Expecting twins or a multiple birth

Finding out you’re expecting twins (or more) is a huge, often overwhelming moment — thrilling and daunting at once. A multiple pregnancy is a bit different from a single one: more monitoring, more planning, and more of pretty much everything. Here’s an overview to help you feel prepared.

Types of twins. Early scans work out the “chorionicity” — essentially how the placentas and sacs are arranged — which matters for your care. Non-identical (dizygotic) twins each have their own placenta and sac. Identical (monozygotic) twins may share a placenta (and rarely a sac), which needs closer monitoring for specific complications. Your team will explain your type and what it means; it’s one of the most important early pieces of information.

More monitoring. Twin and multiple pregnancies are looked after as higher-risk, so expect more frequent appointments and scans to check both babies’ growth and wellbeing, usually with a specialist (obstetrician) involved alongside your midwife. Shared-placenta twins are scanned more often to watch for complications like twin-to-twin transfusion. All this monitoring is there to keep your babies safe, and is very much routine for multiples.

More intense symptoms. Carrying more than one baby often means more pregnancy — more nausea early on, more tiredness, a bigger bump sooner, and more of the aches, heartburn, swelling and breathlessness of late pregnancy. Be extra kind to yourself, rest when you can, and don’t compare your experience to a singleton pregnancy.

Higher chance of some complications. Multiple pregnancies carry a higher chance of things like anaemia, high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and premature birth. Your extra monitoring is designed to catch and manage these early. Knowing the warning signs (covered in other guides) — like the signs of pre-eclampsia or premature labour — is especially worthwhile with twins.

Nutrition and weight. You’ll need a bit more of some nutrients (your team may pay particular attention to iron and recommend appropriate supplements), and healthy weight gain guidance is different for twins. A dietitian referral can help. Eating well and staying hydrated matter even more when you’re growing two babies.

Birth: earlier, and planned. Twins are commonly born earlier than singletons — often before 40 weeks — and the timing and mode of birth are planned with your team based on your babies’ positions and your circumstances. A vaginal birth is possible for many twins (especially when the first baby is head-down), while a planned caesarean is recommended in other situations. Twin births happen in hospital with extra staff on hand for both babies.

Prematurity and special care. Because multiples often arrive early, there’s a higher chance your babies may spend time in special care or neonatal intensive care (NICU), particularly if they’re early or small. It helps to know this in advance and, if you can, to look around the unit — it’s reassuring to know your babies would be in expert hands.

Feeding two. You can absolutely breastfeed twins (many do, including feeding both at once with support), formula feed, or combine — feeding multiples is a learnable skill, and a lactation consultant is invaluable. Expect it to take practice, and line up help early; there’s no prize for doing it all alone.

Practical and emotional support. Two (or more) babies is a lot — practically, financially and emotionally. Line up help before the birth, connect with multiple-birth support groups (Australia has great ones), and don’t hesitate to lean on family, friends and services. It’s also completely normal to feel anxious or overwhelmed by the prospect; talk to your midwife or GP, and look after your mental health.

Preparing for the early days at home. Two newborns means double the feeds, nappies and broken sleep, so preparation pays off. Where you can: stock up in advance, batch-cook and freeze meals, and set up feeding and changing stations so nothing is far away at 3am. Most importantly, line up hands — a partner, family, friends, or paid help — because the early weeks with multiples are genuinely relentless and not designed to be done solo. Try to get the babies onto a roughly synchronised routine (feeding one when the other wakes) once feeding is established, as it’s the main way parents of twins claw back some rest. And lower every non-essential expectation of yourself: survival and cuddles are the job for now, not a tidy house. Accepting help isn’t failing — with twins, it’s simply how it’s done.

Expecting twins or more means a bit more monitoring, planning and preparation — but with a good specialist team and support around you, it’s absolutely manageable, and an extraordinary thing. Learn your type of twins, keep up your appointments, watch for the key warning signs, and gather your support early. You’ve got a big, wonderful job ahead — daunting now, but so many families have walked this exact path before you — and you don’t have to do any of it alone.