AboutSusan M. Heim Expertise As the author of two books on raising twins and multiples, as well as a mother of four -- including two teenagers and preschool-aged twins -- I am qualified to answer any questions relating to the raising of twins and multiples, from birth through the teen years.
Experience I am the author of "It's Twins! Parent-to-Parent Advice from Infancy Through Adolescence" and "Twice the Love: Stories of Inspiration for Families with Twins, Multiples and Singletons." I write a regular column for Mommies Magazine called "Loving and Living with Twins and Multiples." I also write a blog called "Susan Heim on Parenting." I've published articles in TWINS Magazine, as well as many other publications. I'm also the mother of twins and two other children.
Organizations National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs; Florida Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs; National Association of Women Writers; Southeastern Writers Association; Small Publishers Association of North America (SPAN)
Education/Credentials I have a bachelor's degree in Business Administration.
Awards and Honors My book, "Oh, Baby! 7 Ways a Baby Will Change Your Life the First Year" is a winner of the 2006 Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom Award, the only award program to ever be honored by Disney.com, as well as the winner of a 2007 iParenting Media Award.
Question My grandmother was an identical twin. My mother has a twin brother. My husbands mother is an identical. My nephew has twin girls. My sons wife is pregant, what are their chances of having twins. I also have a daughter, what would her chances of having twins be?
Answer Wow, you do have a lot of twins in your family! Experts say that identical twins are just a fluke. An egg just happens to split in two. However, with fraternal twins, there may be some inheritance involved. The women in a particular family might be more likely to ovulate more than one egg per cycle, which could be an inherited trait. So, therefore, your son's wife probably doesn't have a greater chance of having twins unless there are fraternal twins on HER side of the family. Your daughter might have a higher chance since her great-grandmother had fraternal twins. So, having twins is a complicated combination of inheritance and just plain luck! It's very hard to predict when they will show up.
