Twin Pregnancy

I have 5 year old twins. I went to Dr. Adams with Houston Perinatal Associates. She specializes in twin pregnancy and is VERY good at reading the ultrasounds.
It is normal for one to be bigger than the other. That is what happened to me too. My daughter was about one week ahead in growth than my son. Don't worry, you will be fine :) It is way too early to tell anything.

MISCONCEPTION ABOUT TWO PLACENTA TWINS.
I had twins 28 years ago and when diagnosed with
carrying twins at 4 1/2 months, I was also told that
they were fraternal because there were in two separate
sacs. Well, every indication since birth, we believe
they are identical for every reason except personality.
Since, I've read an article in Twins magazine that
30 percent of identical births are in separate sacs.
To this day, we only can assume they are identical.
I supposed (in my memory) that the placentas were not
examined for identifying fraternal or identical
due to their 6 week earlier arrival than expected and
were under 5 pounds with a 17 day hospital stay.
The identifying it was not a priority over their health.
Good luck. They were and are a joy. Enjoy!

Hi, T.. I hope this bit of news will be encouraging to you. Our granddaughter gave birth to darling twins two months ago. At birth, the little boy outweighed the little girl by 14 ounces. So that tells you that there is and was in the womb, a difference in size. Also, perhaps it will help you to know that our granddaughter had a number of ultrasounds just so doctors could keep an eye on her babies. There were some ups and downs of emotions and worry just as you say you are experiencing but it has all turned out fine in the end.

Oh, and they are SO cute. I wish I could send pictures!

Blessings. I will keep you and your babies in prayer.

B.

Double the blessings. I dont know if anything is wrong the first thought I have is that there not identical and perhaps thats why there is a difference. I am sure its just a percautionary step to double cheak that every thing is ship shape. Something that his old machiene cannot do. God bless your little ones!

Hi T.,

Just wanted you are in for so much fun! Seriously!!! Our older son was 2 months shy of turning 5 when our twin sons were born. It is a great age dfference- and it has been so much fun with the twins. I'd say they are easier to deal with- most of the time- than a singleton since they have each other to play with. If you have any ?s or just want to stay in touch with another "twin" mom- feel free to contact me at : ____@____.com

Twins tend to grow differently- and "sometimes" there is something called "twin to twin transfusion"- when one grows consistently larger than the other one- but, that is something that will be determined later if they continue to see a major difference in the weights/measurements. Most likely- you are FINE. Hang in there while you wait.
xo,A. p.s. Where do you live? We are in Corpus Christi

T.,
I have two sets of twins both totally unexpected since I was NOT on any kind of fertility drug. This is totally normal and really is hard to judge at 9 weeks. When my first set of twins were born one weighed 8#10 oz the other weighed 7#2oz. There is always going to be a difference in size! Just wait and be patient and know that your babies are fine......If you want to contact me I am at:
____@____.com

The only other advice I can give you is to join a Mother's of Multiples group NOW! They are very supportive and REALLY help you through it all whether it is advice for questions you may have, meals while you are on bed rest or after delivery, to helping you when the babies are born. These women are GREAT and experienced......
Congrats to you and your hubby

M. Ricketts

Don't worry about it until you see the doctor. Stress takes a physical toll on the body and that's not good for your babies. Good luck! I love twins. I have identical, mirrow twin brothers and numerous twin cousins, aunts, etc.

Congratulations! And don't worry. It's too early to be concerned about their size. They have 25-30 more weeks to grow! I'm 28 weeks along with b/g twins. We have a little boy who will be two by the time the twins are born. We are very excited, blessed and nervous! My sister has 10 yr old twins, and my mom is a twin. I've recently joined SA's Mother's of Multiples group. It's a great resource. Check to see if you have one in your area! good luck!

I wouldn't worry. Especially with an older ultrasound. They said my son would weigh about 2lbs more than he actually did at birth. Of course I would go get the other ultrasound but I would not worry about it. Congratulations!!

What a blessing!! Congratulations, T.. I'm so excited for you and your husband. Enjoy your pregnancy!

