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Multiple births

When do you start showing with twins? What is life with twins like? Join the conversation on our Multiple Births forum.

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Original poster

Chances of needing special care after 37 weeks

29 replies

Amberc · 26/10/2010 11:45

I am planning an elective C section due to medical reasons at 37/38 weeks. I have been covered by insurance but not for any aftercare in SCBU/NICU. Does anyone know what the chances are of babies needing extra care after this gestation (full term I guess) or had any experiences of this. I need to make an informed choice. My obs said 'extremely unlikely' but I thought I would ask the MN gurus!

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wayoftheworld · 26/10/2010 19:24

There is always a chance that the baby could be jaundiced- which means that will need special care for a while. When babies are born naturally they have to work to get out. While with a CS they dont, so they might have problems with their lungs, breathing. I have three born with CS and none was elective. But two of mine needed care only for a couple of days, but the worry gets to you.

I dont want to scare you, but it is worth investigating.

Poppyella · 26/10/2010 22:35

I would say extremely unlikely. After 37 weeks is classed as full term so lung maturity should be fine. I suppose if they are tiny they might, but still doubtful. Even if jaundiced, most babies can have phototherapy on the wards and don't need special care for this.

I had 36 week twins who got jaundice and had phototherapy - in a cot next to me. Having been a midwife for 14 years I would say go for it and not worry too much.

hth

Original poster

Amberc · 27/10/2010 09:26

Oh great thanks Poppyella and wayoftheworld. I am fairly sure that it will be fine but just want to be sure although I guess you never know until they are born...

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baybay · 27/10/2010 11:15

Hi Amberc, my twins were born at 39+1, one was in special care for 10 days as he was small due to his placenta starting to deteriorate.This was only picked up on the day i had to be induced.
When are you due?

Original poster

Amberc · 27/10/2010 12:08

I am due 26 Jan but being booked in for a c section at 37.4 which is about 10 Jan I think.

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Original poster

Amberc · 27/10/2010 12:09

See baybay that's the worry I have - you just don't know.

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baybay · 27/10/2010 16:54

Try not to worry about it,i know its easier said than done though!
If they do need to go in they are in amazing hands, might sound odd but when my little boy was there i didnt worry at all, i knew he had the best care, the nurses were just great very reassuring.
You are due the day before mine were born!
Def a great time to have them as you can really enjoy the spring and summer on your mat leave and if your anything like i was the winter was a breeze as i was so hot all the time that i never felt the cold!
Enjoy your time now, and think of the amazing things you will experience with twins x

tkband3 · 27/10/2010 17:06

I had all my children at 37ish weeks and none needed special care. DD1 was slightly jaundiced and needed blood tests at approx 2 weeks, but didn't require any additional treatment. DTs were born by elective CS and were fighting fit - no special care required and we were sent home on day 4. All 3 weighed about 5.7 - 5.12 lbs, so not huge, but not tiny either.

tkband3 · 27/10/2010 17:06

tkband3 · 27/10/2010 17:07

, sorry, don't know what happened there!

Original poster

Amberc · 27/10/2010 20:15

I like hearing about the ones that needed no care!! I have been told that if I have my private c section and the babies need SCBU it will be £1500 per baby, per day! We could move to NHS but it might take a week to find beds. We would be bankrupted!

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Awitch · 27/10/2010 20:19

i had dd1 at 38 weeks bang on, so she was small but fine. dd2 had actually stopped growing at 31 weeks, i was sectioned at 33+6 when they realised and she came out screaming and wouldn't have needed scbu at all had i not been ill. as it was, she was in for one night, then out with me the rest of the time. bit of light treatment for jaundice and she was fine. so 37 weeks is a loooooot nearer to dd1 than dd2.

marriednotdead · 27/10/2010 20:37

I had DS by emergency cs at 37 weeks. No special care required and he weighed almost 7lb.

tartiflette · 28/10/2010 12:40

Mine were ELC at 37 weeks and neither needed special care, they were 5.3 and 5.12 and both came out yelling their heads off, hale and hearty... One had to be fed through a tube initially as she couldn't bf properly, so we were in for 8 days, but on a normal ward, babies with me etc.

