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Parents Info
 Because you're expecting more than one baby, your pregnancy is higher-risk, but don't assume you'll develop complications. The great majority of multiple pregnancies result in healthy babies.
Some of the most common complications are:
Preeclampsia: A pregnancy-induced high blood pressure disorder, develops in about 10 to 20 percent of women carrying twins, twice the rate in women pregnant with one baby. The condition also tends to develop earlier and be more severe in women carrying twins or more babies.
Placental abruption: When the placenta detaches from the uterine wall before delivery, is also more common when you're carrying more than one baby. But the condition is mostly linked to malnutrition and smoking, and is rare in well-nourished expectant mothers. Placental abruption can lead to preterm labor and delivery and is responsible for about one in five twin deaths late in the pregnancy or in the babies' first month outside the womb.
Fetal growth restriction: When one or both twins isn't growing at the proper rate, may cause the babies to be born prematurely or at a low birth weight. Up to almost half of pregnancies with more than one baby have this problem compared with slightly more than 10 percent of single pregnancies.
Placental Problems: This is the most common reason for complications and bleeding after the 20th week of pregnancy. A condition called abruptio placenta occurs when the placenta partially detaches from the uterus before delivery. This may result in some bleeding and some abdominal pain. With placenta previa, the placenta can implant low in the uterus, partially or completely covering the cervix. Placenta previa presents as painless bleeding and because the placenta is covering the cervix, a c-section may be necessary. This situation is more common in multiple pregnancies owing to the increased number and/or size of placentas present.
Iron-deficiency Anemia: The majority of women pregnant with multiples eventually develop iron-deficiency anemia, a condition characterized by low levels or iron in the red blood cells which carry oxygen to the tissues. The risk increases with each additional baby that is carried, particularly if you had low or borderline iron reserves before becoming pregnant. Symptoms include fatigue, light-headedness, pallor and shortness of breath. If untreated, anemia can adversely affect the babies' growth, as well as increase your own risk for complications both during the pregnancy and after the birth. Because of the risk of iron and/or folic acid deficiency, the doctor may prescribe supplements in order to ensure that deficiency will not be a problem for Mom and her babies.
Gestational Diabetes: Common in women who are over the age of 30 years, overweight or have a family history of diabetes. Expectant mothers of multiples develop this kind of gestational diabetes two or three times more often than Moms carrying singletons. Gestational diabetes will clear up after birth.
Preterm Labor: A major concern in a multiple pregnancy. This is probably the most common concern that anyone pregnant with multiples might face. Approximately 50% of twins, 90% of triplets and virtually all quadruplets are either preterm or of a low birth weight. Among infants born prematurely, nearly one in ten do not survive. Although the majority of premature babies do very well, they are at a somewhat higher risk of a variety of medical problems, some of which are lifelong. These can include hearing loss, vision problems, developmental disabilities and delays. The more premature the babies are, the more severe the complication could be: e.g. cerebral palsy. Discuss with your doctor the signs and symptoms of premature
labor. Both you and your partner need to be fully aware of the signs and symptoms of premature
labor as well as the appropriate course of action to take should you feel that you are experiencing preterm
labor.
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