Singleton vs Twin Pregnancy

How is twin pregnancy different from singleton pregnancy? That’s what a lot of people ask me when I tell them that I am carrying twins.

To begin with, I didn’t have a good singleton pregnancy. I was suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) with my singleton pregnancy. When people say that twin pregnancy is much worse than singleton pregnancy, I actually would think otherwise in my case since I didn’t quite experience a normal singleton pregnancy.

Hyperemesis Gravidarum occurs in 0.5 – 2% of pregnancies. The occurrence is very low and the root cause of it still cannot be determined. It effects you mentally and physically. The peak incidence is at 8-12 weeks of pregnancy, I had severe nausea that I couldn’t keep anything down. I vomited at least 40 times a day until I was so dehydrated that the skin on my tongue started to peel off. I was hospitalized at 8 weeks and was on medical leave for almost a month. I vomited till my 8th month. Not only I was sensitive to smells, I was also very sensitive to certain colors and sounds. But all that pain was forgotten when I saw my beautiful Mick.

Now, with the twin pregnancy, I do get nausea, but not as severe as my first pregnancy, so I am able to deal with it. Other than that, I also have severe stomach cramps, swelling of the feet, fatigue, insomnia which is also bearable at this point. So, all in all, my twin pregnancy is not that bad, nothing much for me to complain about after going through the whole HG episode.