Expecting identical twin boys! Questions inside.

Vanessa - posted on 08/10/2012

By the way Congrats and hope all is well!

Vanessa - posted on 08/10/2012

I only gained 36 lbs with my boys. Both were healthy at 38 weeks when I delivered and I had one naturally and one via c-section. The best thing to do is keep yourself happy and healthy and doing what you can. I worked till I was 34 weeks pregnant and stopped because I could no longer fit in my shoes. Ask your doc about medicine for your heartburn. Too much tums are bad. I could only drink cold coffee and est greasy pizza without getting it. Very strange I know.

Holly - posted on 08/04/2012

Congratulations! I had identical twins when my son was 19 months old. twins do not run in the family and only heard horror stories. Everything turned out great! It took me a while to heal from the c-section, but they were healthy babies. We even had #4 a couple years later. They are now 7 and very bright and full of life. Good luck!

Kendra - posted on 07/30/2012

Congrats to all the twin moms I'm expectn twins aswell im 15 wks I'm excited n scared becus of all the problems I hear but I'm nt a 1st time mom its nt the labor tht scares me its the complivations I keep hearing abt havn identical twins but I love all I guys stories n cnt wait to tell yall mine becus truthlly all preg r different

Michelle - posted on 09/24/2011

I have eight year old identical twin boys that were momo twins. We were lucky that they survived. I also have an almost 6 yr old and 3 1/2 yr old. All boys. You'll do fine. Take one day at a time.

Brandi - posted on 09/19/2011

Our identical boys were also in separate sacs that were very hard to see. They did great. I didn't have to be put on bed rest or anything with them. Good luck with your pregnancy.

Angel - posted on 09/19/2011

I have identical girls that will be 9 months old this week! My Doc had a difficult time finding the membrane and had to move me to the more hi-tech ultrasound machine to find it, but thank God they didn't mention anything at all about the momo dangers while we waited. I was blissfully unaware of any problems there might be, but in the end it worked out anyway.

I worked until week 35 and delivered at week 37. 6.1 and 6.6! Healthy, lovely babies. I was talked into a c-section, which I regret, but in the end I have two wonderful babies and that's all that matters.

You have so much to look forward to! Watching them interact with each other is such a joy. Good luck!

Leah - posted on 09/09/2011

You will be fine! I found out I was expecting twin boys when my twin girls were just 16 months old! I know it is overwhelming, but you will get through it! Good Luck! My girls are identical and I was on bed rest from 15 weeks on with them. My boys are not identical but still bunches of fun! I know it is hard but do take it easy. You need those babies to stay in their as long as possible. Avoid the NICU if at all possible! I had a friend whose babies had TTTS. Hugs! YOu will make it through!

Donna - posted on 09/08/2011

it was but it wasnt i dont think i understood it all at the time lol.

Karla - posted on 09/08/2011

Thank you Suzanne :)

Suzanne - posted on 09/02/2011

Yes they could not see a dividing membrane for our indentical girls till about 12 weeks, and we were told the horrible things that might have to happen. We were scared and very worried. However they found a very fine one and we were so relived and happy. Congrats, and glad that the found the membrane.

Karla - posted on 08/29/2011

Thanks so much Tracie!

Tracie - posted on 08/29/2011

Yes. I found out I was having identical twins 20 weeks inot my pregnancy. My son had just turned 2 when I found out. My advice is to find a parenting class for multiples. the hospital where I gave birth offered these classes, and they were very helpful. They give you great tips, like if one baby wakes to eat, wake the other one, too. this way they get on the same feeding schedule, and you get a break between feedings. If you plan to nurse, good for you! don't be afraid to try it with twins. i did it very successfully for 8 months. It was far easies than holding 2 bottles at the same time! Also, make sure your 2 year old starts getting comfortable with someone other than you bathing her or putting her to bed. I wasn't allowed to do stairs after my 24th week, and my son had to get used to his dad putting him to bed. Do not turn down any help anyone offers you. Nap when the babies nap. You can clean your house when they are sleeping throught the night. Stay hydrated. And follow dr's advice to the letter. I carried my twins to 37 1/2 weeks, and they were big, healthy boys. They took them at that point because they began to have weight discrepencies, and the dr. was worried about twin to twin transfusion syndrome, but the babies were fine. My boys are 13, twins are 11, and baby is 2. It DOES get easier! Toddler years were hardest for me, because the boys were so busy and into everything, but it was, and is, a joy to be a mother of twins. Congrats, and best wishes!!

