Diet and weight gain
Pregnancy care
Health variations for multiples
Multiples in Australia
Emotions and support groups
Congratulations if you are having twins or triplets! Essentially multiple pregnancies progress in much the same way as singleton pregnancies. In fact, before the widespread use of ultrasound up to 50% of twins were not discovered until the time of birth! There is more information about this
here. Women carrying more than one baby often experience more physical changes during pregnancy and perhaps feel more uncomfortable and tired, especially during the last 3 months (or 3rd trimester).
Common complaints such as
morning sickness,
insomnia,
backache,
heartburn,
haemorrhoids and perhaps difficulty walking in late pregnancy may be more exaggerated. You may need to modify your lifestyle more and perhaps
stop work earlier than anticipated. Planning for these changes (financially and practically) and sourcing out additional help and support can help you to rest more during the pregnancy and organise additional help for when the babies arrive.
Once a multiple pregnancy is discovered, the woman's pregnancy and birth care generally becomes more involved, often leading to more tests and perhaps more medical interventions, because the pregnancy is now classified as higher risk. However, even though the chances of health complications are slightly higher for the pregnant woman and her babies (discussed in
health variations for multiples) it is still good to know that at least 50% of twin pregnancies progress normally and result in the normal birth of 2 healthy
term babies of adequate weight, without complications. The higher the order of multiples (triplets, quads etc.) the more chance complications may arise.