Author: Lauren Cotter

When my obstetrician did a very early scan at 6 weeks and announced, ‘it may be twins,ʼ all my husband Ben and I could do was laugh. Of course it was twins, you see our pregnancy was very unplanned, we already had two beautiful healthy kids aged 3 and 18 months and decided to leave it there for a while. Or so we thought.

Our emotions quickly shifted from comical disbelief to fear as the reality dawned on us as I was born with a rare condition called uterus didelphys.

Uterus didelphys and twins

Uterus didelphys means I have two uteruses and two cervixes.  I had had two vaginas which I had surgically fixed at 16.

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Please note:  This is recommended to be used as an overview only and has been compiled from a variety of web resources. For further clarification on any term and any medical advice, please speak to your health care professional.  

Some terms are more ‘general’ baby terms however I have been requested to include them.

Please contact us if you would like a term added or updated. Thank you.

A

Adjusted age – See ‘corrected age’

Advanced maternal age – Pregnancy when the mother is 35 years old or older.  Sometimes referred to as a ‘geriatric pregnancy’.

AMBA – Australian Multiple Birth Association was formed as a volunteer organisation in 1974. AMBA is the only national charity in Australia focused on improving the lives of twins, triplets or more and their families.

Amniotic sac – a bag of fluid inside a woman’s womb (uterus) where the unborn baby develops and grows. It’s sometimes called the “membranes” because the sac is made of 2 membranes called the amnion and the chorion.

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Congratulations! Finding out that you are pregnant with triplets can be both a surprise and a delight. From stronger pregnancy symptoms to eating advice and guidance on risks, there are a few things you should know about this kind of pregnancy experience.

There are few women in the world fully prepared for being pregnant with triplets. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there were just under 60 sets of triplets born in 2017.

The proportionof confinements resulting in a multiple birth has remained fairly consistent for the past decade, ranging from 1.5 to 1.6% of total confinements. In 2017, there were 4,528 confinements resulting in a multiple birth and 60 of these were triplets or higher order births. There were 50 less multiple births in 2017 than in 2016.

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Even if you knew having three babies was likely and even hoped for, you will probably still be surprised by exactly what a triplet pregnancy has in store for you.

Women everywhere, every day, are absolute mum-bosses at having triplets – we know that you have got this!! You might just need a little heads up on what to expect and time to get ready for one or two (or three!) of the extra treats that could be coming your way.

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Author:  Aaron Smith

My introduction to Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) was kind of subtle, at first.

Pregnant with MCDA twins

We had just found out Casey was pregnant and had our 12 week scan booked in, excited, nervous, ecstatic….. We had a young assistant conduct the ultrasound, not long on the job, and she was speechless when the image of our girls came into view. Looking back it’s easy to forgive her for her excitement as they were our first twins too, but it’s hard to forget that look that came across her face when she said, ‘Oh, they are MCDA twins’.

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