With Malians setting a Guinness World Record for no twins, be aware of the risks of multiple births

The Guinness World Records Instagram page has made people more curious about multiple births! Halima Cisse, an African, gave birth to nine children, five girls and four boys, last year in the Moroccan port city of Casablanca. The children have now received the certificate ‘Most children born at one birth survive’! With the world-famous Malin miscarriages back in the news, it seems worth investigating how, with the increasing rate of pregnancy complications, the incidence of multiple births is also on the rise. Of course, nine children is a rare case. But let’s understand the causes of twin, triplet and multiple pregnancies and their risk factors.

Multiple pregnancies

According to Dr. Aarthi Bharat, Consultant – Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Motherhood Hospitals, Banashankari, Bengaluru There are two sides to being a mother of multiple children. It can be overwhelming and exciting at times and can be a joyous event for many couples. We would like to do everything possible to ensure the health of you and your children.

Multiple pregnancies (twins, triplets or higher order multiples) carry special risks and complications for both babies and mothers. One of the most common complications of multiple pregnancy is preterm birth, a birth that occurs before 37 weeks, which can result in a low birth weight baby along with feeding and breathing problems. However, multiple pregnancy increases the risk of complications.

Watch the Guinness World Records video of the unsuspecting survivors here!

Here are 8 important complications and symptoms of multiple pregnancy:

Bharat outlined the following risks of multiple births that every couple should be aware of.

1. Gestational hypertension

Mothers with multiple fetuses are two to five times more likely to develop high blood pressure during pregnancy. The condition often develops early and is more severe than during a singleton pregnancy. High blood pressure in women results in a high likelihood of placental abruption (premature detachment of the placenta).

2. Intrauterine growth restriction

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is also a type of condition in which an unborn baby weighs less than expected for a given gestational age (relative to singleton babies). This condition is detected by growth ultrasound and the estimated weight falls below 10 percent. Because of this, your pregnancy is complicated by the stunted growth of one of your babies, so you will need to increase the frequency of daily visits to the doctor and monitor the pregnancy with prenatal testing.

Prenatal testing refers to testing done before birth to assess and analyze the well-being of babies in the late third trimester of pregnancy. It includes ultrasound and external electronic fetal heart rate monitoring.

3. Anemia

anemia more common in multiple pregnancies than in single pregnancies. This is a medical condition in which the number of healthy red blood cells, which carry oxygen to organs and tissues, is low. Due to the increased nutritional requirements, there is a higher risk for women who carry multiple children, resulting in the development of the need for anemia. You are likely to feel tired and weak after being anemic.

4. Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome

Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) is a placental condition that develops in identical twins who share the same placenta. Blood vessels in the mother’s body connect within the placenta and divert blood from one fetus to the other.

It occurs in up to 10-20 percent of twins who share the same placenta. In a shared placenta, blood is diverted from one fetus to the other through connections of blood vessels. Eventually, the recipient fetus receives too much blood, which can overload the cardiovascular system, which develops too much amniotic fluid for development. As a result, the smaller donor fetus does not get enough blood and has low amounts of amniotic fluid, which can also cause serious problems.

5. Abnormal amounts of amniotic fluid

Polyhydramnios, meaning too much fluid, and oligohydramnios, meaning not enough fluid, are more common in multiple pregnancies, especially twins who share the placenta.

Read also: Are you expecting twins? Learn how a twin pregnancy differs from a singleton pregnancy

6. Spontaneous abortion

Disappearing twin syndrome, in which more than one fetus is found through testing and the other fetus disappears or miscarries. It can occur in multiple pregnancies, usually in the first trimester, and is not necessarily accompanied by bleeding. Although, risk of miscarriage also increases in later trimesters.

7. Sciatica and lower back pain

Sciatica (pain or tingling in the leg) and lower back pain are more common during multiple pregnancies, but are not dangerous. To prevent these consequences, mothers are advised to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

8. Birth defects

Mothers may be predisposed to birth defects from having multiple babies, resulting in increased risk options, including neural tube defects such as spina bifida, and gastrointestinal and heart abnormalities. We strongly advise mothers to regularly attend counseling sessions during this time.