Blessings,
M.

Double congrats to you. I have 11 month old B/G twins and we too were completely shocked and they are a definitely a handful, but it’s wonderful. They are so close even at 11 months I can tell they really love being with each other. As for your question, since they are in two different sacs they are probably but not necessarily fraternal twins so it’s totally normal for them to be different sizes. I won’t go into the details about the different days the egg can split verse the release of two eggs, but if you’re interested just Google twins pregnancies and you'll get a million charts that will explain this. Regardless of them being identical or fraternal, there are a million different reasons why they can growing at different rates, implantation site, the specific age of the each fetus, the specific genes each fetus inherited, gender, etc. The point is each baby is different so as long as they are growing at relatively the same rate everything is fine even if they are different sizes. You’ll probably be referred to a high risk specialist who will do tons of ultrasounds during your pregnancy to monitor the babies growth including the size of the brain, head circumference, heart, and bone lengths, and these are better indicated of growth so don’t worry too much about the appearance of a size discrepancy during an ultrasound at 9 weeks. As for the comment below about the “twin to twin transfusion”, that is ONLY a concern for identical twins in the SAME sac or different sacs but SHARING a placenta (very rare) so you probably don’t fall into this category. I hope that helps put you at ease, but I’m sure you’ll still stress during your whole pregnancy, I know I did. I know people have said to join groups for multiples and I would never discourage anyone from looking into this, but I thought they were a complete waste of what little time I had because almost all the advice was common sense so it wasn’t really for me. Congrats again and good luck.

For crying out loud. Just because they're twins doesn't mean they'll be exactly alike. One may be a little girl and one may be a big boy. My brothers, fraternal twins, weighted a pound and a half apart at birth and my husband and his identical twin brother had different birth weights. Don't worry about it unless and until the professional says there's something to worry about. You just watch your weight and don't fall into that "eating for two" theory. Having lived my entire life with twins, one way or the other, let me give you a little advise. Always remember that they are individuals, whether they look identical or not. Let each have his/her own personality. If they want to dress alike, fine, but if they don't, for goodness sake don't make them. I have a friend with twin boys and believe it or not, their names do not sound anything alike. She wanted them to always know that they were individuals. Don't fall into the habit of referring to them as "the twins", always use their names so they know that they have a personal identity.
Don't worry about the size unless the Dr. begins to worry. And congratulations. You are about to enter a whole bran new world.

Hi T.,

Well being a mom myself for 15 years there is one thing I can tell you. Everything takes time so be patient, things are not what they always seem in the begining. When you start to stress your body starts feeling it and so will the babies. Relax as much as you can there is nothing to worry about. The babies are still growing and change is happening. Give it time because there is plenty of time for worry and stress when they get older.(lol) Its always nerve racking in the begining, but the best thing for you do is stay calm and try to just be as happy as you can. When you feel like your fixing to stress pick up a good book something to take your mind off of it. You have no control of whats going on with the babies, but you do have control of how you react. Just remember everything is going to be alright no matter what. Just relax and stay calm as much as possible this is normal.Twins go through alot more than just a single baby growing. So just relax it will be alright.

how funny.. your story is so similar to mine... my daughter was almost 4 when the twins were born and I was almost 27... they are 18 mos old now, but I can still remember the shock of the century when we found out the news we were having twins... how could i ever forget the look on my husband's face...priceless :o) So, since his machine is old, as my docs was, I'd say it's useless to worry at this point... when you see the specialist, which we saw all throughout the pregnancy even though the boys were perfectly healthy, you will be amazed at the picture quality and that's when you can get some real answers... until then, it's pointless to worry about it...if they turn out to be different sizes it could be a number of things... first of all, you need to know if they are monozygotic (one egg that split, identical) or dizygotic (two eggs, fraternal)and if they are monoamniotic (one shared sac) or if they each have their own amniotic sacs... and if they are identical, if they share a placenta or each have their own... so many options i know... get some books and start reading about all the types so you can have your questions ready when you get there... and take it easy, girl... you have a long road ahead... if you even have any quaetions, please feel free to contact me at ____@____.com... good luck, i hope you get some good pics...also, twinstuff.com is a great resource...
S.

