RUNNING HEAD: Multiple Pregnancies

Difference between Having Twins and Having One Baby

RUNNING HEAD: Multiple Pregnancies

Abstract
Why me (personal communication, October 7, 2014)? Was Jean OHaras first thought when
she found out that she was going to give birth to twins. Just as she thought, and Im sure you can
imagine, having more than one baby at a time takes a toll on a family. Being pregnant with more
than one baby at a time, or having multiples, can dramatically change the lives of the parents
having them. When you have Multiples, many things are doubled, or tripled depending on the
circumstance, including stress levels, financials needed, and a decline in safety for the mother
and for the children. It also effects many things after birth. Financials and stress levels are
included in that, as well as limited family time and dramatic change in daily life.

RUNNING HEAD: Multiple Pregnancies

Two for one seems like a great thing all the time right? Well, not exactly. What about having two
for one babies? Thats right, two or even three babies at one time! That means two or three times
the amount of daycare and a ton more diapers. This can also be a safety hazard for mom and the
babies before they are born and after. Two major differences between having a single baby and
multiples is an increase in the financials required and the decrease in safety for mother and
babies.
What are Multiples?
Having multiples refers to a women pregnant with more than one child at a time. There are three
types of multiples, Identical twins, fraternal twins, and supertwins. Identical twins is a single
fertilized egg dividing into separate halves and continuing to develop into two separate but
identical babies (KidsHealth, 1995). These babies will be () identical, with the same blood type,
hair, and eye color (KidsHealth, 1995). Identical twins may share a placenta or have separate
placentas, but each baby usually has its own amniotic sac. The number if identical twins has
stayed relatively the same through the years. There are no common medical procedures that cold
increase the number of identical twins, like there is for fraternal. Therefore in both 1980 and in
1994 the chances of giving birth to identical twins were both 1in every 250(KidsHealth, 1995).
Fraternal twins are two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm and are no more
alike than other siblings born to the same parents (KidsHealth, 1995). Fraternal twins are the
most common type of twins. In 1980 1 in every 90 births would be a fraternal twin (KidsHealth,
1995), by 1994 1 in every 45 births would be fraternal twins (KidsHealth, 1995). "Supertwins"
simply means having more than 2 children at the same time. Examples of super twins are triplets,
quadruplets, or quintuplets. Supertwins can be identical, fraternal, or a combination of both. Just

RUNNING HEAD: Multiple Pregnancies

as twins are hard there are documented supertwins up to eight. Can you imagine eight babies at
one time?

Growing Culture
Having twins or even triplets are becoming more and more popular. Over the past three
decades, there's been a
phenomenal rise in the
number
births

in

States

multiple

the United
(KidsHealth,

1995).
95

of

A staggering

percent

of

all

multiples are twins, and

more than 125 million
sets roam the world
today (KidsHealth, 1995). In 1973 a reported 54,000 pairs of multiples were born in the US and
by 1994 a reported 94,000 multiples were born in the united states alone (KidsHealth, 1995).
Which is why I feel it is an important culture to look at.
Several factors increase your chances of having a multiple birth. Some minor factors are;
Heredity, Race, number of prior pregnancies, and delayed child bearing. Heredity is a history of
multiple births on a woman's side of the family. Race increases your chances of having a
multiple if you are African because, women of African descent are the most likely to have
multiple pregnancies. Prior pregnancies can also have an effect on whether a women has

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multiples or not because having more than one previous pregnancy, especially a multiple
pregnancy, increases the chance of having a multiple pregnancy (KidsHealth, 1995). Lastly
another minor reason multiples are becoming more common is because women are waiting to
start families. If a women gets pregnant at an older age then [they] are more likely to have
multiples (KidsHealth, 1995).
I believe however, that the number one reason for an increase in multiple births is the extremely
common use of infertility treatments. Treatments such as fertility drugs, whose job is to stimulate
the ovaries to release multiple eggs and to assist in reproductive technology (ART), which
transfers multiple embryos into a mothers womb (such as in vitro fertilization, or IVF). The last
step greatly increase a woman's chance of having a multiple pregnancy (KidsHealth, 1995).
Kids POV:
Children, who are not multiples seem to think that having a twin would be awesome. The two of
them could wear matching clothes and pretend to be the other. However, for those who are a
twins know it is quite different. You never have a day of your own, even your birthday isnt all
about you, like it is for a single kid. Even at the very beginning of their lives, as an infant, they
do not get to monopolize their mother's attention. (KidsHealth, 1995) They are born into a life
of competition.
However there are positives to being a twin. Majority of the time you are not bored. looking
back it was kind of nice always having Cody around(K. OHara, personal communication,
October 7, 2014). Kyle explains that Cody would even out an uneven team in whiffle ball, or
after curfew they could play a few video games together before bed. His favorite however was
having a friend to play in the snow with on snow days Most parents worked so kids our age
were never allowed to come over and had to hang with their grandmas or something. But, um, I

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always had Cody and since moms, a teacher we never needed a babysitter or anything, snow
days were the best (K. OHara, personal communication, October 7, 2014)!
Aside from all the fun you can have you can also learn valuable life lessons at a young age. One
of those life lessons is sharing. If you want something (like a toy, or video game) and your
parents cant afford two of those items, then the two of you either have to share, or not get one at
all.(K. OHara, personal communication, October 7, 2014) Being a twin also teaches you
independence (K. OHara, 2014). When I first heard Kyle say this it really took me by surprise.
Why would being constantly grouped together make a person independent, you would think that
it would do the opposite? Then it hit me. Thats exactly why it makes them independent. Because
they are constantly being grouped together it really encourages twins, and other multiples, to
want to stand out. In high school I was really good at sports and Cody was good at political
science, he actually got to spend a semester in Washington DC as a Senate Page (K. OHara
2014) Being able to excel in separate areas of life gives twins an individual identity.
On the other hand they are also very good team workers. Growing up with someone, the same
age, constantly right there with you gives multiples no choice but to have excellent group
communication skills.

Financials:
You have to double the amount of simple and necessary things over the years. When they are
finally old enough to go to the mall alone or the movies they are most likely not going to be old
enough to have a job. Then when they are even older you have to buy two prom dresses, or if
you have boys, two tuxedo rentals and four prom tickets, since of course you are going to raise
perfect gentlemen. Some experts say it cost at least $200,000 to raise a child, to the age of
eighteen, which does not include the little things listed above (Valeria Baker, 2014). Other

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experts say that it could cost up to $250,000 per child to the age of 18. Which, is one of the main
reasons unplanned pregnancies are extremely stressful. Now imagine you are not only pregnant,
but you are pregnant with twins. Even if the pregnancy was planned are you financially able to
double the amount of money now needed? What about college, family outings or going to the
mall with friends? Are your kids ever going to experience any of that?
The main concern with financials for the OHara family was college. For them, it was never
really an option not to go. With a teacher as a mother, academics were strongly pushed in the
house. When Jean OHara was asked what she did to get both of her sons through college her
response was simple it is a lot when you have two in college, at the same time the biggest
thing with financials is you have to get student loans and make sure that they are educated (K.
OHara, personal communication, October 7, 2014) One of her boys now has a criminal justice
degree From Lindsey Wilson College and is a cop for a nearby town. While her other son a wellknown news anchor in Wyoming with a double major in political science and journalism from
DePaul University.
Another dramatic change for the OHara family after their twin boys were born was going out to
dinner. The family used to go to dinner at least once a week usually two and up to three or four
times. Dinner was family time, but when they had it at home members of the family would do
work or watch tv. To ensure family time made it into the weekly schedule the family made it a
point to go out to eat. That is until the boys were born. When you have two littler ones you
dont really want to go out to restaurants and some things because you know they, what one was
getting into the other one was getting into. Its a little bit harder with two, um, you dont go out
to eat as much (J. OHara, 2014).

RUNNING HEAD: Multiple Pregnancies

One thing that did not change for the OHara family was family vacations. In fact having the
twins made them a little more exciting, and this I got to experience for myself. A few years back
our families went to Biloxi, Mississippi together. Kyle (one of Jeans twin boys) was always big
into sports and wanted to play games, go fishing and try to surf in the water.

Safety:
Most of the differences between having multiples and having one baby are differences that
happen after they are born. However, there are some prenatal differences also. Many physicians
who manage multiple pregnancies believe that a reduction in activities and increased rest
prolongs these pregnancies and improves outcomes (baker, 2014). This means, women who are
pregnant with multiple babies at one time need to make a conscious decision to not overwork
themselves in fear of harming the babies. Too much labor can cause a pregnant women to go into
labor prematurely (Baker, 2014). Premature labor means, premature birth, which can cause
severe birth defects that can be lead to permanent damage to the babies.
Premature Birth:
The most common birth defect is premature birth. Premature birth is when a baby is born and
weighs under five and a half pounds. A premature baby is a baby born before 37 weeks of
pregnancy (March of Dimes, 2014, 2014). this baby is not fully developed and most likely not
fully developed enough to be out of the mothers womb (March of Dimes, 2014, 2014). A minor
issue associate with premature birth is Retinopathy of prematurity or ROP. The eyes develop
quickly in the last 12 weeks of pregnancy, if those 12 weeks are cut short the eyes are unable to
develop properly, thus causing ROP (March of Dimes, 2014, 2014).
Another more severe risk associated with premature birth is Necrotizing enterocolitis or NEC.
NEC is when cells in the intestine are inflamed from a bacterial infection that ultimately leads to

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the ceels dying (Childrens Hopsital Los Angelos, 2014). This infection can be superficial and
only effect the outer layer of the intestinal wall, or it can be deep and go all the way through
(Childrens Hopsital Los Angelos, 2014). It can lead to many problems, some are severe enough
to need surgery to remove damaged parts of intestine (March of Dimes, 2014, 2014).
As I stated above NEC is caused by bacteria in the intestines. It is usually treated with
antibiotics [while the baby] is fed through a vein and not through the mouth to ensure the
intestines heal. It usually develops 2 to 3 weeks after birth and can be dangerous for a baby
(March of Dimes, 2014). If the infection is less sever, it can cause less severe issues such as,
feeding problems, swelling in the belly and other digestion complications (March of Dimes,
2014). Babies with less severe NEC are treated with antibiotics, medicines that kill infections
(March of Dimes, 2014, 2014). Both severe and not severe cases are most likely fed
intravenously (through a vein) instead of by mouth while the intestine heals March of Dimes,
2014).
Mothers Safety:
Mothers of multiples need to do many things mother of single babies do not. In addition to
quitting smoking, drinking and extensive activities mothers of multiples also need to
need to consciously gain more weight, and really focus on not over doing themselves. It is
recommended that an expecting mother of multiples should gain approximately 37-54 pounds,
for a normal weight women, during her multiple pregnancy. For many pregnant woman with
multiples bed rest is ordered by the doctor which makes it easy to gain the appropriate amount of
weight, and it prevents the mother from doing unnecessary work that could potentially damage
the babies. Bed rest to some mothers is a well needed brake (L. Runge, personal
communication, October 16, 2014). But, to others it is a nightmare. Two babies on the way and

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10

you are not allowed to do anything to prepare for them. This includes going to work, going
shopping and even cooking dinner could be considered too strenuous (Mayo Foundation, 1998).
Although bed rest isnt proven to prevent complications during pregnancy, it is proven to
increase the blood flow in the mother and to the baby, or babies (Mayo Foundation, 1998). With
an increased blood flow the mother is less likely to have complications.
The last few, and simple, ways for a mother to ensure a smooth multiple pregnancy is to make it
to all doctors appointments. Because they are pregnant with multiples the mother is considered
high risk and will have to go to checkups more frequently than those who are only pregnant with
one baby (KidsHealth, 1995).
The mother also needs to ensure that they are getting the proper amount of sleep. Getting less
than the recommended amount of sleep can raise stress levels for both the mother and child,
which can also cause birth defects (KidsHealth, 1995).
This may seem pretty obvious, but moms, you must eat healthy! Pregnancy may have you
craving some pretty bad foods and yes, you are eating for two, and yes you have to gain a lot of
weight, but you want your baby to be born healthy so do not forget your fruits and vegetables (L.
Runge, personal communication, October 16, 2014).

As you can see being pregnant with multiple babies at one time has its ups and downs. There is a
huge financial responsibility, the parents will get hardly any sleep, and you are automatically
consideed high risk when you are pregnant.

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11
Bibliography

1. Multiple Pregnancy and Birth: Twins, Triplets, and High-order Multiples. (n.d.). Retrieved
October 14, 2014.
2. Hirsch, L. (2013, October 1). Preparing for Multiple Births. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
3. Necrotizing Enterocolitis. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2014.
4. Your premature baby. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2014.