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.
1. At three months: The three-month stage marks the end of the “fourth trimester” and your twins can better adapt to life outside the womb. For one thing, they'll sleep in longer stretches of about three- to four-hour chunks.
“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.
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.
When to begin shopping. If you're carrying twins (or more), you'll probably need to rest as you get bigger, so the second trimester is the ideal time to begin shopping around.
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).
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.
This is called co-bedding and is perfectly safe. In fact, putting twins in the same cot can help them regulate their body temperatures and sleep cycles, and can soothe them and their twin. If you put your twins in the same cot, follow the same safe sleeping advice as for a single baby.
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.
One crib is fine in the beginning.
Many parents may make the switch to two cribs when the twins begin to roll, bump into one another, and wake each other up, she says. While one crib is fine, two car seats and a double-stroller are absolute musts for newborn twins.
Prepare for one-time expenses, such as hospital bills, baby gear and registry, and even a loss of income while you're on maternity leave. Make a list of recurring monthly costs for after the twins arrive, like childcare, diapers, clothing, and health insurance. Don't stress about getting two of everything.
It is a rare and high-risk pregnancy, with an occurrence of 1 in 35,000 to 1 in 60,000 pregnancies in the United States. “Concern set in. We realized it wasn't just another set of twins, but a high-risk pregnancy,” Britney Alba said.
It has been widely assumed that there has been an increase in twins over the years, largely attributed to fertility treatments. But the increase in the multiple birth rate means not just more twins, but also higher order multiples, such as triplets, quadruplets and the like.
First-year costs more than double when you have twins. Look for ways to divide expenses. Twins can share a room, toys, and clothing.
Age. People over 30, and particularly those over age 35, are more likely to conceive twins. 4 This is because the level of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) rises as birthing parents get older. FSH is responsible for the development of eggs in the ovaries before they are released.
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.
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.
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.