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Pregnancy

Being told you are expecting twins or especially higher multiples is stressful and is not always handled well by the staff, especially if they are in rural regions where they encounter few multiples in their practice. Comments like "I'm glad it is you and not me" are not the best introduction to a life with multiples.

As regards the school, there are two main issues:

(i) disruption to the homelife and therefore the schooling of older siblings. Although not used with mothers of twins e the schooling of older siblings. Although not used with mothers of twins unless there are complications, many mothers of triplets and especially quads or more will be hospitalised for bedrest, in some cases for several months. Imagine what this must be like for a young child, just starting school. Other kids mums are having kids, but they are not lying in hospital for so long unable to participate in all the things young children need and enjoy. It is particularly significant in rural and remote regions of Australia where the mother may have to be in a hospital with high levels of neonatal services, a long way from the family. The "Three, Four or More" study showed 21% of prospective mothers of twins had two antenatal admissions to hospital and 27% of mothers of triplets, though their stays tended to be longer.

(ii) apart from the questions around preterm birth discussed below, other issues can complicate the pregnancy and perhaps lead to the decision for early delivery. Threatened miscarriage is one and the other is pre-eclampsia (toxaemia), the rise on blood pressure and the fluid retention that is common in mothers of multiples, particularly higher order multiples especially if this is their first pregnancy.