You’ve probably already heard the amazing news, but just incase you haven’t let us fill you in…
Beyoncé is pregnant! With twins!
Queen B and hubby Jay Z shared the news on Instagram on Feb. 1 with this fab pic from her pregnancy photoshoot.
Looking like a dream momma, Beyoncé shared this sweet announcement:
“We would like to share our love and happiness. We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes. – The Carters”
The thought of two mini Beyoncés (or Jay Zs) about the grace the world had social media feeds filled with messages of congratulations and excitement. If you haven’t seen the full photo shoot, you can witness Beyoncé rock her new baby bump here. #BeyHas3Hearts
But wait, there’s more! Just when you thought the world of celebrity babies couldn’t get any more star-studded, we found out that George and Amal Clooney are pregnant, too! On Feb. 8, Julie Chen confirmed on “The Talk” that George and Amal are expecting twins, as did long-time friend Matt Damon on the “Today Show.”
That’s right. Not one, but TWO Clooney babies are going to enter the world.
With all these duplicates on the way, HCXU decided to brush up on some twinning knowledge and share some fun facts with you.
Twin births are on the rise
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of twin pregnancies has been on the rise since 1980, resulting in an all-time high. In 2014, there were 135,336 twin births in the U.S., meaning that 3.4% of babies born were twins. That’s a lot of multiples! Some experts say that the rise in twin births can be attributed to the increases of in vitro fertilization (shout out to my test tube babies) and fertility treatments. However, part of the reason could be that women are waiting longer to have kids, culminating with the fact that older women tend to have twins more than younger women. In fact, the average age for first-time mothers was 26.3 years in 2014. In 2000, the average age was 24.9 years.
Twins and their mothers tend to live longer
Researchers at the University of Washington concluded that identical twins tend to live longer than fraternal twins, and all twins tend to live longer than the general population. One reason for twin longevity is the psychological benefits of having someone socially close throughout one’s life. Moms of twins also tend to live longer than single-birth moms, according to a study at the University of Utah. Researchers say that this is because women who deliver twins tend to be healthier. #TwinsForTheWin
Tall women are more likely to have twins
Turns out the weather up there is great, and it calls for twin baby showers. The Journal of Reproductive medicine published an article connecting the height of women to their chance of having twins. This connection is believed to be caused by an insulin-like growth factor which is linked to increased height and multiple births. Moms of multiples average 1.25 inches taller than single-birth mothers.
There’s a fraternal twin gene
Twins really do run in the family! Researchers discovered a link between your genes and the likelihood of having fraternal twins. They have found that there are two gene variants that increase a woman’s chances of having twins. If you happen to have both variants, your chance of having twins is 29%.
The author and her twin brother (c. 2003)
Twins are more likely to be lefties
According to a 1996 Belgian study, 21% of twins are left-handed. That’s compared to the general population, where about 10% are left handed. Have that fun fact ready to go at your next dinner party.
We just proved that twins are pretty great, and we’re so happy for the Carters and the Clooneys for their new additions. We’re pretty sure that those adorable baby pictures will be the highlight of 2017.
All information gathered from Health.com. You can check out some more great twin fun facts at Health.com.