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Twin Pregnancies & Babies average weight

Multiple pregnancies are on the rise in recent years with more and more twins and other types of multiples being born. The majority of the reason for this rise is the increased use of fertility drugs.

There are a couple of ways that multiples are conceived:

• Multiple eggs are released or there is more than one ovulation. Both (or more) eggs are fertilized and you have fraternal twins. This can happen with or without fertility drugs.
• One egg is released but splits in two. Identical twins are made. This can happen with or without fertility drugs.

In cases of IVF, there are usually 3 or more fertilized eggs put back into the uterus. The rationale is that not all of these will implant, though sometimes they do.

How multiples are discovered?

Many people learn about their multiples at an early ultrasound. Although some critics say that before twelve weeks gestation there is still a high risk of Vanishing Twin Syndrome (VTS), where one baby stops growing and is either absorbed back into the mother's body or is still born when the other twin is born.

Multiples identification

• Sometimes multiple heart beats are heard, leading your practitioner to believe that there is more than one bundle of joy in your uterus.
• Some people find a rapid rate of grow in their uterus which leads some to suspect twins.
• Some women find out when they have abnormally high levels on the AFP test that multiples are on the way, since multiple babies would increase the levels of these hormones. 

Multiple Birth

• In years past cesarean became popular for multiple births.
• Now that rate is about 50% for twins, and declining. 
• We've found that vaginal birth is usually very safe for multiples, who frequently need the stimulation and rise in hormones levels associated with labor.

Whether or not you will have a vaginal birth will depend on many factors, including the position of the babies, and how the babies tolerate labor.

Breech babies really depend on the size of the baby and the skill of the practitioner. Usually if Baby A (The first baby in the pelvis.) is head down a vaginal birth will be attempted. If Baby B is breech or transverse an internal or external version may be attempted to help facilitate the birth, or that baby may be allowed to be born breech.

If your babies are in a position where neither can move, they are said to be locked. These babies will have to be born via cesarean.

• Onoamniotic twins will also be born via cesarean.

How 4D ultrasound scan are helpful for twin pregnancies?

• Ultrasound scan technology has been used in prenatal care for over thirty years.
•  High-frequency sound waves are directed at the mother’s body to produce a picture of the baby.
•  These pictures can be either two, three, or four-dimensional. Research has found that 4D Ultrasound Scans are good for bonding but no more effective than 2D at diagnosing medical problems.

Here are few of the twin pregnancy 3D & 4D photos:

Triplet twins

3D view - Twins

Twin growth

4D scans can show treasured images of a baby in utero. They can show the baby as it kicks, smiles, swallows, or sucks its thumb.

Therefore, if a mother decides to obtain 4D Ultrasound Scans, she should remember to follow important safety precautions. And they should never, ever be used in place of good prenatal care.

Below are the average pregnancy details:

Average pregnancy length           Average Birth Weight

Single –           40 weeks                     3.5 kg/7lb 7oz

Twins –            37 weeks                     2.5kg/5ln 5oz

Triplets –         34 weeks                     1.8kg/3lb 9oz

Quads –           32 weeks                     1.4kg/3lb1oz

No of births – England and Wales

All maternities            781,000

Twins                           12,595

Triplets                         172

Quads +                         5

All multiples                12772

Multiple birth rate         16.3     (per 1000 maternities)