anyone's twins arrive after 40 weeks?!

[MyFourGirls]

here i am again...sorry to those who are bored of seeing me on threads! 40 weeks on tuesday....keen not to have another birth of lots of intervention...DD1 was 3weeks late... think i brew babies for a long time...

any reassuring happy stories of late twin births? what's the record amongst mumsnetters?!

Well as I said on your other thread, I 'only' got to 39 + 6, I know there are people who have gone longer. But I am so proud of that fact as people are always so shocked when they ask. I like the shock factor. Good on you for going so long, be proud.

By the way, I had mine on the 31st December, but felt in no way ready or close to going until a couple of hours before my waters went, all through Christmas I felt so healthy and strong. It'll happen when it happens and that could be any day. You are not at 40 weeks yet anyway so cross that bridge when you get to it.

Watch this video, if you haven't seen it already, to make you feel positive. I love it.

Mine got to almost 42 weeks, the little *£!$ers! I'm afraid the birth was horrible, apart from the fact that they were fab and bonny, but it was my first pregnancy. My daughter (10 years later!) was pretty late too so think I'm a long brewer as well. Good luck!

Myfourgirls, are you still waiting? I hope you are managing to keep your pecker up if you are.

still waiting...saw a very fierce consultant today who was pretty cross i hadn't been induced. had a hideous sweep and i'm 3cm dilated already and have been feeling really uncomfortable ever since so am hoping i'll go in to labour on my own in the next 24/48 hrs... if not i'll have to surrender to induction i think... think it's best they arrive by the weekend...just really want to go into labour at home in peace and quiet...consultant would want to break waters and put me straight on drip if i were to be induced...

interestingly twin 2 is now twin 1 and vice versa in the last week after a whole pregnancy of being quite certain of who's first in the queue!

p.s. thanks for your feedback girls...e3chick - your birth story is very heartening and has helped my resolve, thanks.

OK from your name I assume you either already have four girls or you already have two and the twins are girls too?

Either way, I bet you are probably surviving and getting on with normal day to day life and not focussing enough on you.

Is there anything you are anxious about regarding having these babies that might be standing in the way of your mind letting go?

Could you change the energy in the house somehow (excuse the hippy tone!).

Carve out some space and time for yourself, somehow arrange for someone else to take complete responsibility of the other children for an afternoon/day/couple of days. Then have reflexology or acupuncture, followed by maybe a bath, and go and lie on your bed or wherever you can get slightly comfortable and listen to lovely music or just enjoy the complete silence, get really relaxed, read a bit, have a lovely big cup of tea, and just completely down tools. Not with any expectation of making labour start but just to change the mood and let your babies know that you are ready if they are, and also to enjoy your last moments of peace and having them inside you all safe warm and well-fed.

I used a lovely CD for hypnobirthing - which was rubbish for the birthing, but brilliant for making me relax or get to sleep when I was pregnant. It was The Mongan Method, I think or something like that. I'd send it to you but I don't think we have time for that. It may be available on itunes?

That's so weird about them changing position, you'd really think they had no room at this stage wouldn't you.

This time 6 months ago I would probably not have posted this but I do kind of agree with whatalip.
No experience of twins but my last labour in June I was very anxious, there were a lot of things that happened in mine and dh family that I wanted to get through before DS2 could come.

For days I kept saying to everyone he can't come until the 23rd he can't come before that and I have a history of going 2-3 weeks early and this was 2 weeks early.
I had niggles and discomfort for about 5 days and had my show 5 days before as well.

On the night of the 22nd I finally relaxed as all the tough stuff (or most of it was past) and I could go into labour...and I did DS2 arrived (extremely quickly once contractions started in the morning)on the 23rd as planed by me

So it is worth clearing your diary getting some help with the other dc's and just 100% relax and focus on you.

Just to let you know that if you join the apmultiples yahoo group there is currently discussion there amongst pregnant women who have gone over 40 weeks. There seem to be a fair few and one of them is currently 41+4..!

I'm afraid I disagree with Ineedacleaner and Whatatip.

I think there are questions that you should be asking yourself and more importantly your consultant if he/she thinks that you should be induced.

