Twin Pregnancy Care

 

Twin pregnancy care

If you are carrying more than one way you will

be closely monitored during pregnancy to make

sure that your babies grow normally and that you

experience no health problems. They are likely to

be born early and you will be advised to have a

hospital birth so that a medical team is on hand if

any problems do occur

Antenatal care

Your antenatal care, including the number of scans

you have, will be based on whether your babies

share a placenta or not. If your babies do share

a placenta you are likely to have at least nine

antenatal appointments and you'll be under the

care of an obstetrician.

However, if your twins have separate placentas

you will be offered eight antenatal appointments

and you will see your obstetrician at least twice.

In both cases you'll also be offered frequent

ultrasound scans so that the growth and

development of your babies can be accurately

assessed.

Having a healthy pregnancy

Eating a healthy pregnancy diet and taking

moderate exercise is important no matter how

many babies you are carrying.

You may also be surprised to learn that you don't

have to eat significantly more when you are

carrying twins. However, your GP or midwife may

suggest that you take iron supplements, as you are

more at risk from anaemia.

Possible pregnancy problems

You may find that some of the early pregnancy

symptoms you have, such as morning sickness

and tiredness, are exaggerated – compared to if

you were carrying a single baby.

In later pregnancy you are more likely to suffer

from low back pain and pelvic discomfort while

piles and varicose veins are also more common.

You are also at a higher risk of pregnancy

complications such as anaemia, high blood

pressure, gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia.

This means that it is very important that you

attend all your antenatal appointments so that if

there are any problems they can be picked up and

treated early.

As your pregnancy progresses, you are likely to

find that extreme tiredness and an increased need

for rest means you have to stop work earlier than

you might otherwise have done.