Twins & Multiples

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Di Di Twins: The Facts and What it Means for your Family

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Dichorionic Diamniotic twins are the ‘normal’ type of twin pregnancy. It means your twins both have their own amniotic sacs (two gestacional sacs) and placenta, so they’re only sharing your womb, nothing else.

As well as being by far the most common type of twin pregnancy, it’s also the best case scenario, with the least amount of complications and the best chance of both of your twins being born completely healthy without any intervention from your doctor or hospital.

Di di twins can be fraternal twins, (or non identical,) or identical twins, but are more likely to be fraternal.

Di Di Twins: What Does This Mean for You and Your Twins?

As any mom who might be expecting twins knows, twin pregnancies are hard! Or at least, much harder than single births. Bear in mind that we’re designed to only carry one baby at a time, and it’s actually pretty miraculous how adaptable we are.

But twin pregnancies still put hugely increased strain on both the mother and the twins growing inside of her.

For the mother in twin pregnancies, her uterus is going to get bigger much faster than with a singleton pregnancy. You can expect to be the size of a woman at full term with just one baby at the start of your third trimester!

Because you’re supplying blood to two babies instead of one, your heart has to work that much harder, and you can expect to be pumping the same amount of blood as a full term single pregnancy at around the 25th week!

You’re also at a higher risk of all the lovely things that pregnant women face already, like pre-eclampsia, as well as likely premature birth and your babies having lower birth weights, so expect more twin sonogram appointments. It’s a fun time all round. 

Thankfully, a di di twin pregnancy has the least chance of major problems amongst twin pregnancies, with the smallest list of major complications.

 

What Are the Complications of Di Di Twins

Whilst having twins is a fantastic event, there are several complications that can occur from carrying more than one child at a time.

  • The first, and probably biggest complication that’s the most likely to happen is premature birth. Almost 2/3rds of twins are born premature, with lower birth weights than single babies. Whilst being born a little premature won’t affect the health of your babies, the earlier they are born the higher the risk, with very early babies even needing help breathing.
  • Anemia. Because of the increased demand for blood of carrying two babies, the chance of anemia in pregnancy is more than doubled.
  • Gestational hypertension. Again, the chance of this is almost doubled. The increased blood pressure also puts women carrying twins at a higher chance of pre-eclampsia, which can lead to serious problems if it isn’t treated.
  • Birth defects. Multiple births like twins are around twice as likely to suffer from birth defects than single pregnancies.
  • Miscarriage. The chance of miscarriage is higher than with single pregnancies, with the possibility of losing one or both twins.
  • Gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is more likely when you’re having twins, especially if you already had a BMI of more than 30 when you fell pregnant.
  • Obstetric cholestasis. This is a pretty uncommon condition that affects very few pregnant women. It causes intense itching with no other symptoms, and it’s thought to be caused by high concentrations of pregnancy hormones. As you’re going to be producing more of these (again, twins…) you’re more likely to suffer from this.

Will Having Di Di Twins Affect Giving Birth?

The favored dichorionic diamniotic twins delivery method is caesarian, because there are more complications that can occur with a twin birth. It’s also unlikely that you’ll be recommended a home birth, if that’s an option that you were hoping for.

It’s also normal for there to be more doctors and nurses around you as you’re giving birth to your twins, because of the increased chance of complications.

Your labor is generally going to be treated the same, but your twins are going to be more heavily monitored, normally with an electronic sensor that will be placed on the outside of your bump.

As for the birth itself, if you’re lucky enough to deliver normally, then it’s going to be pretty much identical to delivering a single baby, except twice! The only difference is that once your first child is born, the position of your second child will be checked either manually or with a scan.

If the second baby is in the correct position, you might just give birth completely naturally. If not, you’ll probably be given hormones to induce a second birth.

There’s a whole list of complications that can cause your doctor to recommend a caesarian birth. Don’t worry if this is the case. Like I said, over half of twin births are delivered by caesarian, so it’s completely normal. Just relax, trust that your babies are going to be fine and let the doctors do what they do.

Newborn twins cuddling

What Can You Do for Your Di Di Twins?

The best thing to do is appreciate that you’re lucky enough to be giving birth to twins!

All of that aside, having di di twins is much the same as a single pregnancy, except you have two! So just follow all of the normal good practices.

Make sure you’re getting enough rest and eating well, taking multivitamins is good, and don’t overexert or overstress yourself. Finally, make sure to follow any advice your medical practitioners give you. After all, they have your best interests in mind!

