Twins?

[mama to 2 girls]

I am wondering for my SIL....I talked to my brother today (who did NOT go with her) and my SIL went to her first appt. today with a m/w and apparantly the m/w picked up a heart beat and then lost it, only to pick it up again in a TOTALLY different place. They also said she is measuring way ahead for how many weeks she is (she is 14 weeks) and that the placenta is very high.

She will be 36 soon, this will be her 3rd pregnancy (3rd maybe 4th! HAHA!) baby). They told her they suspect twins and want her to come in for an ultrasound in 4 weeks.....from all those "symptoms", what is the likely hood that she is having twins! She is freaking out!

TIA

[pamamidwife]

it is often my experience that the third pregnancy brings on the "could it be twins?" feelings. hearing a heartbeat in two different places - even different rates - is not an indicator.

just how much more is she measuring?

[DoomaYula]

My mw never said anything about twins to me, until I went in for a gender u/s at 19w and she said, "It's a boy... and it's another boy!"

Having been pregnant twice since then, my symptoms were the same with that pregnancy as with my singletons.

[Charmie981]

I've had a mom measuring 34cm at 16 weeks because of a high fundal placenta (confirmed by sonogram--THAT DAY--because of the high fundal height). I don't think from any of the symptoms you're describing I'd encourage a sonogram to check for multiples, unless she's measuring a LOT more. But that's just me...

[sevenkids]

I usually find I have to chase little 14 weekers around to catch a heart tone, because they're so little, they got lots of room, and they hate the doppler. They spend alot of time running away and trying to hide from it. Hearing the heart rate in two places, at this stage, would not indicate twins, just a baby who's being bothered. Plus, third+ pregnancies, Moms tend to get bigger sooner, show sooner, experience pregnancy discomforts sooner, feel movements sooner. I don't really pay much attention to measurements until 20 weeks, when the fundus is right around the umbilicus, before then it's too variable.

Anyway, 18-20 weeks is a good time for an ultrasound, if she wants one, because baby is developed enough and small enough to get a good picture of all the organs and growth rate is sort of predictable until then.

[Free Thinker]

Not a birth professional, but I highly suspected I was carrying twins and asked for an US to diagnose them at my 12 week appt. My uterus was about an inch below my belly button at that time, I Had felt double ovulation (why we decided to DTD I Have no idea! We never thought at the time it would be twins), I had been able to distinguish my uterus by 8 weeks by palpation and also by looking in the mirror! I was convinced it was twins or a tumor as I had never been so big w/ my other pregnancies. They found a HB w/ a dopler about an inch below my belly button pretty much as soon as the doppler was on my stomach. I has suspicions at 8 weeks, but by 12 weeks I was pretty convinced even before the US. I told DH and several friends I just "knew" it was twins, and I was right. My MS was actually better than it had ever been with my other pregnancies, though, and I also only lost 2lb in the first tri as opposed to 7-15lbs w/ my first two DDs. I was in maternity clothes by 8-10 weeks pretty much all the time. My twins were diagnosed at an US at 12w6d and I bought some twin books that suggest good eating and how important it is to gain in the beginning of hte pregnancy. If I were your SIL I would want to know if I needed to eat for 2 or 3. If she decides to wait, then she should probably still up her protien intake if she can incase it is twins.

[pamamidwife]

I think that the majority of signs of twins don't start until around 20 weeks. Many women with their 3rd babies pop out earlier and notice that they're bigger faster. I think it's interesting that almost all of my clients talk about twins. And I've only had one set of twins in my practice!

[Peppamint]

OT, but congrats Free Thinker! I hadn't seen you in awhile, so I didn't realize you were preggers again, let alone with twin boys.

Like pp said, that third (and apparently fourth etc) pgs just seem to pop out pretty quickly.

[Llyra]

That's what happened with me, exactly. My midwife talked me into the ultrasound saying she suspected twins, and sure enough it was. I was around 12 weeks at the time.

[MamaRabbit]

I always carried small and showed late. When my 3rd pregnancy had me at the belly button by 10 weeks, I highly suspected. Confirmed twins by U/S at 12 weeks.

[mama to 2 girls]

Thanks everyone for your replies....My mom talked to her (my SIL) yesterday and it sounded like she was measuring awfully far ahead...my mom tends to not get things completely right but she said my SIL said that the m/w just kept asking her, "are you *sure* you are SURE of your dates?"...I don't think that this m/w (same m/w that attended my dd's birth) would be so "concerned" about it, if she wasn't sure it wasn't a possibility....she was SOOO laid back about everything during my pregnancy with dd2, I almost constantly measured 2 weeks ahead and she would always, you are right on track! so I don't think she would say anythign over measuring a couple weeks ahead...and I guess she found a heartbeat way down low on the right or left side and then found it again up higher, on the opposite side...and of course it could have moved but could it really move THAT much?.......

I don't know...I guess she will find out in a few weeks.