How long did you carry twins and was an EMCS required?

[V478]

I found out a few weeks ago that I am pregnant with twins. I am absolutely over the moon but would like to know everything about what other mothers have gone through with their twin pregnancies, labour and whether the twins were premature. Would appreciate any replies. I have been getting lots of fab tips, ideas and information from reading other posts but have not seen anything along these lines yet.

My DCDA boys were born at 35+5 weeks. Waters broke at 35+4 and they did a CS the following day (I never started contracting otherwise they might have done it sooner). I had a planned CS booked for 37weeks due to twin 1 being breech. Both boys were in SCBU for 24 hours as although good weights (5lbs 13oz and 5lbs 15oz) they couldn't regulate their blood sugar. DT1 was kept in SCBU for a further fortnight due to his cleft palate which was completely unrelated to him being slightly prem.

Hope this info helps, Congratulations on your twins

Hi and congratulations!

What type of twins are you having?

I had my non-id twins at 38 weeks. I was induced in the morning but things didn't move along quickly enough so was taken down for EMCS in the late evening. I was always told that this would only be an option if induction failed or if there were complications, as I was low risk for a twin pregnancy and twin A was head down. I was actually due to be induced at 37 weeks but 'as I was doing so well' they left me until 38 weeks.

My pregnancy was pretty straightfoward except for horrendous hyperemesis so they were very much pushing for a natural birth, although my twins obviously had other ideas

Forgot to add, my waters actually broke the morning before I was due to be induced but nothing happened after this of it's own accord

Got to 37wks and demanded induction. I was the size of a house. I also have an older child and was fiinding it impossible to care for her. I ws due boxing day and the male child Dr said i could go to full term but I told him where he could stick that

Dt1 born after being induced but before labour became established. Dt2 by emcs because he refused to turn. It was quite laid back for 'emergancy'. They were 6lbs2oz and 6lbs5oz. Dt1 was head down in my pelvis from quite early on but Dt2 was above her and very mobile.

The section was fine and I just got on with it after the birth, didn't push my body but didn't avoid activities either. I walked as often as I could but didn't go further than my body would allow. Arnica made me feel better so I took it.

I had a great pregnancy until 31 weeks when I developed severe pre eclampsia. My non-id boys were born by EMCS at 32+5 weeks. They were in SCBU for 4 weeks and weighed just under 4lbs each. They are now 9yo and almost the tallest in their class and totally different personalities! You would never know they had been premature.

I was very lucky to have my 4yo dd full term by VBAC.

Good luck!

Congratulations on your twin pregnancy. Mine were born in February last year at 31.5 weeks by EMCS after I started bleeding fairly heavily, which turned out to be a partial abruption. (I'd also been in the hospital overnight the night before as it seemed that labour was starting and they'd given me something to stop the contractions. In the end I've no idea if that was labour or whether the bleeding was unrelated).

The section was actually a very good experience and my twins were good weights for their gestation, but they did need to stay in the neonatal unit for 5 weeks to get their weights up, regulate temperature and get to grips with breast feeding. My son also needed a few days on a ventilator to help him breathe. Luckily there don't seem to be any lingering problems with their prematurity and they are chunky things now.

Hope your pregnancy goes smoothly.

Mine arrived at 30 weeks due to SROM, via EMCS under GA and were in scbu for 7 weeks, so I'm probably the kind if person you don't want to hear from...

BUT labour was going great - very rapid progression, entirely manageable levels of pain with g&a and was lining up for a natural delivery until a last minute check revealed a cord prolapse. Medical care at delivery faultless and although long haul in hospital was hard twins are doing really great now (16 weeks actual).

Don't worry, whatever happens you will cope. Just get prepares early!

Hello and congratulations.

I heard so many horror stories about twin pregnancies/labours so I was pretty terrified all the way through my pregnancy (despite it being my second pregnancy). I had a pretty easy pregnancy and labour by all accounts so I hope it gives you faith.

The pregnancy was pretty much the same as my first. However, I knew I was pregnant much earlier with the twins i.e. a week after conceiving. With my first DD I didn't find out until I was about 9 weeks and put the sickness down to not being able to handle wine anymore. My morning sickness wore off at 26 weeks with the twins (sick every day until 39 weeks with DD1). I was bigger but just as mobile as with my first pregnancy. The tiredness was quite full-on at the end but I had an older child to look after so I couldn't just put my feet up.

On a positive note, I got lots of wear out of my maternity clothes with my twin pregnancy - I didn't need them until around 6 months with my first pregnancy.

Mine were induced at 38 weeks and I had a normal vaginal delivery for both of them. In fact, my labour with the twins was much "nicer" than with my eldest DD. I got to hold DT1 while I pushed DT2 out and I had lots of skin-to-skin contact with them (and fed them both) before they were taken away to be weighed/checked over. I didn't have to deliver in an operating theatre (as I was told I would have to) and I only had 3 members of staff there at the "peak" of my labour.

