The magazine kid.htgetrid.com/en/ interviewed Anastasia Olshevskaya, the mother of twin boys, a writer, the author of six books, including the manual for twin mothers and twins, Twins, or The Miracle Squared. Anastasia shares her experience with our readers and talks about the misconceptions and myths that often surround the birth of twins.
Myth 1. Multiple pregnancy is a pathology.
"kid.htgetrid.com/en/": In medical literature, twin pregnancy is interpreted, as a rule, just like that - pathology. And the Internet is full of such definitions. Why is this a myth?
Anastasia Olshevskaya: From the point of view of doctors, multiple pregnancy is really considered an abnormality. The problem is that books in Russian about twins, about bearing, childbirth and raising twins are practically absent. All that we have is, basically, obstetrics textbooks and encyclopedias designed for specialist doctors, but not for women expecting “double happiness”. And in short supply practical knowledge, expectant mothers have to draw information from these same textbooks.
Imagine this situation: for the first time in your life you are going on vacation at sea, full of anticipation and expectations. Go online to read something useful on this subject. But the only thing you see is the flow of information about sunburns, storm warnings and typhoons. Obviously, you decide: a vacation at sea is something very sinister and extreme.
Roughly the same thing happens with the information field in matters of multiple fertility: it is presented very one-sidedly. There are only “storm warnings” and rare reviews of “tourists” who returned alive and healthy from a “trip”. The lack of real knowledge is the reason twins are called "pathology."
According to the Social Insurance Fund, almost twenty thousand cases of twins are registered annually in Russia. It seems to me that with such indicators pathology should be considered the absence of sensible books on this topic.
Myth 2. Cesarean is inevitable
"kid.htgetrid.com/en/": There is a widespread opinion: cesarean section is the best way to resolve a multiple pregnancy. And according to statistics, the overwhelming majority of twins give birth to just that. Apparently, the legs of this myth grow from here?
Anastasia Olshevskaya: Partly yes. I think that the high rates of caesarean during twins are also the result of a lack of knowledge in expectant mothers and the desire to “make their life easier” for doctors.Not all doctors are so “lazy", but I must admit: there are enough of those who make a "diagnosis" of "multiple pregnancy" and automatically give direction to a planned caesarean.
It is important to understand here that an operation is unavoidably inevitable in only one case: a woman is waiting for a monochorial monoamniotic twin. In other cases, indications for caesarean will depend on the same reasons that are possible during pregnancy with one child: insufficient weight of the baby, IVF, gestosis, chronic diseases in the mother or obstetric pathology.
Yes, the presentation of the fruits is taken into a separate category of reasons, however - according to the same statistics - most often it is such that a woman can give birth on her own. Therefore, for each case of bearing twins, you need to approach individually, delve into the nuances of this particular pregnancy, and not put the stamp "twins - means Caesar." Such an equal sign is unacceptable. And in deciding how to give birth precisely, both a woman and her doctor should be approached in a balanced, reasonable and taking into account all circumstances.
Myth 3. Breastfeeding of twins is impossible.
"kid.htgetrid.com/en/": Future mothers of twins, of course, are asking questions of breastfeeding. How to "technically" organize feeding? Is there enough milk for two? Will the mother herself have the strength for this feat? And many, not having found answers to these questions, even during pregnancy get used to the idea “a bottle with a mixture is my destiny” in advance.
Anastasia Olshevskaya: I with both hands for breastfeeding twins. Yes, until you have two swaddled kulets on your hands, you can only hypothetically imagine how you will feed them. And it is obvious that every woman has doubts and worries on this subject. It seems to me that the most important thing here is the "attitude to win." Milk production directly depends not only on physiology, but also on the morale of the newly made mother. Therefore, if there are no medical reasons and contraindications for breastfeeding, then do not be afraid that "there are two of them, how can I handle it?"
Of course, if for any objective reasons, breastfeeding will not work, and the milk mixture will become the basis of the diet of crumbs, then you do not need to reproach yourself and engage in self-eating. However, one should not initially proceed from the premise that it is impossible to breastfeed twins. Everything is possible if you really want to! Proven by twin moms.
Myth 4. Identical twins are identical.
"kid.htgetrid.com/en/": Is this really a myth?
Anastasia Olshevskaya: Yes - if we talk about a complete “coincidence”. The twins have different fingerprints, a bone structure, the location of moles, a voice, not to mention the nature and psychological features.
Moreover, there is another misconception - it is believed that identical twins are born outwardly identical. This is not true. It is not at all necessary that from the moment they are born they will be like two drops of water. When I first saw my kids, I was shocked: completely different children were born to me! Up to the point that one had blond hair, and the second was a burning brunette. Outwardly, they became similar only in the second month of life.
As for temperament, habits, sociability, behavior - all this was and remains so different that it is impossible to mix them up at all. Although strangers, of course, first of all notice their "identity".
Myth 5. The ability to multiple pregnancy is inherited.
"kid.htgetrid.com/en/": If you had twins in your family, then the chances of giving birth to twins increase - it has become almost a popular sign. It turns out, is it a mistake too?
Anastasia Olshevskaya: Rather, inaccurate wording. Scientists have proven that the ability to conceive non-identical twins is inherited. With respect to identical twins, everything is very foggy. Science cannot yet answer the question of why a fertilized egg suddenly decides to split into two identical independent zygotes, from which then two outwardly identical men appear.And even more so, there is no definite answer whether the “ability” to be inherited by identical twins by future generations is inherited.
Myth 6. Mom twins - super-being
"kid.htgetrid.com/en/": And you won’t get into trouble with just one baby, but here are two ... Looking at the mother of twins, you involuntarily think - how does she manage to do everything? Tell - how?
Anastasia Olshevskaya: This question, of course, leads the "hit parade" of questions usually addressed to moms of twins. Sometimes I also look fascinated and think: “Lord, how does she cope ?!” when I see ... mom with triplets. So everything is relative by comparison :)
Seriously, there is no miraculous way to learn "how to keep up with the children and at the same time remain yourself, in your right mind and reason." Although, wait, there is. True, this is not a miracle secret, but a general universal formula. This formula has four terms:
- Help relatives.
- Daily regime.
- Proper prioritization.
- The principle of rational radical egoism.
With the first three “components”, everything is intuitively clear, about the fourth - this is a way to avoid physical and emotional burnout, which I talk about in detail with the book “Twin, or Miracle Squared”.
And although this formula of four terms is not similar to “revelation” and “recipe for happiness”, it surely guarantees that, following it, the twin mother will not turn into an tormented, tormented creature that does not recognize itself in the mirror. On the contrary, her life will be full of those wonderful, unique and very special moments that are familiar only to the parents of twins.
Anastasia Olshevskaya (www.olshevskaia.com), author of the book “Twins, or Miracle Squared” - especially for the web resource “kid.htgetrid.com/en/”
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