Karla - posted on 08/29/2011

Oh my! I bet that was pretty scary Donna. Glad they're okay!

Donna - posted on 08/29/2011

haha. yeah i have identical twin girls and they didnt have any membrane. they were born at 29 weeks. the umbillical chords were so twisted they couldnt even test their blood to get their blood type. eh regardless they r 6 now and are just like any other kids their age

Karla - posted on 08/27/2011

Thanks Becky!

Yeah, they're watching for TTTS. So far so good. They haven't showed any signs, same fluid, same weight so far. I'm almost 20 weeks now and they've had me on bed rest. I'm honestly tired of taking it easy! It's making me lose my sanity I think, lol. It's worth it for my babies, but gosh I don't think I can do up to 20 more weeks of this!

Becky - posted on 08/26/2011

First, I would like to say Congratulations! Identical twin boys are awesome! Don't expect them to be identical in any way except the way they look though. My boys are 9 now, and they are best friends, but as identical as they are, they are completely different people. My daughter turned 5 just 12 days before my identical twin boys were born. My doctor told me about the ambilicle cord thing and that there was a risk that one baby would get more nutrients than the other, but he also told me that he was going to monitor both me and them throughout my pregnancy to make sure we all remained healthy. He also said that as long as both babies were head down I would be able to deliver vaginally and the risk wasn't much higher than a singleton birth. i did have to deliver in an operating room instead of a birthing suite just in case they had to do a c-section for the 2nd baby, but that didnt happen. It was just a precaution. I was on bed rest almost my whole pregnancy and had to start taking meds to hold off contractions around 5 months, but at 35 weeks the babies were getting quite large and I was super miserable, so my doctor said, "Stop taking the meds and do whatever you like, if you go into labor now the babies will be fine." I ended up having to be induced 2 weeks later because i hadnt shown any signs of going into labor. They were born at 36 weeks and 5 days, 6lbs 13oz, and 6lbs 11 oz, both healthy.

Karla - posted on 08/26/2011

Haha! I'm hoping to keep my sanity by the time they're born. I'm already semi-losing my mind between my daughter and all the doctors appointments. PLUS not being able to work is killing me! I hate being stuck at home all the time. I think that's what is pushing insanity! Lol.

Candi - posted on 08/26/2011

Oh my goodness, your OB-GYN is a winner, isn't he??? Lordy. Yes, identical twin boys are the rarest of all twins, but they definitely survive! I have a set, as does my friend, and hers were born when her daughter was three. She's insane, but she survives. I truly believe that a heft dose of insanity is necessary for twin parenthood. ;o) My boys were born at 30.2 weeks, 2 lbs 4 oz, 3 lbs. 2 oz. My friend's were born at 37 weeks, and hers were a little over 6 pounds each. You'll love having identical boys. (Or twins at all really). They're a ton of fun. Relax and just remember, you will survive! And insanity is necessary. Start boning up on that insanity right now! ;o)

Kara - posted on 08/26/2011

congrats! I have frat boys that are now 7 months. I was so scared during my pregnancy about how much work they were going to be and that is all anyone ever said to me.."you're going to have your hands full" oh you will need extra help" I wish I hadn't wasted so much time worrying...my 3 year old toddler is more work than they are. And I can't believe how much in love I am...it really is a double blessing. Maybe look into a mommies morning out program for your 2 year old to get some play time and some rest for you..you can't sleep when the babies sleep if you have a toddler always awake...twins are hard on another child. congrats!