I was booked in for a CS at 37 weeks due to DT2 being a footling breech but she turned at 37 weeks (how she found the room I'll never know - I didn't even feel it and I was the size of a house). I was so elated I could try for a vaginal delivery at the time - I even hugged the sonographer and midwife.

They weighed 5lb 10oz and 6lb 2oz and we were discharged within 12 hours after delivery.

I had my b/g twins at 36 weeks as dt2 had stopped growing. They were 5lbs each and were in scbu for 2 days (dt1) and 4 days (dt2). Was sort of a planned emergency and they were born the day after the last scan by cs.

PS When you go shopping after they are born allow an extra hour for people stopping you and telling you about their neighbours, brothers, SILs, mothers milkman has twins

My non id b/g twins were born (four years ago today!!!) at 36 weeks 5 days. I felt first contraction about 8am and twin 1 (dd) was born vaginally just after midday. Had waters broken in hospital. Twin 2 (ds2) was born 25 mins later also vaginally, but was helped out with ventouse. Did not have an epidural (did ask but was too late!).

Dd was 4lbs 11oz and ds2 was 5lbs 4oz. They never had to go to special care and we were kept in for four days until blood sugars were at acceptable level. Was definitely v positive experience.

Pregnancy was fine and only hard work due to ds1 being a demanding toddler.

Hi. Congratulations!! I had a planned c-section booked in for 38weeks on the advice of my consultant. I went into labour myself at 37+2 and had the CS that afternoon. I was actually already in hospital being monitored due to increasing blood pressure.

My DS was 7lbs 11 and my DD was 6lbs 14 so good weights. I had to stay in hospital for another week after having a blood tranfusion and probs with blood pressure. Both babies were fine, my DS had jaundice so went under a lamp for a day.

They are 9 tomorrow!! Time flies. Enjoy them

I had a straightforward pregnancy with non-ID twins. I had assumed all the way through that as I was 37 years old I'd be an automatic candidate for a c-section but that wasn't the case (a doctor friend of mine put this idea in my head - a consultant psychiatrist so perhaps the moral of the story is don't put your trust in any random in the medical profession). Twin A was head down so I was induced at 38+2 (it was supposed to be 38 but the ward was too busy) and after 2 attempts and 22 hours later I was sent for an emcs as nothing was happening. I had to then wait a further 3 hours as they had more pressing emergencies to deal with, I was just bloody knackered and in no shape to go through labour if it did happen. Just as I entered theatre my contractions finally kicked in and Twin B decided to shove a foot in my ribcage just as they were about to administer the spinal injection - her foot actually hurt more than the injection! I have a very neat scar and no horror stories of recovery - along with b/g twins at 7lb 3oz and 6lb 14oz or something like that (I forget and they are only 3 months old!)

My b/g twins are nearly 6 months old now

They arrived at 38 weeks. I was induced and a vb was planned but DTD's heartrate dropped like a stone so I had an emcs. They spent 4 days in SCBU before we all came home, mostly to keep an eye on DTD and get her feeding etc, as she wasn't in a great way after the birth. DTS was just there to keep her company I think - there wasn't much wrong with him.

DTD was 5lbs 7oz, DTS was 7lbs 3oz, so pretty hefty really. Pregnancy was straight forward but tough at the end. I got more sleep when they were newborns than towards the end of my pregnancy as I ached a lot.

They're a joy though , congratulations.

I have 2 sets of twins, both sets born by elective cs due to being breech. First set born at exactly 38 weeks and second set born at 38+3. I know I was lucky to have fairly uneventful pregnancies (well, apart from terrible back trouble first time around but let's not dwell on that...) but I do vividly remember being quite scared by all the negative info out there about twin pregnancies being problematic and even my (horrible) consultant announced airily "well of course all twins come early..." It really worried me and sort of spoilt my first pregnancy because I was always waiting for something to go wrong. Second time around, I knew better and had a much nicer, more relaxed time.

I'm not keen on hospitals but my c-sections (elective) were lovely experiences. The only advice I can give really is try to relax and enjoy your pregnancy and try not to have your heart too set on a particular type of birth. Congratulations!

Mine were born at 35 weeks. Both just over 4lb. One was in SCU for a week, because of low blood sugar, jaundice and something else (it was 7 years ago!). No lasting effects though, he's the tallest in the class, I can't remember the last time he had so much as a cold.
They were born by CS as twin 1 was breech.

I dont know another twin mum who went to full term, so be prepared for them to come early.

Congratulations! We have 21month non-id boys & they are fab. I had a straightforward pregnancy though was constantly half-expecting to go into labour at any time from 26weeks because that's the message you constantly seem to get (not without some reason, of course). I was actually induced at 40+3 so although twins often arrive early, it's certainly not a given. Both boys were head down throughout. I was offered induction at 38weeks but chose to wait & be monitored as I was keen to avoid the `cascade of intervention' & possibly end in a section.

