As if most pregnancies weren't surprise enough, for some lucky parents, that first ultrasound reveals they're carrying two (or more) babies. That's right – instant family and double the love. Unfortunately, multiples aren't always a free bonus – they come with some heavier risks than single pregnancies.

The more babies you're carrying, the greater chance you have for experiencing complications such as miscarriage, premature birth, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, anemia, Cesarean delivery and postpartum hemorrhage.

"No matter what friends, family, strangers might say, a multiple pregnancy is different from a singleton and needs to be treated as such," says Paula Johnson, a mom of 4-year-old twin daughters who lives in Washington, Ill. "I've been pregnant with twins twice; we lost the first set at 19 weeks, spent the entire pregnancy on bed rest with the second set and delivered at 26 weeks."

That does not mean that all multiple pregnancies will have complications, but it's a good idea to be informed and know all the risks just in case.

Preterm labor means you experience contractions and your cervix starts to dilate and efface before the 37th week of pregnancy – not to be confused with Braxton Hicks contractions, which do not cause dilating or effacing.

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