The joy of motherhood and the excitement of finding out you are expecting. Weather you are a first time mother or you are expecting your 2nd or 3rd baby each pregnancy is different. If you are pregnant with twins, do you exhibit special “symptoms”? Yes … and no. Just as individual women experience a wide range of symptoms with a singleton pregnancy, the conditions can vary with multiples. It is true that the morning sickness, exhaustion and weight gain can be more intensified in proportion to the number of babies — twice as sick, three times as tired, or four times as many pounds! But, some lucky moms experience only mild discomfort, so mild that they never even suspect they are carrying multiples. So….what are some of the things to look for when you are carrying twins:

Weight Gain

Early weight gain of up to ten pounds in the first trimester can result due to increased blood volume and uterine size. By the end of the second trimester, most mothers of twins have gained fifteen to twenty-five pounds, whereas single pregnancies usually produce gains of ten to twenty pounds. So if you notice that you are gaining weight at a faster rate than your other pregnancies it is possible.

Severe Morning Sickness Symptoms, Including Nausea and Vomiting

Some mothers of multiples report that their symptoms were increased with twins, as opposed to their single pregnancies. Melissa, mom of fraternal twins born in 2001, remembers “I did have morning sickness with the twins, and did not have any at all with my two older sons. I lost 5 pounds during the first trimester.” Nevertheless, she didn’t learn she was carrying twins until three hours before delivery! But then some mothers notice that their symptoms didn’t change at or they were less sicker with the multiple pregnancy than their single pregnancy. No wonder they are caught off guard hours before delivery!

Nurturing one baby drains a body’s energy, but carrying around two, three or more is positively exhausting! It’s easy to dismiss the increased fatigue. If you’ve never had a baby before, you might be surprised by your lack of energy, but not realize it is out of the ordinary. But fatigue is probably the most common complaint of mothers of multiples and might be a sure sign that you are having more than one baby.