“Tie two birds together. They will not be able to fly even though they now have four wings.”
― Rumi
Being born as a womb twin, a vanishing twin, is a challenging legacy. A constant struggle with the inner division that can come with self-rejection, self-hatred, or even a self-destructive mindset is a common trap a womb-twin survivor may fall into. A womb twin has known loss before they knew love. Womb twin survivors carry a burden all their lives of unexplained emotional pain that seems to have no foundation in reality.
A ‘womb twin survivor’ is typically the sole survivor of a twin or multiple conceptions.
It can happen in 3 different ways:
1. conception results in two co-twins in the womb: One dies in the pregnancy, and one reaches birth.
2. Another (perhaps less common) way a person can become a womb twin is if they were part of a multiple set – of three or more embryos.
3. Or most common in IVF pregnancies – is where a person is conceived as part of multiple pregnancies (three or more fertilised embryos), and sadly none of their co-twins makes it to birth.
Womb twin survivors are the sole survivor of a twin or multiple pregnancies (including a vanishing twin pregnancy, stillbirth, miscarriage or abortion).
The following list is a sample of some of the common symptoms of a womb twin or vanishing twin but is in no way exhaustive.
- unexplained sense of sadness and loss
- survival guilt
- self-sabotage
- something feels like its missing
- unexplained anger
- difficulty building close relationships
- fear of abandonment
- sense of not being whole.
- A feeling of emptiness.
- Don’t enjoy birthdays.
What is a womb twin survivor?
What is a womb twin survivor? Womb twin survivors are the sole survivor of a twin or multiple pregnancies (including a vanishing twin pregnancy, stillbirth, miscarriage, IVF or abortion). They may not know about or be aware of their experience of loss in the womb.
What is the rate of incidence for womb twin survival?
It is surprisingly high. Womb twins make up about 1% of the population, 1 in every ten people is a womb twin survivor.
What happens when a twin dies in the womb?
The deceased twin attempts to live out their destiny and impose their identity over the surviving twin, depending on how dominant their personality is. They remain tied together. This can create extra challenges and conflicts in the living twin’s life. Some suggestions are that their spirit can stay with the residing twin when a baby dies in the womb.
What is vanishing twin syndrome, and how does it affect mothers?
Vanishing Twin is the term used to define a miscarriage in multiple pregnancies in the first trimester.
The loss of a Vanishing Twin can leave a lasting impression, an imprint on the mother who lost her baby and the surviving twin or any children conceived after the loss. I would suggest that after a miscarriage, heal before any subsequent pregnancy.
The healing process is relatively straightforward once the willingness is there. Free yourself and learn to fly.