Nancy - posted on 08/26/2011

I gained 37 pounds... My girls were 5lbs 6oz and 6lbs 1 oz.
However, my son was 9lbx 3 oz and 22 3/4 in

Nancy - posted on 08/26/2011

Congratulations!! I am a mother of 3. My son was not quite 3 when my identical girls were born. They were mono mono twins...no dividing membrane....you cant worry about what could happen...you need to just stay in the moment....I was told that there was a 50/50 chance that they would be delivered....my doctor had delivered other mono mono twin successfully and expected nothing less from me....the risk is them getting tangled up in each others umbilical cords. My girls were born very healthy at 36 weeks....Good luck on the rest of your pregnancy

Bryony - posted on 08/26/2011

Hi Karla, firstly congratulations! It is an amazing thing to be the mom of twins and really special to be the mom of identical twins. My OB/GYN's approach was to keep a very close eye on the progress of the pregnancy but not to alarm me by what COULD go wrong only to discuss in detail what was happening. I didn't even know that no membrane between identical twins could cause a problem until after I gave birth. Thanks to my OB/GYN I had a very relaxed preganancy and I think because of that I was able to carry until 38 weeks.
My boys have just turned 2 and I can honestly say that the joy they have brought me is unrivaled by anything else I have ever experienced.
There are definately more challenges when you have twins vs. a singelton BUT I would recomend to all my friends that they have twins if they could.
Good luck and enjoy your little miracles!

Casey - posted on 08/26/2011

Hi Karla, I'm a Mum of identical twin boys. Mine are now 3 and a half years old, I can safely say I have been cured of wanting any more kids! I also had a 2 year old at the time they were born. In a way it helped, because he wanted to help me with the babies which was nice. I was told at about 22 weeks that they felt one of the babies was smaller than the other and they feared TTTS. I was a nervous wreck after I heard that they may have to deliver them at 28 weeks if it was confirmed!! I had to have scans every week and thankfully it wasn't the case. I ended up with my waters breaking at 38 weeks +1day, being induced (because I didn't go into labour) and having a vaginal birth. They are now driving me crazy with their non stop talking and fighting (like boys do!) but I wouldn't have it any other way :) Good luck with yours, hope all goes well and you enjoy all the things that go along with being a Twin Mum!! xx

PRIYA - posted on 08/26/2011

hi, my daughter was 13 months old when i delivered her identical twin brothers! It's hard going for the first year, but fabulous after that! Most moms ask me how i manage with three under two but honestly i think in many ways it's easier as my kids have never known life without each other and they all occupy themselves now (the boys are 2, my daughter 3). Same routine, same pre-school, they all like the same activities - it's amazing and it's very hard work, but for a very short time. Take a deep breath and just remember it gets much much easier! good luck w your pregnancy!

Karla - posted on 08/25/2011

That's crazy!! Yeah, I've had ultrasounds every two weeks for the most part! I was so happy when my boys were okay. When my specialist came in, she writes things on paper instead of a computer, etc. Well she had all these genetic disorders wrote down.. I was SO scared, I couldn't stop looking at the paper, but come to find out she crossed them all off and said they found no signs of any of them. They were in the same amount of fluid and the same weight. She said as of now there's only a 15% chance of developing TTTS. Hope that doesn't happen!

Well, I'm off to the doctor/hospital. Been dreading this moment all day, but I've just been getting worse.

Kim - posted on 08/25/2011

I honestly don't remember exactly when I started gaining weight. I just remember I was about 5 months when I really felt pregnant. Good for you if you haven't gained a lot of weight! Just as long as the babies are growing it's ok! I had three level 2 ultrasounds for measurements, checking for genetic disorders and for a fetal echo cardiogram. I was told at the doctors at Yale that identical boys are more prone to heart defects, therefore they did the echo cardiogram. If they did have any problems I would of had to deliver there because they had a better neo-natal ICU than were i was delivering. The only thing they did find "wrong" with my boys was that one of them had a single artery umbilical cord. That is common with downs syndrome babies so I was a little worried, but I was assured my baby would be ok. He was just always smaller, and still is smaller than his brother. The last few months were a blur, I was in the office twice a week, ultrasounds once a week, non stress tests once a week... it got old real quick! But it was all so worth it!.

