Induction with twins - absolutely terrified

[Mumlovestoast]

Hi

Has anyone been induced with twins? My consultant says he’s going to induce me at 37 weeks if twin 1 is head down. If twin 2 is breech he’s going to put his arm in there and pull it out.
Won’t lie, I’m losing sleep over this. I was induced with DD and it was the most traumatic thing I’ve ever been through, it’s taken me 11 years to even entertain the idea of having another baby.
Just wondered if anyone else has been through this?

Oh and it really makes no difference what twin 2 is doing - once twin 1 is born twin 2 rejoices in having loads of space and could well turn anyway. My train two was head down and went breech, by contrast because she's an awkward so and so

Twin 2 might not turn on their own. It's entirely possible they may need internal or external manipulation (ie someone pressing from the outside or by sticking their arm up there to try and turn the baby manually. Nice.) I think it's pretty misleading to present it as a certainty that the second twin will turn itself. If the manipulation doesn't work then you either have the risk of giving birth vaginally to a breech baby and the risks that that entails of a serious injury to you or the baby or having an emergency caesarean. Isn't it funny that when you have a single baby that is breech suddenly it's fine to give you a Cesarean without question but not when you have twins.

My presenting twin was head down and the second one was breech. I opted for a c section. The hospital I was with then, 12 years ago, was very pro section for twins, but if I had begged to be allowed to give birth vaginally, they would have let me - on the condition that I was in theatre with a full epidural (no mobile one available). I researched it and found that a section was by far the safest option for twin 2. The risks are not THAT high, so it's acceptable to go with a vaginal birth if that's what you want, but you don't sound like you do. The c section was a good experience.

@Readytotalk I didn't imply that it was safe to assume twin 2 would turn. If anything the opposite - two twins head down shouldn't give false hope that a vaginal birth will go to plan. As I say, my twin 2 went breech once my twin 1 was born, hence saying it doesn't matter what twin 2 is doing.

OP should absolutely be given a genuine choice between induction and csection, with the hope of going into labour naturally before either becomes necessary. But I got the impression that OP was mostly concerned with the speed of an induced labour, rather than hoping for a csection, so I sought to reassure her that it could happen in a controlled, organised way that she might be comfortable with.

Op you do not have to do as you are told

Read the MN campaign thread on postnatal injuries. Then picture the size of your dr's arm. Then ask yourself if you want him "sticking it up there" with the resultant injuries. Remember it is your vagina and not his penis that risks being damaged.

You have the right to request elcs. You have the right to see another consultant. You have the right to refuse induction.

Personally when I agreed to induction with my twins I adamantly refused epidural partially so that if it went tits up they would be much more likely to go to section - yes section under GA admittedly but no forceps or internal cephalic version.

Op this is your body, your pelvic floor, your mental health. I am so glad I stood firm and wasn't bullied. You make sure you can look back in a year's time and say the same for yourself.

I’m going to request a section. Is there any way they can refuse to do it?

No they can't refuse. If your consultant does refuse, ask to be referred to one who will do it. I wish id said the words "i do NOT consent to a vaginal birth. I consent to a planned caesarian". Just keep repeating that. They cannot insist on a vaginal birth. Good luck. I know it can be scary going against a doctor but they don't always know best and its YOUR body and your beautiful babies.

Yy Ready. The right decision is different for everyone. For me it was a vaginal birth with no pain relief at all. For OP it might be an elcs.

But whatever it is, the mother is the one who has to live with the consequences so she needs to be happy with the plan.

OP I have some injuries to my pelvic floor now. I can live with them because they are the result of choices I made. I can't imagine what I'd feel like if I had been bullied into something.

OP technically every woman is entitled to an ELCS (as per NICE guidelines) although I would say you have a particularly strong argument for requesting one so hopefully you won't face any difficulty.

@t1mum3 A hospital can't 'allow' or 'not allow' a vaginal birth as it's the default. A woman has to consent to a c-section as with any other operation.

No, there was no discussion. He said because I’d managed to give birth once I can do it again

If these were his words then he should have the book thrown at him.

Whilst it is technically your right to choose how you give birth obviously it’s contingent on the Trust/Consultant to ensure you’re informed of ALL the options and the risks and issues therein.

Information to back up your decision is key.

They will have on file that you’ve already had a traumatic induction historically.
This is the first point of clinical consideration (why it ended up so traumatic, maybe your body didn’t respond well to the drugs)

Secondly, it’s a truism that twin births are a bit riskier than Singleton births, because you have to basically get two out and not one. The clinical risk of the second switching position and you requiring further intervention can’t be erased by the consultanct just “reaching in for it”

You’ve got a sound case to request a CS if you want to; there are clinical risks based on your induction history and potential risks around twin delivery that you’re not prepared to take so a CS is - usually - the lower risk option.

Absolutely NO consultant or midwife has the right to outright deny you a CS.

You can 100% request a c section. I had mine 4 weeks ago.

I was induced and after 24 hours with contractions 3 mins apart and not dilating they wanted to put me on an epidural and try different induction drugs. I put my foot down and told them at that point I didn't want any more drugs and wanted a c section. I was exhausted. I suddenly had a room full of 8 different surgeons, nurses, midwifes and the anesthetist to try talk me out of it but I just told them no I wanted a c section which they accepted in the end.

It's your body your choice