Peculiarities of raising twins in a family: advice for parents

Medical approach

It is immediately necessary to clarify that there is simply no such medical concept as twins. All children born as a result of one pregnancy are called twins. Twins and triplets are simply numerals that record the number of babies. Multiple pregnancies differ according to the methods of conception.

Identical twins are created when one egg is fused with one sperm. Due to factors unknown to doctors, the fertilized egg is divided into two or even more fertilized eggs, which develop into separate embryos.

Embryos can have a common amniotic sac and placenta, or they can each grow separately or have a “private” sac, but be in the same placenta.

Fraternal twins are born from the interaction of two or more separate eggs with different sperm. Each egg fertilized by its own sperm forms a separate embryo. Each embryo in a multiple pregnancy with fraternal twins grows in its own placenta.

Twins

Twins are born if, at an early stage of pregnancy, a fertilized egg in a single copy is divided into two or more identical parts. Then each develops as an independent organism. The result is monozygotic (identical) twins.

It is not possible to plan the birth of such twins. Scientific research in this area has not revealed clear circumstances affecting the division of the egg into parts. It is known for sure that this process does not depend on hereditary characteristics, the age of the parents, or previous multiple pregnancies. There is one pair of twins per three to four thousand births.

What is the difference between twins and twins

In everyday life, everyone is accustomed to using two definitions: twins or twins. Twins are usually called similar, almost identical children, those that were conceived from a single egg. Twins are considered to be babies conceived by separate cells.

For those who have decided to find out how twins differ from fraternal twins, there are several points of fundamental differences.

Identical twins

Definitely of the same gender. Each pregnancy can produce two (or more) girls or two boys.
Similar in appearance. Children born from a single egg are similar to each other in facial features, physique, and even their voice is similar. Such a pair is sometimes difficult to distinguish even for the people who gave birth to them. What can we say about strangers?
Genetics. Identical babies receive a unique set of identical genes. They have identical fingerprints and Rh blood factors. Such people become ideal donors for each other, since they are similar in all respects.
Diseases. Throughout their lives they are susceptible to the same diseases.

REFERENCE! Often identical twins are mirror images of each other. That is, they are completely identical, but the mole on the right cheek of one will be located on the left cheek of the other.

Twins

They can be born of the same sex or of different sexes. One pregnancy can produce a girl and a boy.
They are no more and no less similar than simple brothers and sisters born at different times. There are twins that are completely different from each other, if one resembles the father and the other resembles the mother.
They get a different genetic set. They have different blood types and body structures.
Most often they are not suitable for each other as donors.
Throughout life they are susceptible to various diseases that do not duplicate the diseases of another.

REFERENCE! The gene match between twins does not exceed 40-55%.

Features of twins

Twins have half the same genes.
External similarity can be strong, or it can be insignificant.
Gender, blood type, character are usually different.
The organ transplant will not be successful.

Thus, we can conclude that when one egg is fertilized by one sperm and its subsequent division, twins are born. If two eggs have matured and are subsequently fertilized, then twins are born (See “What to do to conceive twins”).

What determines the birth of several babies?

The reasons for the birth of identical twins are still unknown to science and it is impossible to predict their birth. But the appearance of twins can be influenced by several factors.

At the age of 40-45, a woman is more likely to have a multiple pregnancy.
Infertility treatment. During hormonal stimulation, several eggs mature in the female body at once, which can cause the birth of several babies.
In vitro fertilization. To increase the chances of success of the procedure, three to five fertilized eggs are implanted into the woman’s uterus. Accordingly, if several take root, twins or even triplets will appear.

https://youtu.be/l0M2W12LebY

To summarize, we can say that the main difference between twins and twins is:

Twins develop from a single egg, and twins from different ones;
Twins are different from each other, but twins are like a reflection in a mirror;
Children born from a single egg have the same set of genes, as well as blood type, eye and hair color.
Twins have different blood and body structure.

How to conceive twins?

Since childhood, I had a dream: to have twins, I imagined two little curly-haired girls. Then I didn’t yet know how much trouble a woman has to bear with the birth of even one child. Over the years, my fervor has subsided, and now that I have two boys, I no longer dream of twins, until I do. But is it possible to conceive twins deliberately?

Most often, twins and twins are born from representatives of African nationalities or immigrants from the Middle East. So if your chosen one is from these places, you have a chance to become parents of twins.
Heredity plays a huge role in conceiving twins. If there were twins in your family or your husband’s family, then there is a chance that you will have it too.
A woman's age also affects conception. In the period from 35 to 38 years, a woman’s body undergoes hormonal changes, which contribute to the fact that several eggs can mature at once during the menstrual cycle. This increases the chances of multiple pregnancies.
The likelihood of having twins increases with each new pregnancy.
The 100% way to conceive twins is IVF.

There are places on Earth where twins are born much more often than in other places on our planet. One of these places is Velyka Kopan, Transcarpathian region. In just half a century, 54 pairs of twins were born here. Scientists shrug their shoulders, and local residents associate this phenomenon with a healing spring from which the village residents take water.

In Vitro Fertilization

To make the likelihood of a favorable outcome greater, 3-5 eggs that have undergone fertilization are placed in the uterine bed. When several eggs implant, twins or triplets are born.

Thus, the main difference between twins and twins is the number of fertilized eggs. Twins have some distinctive features, but twins cannot be distinguished from each other.

Twins Relationships

The main feature of twins is their initial forced coexistence. Ordinary children, while in the womb, hear only the mother's heartbeat, while twins hear and feel each other.

Because of this, from birth they develop mutual affection and an amazing ability to feel each other. Even infants experience noticeable discomfort and anxiety when a brother or sister is away for a long time.

This is the first significant advantage of twins: they are never alone. If parents do not find the opportunity to pay attention to both children, then they can compensate for this by communicating with each other. It begins with simple gestures and exclamations, and then develops into the so-called “secret language of twins.” It is called secret because adults cannot always make out what the kids are babbling about.

Single children learn to speak by copying the correct speech of adults. With twins, everything is different - they spend most of their time alone, and therefore copy each other’s lines. Having not learned to speak properly, they repeat one after another incorrectly, because of this they distort the words even more. But the paradox is that they themselves understand perfectly well what they are talking about.

It is very important for parents to pay attention to the development of speaking skills in both children. Despite the intense communication between twins, they very often exhibit speech communication delays.

Parents do not find time to correct mistakes and pronunciations, or teach the correct words. In addition, the twins love to come up with new words that are not in the Russian language. The task of parents is to develop the speech skills of twins in a timely and correct manner.

The fact that twins are close to each other all the time and are friends with each other does not mean that they do not have rivalry. Competitive struggle most often flares up due to parental love and affection. You will sit between two kids and read one book, and each of them will pull the book towards themselves to see the picture that mom showed. So that she shows it to him, and not to her brother or sister!

First you need to work on the principle of simultaneous communication. If you hug one child, immediately hug the second one so that he does not feel left out.

But do not forget to teach children to share with each other not only toys and food, but also parental attention. They will soon understand that it is better to wait a little while the parents are busy with another child, so that they can then reign supreme and enjoy parental attention themselves.

Twins

Children may be born with the same gender, or different - a boy and a girl. They have a slight similarity, like brother and sister, who were born at different times.

It happens that twins are completely different, each similar to one of the parents.

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Twins have a diverse set of genes. Therefore, they have different Rh factors and body types. They cannot act as donors for each other. As a rule, twins get sick differently throughout their lives.

Genetic test

The only way to find out if twins are identical or fraternal is to do a genetic test. If the children born are of different sexes, then there is only one diagnosis - fraternal twins. If the embryos share the same placenta and amniotic sac, then they are identical. In addition, you will have to wait until they are born. However, fraternals can look the same, so the only way to find out is to do genetic testing by scraping the inside of the cheek with a cotton swab.

This research will not only satisfy your curiosity, but also help in emergency situations. For example, identical twins can help each other as donors without any risk.

Development of individuality in twins

Even if twins are same-sex and similar in appearance, from birth they are two different personalities. The way they are positioned in the womb affects their development. One hears more sounds from the outside world with the right ear, the other with the left, therefore, their brain hemispheres develop differently. One was born first and quickly, but the second had to suffer, therefore, his health is weaker. One way or another, individuality is inherent in every child from birth.

But in our society it is accepted that if twins are twins, then they must be identical from head to toe. They are not only dressed the same, but also forced to eat the same food, follow the same daily routine, and are given the same gifts.

At a very early age, when children are not yet aware of their uniqueness, this is acceptable. But the older the child becomes, the more freedom for the development of his individuality should be provided. Yes, this is much more difficult than “raking both with one brush”, and requires much more time, but parents simply must notice that their children have different inclinations and talents, and are prone to different behavior patterns.

For example, when choosing gifts for twins, parents will most likely buy identical toys, “so that no one will be offended.” But try to look at it from the other side. If you bought one daughter a doll in a pink dress, where is the guarantee that the second daughter will like this same doll?

Try to get creative with this. Let dad go with one daughter to choose a gift at one end of the store, and you go with the second daughter to the other. Give your children the right to choose each other's toys. Let each of the girls think about how she could please her sister? Most likely, children will choose different gifts because they themselves have different personalities. And you must agree that playing with different toys together is much more interesting than playing with the same ones.

While emphasizing the individuality of children, do not forget to develop their independence. After all, the essence of education is also to teach a child to live independently in the adult world. Will a child be able to grow up independent, build his own life and create his own family if he is followed like a shadow by a twin, without whom life is unthinkable?

Try to arrange separate walks and activities for children, and involve your relatives in separate communication with the twins. Take into account the individual abilities of children when creating activities for them.

For example, if one child has stronger artistic abilities, take him to an art gallery. And if the other one has a technical mind, let him and dad try to put together a birdhouse.

Even for a birthday, buy two small cakes with candles, rather than one large one for two. Let each of the twins have their own life experiences, their own personal memories, experiences and dreams.

After twins are born, their mothers live 100 years

They are believed to have better health. And nature, through such an evolutionary mechanism, tries to pass on the mother’s genes twice during one pregnancy. However, these data only apply to women who conceived twins naturally. This is not about IVF.

Twins themselves live longer lives than other people. This phenomenon is called the “twin protection effect.”