What bundles of joy

Challenges you may face

Needless to say, most of the difficulties of a multiple pregnancy will fall hardest and heaviest on the mother, as she will be the babies' main source of protection and nourishment. Heightened symptoms of pregnancy, such as substantial weight gain, excessive stretching of the abdominal wall, swollen legs, and others are to be expected.

Additionally, because the mother is sharing her body with more than one baby, she is prone to higher risk of complications such as anaemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, premature labour, and an increased chance of LSCS (lower segment Caeasarean section). Thus, a higher level of care throughout the pregnancy, which requires more frequent visits to the doctor's office, is necessary.

Emotionally, the new mothers may constantly feel uncertain, anxious, and lack self-confidence in coping with more than one baby. It is during this time that emotional support from her spouse and family members is most important.

Challenges babies may face

Babies from multiple pregnancies may find themselves fighting harder to survive compared to babies from single pregnancies. From the moment of conception, babies from a multiple pregnancy find themselves sharing almost every resource. Foetal complications such as twin-to-twin transfusions, where one baby would be anaemic and the other might receive too much blood from the shared placenta, and growth restriction inside the womb may occur.

The likelihood of preterm delivery also increases as twins are six times more likely than single babies to be born preterm. Preterm babies are likely to be born with premature organs, such as lungs and liver, and may need admission into a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to receive treatment for these complications.

Birth defects are also a probability for multiple pregnancies. For example, there is a 20% higher rate of congenital abnormalities in multiple pregnancies. Additionally, rare abnormalities such as conjoint twins (siamese twins) and acardia (absence of the heart) are unique to twins.