Over the past 30 years, the likelihood of having twins has risen about 30%. Last year, of the 3,932,181 American births, 132,324 were twins births, or 3.3% of all births. Fertility drugs are a factor in this rise, but also many women are choosing to have babies later. And the hormonal changes in a woman’s body can cause more than one egg to be released at a time. 💕

There’s always been a fascination with twins, in movies and books. So we sat down with blogger Heather Tomoyasu to get the real scoop on what it’s like being pregnant with twins. 👶🏻👶🏻

1. So far, what are the biggest differences between this pregnancy with twins and your previous pregnancy with your son?

The biggest difference by far is being automatically “high risk” this time. With my first pregnancy I saw midwives, only had two sonograms, and had a long but completely unmedicated natural birth! This time around, I have to see a team of OB’s and MFM, with a crazy amount of checkups and ultrasounds. It’s all to make sure the twins and I are doing well, which we are, but it’s not easy having to lug my toddler to all of these appointments! And to hear I’ll be delivering in the OR (no matter if vaginally or via C-section) with a team of over over a dozen medical professionals, it’s just a complete 180 from last time around!

2. Everyone seems to have advice for pregnant women. What’s the funniest or strangest advice or remark you’ve had when people learn you’re having twins?

The standard response is “HOW!??” and honestly that was one of my first reactions as well!! I guess most people think you can only get twins via fertility treatments or if they run in your family, but guess what, it really can happen to anyone!

3. How did you and your husband feel when you first found out you were having twins?

When my midwife found them on my first sonogram I cursed her out, laughed hysterically, and bawled. My main concerns were the logistics of how to fit a family of 5 in the 900 square foot co-op we had just purchased, how to care for two infants and a toddler with no family in town and a husband who works crazy hours and travels a lot, and how to afford it all!! It took me about two weeks to come to terms with it all and be absolutely and completely thrilled. My husband was shocked but has never shown any of the negative emotions I went through. But that’s just him, he’s so easy going!

4. Has expecting twins affected your birth plan?

My birth plan has pretty much been thrown out the window. I was really lucky that my first birth went exactly according to plan, so I’m actually OK with and a little excited about this one being completely up in the air. There are certain things I will definitely push for, such as skin to skin and nursing as soon as possible, but other things such as whether we will try for a vaginal delivery or c-section and to get an epidural or not, we’ll just have to play it by ear and see what the situation is like when the big day comes around!

5. What has been your biggest lifesaver this pregnancy?

My Snooggle!! I didn’t have a pregnancy pillow last time around and really suffered for it towards the end. The Snooggle has been a life saver from around 20 weeks! Also, Facebook – there’s a really amazing twins group I’m a part of with over 10,000 moms providing an amazing amount of information and support for one another.

6. Have you started buying baby gear in double? We would love to know how you register with twin babies.

One take away from my twins prep classes with Twiniversity and Twin Love Concierge is that you should avoid buying two of most things. That way, the babies can rotate through bouncer, rock ’n play, swing, play mat, etc and have more variety. If it turns out both babies are obsessed with one particular item, you can get a second one later. It totally makes sense and will be a big space saver for us! Gugu Guru baby registry actually consulted with Twiniversity to have helpful suggestions for registries for twins. There aren’t a lot of products you need that are twin specific, but for breastfeeding I did go ahead and get a Twin Z Pillow and the My Brest Friend Twins Deluxe Pillow. And I got a Weego Carrier so I can baby wear my twins easily and have hands free to play with my toddler.

7. How will you cope parenting twins and a young child?

My biggest concern is being able to give all three children the attention they each deserve. I expect the first six months to be the most demanding, but hopefully we’ll start to figure it all out quickly! I’m also really worried about illnesses. It’s pretty much guaranteed that when one person gets sick all 5 of us will get it, and that just sounds horrible!!

twins ultrasound

8. Coming up with one baby name can be difficult. Do you have two names for your two new babies?

The first name was easy for us. We didn’t find out the sex of our first child until he was born, so we had picked out a boy and a girl name. So this time around, when we found out we’re having two girls we were really excited to finally get to use the girl name we picked last time! But choosing the second girl’s name has been a big challenge and we’ve been struggling a bit. I think we’ve finally settled on one but are afraid to make the announcement yet, better to keep it secret in case we change our minds at the last minute!

9. I know you joined some twin and multiple support groups. Please tell us which ones you recommend and how they have helped you.

The “Private Page of National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs Inc” has been amazing. Of course you have to be careful and know what kind of person you are. If you get super paranoid over things, it’s best to stay out of such groups and off of Google. But when you have twin-specific questions it’s a great place to go for answers and support! There are also a bunch of Facebook groups for buying and selling used clothes and gear for twins, so if you can’t find one locally and don’t mind paying for shipping, you can get some great deals. Locally, I joined the Brooklyn Parents of Twins Group on Yahoo. There’s a $20 membership fee but you make up for that really quickly with all of the free and cheap hand-me-downs you can find in there! Plus, they hold regular meet-ups with and without the kiddies.

10. Please add anything you want people to know about having twins or babies or pregnancy.

With pregnancy and life in general, I live by the motto “Prepare for the worst and hope for the best” and always encourage others to do so. Educate yourself about all of the possibilities so that you’re not caught in a panic having to make a quick decision in the middle of labor. Knowledge is power! But don’t let that knowledge paralyze you. Know what can happen, but don’t worry in the slightest about the scary stuff because most likely it won’t happen to you. And if it does, well you’re not caught off guard and can deal with that when it comes.

Got twins, multiples or just one baby👶🏻👶🏾👶? Tell us your story in the comments below!❤️