Three Surprising Differences Between Being Pregnant With Twins vs a Single

Disclosure: As a member of the Amazon affiliate program, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases via links found in this article at no additional cost to you.

Being a mom of two sets of twins has afforded me plenty of experience with multiple pregnancies. I’m lucky to have had a singleton first, though. Personally, I cannot imagine being a first time mom and a twin mom simultaneously. 

We welcomed our first set of twin boys about two years after my first son was born. Then, almost six years later, we had a second set of twin boys. While there were certainly similarities between my singleton pregnancy and my twin pregnancies, there were also three surprising differences. 

1. You will show way faster and look much further along as your pregnancy progresses

I’ve heard this is true for second pregnancies in general. With my second pregnancy (my first twin pregnancy), I was already beginning to show before I went in for my first prenatal appointment at 8 weeks. My mom noticed my subtle baby bump when I was leaning over my kitchen counter a few days before that appointment. 

By the beginning of my second trimester, I was measuring about 8 weeks ahead in fundal height (the distance from the top of the uterus to the pubic bone). By mid-pregnancy, fundal height in centimeters corresponds roughly to your number of weeks gestation. So when you are 27 weeks pregnant, your fundal height will be about 27cm. I was measuring 35 cm at 27 weeks, which was about the time people at the grocery store started telling me I looked like I was about to pop. 

2. Your pregnancy is automatically considered high risk

Unfortunately, carrying twins increases the risk for complications in pregnancy. For example, you’re more likely to have gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and to deliver your babies prematurely. For this reason, in my case, my obstetrician referred me to a perinatologist who could more closely monitor my health as my pregnancy progressed.

All of my twins were big and healthy, but they were also in a breech presentation during my third trimester. This meant that their feet were positioned near my cervix, while their heads were tucked snugly under my ribcage. As a result, my care team recommended a cesarean section as the safest option for delivering my twins. 

3. You can feel both babies moving independently

I am amazed when I hear stories of pregnant women who were surprised to give birth to twins. I’ve found that it is usually just a trope created for movies or tv shows. I’m looking at you, Star Wars. A twin pregnancy progresses much faster and, at least in my experience, I could feel both babies moving. 

With both of my twin pregnancies, I could distinctly feel two babies moving independently often at the same time. For example, when both babies would stretch, I could feel two heads pressing on each side of my ribcage. I think it’s hard to imagine that someone could mistake that kind of movement for one baby. 

Of course, all of this is just based on my own experience. I only had one singleton pregnancy, and my twin pregnancies were very similar. 

Have you had twins? Let us know your experience in the comments.

The content written on this website is for entertainment purposes only and is not meant to be taken as medical or professional advice. For questions or concerns, please contact us.