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"This twinloss has haunted me all my life and shaped most of my close relationships. It needs to be faced, figured out, and then shared to help others."

KM, USA

Welcome to the Womb Twin Project site!

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.

The result is the Womb Twin

Are YOU a womb twin survivor? Check out the list of indications.

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 womb twin survivor
• If you know you are a womb twin 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 womb twin 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.

On this site you will find:

• A questionnaire to complete, that helps me and may also help you.
• Articles about twins, womb twins, healing and more
• Stories written by womb twin survivors
• Movies about womb twin survivors
• Poetry written by womb twin survivors
• Details of womb twin workshops
• Links to follow to further your knowledge and research
   

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. I can offer you individual support if you need it. 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!

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©Althea Hayton 2009