LOVE Myths vs. Facts

Came across this, is one of my many twin books and wanted to pass along...

TOP 10 MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT MULTIPLES
( taken from The Everything Twins, Triplets, and More Book)

1. Multiples usually skip a generation.

2. Fraternal Twins are always a boy and a girl.

3. Twins with two placentas must be fraternal twins.

4. You have to buy two (or three, or more) of everything for your multiple babies.

5. All multiples must be born by cesarean section.

6. Having two kids close in age is the same as having twins.

7. Having twins is twice as hard, and triplets make it three times as hard for parents.

8. Identical twins always look exactly alike.

9. It's impossible to breastfeed multiples.

10. You must have taken fertility drugs if you have twins or more.

My break down of these myths...

1. No scientific evidence multiples skip a generation, so please people STOP asking me this!!! If we really want to get technical, it is possible that fraternal twins are genetic because fraternal twins result in the dropping of 2 eggs. If you're dropping two eggs, you could have hyper-active ovaries, which means you could pass that gene on to a female relative. However, if this is the case, the gene is only on the FEMALE'S side, which means when a man says "Well twins run in my family" you should slap him in the face, because he had nothing to do with it! Identical's, are still a mystery! There is no definitive answer as to why the egg splits!

2. Fraternal twins can be the same sex! They are no different genetically than regular siblings.

3. Identical can have separate placentas, and even separate sacs! It all depends on when the egg was split!

4. Don' t buy two of everything!!!! I'm gonna make a separate post on this!

5. Multiples can be born vaginally! Believe it or not, I know many women who have done it!

6. This is a semi-slap in the face to a mom of twins! Your kids might be 18 months apart, or 15 months, or whatever, but it is NOT the same as having twins! Take my word for it!

7. I wouldn't say it's twice as hard, it's just REALLY hard.

8. The word identical only refers to the fact they came from the same egg, the term has nothing to do with appearance. Environmental factors can play a big role in how identical twins look, especially if they did not share a placenta.

9. You CAN breastfeed your multiples. It's a lot of work, and takes a lot of patience and time, but it can be done!

10. I can't tell you how many people ask me if I did in vitro...complete strangers, mind you! I conceived mine naturally but really unless someone offers up the information, you shouldn't ask!


Enjoy!