Information About Twin Pregnancy Symptoms

Is it twins? Pregnant mothers often suspect that they are carrying more than one baby. Here are some of the most common signs of a twin or multiple pregnancy. Could you be having more than one? Check your symptoms against this list to see if you might be having twins or more.

You Are Tired Beyond Belief

Another one of the big signs of being pregnant with twins is being extremely unbelievably tired. While fatigue can be attributed to other factors such as work, stress, improper eating, and running after your other children, extreme fatigue can also be one of the first signs of being pregnant with twins. In fact, extreme fatigue is the most commonly reported complaint from moms pregnant with twins. Which is ironic, because the prenatal fatigue is nothing like the exhaustion suffered during the first few months of life with twins! Most pregnant women face some degree of sleepiness, lethargy and exhaustion during the first trimester as the body gears up and works overtime to nurture your growing baby. This is compounded as the body tries to nurture two (or more) growing babies. Often moms don’t realize that they’re pregnant with twins until well into their first and sometimes second trimester, so they aren’t eating enough food or getting enough sleep for their body to do the work necessary.

Morning Sickness to The Max

Unusually excessive amounts of morning sickness are sometimes reported by mothers of twins. Even so, this is a very subjective indicator of a multiple pregnancy. Only about half of all expecting mothers (multiples or otherwise) experience morning sickness.

Seeing is believing the only way to indisputably confirm a twin or multiple pregnancy is to see it via ultrasound. An ultrasound image can indicate without a doubt if there is more than one fetus. Ultimately, no matter what other signs or symptoms you have, the only way you’ll know for sure is to have an ultrasound. If you have suspicions that there may be more than one, discuss your concerns with your medical caregiver. It is very unlikely that an ultrasound view would miss an additional baby, especially in the second or third trimester. However there have been cases of hidden twins, and sometimes extreme higher order multiple pregnancies, such as quintuplets or sextuplets, have not provided an accurate count of the number of babies.

Your Hormones are Out of Control

Twin pregnancies often face a “multiplying factor” over singleton pregnancy symptoms. For many moms pregnant with twins, this is especially true with the “out of control pregnancy hormones”. As the body creates more hormones in larger quantities to meet the demands of growing babies, Mom’s mood swings may be more and more evident, making even the worse week of PMS look like a day at the park in comparison. A warning to those who work, live, and play with Moms Pregnant with Twins: Going from tears, to happy, to irrational, to hyper-speed and back again in the span of five minutes is not uncommon!

Increases in your size and weight

During your pregnancy, your doctor will likely take various measurements and compare them with averages to track your progress. Excessive weight gain could be a sign that you are carrying multiples. This is fairly hard to determine however, because weight gain is a normal part of any pregnancy. In fact, on average a mother of twins only gains about 10 lbs. more than a mother of singletons during her pregnancy.

In addition to your weight, your doctor will likely measure your belly (uterine fundus if you want to get technical) and track it as it gets bigger. If these measurements are greater than the average, it could be a sign of multiples.

You Are Tired Beyond Belief

Another one of the big signs of being pregnant with twins is being extremely unbelievably tired. While fatigue can be attributed to other factors such as work, stress, improper eating, and running after your other children, extreme fatigue can also be one of the first signs of being pregnant with twins. In fact, extreme fatigue is the most commonly reported complaint from moms pregnant with twins. Which is ironic, because the prenatal fatigue is nothing like the exhaustion suffered during the first few months of life with twins! Most pregnant women face some degree of sleepiness, lethargy and exhaustion during the first trimester as the body gears up and works overtime to nurture your growing baby. This is compounded as the body tries to nurture two (or more) growing babies. Often moms don’t realize that they’re pregnant with twins until well into their first and sometimes second trimester, so they aren’t eating enough food or getting enough sleep for their body to do the work necessary.

Two Heart Beats

Most doctors will use a fetal doppler (think speaker box held to your belly) to monitor and let your hear the baby’s heartbeat. A Doppler can usually detect a heartbeat(s) between 8-12 weeks. If two heartbeats are detected, there is a good chance that it is because there are two babies!

One thing to keep in mind, especially if you are using a Doppler on your own is that it is very easy to hear a singleton’s heart beat from different locations. If the heart rates are close together (within 10 beats per minute or so), it is most likely coming from one baby. If the heartbeats are coming from two different locations and are different rates, this would be a good time to consider an ultrasound. It is important to note that the mother’s heartbeat can sometimes be mistaken for a second baby as well.