How was your twin pregnancy? Or maybe you’re currently pregnant with twins, or trying and hoping you’ll be lucky enough to conceive twins! If you’ve got any twin stories or advice for moms to be, we’d love to hear it, so share in the comments below!

28 COMMENTS

  1. I am currently 4 months pregnant with Di Di twin girls. I have not experienced any morning sickness, but I do have a lot of discomfort in my lower back. I have tried hot and cold compress with little relief. Can any of the mothers with twins give me some advice to help relief this discomfort Please.

    • I experienced a lot of back pain when I was pregnant with my do do boys (now 16 months) and prenatal massage and yoga helped A TON. I also took bathes almost every night to help relieve joint pain and it helped me to sleep.

      Laying in a recliner and sitting up sleeping in bed also have me relief.

      Good luck!!! Safe pregnancy to you and your little babes 🙂

  2. 21 weeks pregnant with didi twins (b/g). Absolutely shattered. Have sciatica and spd and already have two boys (13 years and 20 months) single parent. Partner left and I was a stay at home Mum, no chance of a job at the moment so finances are limited. Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

  3. Almost 18 weeks pregnant with Di Di twins. We find out the genders later this week! So excited! Experiencing some rib pains… (is that normal?) Sleep is starting to become more difficult, and I already have an obvious pregnancy bump (which I love) Feet are pretty sore due to my job requiring to be on my feet pretty much all day. But all in all, feeling pretty good(Much better than first trimester) So excited

  4. 26 weeks pregnant with di di b/g twins. I have a daughter- 5 and a son -10 months already and can certainly tell the difference between a single and multiple pregnancy. The pressure my body is under is immense. Only thing I find that helps my hip and back pain is light exercise in water. Good luck everyone

  5. I am 26 weeks pregnant with di di twins and already have 5 years old son.I have painful veins on my right leg,I thank God for such favour.Its not easy to sleep at all but OK ..I can’t wait for my next visit,I am in South Africa.

  6. Hello everyone! I’m 14 weeks + with Di Di twins, I must say it has been a very exciting & awe inspiring experience already. During my the first trimester I lost 5 kilos, due to the all day “morning sickness” oh I just felt awful all the time, now is not so bad anymore, however is not completely gone, I hope I get some relief anytime soon!! We can not waite to find their genders, we keep hearing that my babies will not be identical but fraternal, is still such a sock for our little family of 3 already!

    • Hi Have you found out the Genders? If there the same sex theres a 50% chance of them being identical but I’m sure you know this by now. I’m having di-di Boys in late January there mfm is taking them 3-4wks early.

  7. 21 weeks pregnant with Di Di twins ( boy and a girl).. first pregnancy. My husband and i are thrilled but also a bit scared.. hoping that language barrier wont be an issue..( giving birth in Beijing, China). Feeling pretty tired these days but still have enough energy for now.. good luck to all the mommas out there)

    • Hi Nelly,
      I to had di di b/g twins on my first pregnancy. My twins are currently 3 month old and doing great. I delivered at 35 weeks and 6 days due to preeclampsia complications. Wishing you the best of luck on this journey.

  8. 22 wks pregnant with DiDi twins. Not finding out the sex, looking forward to a surprise. Everything is going well with them in terms of their health and growth. I am of small structure and must admit, going through a lot of pain trying to grow with them. Round ligament pain is horrible, and I have sciatica down both of my legs. Have had to take extra iron as well, due to lowered red blood cell count. Other then that, all is well 🙂 Goodluck to you all!

  9. 36 weeks with di/di boys. I currently have two toddlers- 3 y/o little boy & 2 y/o little girl. Life is a bit overwhelming at the moment. Having 4 under 4 is going to be a challenge but I’m doing my best to stay optimistic. Hang in there mamas! You’ve got this!!!!

  10. 19 weeks pregnant with Di/Di twins. We will find out the genders in a few weeks, I can’t wait! I have a 5 year old ready to help! I have Tons of lower back pain and ligament pain. Sleeping with a pillow between my legs seems to help, and back rubs are a huge relief. My hormones are crazy and I’m pretty emotional so Extra sleep is a must!!

  11. I have DiDi Twins! Carried to 37 weeks. 2 months modified bedrest and 1 month in hospital on strict bedrest. Had gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and all the normal twin pregnancy issues. Delivered via C-section. No complications! They are now healthy 8 year old girls. They look nothing alike. Love them and would do it all over again if I could
    Get 2 fantastic little babies again!

