Do twins run in your family, have you had fertility treatments, or do you just have a hunch that you’re expecting more that one child?
You might be right! Read about the signs that indicate that you could be carrying more than one baby.
You need to remember that the only way to know for sure, whether or not you’re pregnant with more than one baby, is to get an ultrasound scan. At this day and age, you can detect twins or higher order multiples very early in a pregnancy – a sonographer should be able to detect all types of twins after 6+0 weeks.
Let’s look at 3 signs which indicate that you might become a mom to twins or higher order multiples
1. Your belly is bigger than average
Women pregnant with twins or higher order multiples tend to show very early on. They also have baby bumps that are bigger than average.
Please note that if you’re expecting your second or subsequent baby, you will often tend to have a larger bump when compared with your first pregnancy. This is often because your tummy muscles have been stretched by previous pregnancies, and your muscles are weaker.
2. You feel quite ill during pregnancy
A study has shown that the average woman expecting more than one baby is more nauseated than a woman expecting only one child. This is especially the case if you’re pregnant with at least one girl.
A woman pregnant with more than one child also tends to vomit more during pregnancy compared with a woman expecting only one child. Researchers don’t fully agree on why that is, but it has been linked to hormonal changes and elevated hCG levels.
3. Your hCG levels are elevated
The pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (better known as hCG) is produced during pregnancy. It is made by cells formed in the placenta, which nourishes the egg after it has been fertilized and becomes attached to the uterine wall. In pregnancies with more than one baby, the levels measured are often greater than normal.
Your doctor can measure your hCG level by doing a blood test. However, some singleton pregnancies are characterized by elevated hCG levels as well, so it’s not a perfect determinate.
Vanishing Twin Syndrome
If you get an early scan and multiple babies are detected, you need to be aware of Vanishing Twin Syndrome. Vanishing Twin Syndrome is when a twin or multiple disappears during pregnancy as a result of a miscarriage.
Unlike other miscarriages, there are generally no signs of Vanishing Twin Syndrome. It usually happens in the first trimester, so if you get an ultrasound scan at 12 weeks and more than one baby is detected, you can be pretty certain that you’ll be a mom to more than one baby.
Kate Phillipa Clark is a journalist writing about twins and their parents for About Twins. She’s written a great deal about twin pregnancy, twin birth, premature twins and breastfeeding. Kate graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and an Executive Master in Corporate Communication. She’s an identical twin and so is her father.
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