Wow T.! Double congratulations! :) Try not to worry. Maybe 1 is a boy & 1 is a girl & that's just how they are growing & 1 will be smaller than the other. Two beating hearts & 9 weeks is a great sign! My doctor told me than when you make it to 10 weeks & all is ok, then you are 80% sure to be walking out of there with a baby (or babies in your case) in several months. I can't see why that would be too different for twins. He also told me that once you see the heart beating, that too is a good sign. Plus, since the ultrasound machine was old, that can contribute a lot. Try not to worry. Keep calm for your babies. I know its hard playing the waiting game. I just found out I'm pregnant with baby #2 & my hormone level was low on my blood test. So you & I are waiting this week together to see if all is well. I'm keeping you & your babies in my thoughts & prayers! Let us know what the next ultrasound says! Congrats again! ~A.

For your own peace of mind, know that there is a chance of twins - but you won't know for sure until next Friday. That way you won't get your hopes up too high.

Toti,
It is normal for twins to be one smaller than the other at times.We have grandbabies that are that way.The baby boy is alot bigger than the girl.he should have told you that is normal.So don't stress yourself out cause it's not good for the babies. If you have to go to the hospital to get another ultra sound so early because you say your docs machine is from the ice age maybe you should get a doc that is and has equipment in this century.I personally wouldn't want a doc who doesn't have current equipment and has to send you elsewhere when he should beable to do the job hes paid for in his office.Lack of unsufficient equipment is not acceptable in the medical field.Especially if your paying for it.Give it a thought.

From what my doctor said when i was supposed to have twins ( lost one half way through pregnancy due to some rare problem) it is not unusual for one to be slightly smaller then the other. They will next to never be the same height or weight for their whole lives(my aunts being testament to that). well good luck with ur pregnancy!

Yes, this is normal. Also, something different that you will not be used to is all the ultrasounds. I had and U/S every single month since I have been pregnant It has actually been pretty nice because I have never been able to see the babies develop before, but now I can. They are trying to make sure that with twins, they develop at the same rates. A singleton can develop slow or fast, but with twins, they do the same thing (but hopefully together).
Also, be prepared for all the doctors appointments!!! UGH! I not only have to go to a perinatal specialist EVERY week, but also the OB every month (now, every two weeks) and I am only 28 weeks with twins!! They are just making sure your babies are safe. There is nothing comparable to having twins, it is TOTALLY different from a single baby. Congradulations and good luck!!

You are truly blessed and try not to stress yourself out. I have 2 year old g/b twins and I am with the other moms that said join the local multiples group in your area. I knew when my husband and I were trying that we were going to have twins so I wasn't shocked like you......they run in my family.....my sister has 2 sets a year apart! I did go to the doctor every time with a bunch of questions I got off the internet and he told me you are 100% healthy stay off the internet......sometimes to much information is bad. Just relax and wait for your next appointment. Yes you will have alot of doctors appointments but I didn't mind......it always made me feel better hearing the heartbeats and seeing them. I live in SA if you have any questions ____@____.com

Dear T.,
When there are two of anything, one is likely smaller. Do not worry. Worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do while you are not getting anywhere. :)
Talk to your babies, tell them you love them and know they are getting big and strong. They will know yours and yor husband's voices. This is gonna be a great ride! Congrats!! Blessings,
C.

I am currently 32 weeks with twins and they haven't always been the same size - i have been told that there can be as much as a pound or more difference in them-especially since they are probably fraternal with the two placentas - don't worry! I am sure they will be just fine! Just be sure to talk to your doc about going to a perinatologist as well - it's great cause you will get an ultrasound every 4 weeks until 32 weeks and then every week after that. I don't know if you are in Austin or not, but we use Dr. Barry as our perinatologist and he and his staff are wonderful!! Just ask your OB for a referral.

Best wishes!