Current estimates state that a family with twins should plan to shell out nearly $26,000 per year—but that's not entirely accurate. Still, it's a great motivator to set—and maintain—a family budget.
First-year costs more than double when you have twins. Look for ways to divide expenses. Twins can share a room, toys, and clothing. You also may be able to find other twin discounts.
1 For most families, the cost of housing would remain the same whether they have one child or twins. Your rent or mortgage payment will not fluctuate because you have multiples, unless, of course, you have to move to a larger home because you're having two children at the same time.
“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.
Some say that twins are always hard (yet amazing), while others say they truly didn't find them to be difficult. A few said that the first two months with twins are easy (being in the rose-colored glasses phase), then reality hits from months 3-6 (when the sleep deprivation catches up), then it can get easier again.
“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.
The survey found: That 4.3% of respondents divorced during the pregnancy or following the birth of multiples (indicating that the divorce rate among this group may not be as high as many have speculated.) Over 95% of the marriages were intact.
What changes can I expect with twins? Your first year of raising twins will be tough. Expect less sleep, as your world will revolve around feeding your twins, burping them, changing them and putting them to sleep, all while constantly washing two sets of everything from clothes to feeding bottles.
Having twins doesn't necessarily mean your costs will double, but whether it's cheaper to raise twins vs. a single child can depend on what you anticipate spending. For example, with twins you might spend more on childcare but less on diapers because you're using cloth diapers and the babies are sharing.
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).
Your hospital stay as the mother costs about the same with one baby or two. However, each of your babies will get their own charges for in-hospital care. If they spend any time in the NICU, which is always a possibility with twins, as they tend to arrive early, these costs can add up rather quickly.
That is, with each additional child, expenses on each declines. For married-couple families with one child, expenses averaged 27% more per child than expenses in a two-child family. For families with three or more children, per child expenses averaged 24% less on each child than on a child in a two-child family.
Researchers analysed records from more than 100 countries and found a substantial rise in twin birthrates since the 1980s, with one in 42 people now born a twin, equivalent to 1.6 million children a year. According to the study, the global twin birthrate has risen by one-third, on average, over the past 40 years.
A normal pregnancy typically costs between $30,000 and $50,000 without insurance, and averages $4,500 with coverage. Many costs, such as tests that moms who are at-risk or over age 35 might opt for, aren't totally covered by insurance. Plan to have at least $20,000 in the bank.
Identical twins reported similar levels of happiness, while fraternal twins exhibited greater variation in their reported sense of well-being. These results were found in families of twins raised together and extended with twins reared apart.
A third milestone in a twin pregnancy is 32 weeks to 34 weeks. Babies born then generally have an excellent chance of survival, without any major long-term complications, though they might not have full lung maturity and will need to spend time in the NICU.
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.
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.
The first wife (died ante 1770), of Feodor Vassilyev (b. 1707–c. 1782), a peasant from Shuya, Russia, gave birth to 16 sets of twins.
As you age, your chance of conceiving twins increases. Researchers have found that women over 35 produce more follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) than younger women, which may cause more than one egg to drop at ovulation.
Missionary position: The man-on-top position helps the sperm to enter the egg easily, and it is the best sex position to produce twins.
Fraternal twins, which are not identical twins, are the most common type of twins.
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.