Just like singleton babies, twins can sometimes get super-active in the womb. But not to worry — there's no real threat from it! Babies can kick or even hit each other (yes, really) in utero, but the good news is the amniotic fluid acts as a cushion to protect them from actually getting hurt by any of it.
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.
It's no surprise there's a special bond between twins, but did you know that it begins in the womb? A 2010 study from researchers at Italy's University of Parma and University of Turin found that twins interact socially with each other as early as 14 weeks in the womb, according to Scientific American.
Identical twins occur when a single fertilized egg splits and develops into two fetuses. Identical twins might share a placenta and an amniotic sac or the twins might share a placenta and each have separate amniotic sacs. Genetically, the two babies are identical.
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.
For a given pregnancy, the odds of conceiving fraternal twins are only determined by the mother's genetics, not the father's. Fraternal twins happen when two eggs are simultaneously fertilised instead of just one.
Just as all twins love each other, all twins fight. These fights begin by six months of age and continue on and on. Some disagreements are healthy, normal, and expectable. Good-enough parents try to manage, redirect and actually understand why their twins are not getting along.
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 totally normal that twins fight. After all, wouldn't you get annoyed at someone you were with almost 24/7? But you can do some things to prevent some of the clashes. Create separate play stations in your home, so each twin can have something he can be doing without getting in the other's way.
Twins can feel each other's pain: FICTION
Many experiments over the years have failed to prove that twins feel each other's pain.
For women born 1870-1899, moms of twins averaged reproductive spans of 14 years 11 months versus 14 years for singleton moms. Both results were statistically significant. Moms of twins also were older at the time of their last birth.
In some instances, the dead twin is compressed into a flattened, parchment-like state known as fetus papyraceus. Vanishing twins occur in up to one of every eight multifetus pregnancies and may not even be known in most cases.
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.
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.
Vanishing twin syndrome, which refers to the condition in which one twin dies and is “absorbed” by the other, or by the mother or the placenta, occurs in anywhere from 20% to 30% of pregnancies with multiple babies.
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.
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.
Created with Sketch. 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.
Culturally, being the first born often still gives one an exalted position, while obstetrically, being the first born of twins statistically gives one the edge when it comes to improved chance of intact survival.
Vaginal Birth of Twins
The good news is that even though you have two babies, you only have to labor once. Once the cervix is open, each baby will have its own pushing stage. This means you will have to push twice, but the majority of the time the second twin is born much more easily than the first.
This is why fraternal twins run in families. However, only women ovulate. So, the mother's genes control this and the fathers don't. This is why having a background of twins in the family matters only if it is on the mother's side.
Older women generally have a higher chance of conceiving twins. A 35 year old woman is about 4 times more likely to have fraternal twins than a 15 year old! That is because they are experiencing some hormonal changes as they near menopause. This could encourage their body to release more than one egg during ovulation.
Several factors for causes of embryo splitting were suggested, including maternal age, prolonged embryo culture, ovarian stimulation, and zona pellucida (ZP) manipulation [6].
Drink Alcohol, Use Drugs, or Smoke. It's never advisable to drink alcohol excessively, smoke, or take drugs, whether you are pregnant or not. When you are pregnant, doing so exposes your unborn babies to toxic substances, raising their risk of birth defects and chronic illnesses.