What It’s Like Finding Out You’re Having Twins At 20 Weeks Pregnant

ByAimee Ogden

If you’ve ever visited an Internet message board for parents of multiples, you’ll quickly notice that somewhere around 99.9% of the posts are some variation on the question, “Could I be having twins?”

  • I’m really nauseous and tired. Could I be having twins?
  • My HCG numbers are a bit high. Could I be having twins?
  • I had a dream that I was having twins. Could I be having twins?
  • I watched an episode of Twin Peaks while I was ovulating. Could I be having twins?

These posters are all quickly answered by the message board regulars with the standard reply: you’ll find out for sure one way or another at your 6-8 week ultrasound! Which is true, usually. Unless you’re me. I was that special, pregnant unicorn who didn’t find out she was having twins until almost 20 weeks. So what does it feel like?

1. Relief

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We got hustled in ASAP for an anatomy scan after getting a flagged result on a prenatal screening. Our result was far enough outside the normal range that it could have meant either 1.) spina bifida, or 2.) multiples. While we’d been joking before our 8-week scan about how terrifying it would be to find out we were having twins, at 20 weeks, it was the Best Thing Ever.

2. Sudden Understanding

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The crippling exhaustion. The nausea. The unbelievable cravings for a milkshake and fries that I would barf back up ten minutes later. Suddenly, it all made sense! Also, I wanted a milkshake and fries. And probably a plastic bag, to be on the safe side.

3. Annoyance

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The first thing we did was text or call approximately everyone we’d ever met to tell them our news. The second thing was to take out the printout of our 8-week scan and squint at it furiously. There are clearly two beans there. This is partly my fault, because I scheduled at 8AM appointment that I could not hold my overnight pee for to have the nice full bladder that a good ultrasound required. But also: what the hell, OB? First of all she knew I had been taking Femara, which makes multiples more likely, and second of all, I’m pretty sure my husband asked her jokingly during the scan, “There’s only one in there, right?” Gah.

4. Panic

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Oh my god. Oh my god, we need to buy another crib, and more clothes, and – and how many diapers should we buy? All of them?? Should we buy all of the diapers? And twins come early a lot of the time, don’t they? We should have the nursery ready to go ASAP. Is tomorrow soon enough? What if I go into labor before then?!

5. Satiation

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Suddenly, my right-on-track weight gain was nowhere near enough. When your stomach is crushed to the size of a walnut, good luck getting enough calories per day from zucchini and quinoa. I remember actually lying on the couch crying as I tried to fit in a few more bites of ice cream. Ice cream is supposed to be the solution to tears, not the cause of them.

6. Smugness

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Okay, sure, finding out about twins halfway through a pregnancy means less time to prepare, to shop, and to pre-plan matching Halloween costumes. But much more importantly, it also means half as much time to worry. And besides: who doesn’t love a two-for-one deal?

(Photo: Alex James Bramwell/Shutterstock)

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