I agreed to have a sweep at 38 & 39 weeks (& babies' hearts were monitored). I'm not sure if they did much, but I was already 4cm dilated by the time I went in for induction. I had 2 lots of pessaries & went into labour. Labour was short - only 4 1/2 hours & most of that was because I was pretty lazy/ineffective in pushing ds1 out until a shift change with midwives who directed me better and the threat of instruments / doctors hovering. I didn't realise there was a policy of allowing only 1 hour for pushing (took me well over 2 to get ds1 out). A bit of syntocin to increase my contractions, which had tailed off considerably, and ds2 was born 13minutes later. We could have gone home 12hours later but I opted to stay in for breastfeeding support. Not so successful, but that's a different story.

I was very lucky - but it does happen! Good luck!

I will also add that by the time you get to about 36 weeks you will want them out so badly you will threaten to get an eviction notice. I cant talk for everybody but even though mine were 4 weeks early they still passed their milestone checks and had caught up weight wise by about 4 months

I had b/g twins at 27 weeks + 6 days.

I know when you read that (if you haven't got any experience of premature babies) that it is really alarming. I remember being about 20 weeks pregnant with the twins and reading the story of a twin mum to be who had been told she had to have a section at 32 weeks (the earliest I'd ever known babies to be born) and was flabbergasted. When I was told at 27+4 that they'd try to stop my (spontaneous) labour (which I thought was just back ache), they could only stop it for a while and I would deliver within days, I was completely and utterly devastated and thought they would never survive. It had been a completely smooth pregnancy up until that point.

They were 2lb 6oz each when they were born (naturally) and were whisked off pretty quickly to Neonatal Intensive Care. Don't get me wrong, it was horrible but the progress and developments that have been made in recent years mean that they weren't even classed as "very early" from a medical point of view. After about 48 hours, the consultant said that they were in hospital just to learn how to feed and get bigger.

I'm always in 2 minds about posting something like this - just wanted to reassure you really that if you do end up delivering early, its hard of course it is, its a bit of an emotional roller coaster, one always seems to do better than the other, if they're ever split up (i.e. not next to each other in their incubators / cots) you feel like you want to split yourself in half and leaving them in hospital when you've been discharged is heartbreaking. BUT (and its a big but) I genuinely feel like neonatal drs and nurses are the most incredible, understanding, professional people you'll ever come across and you'll get through it.

My twins were in NICU / SCBU for 8 weeks and 5 days - so came home at the equivalent of 36+4. They had regular check ups and were completely discharged when they were 2yrs old. 6 years later, my DS is on every sports team going (and bright too) and my DD is at the top of her class with a reading age of 11. No signs whatsover of their prematurity.

Good luck. Hope I haven't worried you, wanted to give you a positive story.

Mandy

Hi, congratulations

I had my non identical twin girls at 34+5 weeks and they both weighed 6lb9oz. Quite good weights for being over 5 weeks early. I had a vaginal delivery for them both even though twin 2 was breech. Needed help of forceps for the breech twin though.

Due to them being premature they were taken to neonatal unit and remained there for 2 days. Just till they'd established feeding and lost their lovely jaundice colour which is pretty common especially with preemies.

I was taken into hospital a week before the birth as I had suspected pre-eclampsia and high blood pressure. Was allowed home for the weekend but ended up going into labour before I even got home.

I hope everything goes well for you

"Twins will be early and small."
No, DF twins were induced on their due date, both weighed well over 7 lb.
Fortunately, my two 6 lb+ singletons got lots of wear out of their small babygrows

COngratulations on your pg!

To answer you q, I had my twin boys at 38 weeks when I was induced. INduction started with waters being broken and then in established labour within 4 hours or so. DT1 was head down and popped out no prob. DT2 turned breach at the last minute but I managed to push him out anyway. I think tbh, that having had two babies vaginally before the twins probably helped.

The pregnancy was ok I suppose but I was huge by 24 weeks and barely able to walk by 34weeks. (slight exaggeration but it was hard and honestly nearly impossible by 36!)

Induced at 36+1 - would have been 36 but I had the BT engineer booked to come that day and I'd been waiting for him almost as long. Straightforward delivery 8 hours later 6 minutes apart, held and fed. Discharged after 24 hours. That's when the fun really begins!

Huge congratulations! such fantastic news

My non Id girls were born at 37 weeks by emergency cs due to placenta previa - t1's placenta began to detach so I was whisked in fairly quickly - girls were out within 30 minutes and cuddled up with me - cs was bloody brilliant and I was out of hospital the next day. Girls were 5'11 and 6'1. Only down size of getting to 37 weeks is I was the size of a house

Good luck with everything x