Welcome!
This site is all about womb twin survivors. A womb twin survivor is someone who lost a twin before or around birth. This loss includes neonatal death, stillbirth, miscarriage, abortion and a "vanishing twin" pregnancy. My research and support work extends to the parents of the survivor and also to their siblings. This loss also includes a multiple pregnancy which resulted in the birth of twins or more, but during which one or more of the babies died before or around birth.
If you started life as a twin but your twin died at birth - or before, in what they call the "vanishing twin" phenomenon, then this is the site for you:
- If you have always wondered if you are a wombtwin survivor
- If you know you are a wombtwin survivor and want to learn more
- If you need personal support as you walk the healing path
- If you are a professional person and you think you have a womb twin survivor among your clients
- If you are a therapist and you are already working with a womb twin survivor
- If you are the parent of a womb twin survivor of any age
For every set of twins born, there are at least ten womb twin survivors. That means that many millions of people throughout the world are womb twin survivors, but most of them have no idea that they are. At least one may be in your family. In fact, the womb twin survivor in the family may be you! Sole twins, regardless of when or how their twin died, spend their lives with a sense of something missing.
I have been carrying out research into the psychological effects of being a womb twin survivor since I discovered my own womb twin in 2002. There is no doubt in my mind that wombtwin survivors suffer more if they don't know why they feel as they do.
Womb twin survivors can be misunderstood because they seem "weird" or "different." This has been called "lost twin syndrome" or "vanishing twin" syndrome, which sounds like have some kind of disorder, but in fact it's a completely normal state of mind. I know that sole surviving twins are not crazy, odd, different or even sick. They feel as they do because they are womb twin survivors. That's all. Just knowing that can be an enormous relief.
It can also help to meet up with other womb twin survivors, and there is now a non-profit organisation, WombTwin.com, which is dedicated to helping womb twin survivors around the world. You can find out more here.
Whatever problem you have got with all this, I will try to help. Just email me. Perhaps you have been waiting all your life for someone to tell you that you are not crazy.
OK. You are not crazy: you are a wombtwin survivor!
Althea
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