More mothers having twins than ever before

"Some of it is due to mothers getting older," he said.

"You are more likely to have two eggs fertilised. It is not a higher rate of identical twins. It is a higher rate of non-identical twins (produced from two eggs]."

Dr Chalmers said older women were also more likely to need fertility treatment to have a baby.

"There's a complexity there because the older you are, you are not only more likely to have twins but you are also more likely to need fertility treatment," he said. "You have got a double whammy."

Keith Reed, chief executive of the Twins and Multiple Births Association, called for more action from the government to support couples who experienced multiple births.

"This record number of multiple births is linked to the overall rise in the birth rate, as well as the increasing number of women delaying pregnancy along with the greater use of fertility treatments," he said.

"This trend looks set to continue and the Scottish Government must rise to the challenge of ensuring the systems and staff are in place to ensure all these pregnancies result in healthy, happy babies."

Mr Reed added: "Local authorities also need to ensure in the move to reduce class sizes that admissions systems do not split up children across different schools against their will and that teachers give parents a say in the decision to teach them in the same or different groups."

SURVIVAL RATE

THE rate of babies in Scotland being stillborn or dying in the first few days of life has hit a record low, figures show.

The report, published by NHS Scotland, revealed that in 2008 the perinatal mortality rate -stillbirths and babies dying in the first week of life - was down to 7.4 per 1,000 births, down from 7.8 the previous year.

It found that the rate of stillbirths stood at 5.4 per 1,000 births in 2008, down from 5.6 the previous year but up from 5.3 in 2006.

Babies dying in the first week of life fell to 2 per 1,000 births from 2.2 in 2007.

Last year Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, highlighted the figures, blaming the deaths on overstretched staff and pressure on NHS services coupled with a lack of research into stillbirths.

Neal Long, Sands' chief executive, said yesterday: "It is shocking to see, yet again that the stillbirth rate in Scotland hasn't significantly changed in 20 years, almost every day in Scotland a baby is stillborn, almost 300 babies dying every year, a statistic that cannot be allowed to continue."

(Edit:Ruby)