Karla - posted on 08/25/2011

When did you guys start gaining a bunch of weight? I'm getting close to 20 weeks and I've gained 3 pounds, lost 3 pounds, gained 3 pounds... haha. It hasn't went anywhere, not that I'm complaining because my babies are growing great and are actually bigger than what they should be! So my due date is a little off. They're measuring about a week off track.

My mom has heavy periods and our OB/GYN suggested the IUD, so I went with her to get it. She ended up not getting it. She was screaming and crying! After that I was like... ABSOLUTELY NOT! She said it was worse than labor (and she's had 5 kids, two sets of twins). So not for me...!

Abstinence I guess is in my books. No more kids for me.

I went to see my specialist yesterday and the babies are doing fantastic. Still boys! It was for the quad ultrasound and they have no genetic disorders and nothing looks to be wrong with them. I was in ultrasound for two hours and honestly thought it was never going to end, lol. I wouldn't of complained, but I was also diagnosed with double kidney infection ): so laying on a hard table for two hours was not the greatest thing to happen to me. I almost went to the hospital last night because I was in so much pain, but my doctor said to lay down and take tylenol to see if it helps. It didn't, but she said "well take it easy and if you get a fever, or start throwing up definitely come in." Well finally after hours of tossing and turning and waking up.. I fell asleep. It's even worse today and I can't keep anything down, so a trip to the hospital could still be in the plans for me today. She said the medicine she gave me should start working within 24 hours, but it's been over that and no improvements. Trying to stick it out as long as I can.

Here's some links to my ultrasounds yesterday too if you ladies want to see them (:

Baby A- http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-a...

Baby B (sucking his thumb)- http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-a...

Kim - posted on 08/24/2011

Ha ha Ok i don't feel so bad now... yea I was pretty big at 32 weeks. I was gigantic by 37 when I delivered!

Michelle - posted on 08/24/2011

Kim, I gained 50 lbs by 32 weeks and had my boys at 32 weeks because of having momo twins. I worked as a medical assistant and my stomach got so huge that when I did blood draws I had to prop people's arms on my stomach and wait for the kicking to subside since I couldn't lean forward enough to reach the table:)

Kim - posted on 08/24/2011

50lbs.. that's it? I gained 70! Gained the last 20lbs when I they told me I had to stop working at 32 weeks and put me on bedrest. I was so mad! lol

Michelle - posted on 08/24/2011

My last child was unexpected, but my first weren't only in the sense of having momo identical twin boys. It's not that bad. I have four boys now. I would just suggest with newborn twins is getting them on and keeping them on the same sleep and feeding schedule. Try not to freak out. Once you see the special relationship identicals have with each other it's pretty neat. BTW, I got huge 50 lbs, breasts like Dolly Parton, and had to sleep sitting up because of heartburn. There is medicine for heartburn that will help just talk to your OB. Good luck.

Kim - posted on 08/23/2011

I hear ya! Mine weren't planned either, my OB's always told me it would be difficult for me to get pregnant so I never really worried about it. I got on the pill after the boys were born and found out i'm allergic to them. My doc suggested an IUD also but I know a few people that have or had them and they hated them! I'm just going to still to abstinence for now too! lol

Karla - posted on 08/23/2011

Funny thing is... I was using protection! These babies weren't planned at all. I told myself I was done after having my daughter! lol. I want to have my tubes tied, but my doctor says I should just get an IUD, or something more stable because I'm too "young to know for sure". Well lady, I am definitely done! I will go for abstinence if I have to because apparently protection doesn't work. I was on the pill awhile back, but I had my period NON STOP for over two months, so I gave that up. Not for me!

