Similarities between identical twins go on to be something that are often more than skin deep. Many have similar jobs, tastes, hobbies, love interests, and phobias.

To test this theory scientists have also studied twins that were separated at birth and forced to live different lives. When putting together the life timelines of these twins, it was shocking to see how their lives were almost parallel to one another before meeting while wearing almost identical outfits.

The special also explains some unusual baby phenomenons that we have covered on this site like the mismatched twins Jake and Tom Armstrong, the amazing little girl with 8 limbs Lakshmi Tatma and black and white twins.
Parents who have had a set of twins will love the amazing graphical explanations of each stage of a twin pregnancy.

National Geographic’s clear footage from inside the womb is not only amazing, but breath taking.

Some amazing twin facts from the documentary:

• About 95 percent of all multiple births in the United States are twins.
• 34 out of every 1,000 births in the United States are multiples.
• Between 1980 and 1998, the rate of triplets and higher order births in the United States increased by 400 percent. In recent years, this rate has been more stable.
• A woman has an estimated one in 64 million chance of conceiving identical quads.
• Women reaching the end of their reproductive years are more likely to have a multiple pregnancy.
• The window for an egg splitting to form identical twins is very short. If the egg doesn’t split into two separate but identical eggs within the first 14 days after conception, it never will.
• The record number of fetuses in a human womb at one time is 15.
• It’s estimated that for every 400 sets of fraternal twins, one set is made up of twins who will have different fathers.
• At birth, single babies on average weigh more than twins.
• Some fetuses spend the first trimester of pregnancy with a companion that later disappears—a phenomenon called the “vanishing twin syndrome.”
• Movements such as kicking, pushing, and what looks like kissing are all documented in twins.

The special airs tonight at 9pm on the National Geographic Channel.

Have you ever wondered what more than one baby looks like in the womb? The subject of multiple births still fascinates a lot of people.

The amount of women giving birth to multiples has increased significantly in the last 5-10 years due to fertility. National Geographic is airing a special next Thursday on Multiples in the womb. They have images of your baby’s progression from conception right up to birth. The footage I saw looked computer generated, but if fact, they use a new technology that is able to clearly capture a baby growing in utero.

Egg and sperm meet and spark a perilous journey of fetal development, but what if there are two, three or even four along for the ride? In the Womb: Multiples, a two-hour world premiere special, utilizes groundbreaking technology to take viewers into the extraordinary world of twins, triplets and quadruplets as they develop in utero. The special follows the stories of three expectant mothers from conception to birth and travels inside the womb to see the tiny fetuses begin to interact with each other.

Soo… set your TIVO’s and PVR’s. Sunday, January 14, 2007, at 10P on The National Geographic Channel.

I enjoyed the special they did on animals in the womb last month, hopefully this one will be just as good.

SOURCE:NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC