Twin Pregnancy Week By Week Timeline

Let us be one of the first to give you a big, heartfelt CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Whether you’ve just heard the second heartbeat or have known for a while, our twin pregnancy week by week timeline is for you. Created by expert twin moms and dads from our Twiniversity community just for twin parents to be!

Welcome to Twiniversity. Whether you found us online or through a twin parent friend, you’re in the right place! Twiniversity is the world’s leading resource for everything Twinnie, from pregnancy to the first year and beyond. Our information comes from our Twin Mom Squad and thousands of twin families worldwide. You’ll find that Twiniversity is all about the universal twin parent. We created a place for families to read, learn, and laugh about this wild ride of raising twins!

In case you’re new to us, Twiniversity.com offers TONS of resources about twin baby showers, double strollers, what to expect when you’re having twins, how to start a twins schedule, parenting tips for raising twins…the list goes on and on! Feel free to use that little search box above to look for anything that is on your mind while you’re pregnant with twins or after your twins are born.

First Trimester with Twins Timeline

Second Trimester with Twins Timeline

Third Trimester with Twins Timeline

Twin Pregnancy Journal

Our new digital twin pregnancy journal is up for sale on the Twiniversity Etsy store! This is the first and only digital journal exclusively for twin pregnancy. It’s the perfect way to record your precious twin pregnancy memories to cherish for years to come.  Click here to learn more… and while you’re at it, check out our expecting twins classes and Twiniversity Shop!

What happens week by week with twins?

This twin pregnancy week by week timeline will help you learn what happens week by week with twins.

You’ll learn if your twin pregnancy symptoms are normal, about twin pregnancy complications that may have arisen, all about your twin pregnancy first trimester to-do list, details on your twin pregnancy development, dozens of twin pregnancy week by week pictures of belly, photos of twin ultrasounds, and SO much more! We’re so glad you found us!

We know you might be ecstatic, scared, anxious, happy, confused, joyful, petrified, over the moon or somewhere in between about being pregnant with twins, but rest assured, we got ya covered with our twin pregnancy week by week!

What to expect when pregnant with twins?

When you’re pregnant with twins, expect the unexpected. Educate yourself on the warning signs of preterm labor, the warning signs of preeclampsia, and read up as much as you can on what to do to prepare. Our expecting twins class is a great way to learn all you need to know to prepare for your twin delivery and bringing home your babies (we also offer an online breastfeeding twins class!)

What are the symptoms of twins in early pregnancy?

The symptoms in a twin pregnancy are the same as in a singleton pregnancy except they are typically stronger. If you would have nausea with a singleton pregnancy, you’ll feel EXTRA nauseous when you’re pregnant with twins. Your hCG levels will also be a lot higher than with a singleton pregnancy but you would only be able to know that with a blood test (which is typically done with reproductive assistance) but even then there’s no magic number to indicate twins. The only way to truly know if you’re having twins is to have a sonogram at your doctor’s office.

How is twin pregnancy different?

Twin pregnancy is typically a lot more difficult to manage than a singleton pregnancy. You may experience typical pregnancy symptoms in a more extreme manner, such as more nausea, more shortness of breath, more high blood pressure. But if this is your first pregnancy you probably will not know the difference — you may feel like this is how pregnancy is supposed to feel! On the converse, just because you’re pregnant with twins doesn’t mean that your symptoms will be hard to manage. A lot of twin moms report that they had typical pregnancy symptoms that can be compared to symptoms of a singleton pregnancy.

However, once you are getting around 32 weeks or later, you will really start to notice how difficult and painful a twin pregnancy can be. Around 32 weeks, your belly will measure about the size of a full-term singleton pregnancy and you’ll start to wonder how you’re possibly going to make it all the way to 38 weeks! Just hang in there and take it one day at a time.

How many weeks is a normal pregnancy for twins?

The ideal time for twins to be born is at 37-38 weeks. It’s important that the pregnancy doesn’t go past 38 weeks to avoid added risks to the babies and mother. About 60% of twins are born before 37 weeks, while single babies are born around 40 weeks.

Need a plan for the first week home with twins? Book your 60-minute twins \post-delivery strategy session on a video call with Lauren Oak, Twin Expert and Certified Postpartum Doula (and mom of twins!), to create a customized game plan for you and your twins when they come home. Click here to learn more… and while you’re at it, check out our Twiniversity Shop and Twin Parent Memberships.

A little more than half of twin pregnancies end in preterm delivery (before 37 weeks). While 40 weeks is the full gestation period of the average pregnancy, most twin pregnancies are delivered at approximately 36 weeks (range 32-38 weeks depending on the type of twin pregnancy).

John Hopkins Medicine

---

Are you looking for the best double stroller for twins? Not sure if you should go for a tandem stroller or a side-by-side stroller? And what about a Snap N’ Go? We’ve got all the details for you in our double stroller resource. Click here to learn more… and while you’re at it, check out our expecting twins classes and the Twiniversity shop!

---

What are the symptoms of a twin pregnancy in the first trimester?

• Higher-than-normal levels of hCG in your twin pregnancy week by week may indicate that you’re pregnant with multiples. For 100% certainty, you’ll need to wait for your ultrasound or blood test.
• Early pregnancy symptoms like fatigue, frequent urination, breast tenderness, and food cravings are much more intense with twins. Expect these symptoms to be much stronger than in a singleton pregnancy.
• Higher hCG levels in twin pregnancies can cause more nausea and vomiting than in singleton pregnancies.
• Your faster-than-normal growing belly may tip you off. But if you’ve never been pregnant, you have nothing to compare it to.
• If you have any of the following conditions, you may have a greater risk of twin pregnancy:
  • Family history of fraternal twins
  • Fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization (IVF)
  • The mother is of advanced maternal age (over 35 years old)
  • BMI over 30
  • Above average maternal height
  • You’ve had previous pregnancies.

Is your uterus bigger with twins?

As you get further along in your twin pregnancy week by week, your uterus will be pushed to its limits. By about 32 weeks, your twin baby bump will likely be the size of a full-term belly in a singleton pregnancy. Your uterus has to expand as your babies grow and it will definitely be larger than with a singleton pregnancy. This is why it’s important to deliver your twins by 38 weeks — to avoid uterine rupture, which can become deadly. After delivery, nurses will closely monitor and compress your uterus every 20 minutes to help it contract and reduce the risk of hemorrhage.

---