If you are carrying triplets or more, you will grow bigger more quickly than with a normal pregnancy. You will need to eat more to meet the babies' nutritional needs. You may need to take iron and folic acid supplements.
Your healthcare team will provide you with a nutrition plan. You are more likely to experience annoying pregnancy symptoms like reflux , haemorrhoids , varicose veins and constipation. Carrying triplets or more means you may also experience backache , so correct posture is very important.
Always bend your knees when lifting, tilt your pelvis forward when sitting, standing or lying, and consider stomach support. Because the babies are likely to be born early, it's a good idea to get the nursery ready and attend antenatal classes earlier than you would for a single pregnancy.
If possible, look for classes or information evenings designed specifically for women expecting a multiple birth. You will get very large and tired in the later stages of the pregnancy. You may have problems sleeping, but frequent rest and drinking plenty of water will help. Towards the end of the pregnancy, you will have to limit physical activity and travel, and may need to go on bed rest.
You will usually have to stop work earlier than with a single pregnancy. Your healthcare team can advise you on the right time for this. While a normal pregnancy usually lasts 40 weeks, triplets are often born earlier.
However, generally the longer your babies can stay in the uterus, the better. But when you are pregnant with triplets or more, complications often develop that mean it's better for you and your babies if they are delivered early.
Most multiple births take place by caesarean section. Your medical team will decide when to deliver based on your health and that of the babies. You may need to stay in hospital for a while before the birth. If you experience any signs of preterm labour , call your doctor immediately. If you are expecting higher order multiples, it's common to worry about possible pregnancy complications, how big you will get, how your other children will cope, and what help you will need.
For support and resources, contact the Australian Multiple Birth Association. In the UK multiple pregnancy occurs naturally in around 1 out of every 80 births, and identical twins occur only in around 1 in pregnancies. The overall rate of multiple pregnancy in the UK is about 1 in 60 births - because of the extra multiple pregnancies caused by fertility treatment. The chance of having twins increases if you are older. As you get older, you naturally produce more ovulation-stimulating hormones, which can trigger the ovaries to release several eggs in a single month.
The tendency to have non-identical twins also runs in families passed down the maternal line ; however, having identical twins seems to be entirely down to chance. If you are pregnant with more than one baby, you will have more intensive antenatal care. This means you will have more check-ups and more ultrasound scans. Multiple pregnancy is usually first recognised at your first ultrasound scan. For most women, this is when you are weeks pregnant.
Women who have had IVF and some women who have had bad morning sickness hyperemesis gravidarum will have had an earlier scan and will know sooner. The to week scan is to check the babies' age, how many babies there are and whether or not they share a placenta. The scan is exactly the same for women with multiple pregnancy as for women with one baby; however, it takes a little longer as there is more than one baby to check.
The scan also forms part of the test for Down's syndrome the other part being a blood test. After this, the number and frequency of your scans will depend on your individual circumstances. Scans allow the antenatal team to check your babies are growing as they should, and allow early detection of some of the problems twin babies can experience.
If your babies are not growing well, or if one baby is growing significantly better than the other, you may be referred to a specialist fetal medicine centre for further care. They will carry out specialist scanning to assess the babies.
You will have blood tests at least twice in your pregnancy to check you are not becoming anaemic. If you have symptoms of anaemia you may have extra tests.
The symptoms of anaemia can be vague and include tiredness, breathlessness and fainting. Anaemia is common in pregnancy and even more common in multiple pregnancy.
Generally speaking, medicines should be avoided in pregnancy unless taken on the advice of a health professional. Women who are at risk of high blood pressure in pregnancy may be advised by their specialist to take a low dose of aspirin.
Your specialist will advise if this applies to you. Deciding whether to have the test for Down's syndrome is more complicated for multiple pregnancies. The test is less accurate in determining this risk in multiple pregnancies. Your antenatal team will give you information to help you decide whether to have the test.
If you have a higher risk result you will be offered an invasive diagnostic test. There are other non-invasive DNA tests for Down's syndrome available in the private sector. You will usually be in the hands of a team of specialists, made up of the ultrasonographer, your midwife and a doctor who specialises in pregnancy and childbirth an obstetrician.
You may also be referred to other specialists for advice if you have other problems. The highest-risk multiple pregnancies are cared for by a specialist 'fetal medicine centre'.
This is more likely if you are having three or more babies, or if any of your babies share a placenta. General advice about diet and lifestyle in pregnancy applies to women who are pregnant with more than one baby. Twin pregnancy is particularly demanding of you, the mother. Many of the 'normal' pregnancy symptoms will come earlier and be more severe.
Tiredness, breathlessness and sleep disturbance are very common in the second half of the pregnancy. You may find that your mood goes up and down, that you have strange dreams about labour and birth and that you are much more than usually tearful. Your healthcare team should discuss your plans and wishes for the birth of your babies from 24 weeks in a twin or triplet pregnancy.
By 28 weeks of pregnancy at the latest you should have discussed the place of birth and the possible need to transfer the babies if they are born early; the timing of birth and how they will be delivered; what pain relief you would like during labour; how the babies' heart rates will be monitored during labour; and what will happen when the placenta is delivered.
Twins and triplets are on average born earlier than most single babies. About 75 out of triplet pregnancies are born before 35 weeks. On average, twins are born at 37 weeks and triplets at 33 weeks, but there is wide variation in this. See the separate leaflet called Premature Labour. The safest option for the babies depends on how many babies you have and whether they share a placenta and amniotic sac.
If you choose not to have a planned early delivery, there may be increased risk to the babies. They will be monitored very carefully each week to check they are growing normally. If you have a very early delivery, you may be offered a course of steroids. If you have any other questions, I am an open book. This is our very first ultrasound when we found out there were twins. It amazes me that there was another little girl in there hiding!!
We had our first ultrasound around 10 weeks. The lovely internal one, where you see everything crystal clear. I stayed decently calm. My husband? Not so much.
He about fell over. They had to bring him water. He was pacing. Semi-freaked out. We go in for our 19 week anatomy scan very anxious. Before I go on, let me rewind a bit. Most of the pregnancy, I was convinced I was having one of each, until about two weeks prior to the anatomy scan 17 weeks.
I told a few clients at work and everyone told me I was crazy and no way! Okay, back to the ultrasound. My husband sort of freaked, but, was excited. Honestly, this appointment turned into a blur. I felt like I was almost having an out of body experience! Maybe 15 minutes later, it seemed as if she was having some trouble.
Keep in mind she has been doing this 40 years, but, we ended up learning this was her second set of triplets ever. Mostly because you usually go to a high risk specialist for your ultrasounds. Over and over, she kept following the membrane and would switch back and forth between whether it was baby a or baby b. A few more minutes go by and she has to start over. What we soon found out was, there were TWO babies in one sac and they were moving all around. Maybe ten minutes later, she gets silent and start scanning back and forth.
I think this is mostly when things get very blurry. I think we looked at each other and maybe were silent? When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals.
We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies. How your fetus grows during pregnancy. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Multiple pregnancy. Cleveland Clinic. Fetal development: Stage of growth. Hiersch L et al. Differences in fetal growth patterns between twins and singletons.
National Library of Medicine. Johns Hopkins. Twin pregnancy: Answers from an expert. Mayo Clinic. Twin pregnancy: What multiples mean for mom. Fetal development. Join now to personalize. Photo credit: Thinkstock. Learn more: Fetal development: What does your baby look like now? Signs you're having twins or multiples Pregnant with twins: premature birth and other complications Twin birth video Likelihood of twins: can you increase your chances?
Sources BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. Related Slideshows. How big is my baby? Week-by-week fruit and veggie comparisons. Fetal development week by week. What to eat when pregnant: The 12 best foods. Cute maternity clothes ideas for every pregnancy body type. Pregnant belly photos.
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