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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

May be a stupid question

22 replies

Conkertree · 14/07/2011 23:23

but just been wondering - when you have twins or other multiples, and people say that the second twin was born a minute or so later, does the second twin just take one or two pushes to get out? (Obviously I realise not all twins are the same, but ones that come quickly together?) I was just think with a single baby, it can take ages in the actual pushing stage (3 hours with ds1, 1 hour with ds2) so is it that things are stretched already, so the second comes faster, or do some people have an hour or more between twins?

Sorry if this should be general knowledge, its just something I was wondering after reading on another thread about someone having twins a minute apart.

Thanks.

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PeelingmyselfofftheCeiling · 15/07/2011 10:23

I don't think that's a stupid question, but I want to know the answer!

I also want to add my stupider question, which is does it go baby-baby-placenta-placenta or baby-placenta-baby-placenta (assuming you have 2 of each!)??

Fandangos · 15/07/2011 11:29

I don't have the exact answer either! But I'm 36 weeks pregnant with twins and after having chatted to various professionals, if you're in hospital, certainly my hospital, once twin 1 is out, they allow you 20 mins for twin 2 to start to make it's appearance. Apparently the contractions can disappear after twin 1 has arrived and they may need to give you some drugs to kick start things again. I know that having a dilated cervix does help and twin 2 can come soon. Also, if twin 2 comes breech, it's not such a big deal, as you're already dilated.

But I heard of a twin home birth with an independent midwife at which the second twin arrived 4 hours after the first and they had 2 different birthdays!

On the placenta question, I'm assuming that as soon as twin 1 is out, twin 2 immediately goes down to the cervix, so would not give a placenta time to come out. Nobody's ever mentioned to me that twin 1's placenta can come before twin 2's, but maybe it can! I've just been told, basically, we want to get the babies out, then placentas, then we want to give you a blast of the drug they use to induce labour to make the womb contract and limit bleeding.

I'm sure someone will come along on here with some facts on the subject!

faeriefruitcake · 15/07/2011 12:49

I went Twin, c section, placenta then placenta

PeelingmyselfofftheCeiling · 15/07/2011 13:02

Faerie thanks for answering. How was it having to go through and recover from both types of delivery, or something you'd heartily recommend avoiding?

Dexter32 · 15/07/2011 13:27

Congratulations on expecting twins.

My experience was first twin (head down) arrived, had a quick breather during which they popped my waters on the second twin and then pushed the second one out. 15 minutes apart so no long pushing for the second one. Both placentas followed (I seem to remember simultaneously). The second twin was much easier to deliver because I suppose everything had been stretched by the first one (nice!)

Mandy21 · 15/07/2011 14:10

I think when they are say 1 minute apart that is generally as a result of a section, I could be wrong but I don't think you can deliver the second baby naturally that quickly.

As others have said, I think most people are given drugs to keep the contractions going in between babies, I certainly was. Both babies were head down but Twin 2 turned after Twin 1 was born so he was born bottom first - they thought I'd have to have a section but fortunately he came out after 15 minutes (the longest 15 minutes of the whole thing)

Good luck!

TheBigJessie · 15/07/2011 19:55

Baby two was a quarter of an hour later, and much easier to push out, because of, erm, stretching. There was still physical effort involved in pushing baby two down and out of me, of course, but no "ring of fire" sensation.

NarcissaMalfoy · 15/07/2011 20:05

Mine were 3 minutes apart by CS. DT2 just didn't want to come put.

londonmum123 · 15/07/2011 21:05

Mine were 10 mins apart. dt1, dt2, dt2's placenta then dt1's placenta was manually removed. My hospital would only let you go 15 minutes between both twins and "normally" for DCDA twins you have dt1 - placenta - dt2 - placenta. I agree, dt2 much easier to push out due to stretching! I also got to hold dt1 as pushing out dt2 which made it seem much easier.

Good luck and congratulations

AtLongLast · 15/07/2011 23:11

Not a stupid Qs at all - I wondered much the same before having mine. Ours were born 13mins apart & from what I remember, most of that felt like faffing. The hospital said there was no limit on time to deliver the second baby.

However, our hospital had a 1 hour pushing policy for twin 1. I wasn't aware of that til it was almost too late. It took me 2.5hours & by the time twin 1 was born the contractions had subsided to the point where the midwife had to tell me I was contracting & needed to push. The drs were hovering with the threat of instrumental delivery - I wish I'd known about that policy earlier. I needed a midwife to kick me up the bum but had an old softee to begin with so it nearly ended with the dreaded `cascade of intervention' until a shift change saved things.

As soon as twin 1 was born, the dr grabbed my tummy to keep twin 2 in position (both were head down), scanned to check they were sure he was still head down, & the umbilical cord still attached to the placenta inside me was labelled with a coloured tape (or something) so they could later identify which baby it belonged to. The midwife checked my cervix but it had gone back to 5cm dilated. No idea if this is normal in twin deliveries, but in my mind I saw my natural delivery disappearing. She checked again & I was ~8cm & soon after I was back up to 10cm & ready to go again. I already had a syntocin drip sited `just in case' so they stuck some drugs through & ds2 was born after 2 big contractions. Much, much easier than twin 1 (though it prob didn't help that twin 1 had a rather large head!). Both placentae were delivered after twin 2. I think I remember someone saying twin 1's placenta was fine being left in til later as the blood vessels of the cord were squished by twin 2 coming down the birth canal so that reduces the risk of bleeding. Can't remember who/when, so I could be making that bit up....

MamaChocoholic · 15/07/2011 23:21

after dt1, I had a brief pause in contractions, then next contraction was 2 pushes - 1 to break dt2's waters, 1 to pop his head out, waiting for next contraction and final push to get his body out. I had negotiated up to 15 minutes gap before they gave me syntocinon to restart contractions, but it only took 6 minutes till he arrived. I was kneeling upright the whole time which may have helped, as gravity would have pushed him down :)

kathryn2804 · 19/07/2011 14:23

Mine were a minute apart and were by c-section

DrownedGirl · 21/07/2011 09:25

Mine were 3h apart

After twin I, contractions stopped, we rested and he fed and after a bit I got up and bounced on the ball but things didn't restart. Whe they checked twin II was in a funny position (feet over head)

That's what they fear with twin II and why they are keen on continuous monitoring, drip in place etc. I had declined all that.

Agreed to have twin II manually turned, (on gas and air!) then drip to keep her in the right position.. she was then born after about 30m pushing

Both placentas came together at the end (fused)

After twin I is born you have the cut off end of the cord hanging out of you till placenta delivered! Charming...

whatatip · 21/07/2011 22:02

DrownedGirl, 3 hours, me too! You are the only other person that I know of who has gone that long, it is so highly unusual. Having the cut cord dangling around my thigh and touching my sore bits was not nice.

My second twin was right up high, head still at the top of my ribs, and wasn't budging until we finally took the scary step of breaking her waters. She was out in two contractions after that, breech.

My placentas came together at the end too.

DrownedGirl · 22/07/2011 10:50

If we had started a bit sooner, mine would have had different birthdays! As one born at 1am, one at 4am

whatatip · 22/07/2011 12:08

Ooh, just an hour earlier, so close.

My second was born at about 5pm on new years eve, so I kind of wished for novelty's sake that it had all started half a day later and then they could have been born in different years!

tinywizz · 01/08/2011 18:03

In answer to Fandango my twin boys were born 58 minutes apart, and similar birth (as described byFandango) delivered Twin I but needed drugs to start off Twin II. Had Twin I then placenta, but had cord prolapse (cord before baby) with Twin II. Twin I vaginal delivery (5.2lbs) , Twin II ventouse (?!) u/s then forceps, born breech. Twin II not very well at birth went to Neonatal for 3 days (largest baby in unit at 7.1lbs)! First pregnancy.

Now 16, over 6ft tall and fine lads.

PeelingmyselfofftheCeiling · 01/08/2011 18:12

Hi Tiny,
What does 'u/s' mean? What type of twins were they?

Anyone know anything about how you can prevent cord prolapse with twin 2?

tinywizz · 02/08/2011 10:28

sorry u/s I meant to put unsuccessful, the ventouse didn't work and ended up with a forceps delivery.

Just for info, the cord prolapse I believe happened due to the way he was presented, i.e he was breech and as the placenta was so large (nearly as big as he!!) that it was produced before he was born, hence he wasn't well (trouble breathing) and spent his first few days in neonatal. Had an apgar score of 1 and then 4, very very lucky for him not to have had any lasting damage. Anyone else had this type of experience?

tinywizz · 02/08/2011 10:30

sorry meant to add they are fraternal twins and very different in looks.

PeelingmyselfofftheCeiling · 02/08/2011 12:46

Hi Tiny, thanks for that. Terrifying, but very informative!

tinywizz · 02/08/2011 17:15

sorry didn't mean to be so graphic only informative!!!

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