Preparing for Twins – Here’s Your Handy Checklist

A rush of thrill, excitement, joy, and bliss followed by unsettling nervousness about being able to cope with this overwhelming milestone, are some common emotions experienced by every mother who has just received the revelation of all her expectations having been doubled.

Are you going to be twice the mother, all at once? Then you must remain assured that tremendous research has been done on twin births with the advancement of science and technology. Therefore, a huge amount of information, resources and medical expertise are at your disposal to help you deal with it all. Steady, long-term planning pays well and helps to ease all those bursts of anxiety.

With very rare cases of multiple births in the past, recent charts have hit high for, e.g. the UK has seen nearly double the pairs of twins born per year this century as compared to the previous century. This rise is perhaps largely due to the changes in lifestyle.

If you are wondering about how you managed to conceive twins, well, it mostly depends on your lifestyle. Go through the following to find out how:

• According to observation, maternal ancestry has a greater role to play as compared to paternal. If your mother and maternal grandmothers have had twins, you are likely to conceive similarly.
• Age plays a great role. If you are conceiving late ( i.e. in your middle age), then you are likely to have multiple pregnancies.
• If you have had a child-birth earlier, then you are highly likely to have multiple pregnancies.
• The probability of conceiving twins also sometimes depends on your race and ethnicity. Some races have a greater capacity to produce multiple babies at once, with Nigerians being the greatest and Japanese being the lowest.
• If you have had fertility treatments done, to help you ovulate, you might produce more than one egg at once, fertilisation of which sometimes leading to twins.

Tips to Get Ready for Twins

What to expect when preparing for twins? This is a common question new parents often have. As a parent expecting twins, you are advised to seek professional help and medical support right from the moment you confirm the pregnancy. Mothers expecting twins are generally treated as ‘high risk’ patients. Therefore, it is required to double the care and monitoring of the mother.

As excited and thrilled as you may be to go out there and buy all you can for your little ones, the moment the news settles in, hold your horses! We bring you some tips and advice to keep in mind as you gear up for your twin pregnancy:

In the following paragraphs, we offer some useful tips and techniques that you can keep in mind to prepare for your twins. Read on.

1. Affordability

Preparing for twins on a budget can be quite challenging. However, we are here to assist you in making the best of your available resources to set up a warm, welcoming environment for your children. Are you bothered by the thought of affordability of twins? We would suggest you allocate most of this money in getting the best medical help and support. Antenatal care is highly important for twin-mothers. You must undergo frequent scans and tests. Regular monitoring gives great comfort and peace of mind. These will, however, be as prescribed by your gynaecologist. Prefer to approach a team of obstetrician/gynaecologist, paediatrician and sonographers who have handled many cases of multiple pregnancies earlier. Do your research.

2. Join Classes

Enrol for antenatal and childbirth classes. These will help you prepare for pregnancy and childbirth.

3. Consult a Dietician

Get healthy advice on your diet, preferably by a dietician. Some things to keep in mind are to consume sufficient proteins that will enable weight gain and provide for all the extra nutrition your babies need. Avoid food containing fatty acids and sugars. Try to consume foods that burn longer and provide long-term nourishment such as whole-grain bread and lots and lots of vegetables. Also, prioritise intake of food rich in iron, such as leafy vegetables and beetroot, and avoid a high intake of vitamin A.

4. Do Research on Premature Labour

Twins often arrive earlier than expected. Learn about the signs of preterm labour and seek medical consultation to educate yourself and prepare for it mentally and physically.

5. Think about the Crib and Clothes to Buy

There is no need to purchase everything in pairs when preparing for a twins’ nursery. You might want to buy a crib divider or use a towel to keep the twins from banging into each other rather than hurriedly investing in two strollers. Well designed single strollers to accommodate twins are also available. Buying identical or non-identical clothes is completely your call. Yet, the best suggestion would be to buy different clothes as one can easily interchange wardrobes then.

6. Stock Up on Supplies

Have a good stock of warm clothes (hooded ones), lots of diapers and bibs for your twins.

7. Plan Ahead

Since twins are mostly premature, they need intensive care immediately post-birth. Therefore, schedule services and a suitable hospital with all the necessary facilities well in time.

8. Hire or Enlist Help

Your pre-delivery and post-delivery preparations must be executed in advance. Preparing for twins in the first trimester can be challenging. You can either hire professional help or seek support from your family members in support since this is going to be quite a task.

9. Learn Your Twins’ Sleep and Feeding Cycle

Understand your twins’ wake periods and schedule their feeding and bathing time for the first few months. Additional help is essential; ask for it, to ensure that your babies are fed on time.

10. Join Support Groups

Lastly, enrol in groups and clubs of twin-mothers. Here, you will find other expecting mothers going through your state of mind as well as older mothers of twins who have already undergone this challenge and emerged victoriously. Best tips come from the wise and the experienced.

We hope this article helps you navigate the challenging path of being a mother to twins!

Also Read:

Getting Pregnant with Twins: Sex Positions and Treatment
Foods to Eat for Getting Pregnant with Twins