In case you missed the announcement about our twins, read Really Big News! We found out at my 1st OB appointment on June 1st and have received many questions about my pregnancy since then. I’ll try to answer some of them:

Q1. Do you know if the twins are identical or fraternal?

A1. No, we don’t know yet. It’s more likely that they are fraternal because identical twins are rarer and because of how my twins are separated on the ultrasound.

My twins at 8 (LMP) weeks

Q2. Do twins run in the family?

A2. No. Not really. If the twins are identical, then it happened by chance as there doesn’t seem to be a genetic link for identical twins. If they are fraternal, then my eggs (and possibly my genes) would be responsible for twins. Jim gets to take a lot of credit too, but the genetic link for fraternal twins would come from my side of the family. I don’t have twins in my family. (Except for my maternal grandmother’s brother’s boy and girl fraternal twins… but that would come from his wife who is not related to me, see?) However I think it’s safe to say that twins run in the family now!

Q3. Jim’s sister and her husband have triplets, right?

A3. Yes! We have adorable 3-year-old triplet nieces too! Our new babies will bring the count of Jim’s parents’ grandchildren up to 8 kids under the age of 5 by the end of the year. Can you believe his parents will have multiple sets of multiples for grandkids?! They’re pros at this. Twins will be a piece of cake for them, right?

Q4. Did you know that a 35-year-old mom is more likely to have twins?

A4. I didn’t know much about the probability of twins, but I have learned a lot in the last month. I am 35 and have had a previous pregnancy. Apparently there are all kinds of interesting factors that can increase the probability of conceiving twins: twins in the family, race, age, previous pregnancies, etc.. Interested? Read more here: Understanding Genetics of Twins

Q5. Do you know the sex of the babies?

A5. Not yet. We’ll find out after 17 weeks at the end of July or beginning of August. We’ll keep you posted!

Q6. Did you suspect twins?

A6. Well… I had no logical reason to suspect twins. The occurrence of naturally occurring twins is low and I don’t have twins in my family. It didn’t really make sense for me to suspect twins. BUT… I felt so miserable with morning sickness that I started to wonder if there was something very different about this pregnancy. I even told about three friends that I wondered if it was twins that made me feel so different. I didn’t really *believe* it, but it was a fun thought to distract me from endless nausea. When I saw two babies on the ultrasound at 8 weeks, I was still completely shocked. I told my doc that she needed to pinch me because I thought I was dreaming! Well no wonder I felt miserable. I’ve been dealing with double-trouble morning sickness!

Q7. Does having twins change your due date?

A7. Twins are considered full-term at 38 weeks instead of 40 for a singleton pregnancy. That moves me from Jan 7 up to Dec 24. The average gestation for twins is 35 weeks. Based on that average, they could arrive as soon as Dec 3 or even sooner. I’m hoping we beat the odds and have 2 healthy babies, over 5 pounds each, at 37+ weeks.

Q8. Do you have to do anything special for a twin pregnancy?

A8. My sis-in-law with triplets sent me a wonderful book the day we found out about the twins: When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy. It’s full of useful information for a pregnant mom of twins. The nutrition recommendations amaze me. I do what I can and feel like I eat all day long. But I’m pretty sure I have yet to reach the daily targets, for example 175-219 grams of protein each day?!!

Q9. How are you feeling?

A9. Thanks for asking! I was miserable while pregnant with Patrick, and twins seems to make me feel even worse. Taking Zofran, sneaking in naps, and not letting myself get hungry help me feel better. This is going to be an interesting pregnancy! Other than dealing with physical symptoms of pregnancy, I couldn’t be more excited to start what is sure to be an amazing parenting adventure!