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.
Twins not only have a bestie from birth — they also live longer than singletons. And those two factors may be related, according to new University of Washington research.
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.
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.
Although it may seem as though twin babies and multiples do a lot more crying than singletons, especially when they're taking turns sobbing, there's no evidence that they spend more time wailing than other babies. Individually, each baby probably cries about the same amount as others.
In addition, previous studies have shown that first-born twins are, on average, taller and heavier than second-born twins until adolescence (Silventoinen et al., 2007; Pietiläinen et al., 2002).
There are cases of twins born in different years. In Texas, twins were born only one minute apart, but in different years, delivered by C-section as the last baby of 2013 and the first baby of 2014. A similar situation occurred as 2015 changed to 2016 in San Diego with fraternal twins.
Twins are more likely to be born early, often before 38 weeks, so it's important to understand your birth options. Less than half of all twin pregnancies last beyond 37 weeks.
It is estimated that 1 in 250 natural pregnancies will naturally result in twins. While twin pregnancies can happen by chance, there are some factors that may increase your odds of having two babies at the same time.
According to The American Society for Reproductive Medicine, women who are fraternal twins have a 1 in 60 chance of having twins, and men who are fraternal twins have a 1 in 125 chance of fathering twins. It was previously believed that identical (monozygotic) twins were random — not genetic.
In ancient times, the Yoruba viewed twins with suspicion, and sometimes sacrificed them. But now twins are considered lucky. In contrast to the Western view, the firstborn twin is considered the younger of the two. The Yoruba believe that the "senior" twin sent the younger one out first to scout the world.
Because each baby comes from the same egg and sperm, their genetic material (known as chromosomes) is identical. They are assigned the same sex at birth and have the same physical features, including eye and hair color.
Being a twin has its benefits—tricking people, having a lifelong companion, sharing clothes—but it also has downsides. Many twins struggle to cultivate their own identities, while being so similar to one another. And that struggle lasts a lifetime, according to a recent study.
“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.
It has been well documented that twins are shorter at birth than are singletons and that a difference in body height remains for at least a few years after birth (1–4). It is unclear, however, whether the difference persists into adulthood.
Medically, this 7-year defect is very rare. Twins are typically born with a bit of a delay — a few minutes to a few hours. Some even have separate birthdays, due to being born just before and just after midnight. The Zeitgest girls were not only born 7 years apart, but Ms.
Carmen Martinez, in a rare occurrence, gave birth to rare identical twin daughters three days apart. The babies were born are Gabby and Bella. Woman gave birth to rare identical twins in Abilene, Texas. In a rare occurrence, a woman gave birth to rare identical twin daughters three days apart.
In the majority of vaginal births, Baby A is born first. But occasionally the twins switch positions at the last minute, and Baby B emerges first, as further noted by the Stanford Medicine News Center. Still, the birth order is relatively straightforward.
Identical twins will always have the same blood type because they were created from the same fertilized egg (fraternal twins can have different blood types — again, providing the parents do — because they are created by two fertilized eggs).
We conclude that there is a greater perceptual resemblance between the voices of identical twins than between voices without genetic relationship. The identification however is not perfect. The voice pitch possibly contributes to the correct twin identifications.
Admitting jealousy can be difficult for twins. They may hide their feelings and act them out in different ways, such as avoiding family events. Tips for dealing with twin jealousy include considering the consequences for one's family and seeking therapy to improve communication.
Twin Language Development
There is tons of variation in language scores among twins, but overall, research shows that twins do tend to fall behind in language a bit more than single-born children do. Male twins in particular are vulnerable, often falling about 6 months behind even female twins (Lewis & Thompson, 1992).
Numerous studies have established that twins, triplets and other sets of multiples have a higher likelihood of speech delays. (It's also more common in identical twins and multiples than in fraternal.)