Kim - posted on 08/23/2011

Karla you know what. I have NO twins at all in my family or their fathers family. After doing a lot of research on my own as to why I ended up with twins, I found out (even though no one really knows for sure) that only fraternal twins are hereditary. Ovulating two eggs is a female genetic trait, and is only passed down through women (obviously). I still have yet to find any info on how Identical twins come about, except that the fertilized egg splits into two for some reason. I think it's just a coincidence that you ended up with identical twins, and your mother had two sets of fraternal. So I would still be careful if you plan on having more! You may end up with another set of twins! lol I know 2 are enough for me, so I'm all done. :)

Karla - posted on 08/23/2011

Kim- Wow! That's kinda scary. I too have had horrible heartburn. I swear no matter what I eat, I get it and no matter how many tums I take... it doesn't go away! (Haha)

Amy- You're a very lucky woman for that to happen to and I'm sorry for all your losses! I was hoping for girls, so I didn't have to buy a lot of new items for them, but ended up with two boys! As I said to Kim, my mom has two sets of fraternal twins and I was her only singleton birth. Twins in our family usually skip a generation, so I never would of thought I would end up with twins. That's why I was so overwhelmed and already I've been through so much more than her with all the "membrane scares" they gave me for weeks! Now that things are stable, I'm way more sane. Haha. I go see my specialist tomorrow actually for the four quad scan and I'm hoping they will do 3d/4d pictures as well, but they may say it's too early. Then back to my ob/gyn next week on the 1st!

Hope things are going well for the both of you and thanks for all the support.

Amy - posted on 08/23/2011

I found out I was pregnant with identical twins after 4 miscarriages and expecting to never get pregnant again. Out of the blue I was suddenly pregnant. My doc told me also that it didn't look as if there was a dividing membrane and I was so terrified until 15 weeks when they found the membrane. I will not lie twins are extremely taxing on you emotionally and physically, and I don't have a two year old as well :) However it is an amazing experience watching them interact and I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. Remember we are all here for you if you have any questions just ask.Oh and by the way my girls are 13 months walking all over and getting into the really fun stage :P

Kim - posted on 08/23/2011

I luckily had a very easy pregnancy for twins, my doctors said I had the best looking twins they have seen in a long time. I delivered at 36w 6days. I was scheduled for induction at 38weeks. They were born on Dec. 18. I guess they wanted to be here for Christmas. I delivered vaginally, both were in the vertex position. First born's water broke on it's own, but I wasn't having contractions yet so they started me on pitocin to get the ball rolling. Beginning to end it was a 14 hour process. Unfortunately, after the second one was born, I hemorrhaged and lost a lot of blood. It was a very scary moment, and wasn't physically able to hold my boys for over an hour after they were born. Not to worry you again, but it's more common for twin pregnancies to hemorrhage after delivering due to the large size of the uterus. Other than that, it was a fairly easy pregnancy, although I have no other to compare it to. I just couldn't move for the last few months and had horrible heartburn!

Karla - posted on 08/22/2011

Thanks Kim! I was very worried there for awhile that they were in the same sac. At my ob/gyn's office, they couldn't see a membrane at all and still can't. I had to go see a specialist and I was put on a high resolution ultrasound machine and they saw the membrane right away! I just was at my ob/gyn's office a couple weeks ago and they still weren't able to see it on their machine. Crazy! When were your twins delivered? Were they early? Natural or C-Section? Sorry for all the questions! My mom has two sets of twins, but they're both fraternal twins, so can't relate to her as much!

Kim - posted on 08/22/2011

I have identical boys. We knew very early they were in 2 sacs. Even though having twins in one sac is most dangerous, with todays technology I would think the mortality rate of mono/mono twins has significantly decreased. Usually moms who have mono/mono twins are put on bed rest very early and continuously monitored by ultrasounds to ensure neither baby is in danger. But luckily for you and I, we didn't have to go through that added stress. My doctors never drove me insane about it, but did say it would be a higher risk pregnancy if they were in one sac. Congrats on your little boys. Mine are now 20 months and I love them to death!