  12. I delivered my di di twins a little over 18 months ago, beating all odds of any complications during pregnancy, and both were delivered vaginally. No C section, thank God, taking care of newborn twins is hard enough without recovering from major surgery. Props to all you multiple pregnancy mommas out there who had to heal from that. Not to say that everything is all hunky dory via vaginal delivery. I was very blessed and lucky. The nurses in the OR who assisted in the delivery of my twins said the birth was like a leprechaun riding a unicorn. Lol. That was the last magical thing that happened to me for a while. After the birth of my twins I went through severe Postpartum depression. Which is also more common with moms of multiples, for obvious reasons, more babies, more stress. It took my three months Postpartum to finally talk about it and seek help. It was terrible, i felt as if there was a lack of connection between my babies and I. I had dark thoughts, and just wanted to escape. If I never sought help who knows where I would be. Being a mom isnt all puppy’s and rainbows, and that needs to be made more aware. Today I am happy and glad to be here with my babies but 6 months ago I couldn’t answer that question. I still have bad days, but far more good than bad. To all you mommas out there, if something doesn’t feel right, if you feel like something just isnt what you thought or is off, talk to your OB, if they wont listen find another doc who will. You matter.

  13. Hey yall, I had di di twins 8 months ago. It was pretty crazy when we found out we were having twins i almost fainted but all in all things are going pretty good. When having twins also there is a bigger chance of hip dysplasia especially in breach babies. Our twin baby a. Has to go get a plavlic brace to help push that hip in place. She will have to wear it for six to twelve weeks. But in all saying its exciting i cant wait to see who these little babies grow in to!!!!!!!.

  14. My DiDi fraternal twins are 11 months old. They couldn’t be any different. I imagined both screaming and crying at the same time and absolute no sleeping. This was true but not as often as I thought. I kept them on a hour difderndce I schedule so I was not overwhelmed. Oh and have the c-section. I went into labor and tried to have them both vaginally. My daughter came out fine however my son flipped and they lost his heart beat. I wasn’t even completely numb yet before they opened me up. All I did was cause myself to be completely exhausted which made it take longer for me to get to hold them because I myself had complications due to a drop in blood pressure and stress on my heart. Anyway twins are fantastic don’t be afraid!! It has been a miricale and a fantastic expression thus far.

  15. 32.5 weeks di di b/g twins and have a 3.5 year old girl! I had a feeling I was pregnant with twins, so when the sonograner told us it was twins I wasn’t all to surprised, but was still in shock. I’m not one to “take it easy” but have been finding my energy levels to be low and I’m very keen to sit, and give my body what it means. The pool and hip stretches are my fave right meow.

  16. Hi every1 having di di b/g now 28weeks still have excessive salivation and poor sleep but asides dat I’m grateful to God for this blessing. have a 7yr old boy and a 2 yr old girl.plz advice on dis saliva thing

  17. 14 weeks pregnant with Di/Di Twins. So far it’s been really rough. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I went off Prozac and Valium, so needless to say the adjustment has been difficult. I have a three year old daughter who is pretty hard to handle, and I’m already pretty darn big and having a lot of pain in my back, knee, and especially my sciatic nerve. Fighting off the depression as best I can, but it’s really difficult to get my husband to understand what I’m going through. He works a lot, makes good money and takes care of us. I am a realtor, so no guarantee on a paycheck. I do well, but it’s not really “steady”. Im so lucky to be pregnant with two babies, but they weren’t exactly planned. So we are now searching for a bigger house and a bigger vehicle. Im trying not to be stressed, but it’s proving to be unavoidable. I feel like I’m on my own. Any advice to keep the stress levels down??

  18. I have twin boys born February 2019, first time (single) mom & my pregnancy was awful. I was admitted to the hospital pretty much once a month for a night to 2/a few throughout the WHOLE pregnancy with severe Hyperemesis & dehydration. I ended up with crutches by the end of the second trimester because of my hips. I had to have steroid injections because they spoke about delivering me early, managed to wait out until I was 35wks & 6 days but my preeclampsia meant they had to come by planned emergency C section within 24hrs. Both boys needed 10 days in NICU for support breathing and feeding through nasal tubes and both spent time under light for jaundice. One twin had septicaemia….. the whole pregnancy and birth and the scary 10 days of them being in NICU after completely put me off having another pregnancy but now I have amazing beautiful happy healthy boys and I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.

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