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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To feel fascinated that my identical twins may be mirror twins:)

55 replies

doradaisy · 14/09/2011 19:08

I have DS identical twins, 14 months.

One twin is felt handed, the other right handed.

The one who is right handed got his first front teeth on the right.
The one who is left handed got his first front teeth on the left.

One has a dimple on his left cheek, the other on the right.

Shock

Oooh it all feels very science fictiony and interesting.

Methinks I'll do a PHD on it :)

OP posts:
Cursingtheboobytum · 14/09/2011 19:34

I'm an identical twin (not mirror) and my twin and I are part of a research study at St Thomas' hospital London. They have their own website which contains lots of fascinating and correct information about twins and twin studies. For those who are genuinely interested you might want to check out www.twinsuk.ac.uk/

There is a link as well to information about mirror image twins www.twinsuk.ac.uk/faq.html#mirror

happy reading folks!

Someonesnotinbed · 14/09/2011 19:38

Madame, DP and I are both lefties. So apparently DD had 50% chance of it.

She's now 13 months, and it's either too soon to tell, or she's a righty. I will definitely be a teeny tiny bit disappointed if it turns to be the former.

Original poster
doradaisy · 14/09/2011 19:39

Interesting re. headshape Andrewofgg as one of my DS did have a flat head on his right side (he needed to visit a cranial osteopath after he was born as was quite flat)

In all the scans throughout the pregnancy both twins were head down and as he was on one left, the right side of his head became flattened due to being squashed by his brother

He was Twin 1 (bigger twin weight wise and the one lower down, nearest the exit (so to speak) and other DS was twin 2 (the smaller twin)

Interesting too about left handed singleton being once an identical twin. In my case, the smaller (twin 2) is left handed but I reckon whichever of them survives

Hilarious Fabby , only hope my two turn out to be gentlemen!

OP posts:
EvilTwins · 14/09/2011 19:39

My ID twins' hair parts on opposite sides, which excited me enormously as I think mirror image twins would be a very cool thing to have. I don't think they are. The switched organs thing is very rare, and would have been picked up at the hospital at birth (maybe even in scans?)

ID twins are fascinating anyway (am biased Grin) but mine have been disappointly lacking in the freakish element - no secret language, no finishing each others' sentences. They have 2 sets of ID twin friends, so it's fab seeing them all together (all girls, all the same age, all MCMZ).

EvilTwins · 14/09/2011 19:40

Oh, and Andrew, the twins you mention couldn't have been mirror image as they weren't identical.

Someonesnotinbed · 14/09/2011 19:41

Also OP your twins sound awesome. Don't forget to do 'physic' experiments on them while they're still to small to object doubt their own abilities.

Someonesnotinbed · 14/09/2011 19:42

Psychic not physic Blush

Original poster
doradaisy · 14/09/2011 19:42

Thanks for this link cursing! Will read with pleasure.

How long have you been involved in the study and is it longtitundinal? (didn't want to be rude and ask your age if you've been involved since birth:)

Might ask my maternity hosptial if they do similar studies :)

OP posts:
EvilTwins · 14/09/2011 19:42

Ooo, and re:head shape (sorry - must try to post once, not three times), my twin 2 came out with a dent in her head from where she was stuck under my ribs (transverse lie) and twin 1 had a flat bit from where her sister was sitting on her head (twin 1 was breech) Both fine by a year old though.

MadameDefarge · 14/09/2011 19:44

ooh someone, quite liked the physic bit, had imaginings of trying to establish whether their "humours" were in sync....

bottersnike · 14/09/2011 19:45

A friend of mine has mirror twins, and while their personalities are different, physically they are perfect mirror images - left-handed / right-handed, hair partings etc. So fascinating!

Cursingtheboobytum · 14/09/2011 19:47

Hi doradaisy, I've been involved since my mid twenties I think (too long ago to remember!). There are 10,000 plus twins involved making it, iirc, the largest study of its kind in the world. Twins can apply to participate from the age of 16 years I believe. There's information about getting involved on the website.

Although its based at St Thomas' it's actually a UCL research group.

Cx

faverolles · 14/09/2011 19:50

I had cranial osteopathy a couple of years ago for asthma. She concentrated on my head and face for a while, then said "this is going to sound really odd, but are you a twin? Only I can feel a foot shaped problem over your face"
I am a twin, and growing up, I've always had nose and throat issues.

MadameDefarge · 14/09/2011 20:05

faverolles, that is fascinating!

Andrewofgg · 14/09/2011 20:12

I appreciate that EvilTwins (what a way for a gentleman to have to address a lady!) but if one skull was physically pressed against other the fact that they were not identical would be neither here nor there, would it?

Incidentally a long time ago non-identical twins - which of course these were - were called "fraternal" even if they were non-identical sisters. Has someone come up with a less sexist name for them?

LadyBeagleEyes · 14/09/2011 20:15

I'm an identical twin but I've never heard of mirror image twins.
We're both right handed and though not physic, we have the odd experience where we'll say, oh must be a twin thing.
It's our catchphrase.

tyler80 · 14/09/2011 20:16

Dizygotic is used now, although fraternal is still pretty common too. I have friends who insist they are fraternal twins because they had a placenta each. They weren't impressed when I pointed out that doesn't rule out being identical.

Andrewofgg · 14/09/2011 20:22

Thank you tyler80 - how odd that obscure Greek should have replaced fairly common Latin. Two-egg would have meant the same thing in plan English, but then, the medics have never liked plain English, bless 'em. I am old enough to remember watching a doctor write a prescription in dog-Latin with a fountain pen in one hand and a cigarette in the other!

RedOnion · 14/09/2011 20:29

Reading this with interest! My mother was/is (don't know which is correct way to word it Confused) a twin, her sister didn't survive the birth (late 1940's). Mum is a leftie. I wonder if had her sister survived would she had been right handed?

Interesting thread.

bibbitybobbityhat · 14/09/2011 20:32

Yabu

MadameDefarge · 14/09/2011 20:51

harsh bibs, harsh.

Tho I take your point. not really an AIBU>

DaisyDaresYOU · 14/09/2011 21:19

I noticed my daughter was a left handed at a young age still left handed now at 3 no failed twin here either.Genetic and on her dads side though he is right handed.

whackamole · 14/09/2011 22:27

How can you be sure about the handedness? (interested, not having a go!)

I too have ID boy twins, they are 2.8 now. Both tend to use their right hands but they switch every so often. They don't have partings though. Teeth.....I can't remember Blush

I don't think they are mirror twins though.

WhoseGotMyEyebrows · 14/09/2011 22:58

candr 'mirror image mono zygotics' -

cool name!

Fabby However they are both assholes. That made me laugh!

Andrewofgg Well, I shall never know because quite apart from it not being the sort of question you ask they are both dead. - I know I was probably not supposed to but I found that funny! Maybe I need to go to bed.

MadameDefarge How tiny is your head?

givemushypeasachance · 14/09/2011 23:15

I've got a non-identical twin sister, and I'm right handed and she's left handed. Given the whole lack-of-identical-ness there's not much else mirrored though!

On the whole Twin 1/Twin 2 thing - I was Twin 1; bigger, down the bottom, should have come out first but it was a caeserean and my sister was in the way so they took her out first, making her one minute older. I'm still slightly bitter about this 26 years on! If we were royal and in line for the throne that would have well scuppered my chances - If I could I would have insisted they stick her back in and let me be formally born first!