by An interesting question that I frequently see online is “How do I know if I’m pregnant with twins?”
I find this an intriguing question because my wife and I never asked it. The possibility of twins was not even on our radar so we never even thought to ask the question.
Heartbeat Monitors
On early visits to the obstetrician’s office, you may get to listen for the heartbeat with a heartbeat monitor. To the untrained ear, you may hear two heartbeats and think you’ve got twins when in reality you are hearing both the mother’s and baby’s heartbeats.
In the hands of a skilled medical worker, the heartbeat monitor can pick up twin heartbeats or at least possibly indicate such. In these cases, you’ll most surely be sent for an ultrasound to confirm this suspicion.
Ultrasound
The sure-fire way to tell if you are pregnant with twins is to get an ultrasound. An experienced technician will be able to point out the two little heart beats on an ultrasound even early in the first trimester. Eventually, you’ll get a good sense for if your babies are identical or fraternal twins.
As the pregnancy progresses, you’ll be able to see the two little babies start to take shape and grow. Due to a higher risk of complications during a twin pregnancy, you will likely get more ultrasounds than the typical singleton pregnancy. Savor those extra visits with your unborn children as you’ll get extra glimpses into their development and maybe even their personalities.
(RELATED: Love podcasts? Check out the entire Dad's Guide to Twins Podcast archive for additional twin tips and interviews with twin dads.)
Delivery
Back in the old days before modern medical technology, people were surprised by twins all the time on delivery day. While it is possible to have twins today and not know until delivery, it is highly unlikely. If you are regularly visiting the doctor for prenatal care, twins should be discovered at some point during the pregnancy.
Picture by surlygirl
We were shocked, though I think deep down I suspected twins…though I suspected in other pregnancies as well! We found out at 22 weeks at our routine ultrasound! Though by about 28 weeks there would be no denying that I had twins…I felt all four arms and all four legs!
@Dakotapam – we found out on the first visit to the OB when my wife was confirming the pregnancy. Even though it was early, it was nevertheless still very shocking.
Going through IVF, I was so monitored that we checked for twins at 6 weeks and there they were! Heartbeats and all. But my symptoms have been so mild, that we might not otherwise have suspected.
@Alex – thanks for sharing. You’re definitely right with IVF that they monitor you very closely and you’ll most likely get a twin alert well ahead of other pregnancies.
I had a “gut feeling” as soon as I found out I was pregnant. We didn’t use ivf & they don’t run in my family so I had no reason to feel that way but I just knew. We found out at 5 weeks there was 2 little sacs in there. My doctor likes to confirm all pregnancies with US to make sure they aren’t ectopic right away. Almost 18 weeks now with boy/girl twins! We can’t wait!
@Kayla – that gut feeling is awesome. Thanks for sharing your story!