Products Recommended In This Episode:
RestCloud Baby Sleep Bag - Jessica’s favorite product EVER!
Episode 25
Mamas of Multiples
Ever wonder what it would be like to be a mom of twins? Rachel and Tianna share their stories as moms of identical twin boys from birth to the present moment. Both experienced a variety of emotions throughout the journey and have a lot of reflection and wisdom to share. You don't want to miss this episode!
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No material from our hosts or guests is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. We strive to provide you with education and information so that you can then go to your own provider and get an individualized approach to your medical needs and questions. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard in this podcast.
Show Notes:
According to the Mayo Clinic, sometimes a twin or triplet pregnancy just happens. In other cases, specific factors are at play. For example, a twin pregnancy is more likely as you get older because hormonal changes can cause more than one egg to be released at a time. Use of assisted reproductive technologies — such as in vitro fertilization — also increases the odds of twins or other multiples.
Fraternal twins — the most common kind of twins — occur when two separate eggs are fertilized by two different sperm. Each twin has his or her own placenta and amniotic sac. The twins can be two girls, two boys, or a boy and a girl.
Identical twins occur when a single fertilized egg splits and develops into two fetuses. Identical twins might share a placenta and an amniotic sac or the twins might share a placenta and each have separate amniotic sacs. Genetically, the two babies are identical. They'll be the same sex and share physical traits and characteristics. Rarely, identical twins fail to completely separate into two individuals. These babies are known as conjoined twins.
Triplets and other higher order multiples can be identical, fraternal, or a combination of both.
If you become pregnant with multiples, you might have the following possibilites: more frequent checkups, more weight gain, earlier delivery, premature birth, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, C-section delivery or Twin to Twin transfusion.
Tianna and Rachel were our guests for this episode, and both mamas share their stories from birth to the present moment. They share that they were well taken care of throughout their pregnancy and experienced a variety of emotions throughout the journey. Both Moms went into labor naturally with their water breaking at 36 weeks. Within one week post birth, the babies needed NICU care which is expected for babies born preterm. Babies may have difficulty latching when they are born preterm and moms may end up pumping a lot or giving formula. Luckily both mamas gave birth to healthy identical twin boys. They did not experience twin transfusion syndrome or twin vanishing syndrome, but they do share their experiences with these possible outcomes.
Some Memorable Quotes from these two amazing mamas:
“You will be stronger than you ever realized. You can handle this." “Just surrender.” -Rachel
“Your going to find your own way.” -Tianna