The results suggest that twin fetuses are aware of their counterparts in the womb, that they prefer to interact with them, and that they respond to them in special ways. Contact between them appeared to be planned—not an accidental outcome of spatial proximity, says study co-author Cristina Becchio of Turin.
More About Twins
You might also feel your babies moving at the same time but in two different areas of your belly if you're pregnant with twins.
A lot of people want to think that the separation between twins is like a wall. It is actually more like a bedsheet hanging on a clothesline. The babies can nudge each other and kick each other. But they cannot directly touch each other because of the flimsy membrane.
Twins are born communicators. Even before very young twins learn language, they can and will communicate non-verbally by looking at each other, staying close together, or hitting each other—and of course playing with each other.
There are twins who say they have felt each other's pain. And their close relationship and nearly-identical physical structure means there could be a sliver of truth in the theory — as pain can be psychological and can be felt empathetically.
Twins share the same genes but their environments become more different as they age. This unique aspect of twins makes them an excellent model for understanding how genes and the environment contribute to certain traits, especially complex behaviors and diseases.
It is likely that twins' awareness of one another starts sooner than seven or eight months of age. An article by the late doctor, T. Berry Brazelton, observed that at age three to four months, an infant identical female twin seemed disoriented when her sister was removed from the room.
There is no evidence of twin telepathy. There are many myths about twins—hence, the title of my new book, Twin Mythconceptions: False Beliefs, Fables, And Facts About Twins (2017, Elsevier).
Identical twins do not have identical fingerprints, even though their identical genes give them very similar patterns. 1 The fetus begins developing fingerprint patterns in the early weeks of pregnancy. Small differences in the womb environment conspire to give each twin different, but similar, fingerprints.
What happens when one twin absorbs another? The vanishing twin's tissue gets absorbed by the surviving embryo(s) and the parent, too. This absorption process is completely harmless.
Both identical and fraternal twins can be di-di, or dichorionic-diamniotic, though all fraternal pairs are of this type. Di-di twins each have their own placentas and amniotic sacs, sharing only the womb to develop.
Blastocyst stage (days 4–8) division results in monochorionic-diamniotic twins. Division at the 8–12-day stage results in monochorionic-monoamniotic twins, and division after day 12 leads to conjoined twins [1, 2].
Keep your hips and knees at a right angle (use a foot rest or stool if necessary). Your legs should not be crossed and your feet should be flat on the floor. Try to avoid sitting in the same position for more than 30 minutes. At work, adjust your chair height and workstation so you can sit up close to your desk.
Many twins report feeling something akin to twin telepathy—a kind of psychic bond that allows them to think and feel “with” each other.
Key points. Competition, jealousy, sharing, and expectations make twinship a hard relationship to navigate. Twins are sometimes confused as to who they are in relationship to each other. It's important not to make twins feel guilty or ashamed if they don't get along.
Those who believe that shared dreams are genuine say it can happen spontaneously, or be planned. They're most common between people who are emotionally close such as couples, siblings, parent-child, or best friends. It's also said that twins may be especially prone to shared dreams.
Identical twins may say that they are not attracted to the same people. However, researcher Nancy Segal surmises that twins actually feel the same attractions, but as soon as one twin makes her interest known, the second twin will not pursue the other's object of interest.
The longest interval between the birth of twins is 90 days, in the case of Molly and Benjamin West, dizygotic (fraternal) twins born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA to parents Lesa and David West (all USA) on 1 January and 30 March 1996.
There is no right or wrong answer, it's a personal preference. Some chose to be completely open or tell their twins to give a “smaller” twin leverage if he/she is older. Other choose not to tell so that they don't bicker about the subject or the dominate “older” twin doesn't have more leverage.
You shouldn't share the same bed with your twins because it increases the risk of SIDS. But the AAP does recommend that you room-share — having your twins sleep in your room, each in their own bassinet or crib — ideally for the first six months.
The hardest thing about having twins is...
“Managing the movement of two babies. Carrying them both up and down the stairs, getting them into the car, etc.” —Simeon R. “Often having to make one baby wait!” —Catharine D. “Being outnumbered—the logistics of two on one is definitely the hardest.
Fraternal twins, however, are particularly competitive and sometimes given to intense jealousy. Their rivalry is intensified because each twin has entirely different poten tials and abilities. The I.Q. span of fraternal twins is similar to that of any two children in the same family.
It's equally unsurprising that a Danish study found that twins are less likely to get married than non-twins. As twins have a partner from birth, the study suggests that they may not have the same desire for marriage as singletons.