4-D ultrasound of triplets crammed into a tiny space at 23 weeks old

Its not easy being a multiple!  There is a common misapprehension that fetuses in the womb cannot possibly be aware of each other....... hard to believe, when you see images like this, with three fetuses wrapped around each other!



But what if one of these triplets died? The two survivors would inherit more space, more nourishment and would be in a better state at birth, possibly born a little later and better developed than if there had been only two.  This is why "multi fetal pregnancy reduction" ( ie the abortion of one triplet to reduce the number to twins) is considered as a good idea, even a responsible action, by the doctors involved.

All the medical evidence says that babies do better as singletons than as twins, or as twins rather than as triplets. All the medical evidence is quite clear on this subject. No one thinks of the psychological effect.

The two surviving triplets, born as "fraternal twins", would be treated as twins all their lives, but they would both know, deep inside, that there should have been three. One day they will start wondering, even asking, about the other one.

What will the parents say then, I wonder?

There is a fully-referenced section on Multi-Fetal Pregnancy Reduction in my new book.