GrumpyFish · 28/10/2010 12:47

DS (single pregnancy) was born by emergency CS at 41 weeks and needed a week in SCBU (not immediately, admitted the next day). Never really got to the bottom of why - he wasn't well, they they thought some kind of infection but couldn't find anything conclusive on bloods. I think that's quite unusual, but I do have a ocuple of friends who have had similar experiences. I don't think you can ever rule it out, at any gestation. SCBU was fine by the way, they were lovely and took v good care of us and DS never had any problems once we went home.

hildathebuilder · 28/10/2010 12:56

If you are private would thy be able to administer antibiotics, phototherapy, take blood or do or other minor procedures without needing scbu. If they are that would cut the risks further

Original poster

Amberc · 28/10/2010 13:20

I think I will ask what procedures they can do without going to SCBU. Whatever they have to do however would need to be paid for by us. The more i read the more I am thinking it might be better to go to my local hospital just in case as it seems that there are such varied cases on here. It's really annoying as if my twins were conceived naturally and not via fertility drugs they would be covered for the whole shebang!

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MollieO · 28/10/2010 13:24

Apparently it costs £1000 per day for a SCBU bed on the NHS (not sure if that is just NICU and whether SCBU is cheaper). Felt like I got my money's worth with ds. [hgrin]

Sophie2008 · 28/10/2010 18:38

Hi, I had my twins at 37+4 by c section and they did not need any special care. My son was a little yellow and my daughter was fine. They weighed 7lb 2oz and 7lb 4oz.

Awitch · 28/10/2010 20:48

i don't really get the private thing anyway, if something goes wrong you are whisked to the nhs anyway. i gave birth on the nhs both times and received AMAZING care.

thingamajig · 28/10/2010 22:22

Hi Amber, I'm on the expecting twins thread with you. just thought I'd add that DD (singleton) was born at 40+4 at home but needed to go to SCBU for a week; she didn't take well to being in the outside world and had breathing/blood sugar/?neurological issues, though shes fine now.
I luckily(?) had diarrhoea a day or two before birth so got given a room to myself on the NHS ward, which was great.

sassy34264 · 29/10/2010 15:47

Hi amberc I'm on the expecting twins thread too, and mine were born at 35+5 and neither needed SBCU at birth, but they put DD in for 12 hours on day 3 cos her blood sugars had dropped to 1. The cut off point is 2.6. Although DS's dropped too, we knew what to do before it became so low that he had to follow her and that was -express and cup feed him to top up. Their sucking reflex was weak cos of their gestational age, but yours might not be if they are born 2/3 weeks later than this.

Egg · 30/10/2010 14:07

Mine were born at 37 weeks and never had to go to special care. They were going to take them as DD was only 4lbs 11 and DS2 a little bit bigger but the staff decided that they seemed fine without and thankfully never left my side.

londonlottie · 30/10/2010 20:50

This reply has been deleted

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HappyAsASandboy · 03/11/2010 05:25

I had a planned section at 38+1 due to breech positioning. My babies were 6lb 3oz and 5lb 13oz. My daughter (twin 2 and the smaller baby) was admitted to SCBU for about 3 hours because she was grunting slightly when she was born and was slightly cold. The grunting was a result of the section - delivering naturally squeezes mucus out of their lungs whilst a section doesn't.

Having spoken to the midwives about DD time in SCBU, I'm not sure she really needed to go. She was under a heat lamp for a while because slightly cold, but I think skin to skin would have warmed her up fine, and she stopped grunting after about 30 minutes, which I reckon she would have done in recovery with me.

Not sure whether a private environment would have admitted my daughters case to SCBu at such an expense - she may have been admitted as a precaution as SCBU is right there ....

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