First of all, why is there a need to induce a twin pregnancy before term (and 40 weeks IS full term for a twin pregnancy) making your babies early, especially if you and the babies are healthy?

Secondly ask your consultant to provide medical evidence to back up their reason to induce (and not just anecdotal either).

My twins were born at 40+3 and my Consultant's registrar was really keen to induce me. DP and I were not keen as induction is a major intervention that dictates the rest of your labour and delivery!
Just for your information there is NO medical evidence to support induction in a twin pregnancy that goes slightly over due (i.e. less than 42 weeks) where both the mother and babies are healthy.

I think you were right first time, maybe you just cook babies a little longer. (40 weeks is only an average figure after all and doesn't take your personal ovulation cycle length into account).
Your babies will come when they come.
Medics are there to 'manage' labour and delivery. Multiple births often need to be managed and sometimes the medics forget that sometimes multiple births don't!

Incidentally, I delivered two healthy babies (7lbs 1oz and 7lbs) naturally, the first needed a little ventouse help, the second (breech) was delivered naturally with no help and we were/are all healthy.

Trust your body!
and don't forget BRAN to get the information you need to decide whether to accept an intervention.

Benefits (of the intervention)
Risks (of the intervention)
Alternatives (to the intervention)
Nothing (what happens if we do nothing and wait a bit longer)

Hope all goes well and I'm looking forward to hearing who you had and your birth story!

But I DO agree with you Marniesmummy, completely.

I am concerned that my post may have conveyed the wrong message now. I agree she could just be a long cooker, plenty of women are, but I think I was just trying to explore ideas to give herself the optimal chance of starting on its own as she does sound like she is going to go ahead with the induction.

Anyway, best of luck myfourgirls.x

Sorry Whatatip got the wrong end of the stick with your post, it doesn't give the wrong impression.
I think I'm guilty of reading and grouping all the posts a little too quickly.

hi there... yep - it's been a hippy haven in our house for about 3 weeks! lovely DH has been doing pretty much everything and there's been lots of relaxation... having lots of reflexology and shiatsu and lots of niggles... think i do cook babies for a long time, but also the midwife who scanned us yesterday said 'off the record' ie didn't pass the info on to the consultant that she thought there was a strong possibility that there was meconium in the waters of twin 1 and if it was her she wouldn't hang about too much longer... have seen her a few times and trust her judgement...so will give ourselves til friday (we'll go in then if nothing's happened) and be quite in control of methods of induction and try and maintain our plan for a gentle birth...

whatatip we've had a course of hypno with a lovely midwife and it's really helped - infact i'm off for a snooze now with the very same cd!

xx

Why wouldn't the MW want the consultant to know there is meconium in twin 1's waters?

because she was looking out for us really. she knew we didn't want to be induced and were hoping to hang on another few days without intervention. if the consultant was aware of that he would have given us an even harder time of it...as it was his attitude was pretty hard line he was quite unwilling to have a conversation about the options available to us.

(as far as i understand it meconium doesn't necessarily mean there is a problem with the baby (though occasionally it can be a sign of distress during labour) but it does mean it has reached maturity.)

I got to 40 weeks with my 2nd set and they asked me to come in for a c-section as i couldn't be induced and they didn't really know how to handle a pregnant lady after 40 weeks because it had never happened on this little island! :)

I was late and induced with all my singletons so i tend to cook them for longer too.

The experts consider 37 weeks to be term with twins don't they, so if you are a slow cooker 39 weeks is really 2 weeks overdue isn't it.

Good luck! :)

No, 40 weeks is full term in a twin pregnancy.

It's just most deliveries of twins occur at 37 weeks. (Which means almost nothing since we were told that we could have a planned caesarian along with all te other multiple parents, at our first ante-natal session).

Born last friday at 40+3 by forceps and c-section weighing in at 9lbs and 8lbs 5oz!!!!!

gorgeous girls FINALLY here!

thanks for all the posts ladies!

Oh my goodness, that's a monumental weight!!! Just terrific.

Well done you, you should be sooo very proud.

And welcome to the mad world of four girls!!