When you find out that two babies are coming, your heart skips a beat. You will not only have one baby… but you will have two! It is a very special pregnancy. But suddenly doubts come to you, what will a twin pregnancy be like? That is why today we want to tell you what a twin pregnancy is like week by week.
There are more and more twin pregnancies due to assisted reproductive techniques and the increasing age of women when seeking pregnancy. Genetic predisposition also plays a role. The most common is that they are twins (two different eggs and two sperm) than identical twins (one fertilized egg that divides in two).
The first symptoms are the same as a single pregnancy, the only thing that can vary their intensity. These pregnancies are usually considered risky, although the term should not be scared, it only indicates that you have to take care and control yourself a little more than usual to avoid complications.
Let's see how the twin pregnancy is week by week.
Twin pregnancy week by week
- 9 week. In this week the two embryos are already detected by ultrasound. It will be in this first ultrasound when you find out the happy news, since it will be the first medical consultation. Its main organs like the brain, kidneys, liver and reproductive organs are developing. His arms and legs grow. The doctor will determine the type of twinning, the number of placentas and bags. Here you will also hear the sound of their hearts.
- Week from 10 to 12. The weight and length of your babies may have quadrupled even if you don't even notice it yet. In these weeks their nails, teeth, fingers, eyelids, feet and genitals are forming. In these weeks is when the first trimester screening is usually done.
- Week from 12 to 16. The kidneys are already working and can now swallow and remove the amniotic fluid that surrounds them. The ultrasound will measure the diameter of your head, the circumference of your abdomen, and the length of your femur for both babies, as well as your heartbeat.
- Week from 16 to 20. Here we reach the middle of a normal pregnancy, although twin pregnancies are usually born before week 40. Here your babies are fully formed and you can feel them. In week 20 the morphological ultrasound, where fetal malformations are ruled out. The sex of both babies will also be confirmed. This week babies are already between 14 and 16 centimeters, and weigh about 260 grams each.
- Weeks 20-24. In these weeks they develop fingerprints. Its delicate skin is protected thanks to the vernix. The amniotic fluid in each bag will be assessed, as well as the size of your bladders. They will also do the second trimester glucose test. The movements of your babies will be much more evident in these weeks.
- Weeks 24-28. Your babies are already about 38 inches tall, and their weight (about a kilo or so) will make you urinate more often, make you more tired and have back pain. If you are RH negative, you will have to vaccinate.
- Weeks 28-32. Here they will already weigh close to 2 kilos and they measure 40 centimeters. Here you will see how the babies are positioned inside the uterus to determine the type of delivery.
- Weeks 32-36. In space they come small, since here they will weigh about two and a half kilos each. At week 36 they will begin to monitor you, since premature birth in twins is common. If the first baby is breech or is transverse, it will be a cesarean delivery. If she is upside down, it will be due to vaginal delivery if there are no complications.
- Week from 36 to 40. Most of these pregnancies are born at week 37, when the babies are considered to be full term. If you want to know more about the twin birth, do not miss this article.
Because remember ... if a pregnancy is exciting, two babies make it even more special.