What do you call siblings born on the same day? Twins? Triplets? Well, this is not always the case,
FALLING PREGNANT WITH a second baby while you’re still pregnant with the first? Sounds impossible, or like the tacky storyline of a terrible soap opera, but it can, and does, happen.
TWO TIMES, A BABY…OR TWO
Falling pregnant again while already pregnant is an extremely rare and unusual phenomenon, and depending on when the second egg was released, is known as superfoetation or superfecundity – where ‘fecund’ means highly fertile or capable of producing an abundance of offspring.
Superfecundity occurs when two eggs are released in one cycle and are fertilised five to seven days apart, after having sex at least twice during that time. These babies will develop like twins in two separate amniotic sacs, but can be measurably different sizes. Superfoetation, however, is much rarer – in fact the jury is still out as to whether it can happen at all – but is when one egg is released and fertilised during one cycle, and then another egg is released and fertilised in a subsequent cycle. In both cases the babies will develop and grow according to their gestational age and are often mistaken for twins, where one is just much smaller than the other.
True twins are conceived by either one fertilised egg splitting in two (identical twins), or when two eggs are released and fertilised within five days of sex (fraternal or non-identical twins). Male sperm can survive in the female body for up to five days, so superfecundity refers to cases where the second egg is fertilised outside of that five-day window period.
IN THE NORMAL COURSE OF EVENTS
Denne historien er fra October/November 2017-utgaven av Your Pregnancy.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October/November 2017-utgaven av Your Pregnancy.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
COVID & your child
Symptoms, treatment, vaccines and a rare condition called MIS-C is on our minds when it comes to The Virus these days.
EYES WIDE OPEN!
Breastfeeding and night wakings? Experts shine a light on a possible connection.
RAISING A BRAT? TIME FOR A RESET!
It happens, even with the best of intentions. Sometimes we go overboard trying to show our love – and then things backfire.
Prioritise REST!
The fatigue of pregnancy serves to remind you exactly what miracle your body is performing, so it’s essential to listen to it. Here’s what you can do to get through these low times.
CRYING CLUES
Discover the meaning behind your baby’s cries.
Pushing isn't all you need to do!
There are four main factors that affect the length and intensity of labour. They are known as the four P’s and work together to make each woman’s labour unique.
We're all NERVOUS about it!
Sure, it can seem scarier than labour, but with these simple tips to bathing your newborn, you’ll soon be a pro.
FOUR-FOOTED FAMILY MEMBERS
Your children and your pets – everything you’ll need to know to be a happy family.
Here's to HAPPIER beach days!
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
TALK SO YOU'RE HEARD!
Feel like your child just doesn’t listen to you? There are some techniques you can use to improve your chances of getting through.
