Celebrating Multiples Week Part 2: Multiple Myth-busters - What you thought you knew about multiples!

OK, so we've gone over the basic facts of twinning with my potted biology lesson with the things you might never have known about multiples, so next I thought I'd tackle some of the myths!

You have to have a history of twins in your family to have them yourself.

Actually, anyone can have twins - they do not have to run in families!  Some twins do run in families, but only non-identical twins.  This is because you can inherit the likelihood of releasing two or more eggs at ovulation, whereas identical twins are completely random.

Photograph copyright Deana Smith

There are twins all over my husband/partner's side of the family so I'm bound to have them.   

As above, a woman can inherit the likelihood of producing multiple eggs making twins more likely, but this can only come from her side of the family - twins on the man's side have no bearing on whether he will have multiples himself.

Identical twins have to look identical otherwise they are fraternal

Whilst at first glance twins may look the same, the term "identical" is really referring to their DNA rather than appearance.  ID twins are only exact copies of each other when the egg first splits.  From then on, different parts of their DNA get switched on and off due to external factors meaning that some identical twins can end up being really quite different!  For example, I think my twins look similar but not at all the same, despite being MCDA (remember that term?!).  They also have different personalities, strengths and weaknesses - definitely not exact clones of each other!

Twins are usually opposites

For some reason, many people seem to think that twins should be opposites of each other and like to label them "the loud one", "the quiet one", "the good one", "the naughty one".  In reality, most twins are a mix of personality traits and if mine are anything to go by, every time you think you've got them pegged, they swap!

Twins happen because a man has "supersperm"

This is one for the boys!  Sorry to disappoint lads, but I'm afraid current medical thinking is that you have nothing to do with the miracle of twins, despite all the back-slapping and guffawing that often accompanies a man's announcement that he is about to become a father of twins!   As was so charmingly expressed to my husband while I was pregnant: "well done mate - two birds, one stone!"

Boy-girl twins can be identical

Unless someone's talking about the super rare instance of "polar body twinning" and I'd be surprised if they were, I'm afraid no, they can't!  Apart from the rather obvious(!) differences, a male and a female cannot share identical DNA and can therefore not be produced from a single egg.   Even if they look very similar!

Twins are double the trouble

Having twins can be hard, I won't lie.  But they are certainly not "double trouble"!  There are so many fantastic things about having twins that you wouldn't get to experience otherwise.  Twins are actually double the joy...most of the time!

Next up: things to avoid saying to a mother of multiples!

Celebrating Multiples Week - Part 1: All you (might never) need to know about twinning!

Well, as it’s the TAMBA Twins, Triplets and More week this week, I thought I’d mark the occasion by talking about all things twinny over the next few days!

To kick us off, let’s get back to basics with a biology lesson!  Until I found myself pregnant with my two little bundles of joy, I never realised how much I didn’t know about multiples and there is an awful lot of misunderstanding about the facts of twinning – even a lot of midwives don’t know the full story!  So here is a potted guide for you!

There are two main types of twins: identical and non-identical (aka fraternal). 

Non-identical twins occur when two eggs are released at the same time and they are fertilised by two sperm.  Genetically, non-identical twins are no more similar than any siblings – it’s just chance that they grow at the same time!  Generally, non-ID twins grow separately in the womb, each having their own placenta and their own amniotic sac.  In medical speak, this is known by the not-so-catchy title of Dichorionic Diamniotic (DCDA for short!)  Non-ID twins can either be same-sex or girl/boy. 

Image courtesy of Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin#Fraternal_.28dizygotic.29_twins

Identical twins happen when one fertilised egg, inexplicably splits in two leaving two embryos that share exactly the same DNA.  Medicine still has no real explanation for why it happens, but I feel very lucky that it did lol!  This split usually happens between 1 and 8 days after fertlisation, but can happen as late as 12 or 13 days after.  In the latter case, the sad result is conjoined twins as it is too late for them to separate fully.

Usually, ID twins share a placenta, but are separated from each other by a membrane, meaning that they each have their own amniotic sac.  This is known as Monochorionic Diamniotic (MCDA).  Identical twins are always same-sex.  Occasionally, if the fertilised egg splits early enough, they will each have their own placenta, just like non-IDs.  It is only possible to know if these types of twins are ID by conducting a DNA test and I know many families who later discovered that their non-IDs were actually ID all along which would explain how similar they look!  

Image courtesy of Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin#Fraternal_.28dizygotic.29_twins

Much more rarely (less than 1% of all ID pregnancies), the twins will share not only a placenta, but an amniotic sac as well.  This situation is very high risk due to the possibility of the babies’ umbilical cords tangling and cutting off blood flow and intensive monitoring and premature delivery are usually required.  As we discovered, thankfully this type of twinning is very rare and often misdiagnosed if the membrane dividing the babies is very fine and difficult to see.

In the case of triplets, quadruplets and more, you can get any combination of the above types, although identical triplets, quads etc. get rarer the higher the number of babies.  They are more often all non-ID or an ID pair with one or more non-ID siblings. 

So there you have it!  With a few extremely rare exceptions, those are the main facts about twinning and if you’ve got to the end without nodding off at the back of the class, you now probably know more than your average nurse!  I hope you found it enlightening in any case!  For any parents of multiples who already know all this(!) pop on over to Two for Tea Creations on Facebook where I am offering 25% off all custom orders placed before 9pm on Saturday 9 July!

Up next: multiple myth-busters!

"5 things Friday" - 5 things I love about sewing!

1. The fabric! I am a complete and utter fabricoholic and could spend hours browsing through hundreds of fabrics imagining all the things I could make. From delicate vintage florals to bold funky prints, smooth crisp cotton to snuggly cuddly minky, I just LOVE IT all!
2. The possibilities. When I look at some fabric or a trim there's just something so special about that moment before you start creating when you know that anything is possible! This flat bit of fabric could be turned into anything from a dress to a bag. It really is quite a magical tingly feeling that then fades as soon as you make that first crucial cut!
3. The feel of it. I don't know what it is but I just love the feel of using a sewing machine or overlocker. The feel of the foot pedal, the buzz as you go faster or slower, the snap of the foot going down, the click of the bobbin going in - yes I'm a teensy bit nuts!
4. The pride. The pride when you look at a finished item and are happy with the results. The pride when someone complements something my daughters are wearing and being able to say "I made it"!
5. The euphoria. When I hear back from a happy customer saying how much they love the order they've received and the complements they've had on their child's outfit I am nothing short of euphoric. I am hyper-critical of my work and constantly feel like I could do better, but for a wee while at least that disappears and I believe in myself just a little bit more.

Oh and one more actually! Another thing I love about sewing is other people who love sewing! I cannot tell you how lucky I feel to have met a group of other people who are completely on my wavelength and continually inspire and amuse me - thank you! x

Check back next Friday for another 5 things!