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The diagnosis of twin pregnancy should be simple. It ought to be obvious that two babies are present; that the uterus is larger than it would be for one baby and that there are two of everything including two fetal heartbeats. In fact about 8% of twin pregnancies reach delivery before the discovery of the second baby - usually to the equal embarrassment and astonishment of the doctors as well as the mother.

The following factors may make the doctor consider the possibility that you might be having twins:

• Excessive nausea and vomiting - may be associated with a twin pregnancy, especially if the symptoms continue beyond the 13th and 14th week.

• The uterus - is consistently larger than the dates suggest. Pelvic examination is performed at the first visit to the doctor or the antenatal clinic and the presence of any fibroid or tumors is noted. If the uterus is subsequently noted to be larger than the dates it is essential to know that a previous pelvic examination has been performed to exclude any other pelvic mass.

• Fetal movements - are felt in a twin pregnancy at the same time as they would be felt in a single pregnancy. As pregnancy advances, however, excessive movements may lead the mother to believe she might be carrying twins.

• The fetal hearts - it used to be very difficult to confirm the presence of a twin pregnancy by listening to the fetal hearts through the ordinary fetal stethoscope, but the sonogram will detect the presence of two fetal hearts as early as the 14th week.

• Acute hydramnios- usually accompanies a uni-ovular (identical) twin pregnancy. During the 24th week there is a rapid and dramatic enlargement in the size of the uterus. This may be so sudden that it causes considerable pain and discomfort and the abdominal girth may increase within a few days. This only occurs in identical twin pregnancies because the circulation of one twin becomes so dominant that the other twin is forced to produce a large quantity of amniotic fluid to prevent itself from getting heart failure.

• Many fetal parts - the doctor’s suspicion is aroused if an excessive number of fetal parts are felt within the abdomen, especially if two heads are palpated.

• Pre-eclampsia - does not usually occur until after the 32nd week of pregnancy, but a raised blood pressure or excessive weight gain before the 28th week is associated with twin pregnancy.

• Predisposition to having twins and/or heredity - if there are twins in the mother’s family, or the woman is of advanced age, these can increase the possibility of a twin pregnancy. The use of fertility drugs to stimulate ovulation, and in vitro fertilization are also factors that make a woman more likely to have twins.

• Ultrasound (sonogram) - the routine use of ultrasound in early pregnancy also helps to diagnose twins in early pregnancy. This is one of the trusted methods of determining a twin pregnancy. On the ultrasound monitor your doctor can easily distinguish two fetuses or two heartbeats with ease.

Some of these symptoms are probability that you may be having twins. Till date the ultrasound remains the most trusted of all the methods of diagnosing twin pregnancies. It’s only in rare cases that the ultrasound has failed, usually due to the position of the babies.

It is rare to find a parent who escapes continued parental fatigue syndrome during the first year of a baby’s birth. And it is not surprising because there is no other job as emotionally and physically taxing as parenting, in the first year. The pressure is neither limited to 9hours a day nor 5 days a week, nor is there any lunch break or vacat

For the first-time parent especially the first-time mother may have her strength drained by breastfeeding and toting around the growing infant, and the stress inherent of this new responsibility, lots to learn, insecurity, fears, problems to solve, and night after night of sleeplessness.

The good news though is that, in time, as you gain experience, and the baby begins sleeping through the night, the fatigue and exhaustion will gradually fade. Once your body adjusts to the new demand, your energy level will also pick up a bit.

But here are ways you can combat exhaustion in the meantime:

1. Get all the help you can: leave the supermom role to the movie stars, and get all the help you can. You can pay someone to come around and do the clean-ups, or throw away the garbage. If possible call the grocery shop and order home delivery. This will help you in this short period, until you get a grip on your energy.

2. Give daddy a chance: let daddy help out as often as he can, you can express milk if you are breastfeeding or give him a bottle if bottle-feeding, so that he can help out with feeding the baby. This would also build bounding between father and child. Teach him to also change the diapers, so he doesn’t have to call on you at all times.

3. go to bed early: like the old poem says ´´early to bed ,makes you stronger and wise´´ .well I know you get my point now, but the truth is that  the earlier  you go to bed the  easier  it will be for you to rise. Don’t stay up late to watch the late night show, the news or surfing the Internet. Even if your sleep will be interrupted, at least you would have gotten a little rest.

4.share the chores :don’t try to do all the baby-care tasks and household chores alone, share them amongst your spouse and older children(if  you have one ,and they are not toddlers).share it according to their schedules, if  the older kids returns from schools, they can do their share of the chores, if daddy works in the morning ,he can help out at night and vice versa.

5. Eat well:  it’s true you are busy feeding your baby but don’t forget to feed yourself too. Don’t neglect your own nutritional needs, because if you are breastfeeding, your baby depends solely on what you eat. Keep a supply of  nutritious easy- to- grab foods in stock ,examples are hard boiled eggs, dried fruits, small pieces of fruit, ready cut vegetables and salads, fruit juices sand whole grain crackers.

6. don’t lazy around: exhaustion can be caused by lack of rest but it can be elevated by lack of fresh air and activity. Do try to take a stroll with the baby, if the weather is baby-friendly.it would do you a lot of good. You can also try some simple exercises, Pilates or yoga.

7. Steal a nap: you can take a quick nap when the baby is asleep or when another member of the family is caring for him/her. It could be 15 minutes or more, but it will go a long way in refreshing you for the job ahead.