Small for dates twin - need your stories, reassurance and wisdom for my friend.

[Shitemum]

A friend had twins 11 days ago. She was induced a couple of weeks before the due-date. DT1, a boy, is of normal weight, weighed about 3 kilos at birth. DT2, a girl, is only about 2 kilos 300 grams and 'looks' premature.
What are the reasons a baby is small for dates? Do they usually catch up?

bump

My DTs were very different sizes. DT2 was 1.5lbs bigger than DT2. They're still different in size but she (the smaller DT) rules the roost!

Some babies are just smaller than others.

i dont really know, although know a mum of 14/15 mo twins one was 'normal' size born the other was premie. now they look like theres about 6 months between them although the little girl is the same advancment level as her brother shes just a lot diddyer! i wouldnt panic too much, i'm sure they'll even up when they're bigger!

as an aside i have 2 years between my kids, ds is nearly 18mo and dd is 3.6yo, and they both wear 2-3 yo clothes! some kids are small some are big doesnt usually cause much problem.

Thanks Mars, maybe it's just 'one of those things', but she does look like a premature baby, I mean her forehead is big and her features are kind of low down iyswim, tho there is nothing wrong with her. She just looks like she wasnt done growing when they forced her out into the world.

She probably wasn't. Was at a twin birth last week where DT2 clearly looked like he was staying in for a couple more weeks.

Thanks Stacey, d'you mean they were born at EDD but one was a lot smaller or that although premie one was big?

born to dates, but one was over 2lb smaller than the other.

and incidentally mine were both born same size and yet now theres such a big difference! lol

So, Mars, if a twin is smaller is it more likely to be
because they are just genetically a smaller person
or because their placenta wasn't working as well as the others twin's
or because survival of the fittest dictates that of the two one is just going to get more nourishment from the mother's body while in the womb than the other?

My DDs aren't twins there's 3 years between them, but DD2, who weighed more than DD1 at birth, is much more petite and small for her age and DD1 is big for hers.

my twins were induced at 38 weeks and were 1lb differentat birth, dt1/dd was 6lb 14oz and dt2/ds2 7lb 14oz now at 12 mths there is 5lb between. He is the 'right size' for his age - wears the right sized clothes, she is smaller and more petite and is a size smaller.

I think that you just get big babies and small babies. Mine had separate placentas so it wasn't because one took all the nourishment. It's just the way that they are imo!

mine were both just under 2kg at 35 weeks, both were long and skinny at birth, which I took as an indication that they just needed fattening up - and they have certainly caught up since!