Expecting Twins

When Two Become One

What is a Fused Placenta & Do I Need to be Worried About It?

Allie Walld 4 days ago

When you're pregnant, a lot of fun—and interesting—things can happen to your body. When you're pregnant with twins, there are even more interesting things that can happen to your body. Like finding out that the two placentas you saw on an early ultrasound have fused together and become one organ. But, what exactly is a fused placenta, anyway? And is it a cause for concern? Let's take...

Like Latin

Glossary of NICU Medical Terms & Acronyms for Parents of Premature Babies

Allie Walld 3 weeks ago

When you become a parent to premature babies, you also become someone who's taking a crash course in specific medical terms for infant care. The neonatologists and pediatric nurses in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) will use many different terms you may not understand when discussing your babies' medical conditions and the specialized care they're receiving. Sometimes, it can...

Quad Did You Say?

Just How Rare are Quadruplets? The Chance of Conceiving Four Babies at Once

Allie Walld 1 month ago

Earlier this month, a couple in Australia's family grew by four in a matter of minutes, when they welcomed monozygotic quadruplets via Caesarean section. Born prematurely at 28 weeks and four days (a gestational time when their lungs, digestive systems, and immune systems are still developing), the identical girls were naturally conceived after one single fertilized egg split into four...

A Complex Grief

The Shadow Sibling: Understanding & Healing from Vanishing Twin Syndrome

Allie Walld 1 month ago

If you're expecting twins or higher order multiples, your pregnancy is automatically higher-risk than a singleton pregnancy. A multiple pregnancy is considered high-risk for many reasons. When you're carrying more than one baby, there are more babies on board, more things to monitor, and more ways things can go wrong. And if they go wrong, they can go wrong very quickly, which is why...

A Little Warning

The Thing I Wish Other Parents of Twins Had Told Us Before Ours Were Born

Allie Walld 2 months ago

When you tell people you're having twins, one of the first things they automatically tell you is it's double the laughter and double the love. And in your head, you probably reply that it's double the diapers and double the work. I'm a fraternal twin, and I'm also a mother of identical twins, so I can vouch that all of these things are true. But there's one part of having...

How Many Heartbeats?

Multiplication Shock: 3 Things to Do When You Find Out You're Having Twins

Allie Walld 3 months ago

Nothing flips your world upside down quite like finding out the one baby you were planning and hoping for has secretly multiplied and turned into two bundles of joy. When you get that news, it's a good thing you're already laying down for the ultrasound. Usually, when you find out something surprising, the initial shock wears off after a few moments. But when that shock involves a...

Ouch That Smarts

Charley Horses Cramping You Up? Magnesium May Ease Your Twin Pregnancy Pain

Allie Walld 6 months ago

Morning sickness. Itching skin. Back pain. These are telltale signs of a pregnancy. Another common annoyance when you're expecting will hit you when you're least expecting it. As you enter the second and third trimesters, charley horses can kick you out of nowhere, causing short spasms in your legs. These brief bothersome bursts can be more frequent or more intense if you're pregnant...

SuperMom...Super Impossible

The "SuperMom" Myth: You Can't Do it All (And That's Okay)

Allie Walld 7 months ago

When people hear you're having twins, they're either very excited or they give you this look that says, "You're screwed." There's no middle ground. And when you're essentially told over and over again that you're going to be overwhelmed and have no chance at parenting success, it makes you want to prove everybody wrong. We can do this. Two at once is no big deal. They're our kids,...

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

If You're at Risk for Preterm Delivery, These 2 Things Can Help Your Twins

Allie Walld 7 months ago

Women who are pregnant with twins are at a higher risk than those who are carrying a single baby. This means they go for more frequent monitoring, measurements, and maternal fetal medicine appointments. They'll keep a close eye on you and your babies to, hopefully, catch any issues before they become problematic, and they'll offer advice and guidance to, hopefully, prevent preterm...

Expecting the Unexpected

From Twin to Twin Mom: That Moment You Find Out You're Having Twins

Allie Walld 8 months ago

Four years ago, in mid-December, we went in for a fun ultrasound at just shy of 13 weeks' along to take a peek at our baby because I didn't want to wait for our anatomy scan at 20 weeks to see them for the very first time. Thank goodness we didn't wait. The instant the technician turned on the ultrasound machine and brought the sonogram into focus, she instantly saw what we never saw...