Nine things to expect from a twin pregnancy as Jesy Nelson shares baby news

Jesy Nelson has lit up social media by sharing that she is pregnant with twins.

In a joint post on Instagram with Zion Foster, 26, who she previously dated, the 33-year-old former Little Mix star announced she was pregnant with not one, but two babies. "She’s eating for 3 now," the caption read alongside a photo in which Nelson posed next to Foster as he cradled her baby bump.

Since sharing her announcement, many fans were quick to congratulate the star on her baby news. "You having twins wasn't on my bingo card for 2025, but this is the update I've been waiting for," one wrote. "This is the biggest plot twist of the year!!!" another added. "Our Queen is now having twins!" a third fan wrote.

Others congratulated the singer by welcoming her to the twin parenting club: "Welcome to the wonderful world of TWINS!" the Twins Trust wrote.

Nelson is not the only Little Mix star to join the multiple mums club, with her former bandmate Leigh-Anne Pinnock also welcoming twins in 2021.

While the overwhelming response to Nelson's twin pregnancy is positive, revealing to friends and family that you're having more than one baby can also incite other reactions including shock, fear and in extreme cases, pure horror. I should know because I am also a mum of twins.

From navigating unwelcome attention to coping with a larger-than-usual baby bump, here's some of the things Jesy Nelson and other twin mums-to-be can expect from a twin pregnancy.

There may be more complications

While most multiple pregnancies are healthy and result in healthy babies, there are more risks to be aware of when you're pregnant with two or more babies. Multiple pregnancy means that there are more variables and potential complications, for both mums-to-be and babies.

• According to one study in twin pregnancies, the rate of preeclampsia is around 9.5% higher than that of a singleton pregnancy. Furthermore, preeclampsia in twin pregnancies has been reported to occur at an earlier gestational age and has more severe form.

• Women pregnant with multiples are also at a higher risk of gestational diabetes, as well as placenta previa or abruption and you may also be more likely to experience iron deficiency anaemia.

• The NHS says twins and triplets are also more likely to need special care after birth than single babies. This will likely take the form of more regular appointments, more scans and well as receiving care from an obstetrician as well as your midwife.

• On the upside more scans means you get to see your babies more often, but it also means more of the nerves associated with every check until you get the 'everything is ok' nod from the sonographer.

You'll experience more physical changes

Of course carrying two babies means you're more likely to have a bigger baby bump. You may also experience more of the not so fun pregnancy side effects including stretch marks, heart burn, bloating, varicose veins and haemorrhoids.

You may also be more prone to experiencing morning sickness. One of the things that is thought to attribute to morning sickness is high levels of human chorionic gonadotropin, and levels of this hormone are higher in twin pregnancies.

People will make a huge fuss of you

Who doesn't love a pregnancy announcement? But tell people you're expecting two and you can guarantee you'll be catapulted to gold baby-on-board badge status, with seats on public transport and random acts of kindness common practice the second you mention the t-word.

But they may also project their fears onto you

When you tell people you're having a singleton pregnancy most people will embrace your news. When you’re expecting two, or more, babies the reaction is often unwittingly less positive with people projecting their own fears onto you. This means a large proportion of your pregnancy will be spent fielding concerns about how you’re going to cope with two at once. Most people respond with something along the lines of 'Oh, just wait!' or 'Double trouble!', or 'Twice as much work!'

On the flip side, there will be well-wishers who say they'd love to have had twins themselves.

People will ask how they were conceived

While IVF can increase the chance of twins, as more than one embryo may be transferred, not all twins are the result of fertility treatment. When people find out you're expecting twins, many will often think they have the right to enquire how they were conceived. While some may be open sharing their conception journey, others may feel that their baby-making story is extremely personal, and one that many may not feel comfortable sharing in the vegetable aisle in Tesco.

It can be isolating

Being pregnant with more than one baby is not something that happens to everyone - in fact, only one in around 60 births in the UK are twins, triplets or more. While it's great to feel special, it means sharing your own pregnancy highs and lows with someone going through the same is a lot more difficult.

Thankfully, there is a wealth of advice from multiple mums and mums-to-be on the online message boards on various parenting sites including Netmums, Mumsnet, Babycentre and the Twins Trust. You should also look out for multiples parenting groups in your local area and start attending while you're pregnant.

Your pregnancy likely won't be nine months

According to the NHS twins and triplets have a higher risk of being born prematurely (before 37 weeks) and having a low birthweight. Your risk is also increased if you've given birth prematurely before, or if a cervical length scan found that you have a short cervix.

Most twins and triplets are born prematurely - around six in 10 twins are born before 37 weeks, while almost eight in 10 triplets are born before 35 weeks.

You won't necessarily need a caesarean

In the UK, more than half of twins and almost all triplets are delivered by caesarean section. But despite many believing they will automatically have to have a caesarean section with twins, in fact, the NHS says many twin births are vaginal.

However, there may be medical reasons why a vaginal birth is not recommended. For example if you have had a caesarean section before, it is not usually recommended that you have a vaginal birth with twins.

It will take time to adjust mentally

Finding out you're pregnant is emotional, but these emotions can be heightened if you find out that you are expecting twins, triplets or quads and it can take time for you to adjust to the fact that you are going to give birth to two or more babies.

While you may have pictured what your life will look like having one baby, having two or more will likely alter these expectations so you'll need to readjust what your vision of parenthood will now look like.

It is important to acknowledge this change and invest time in caring for your mental and physical health during your multiple pregnancy.

Read more about pregnancy:

• 5 pregnancy-safe exercises recommended by experts (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)

• Mum's rare condition means she starts 'dying' every time she gets pregnant (Manchester Evening News, 4-min read)

• How to navigate sex during pregnancy (Yahoo Life UK, 3-min read)