Twins: What everyone wants to know

Ever since we've announced to the world that we are having twins, we have received a multitude of curious questions about how it happened. After researching and learning more about twins than we ever thought possible, we feel we have a responsibility to educate and dispel some of the myths out there. Here are some of the most common questions we have gotten:

Did you use fertility treatments?
Nope! These twins are all natural, baby.

Do twins run in your families?
We have twins on both sides of our family. However, contrary to popular belief, fraternal twins are the only type of twins that truly "run in the family." But - because fraternal twins result from the mother releasing two eggs at once, they can only be passed down on the mother's side. Twins being on the father's side actually has no bearing whatsoever!

Identical twins, on the other hand, occur completely at random, due to the splitting of one egg - and have nothing to do with genetics.

Do you know if they're identical or fraternal?
When twins share a placenta and amniotic sac, it means they are identical. When twins have separate placentas, and/or amniotic sacs, they can be either identical or fraternal. Our twins have separate sacs and separate placentas, so the only way for us to know at this point is through amniocentesis. After birth, the placentas can be analyzed to determine if they are identical or fraternal. Of course, if they turn out to be opposite sexes, then we will know for certain that they are fraternal (since identical twins are identical in every possible way, including gender).

While there may be no explaining the Hollywood twin phenomenon, there is no doubt that twins are more common today than they were even 20 years ago. Aside from fertility treatments, some of the reasons behind this include factors such as maternal age, race, and even having a diet high in folic acid. This means our twins will be in good company with all of the other twins out there!

Holy crap, we're having twins!

Having twins always seemed like a neat idea... but one that we truly never expected would happen to us!!! But, you never know how things will work out sometimes. Looking back, we should have seen it coming... we would be walking our dog, or be at the mall, and it seemed like we saw twin babies everywhere. Everytime we saw them, we said to ourselves how lucky those parents were to have just one pregnancy, raise both kids at the same time without having to go through everything one at a time, and getting to share toys and kids' stuff. Little did we know!

And then came the first doctor's appointment on August 7, at 8 weeks. I had called ahead to find out if I would have an ultrasound, which they assured me they would only do if I were having problems. I figured there would be no need for Joe come to watch them take blood and urine samples, so I just went. But surprise! - since my insurance covered an ultrasound, they decided to just do one anyway. I started to prepare myself for the possibility of bad news, since I hadn't expected to find out anything that day... but surprise again! Not only was there one healthy little embryo there, but two! My doctor was shocked, as she had never diagnosed natural twins before, since she sees so many who have been referred from fertility clinics. So, she ran out of the room to get an opinion from another doctor, leaving me there to start freaking out by myself! But sure enough, twins were confirmed.

I debated calling Joe at work to tell him the news... but decided that it might be the kind of surprise better to save for in person. Unfortunately, we both had plans we could not cancel after work that day, so I somehow ended up keeping the secret for 8 whole hours - a personal record for a big secret. :-) Since then, our lives have been a whirlwind of shock and excitement, as we prepare to embark on our twin journey!

Here they are, our little ones at 8 weeks: