth to twins and other multiples, to the point where it can be uncomfortable to walk and turn around.
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How long do you stay in hospital after twins?

"That goes up to 80 percent with triplets, and even higher for quads." How long they stay in the hospital varies. For twins, the average stay is nine to 25 days. For triplets it's 11 days to up to three months. And for quads or more, it's longer.
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How hard is it to raise twins?

“Having twins is not twice as hard—it's exponentially more difficult,” says Natalie Diaz, author of What To Do When You're Having Two and CEO of Twiniversity, a global support network for parents of twins. Diaz would know. She gave birth to fraternal twins after five years of fertility struggles.
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Which twin is usually bigger?

As expected, first-born twins had greater birth weight than second-born twins. With respect to height, first-born twins were slightly taller than second-born twins in childhood.
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Are twins more intelligent?

Twins on the average seem to have lower IQs than singletons. The best estimate for this group difference is 4.2 IQ points (less than one-third of a standard deviation), with a great divide between study outcomes of less vs more recent birth cohorts (5.1 vs 0.5 IQ points, respectively).
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Do twins have a lower IQ?

On average, twins have lower IQ scores at 7 and 9 years old than singleton children in the same family. In a cohort study, Ronalds and colleagues (p 1306) used data on 9832 singletons and 236 twins born in Aberdeen between 1950 and 1956.
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What do parents of twins need most?

Here are some gift suggestions that would be appreciated by most new parents of twins, triplets, or more.
  • Infant Care Items. Agnieszka Kirinicjanow / E+ / Getty Images. ...
  • Diapers. ...
  • Offers of Help. ...
  • Lightweight Umbrella Stroller. ...
  • Nursing Pillow or Boppy. ...
  • Bouncer Seat. ...
  • Foot Rattles. ...
  • Personalized or Twin-Themed Gifts.
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What age do twins get easier?

At three months:

The three-month stage marks the end of the “fourth trimester” and your twins can better adapt to life outside the womb. For one thing, they'll sleep in longer stretches of about three- to four-hour chunks.
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What age do twins notice each other?

Twins Become Aware of Each Other in the Utero

According to multiple studies that include 3D ultrasounds, twins start to reach out and touch each other in the womb starting at about 14 weeks. At about 18 weeks, they touch each other more often.
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What is a good weight for twins at birth?

About half of all twins weigh at least 5½ pounds at birth. (Below 5½ pounds, or 2,500 grams, is considered a low birth weight, with a higher potential for complications.)
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What do I need for newborn twins?

9 Must-have Items for Twins
  • A lightweight double frame stroller. ...
  • Two safe newborn infant car seats. ...
  • Two convertible cribs. ...
  • One portable Playard or pack-n-play. ...
  • A comfortable double breastfeeding pillow. ...
  • Two safe bouncer seats. ...
  • An organized diaper bag. ...
  • A reliable baby monitor.
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How long does C-section take for twins?

C-section With Twins: How long does it Takes? Honestly, barely longer than a singleton birth. The real time sinks with caesarian births are the prep and clean up afterwards. The actual birth itself will take 5 or 10 minutes, barely longer.
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How much weight do you lose with twins?

Dropping 30 pounds two weeks after delivering twins is not uncommon. All that excess fluid (extra blood volume, amniotic fluid and water weight) — not to mention the weight of your babies themselves — goes away rather quickly after birth.
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Is giving birth to twins more painful?

Women pregnant with twins complain of more back pain, sleeping difficulties, and heartburn than those who are carrying one child. Being pregnant with twins also carries a higher rate of maternal anemia and a higher rate of postpartum hemorrhage (bleeding) after delivery.
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How long does it take for your belly to go down after twins?

This is common, and after you give birth, both your stomach and your uterus will start to contract to their pre-pregnancy sizes. Expect it to take around six weeks for your uterus to contract fully.
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Why are twins so special?

Identical twins share a particularly intense bond. They are the result of one fertilized egg splitting into two, giving them identical DNA. (Fraternal twins are the result of two separate, genetically different fertilized eggs.) As a result, identical twins are as close as two people can be.
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How do twins feel when one dies?

When a twin dies, the twinless twin longs to reconnect. The twinless twin may have phantom pain or feel half dead. He or she may feel a need to represent both him or herself and the deceased twin or may even take on behaviors of the deceased twin. Dr.
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Why do mothers of twins live longer?

The duo found that women who gave birth to twins “outperformed” their peers who only ever had one child at a time. On average, they lived longer after menopause. They gave birth more frequently, and over the course of their lives, they raised two more children.
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