Why did your twins arrive earlier than planned?

[quesadillas]

Hi,

I posted a while ago asking about what people's plans for their twin births were, and whether that actually happened or whether it happened earlier. It seemed a lot of twin births happened earlier than planned. In. related question, if your twins came earlier than planned, why? Did you go into labour? Or was something spotted by doctors/midwives that made them bring you in earlier for induction/section? What instructions were you given if your waters broke or you started having contractions earlier? I'll be discussing all this with the doc in a couple of weeks at 28 weeks. Current undetailed plan is c-section at 37 weeks but nothing further has been discussed yet.

Thanks!

I had a c section booked for 38+0. At a routine 34 week scan twin1 had no amniotic fluid at all (I was completely unaware I had been leaking but mentioned to the sonographer that I didn't feel right). They booked me in straight away, gave steroids and the plan was to deliver 48 hours later by c section as both babies were transverse. The next afternoon I started getting contractions and they delivered the babies within a couple of hours at 34+5. They spent 2 weeks in Scbu due to infection, struggling to maintain temperatures and to learn to feed. They were 5lb4 & 5lb8.

The waters broke around my first twin at 32+2. Despite the chances of going into labour being quite high, my cervix was long and closed. I was kept in hospital because of the risk of infection. I continued to leak amniotic fluid but the babies' levels remained normal as did their growth and I was induced at 34 weeks. Two healthy boys delivered at 34+3! They weighed 4lb 11oz and 5lb 1oz and were in SCBU for 12 days.

My waters broke at 35+6 (section was planned for 37+3) and by the time I got to hospital I was already almost 4cm dilated.

Had an EMCS because Twin 1 was footling breech.

Twin 1 weighed 5lbs 14 and Twin 2 5lbs 13. Both spent 3 nights in NICU but we all came home together.

As I understand it, 38 weeks is treated as term for a twin pregnancy. A lot of early deliveries are to do with the functioning of the placenta(s).

My ELCS was booked for 36+3 however at my last double appointment. Scan and consultant 34+6 i was told despite my twins growing similarly throughout pregnancy 1 twin hadn't grown in 2 weeks and there was more than 20% difference. Apparently according to scan one twin was 5lbs 9 and the other 4lbs 5 or 6 so consultant wanted them delivered the next day at 35 weeks. Anyway the scan turned out completely wrong as one of my girls was 4lb 5 and the other 4lb 6.

Like Rebecca, my c section was brought forward as twin b hadn't grown from 32 weeks to 36 weeks, so had them at 36+1. In my case they were right as DS was 6lb4 and DD 3lb13!

My waters went at 35+2 and I was admitted to hospital to monitor for infection. I was planning induction at 37 weeks but opted for c-section at 35+6 due to me having bladder retention which was extremely painful. The boys had undiagnosed late onset TTTS and were taken straight to NICU. With hindsight, I'm glad I had them early as I don't know what damage the TTTS might have caused if I'd have left it any longer.

Thanks for your replies, interesting to read some stories. Obviously I'm hoping for 37 weeks or as close as possible, but it's always interesting to see what's happened to others in reality.

37 weeks means nearly 10 weeks left. I'll definitely be making sure my hospital bag is ready very soon!

I had cholestasis and pre eclampsia . Twins were fine, think my body just had had enough! I was 36 weeks but had section on 37 weeks.

Due to be induced at 38 ish weeks but developed pre eclampsia and was induced at 36 weeks instead

Induced at 38 weeks

I had planned for a c-section at 38wks, by my scans we were expecting DCDA twins on July 12th...

However, I had a threatened labour at 32wks with strong contractions coming every 10mins but nothing else, my cervix was still closed and waters intact. They thought it was possibly just strong Braxton Hicks, but they did a swab and found my fibrinomectin levels suggested a chance of early labour so I was kept in for 3days just in case, monitored and given steroid jabs. Nothing happened and everything calmed down so I went home and carried on as normal, walking the dog for an hour in the Peak District every night, back to work, looking forward to mat leave starting a couple of weeks later...

But the Twins had other ideas!

A week later at 33wks my waters went naturally on a Friday morning, I thought I had just weed myself (oh hindsight you are a wonderful thing!) so thought nothing of it and carried on with my day until the contractions started to come very frequently about 2hours later! Got to hospital to find I was 3cm already!! After 18hrs my twins arrived at 33wks weighing in at 3lb and 4lb6

Good job they did though, they turned out to be undiagnosed identical boys with the startings of twin-twin transfusion syndrome, hence the weight difference. The 2 placentas seen on the scans were actually joined by a myriad of vessels and the membrane between the boys was messy and incomplete.

After 4wks in ICU we're finally home, and at 5wks old (39wks corrected) we're now at 5lb and 6lb and I'm one proud mummy!

Went into labour at 27+4. Hospital tried to stop labour but I'd already started to dilate, so it was just a question of delaying it for as long as possible. Gave birth at 27+6.

No reason ever given, just spontaneous labour. I think however that I may have had a water infection but never diagnosed as such.

Bit of a traumatic start, but all well

My waters started to go and I had emcs (twin 1 breach) at 31.4. 7 weeks in nicu, various problems but they're ok now . Good luck!

Twin 1 hadn't grown in a week and I had early signs of pre-eclampsia.
Had them at 35 weeks. He was in scbu for a week and is now the tallest child in his class, and has never had as much as a heavy cold.

I had my twins at 27+4 days. I had a small bleed and pelvic pain and contacted the hospital. They asked me to go in and checked out. I got transferred to a larger hospital in case I went into premature labour but after 3 days they diagnosed the pain as SPD and I got discharged.

My husband picked me up from the hospital and brought me home and within an hour my pains had changed and I was bleeding heavily. 2 hrs later my daughter was born weighing 2lb 8 and then my son was feet first and wouldn't come down, so I had a c-section and he weighed 2lb13. It was never identified why I went into early labour but I was fairly huge considering I wasn't even 28 weeks.

It was a rough scary start, but they are fab now at 14 months x

tinkerbell so similar to my dates - great weights for such an early gestation . Also had a girl naturally and then a boy coming out the wrong way! So pleased to hear they're doing well

Thanks Mandy - Yeah they were really good weights and I think that stood them in good stead when they arrived. My early scans always showed them off the chart on the percentile graph, but because they were IVF they knew exactly when the were conceived.

How old are your twins now? Hope they too are doing well x

They're 10 now how did that happen and they're doing really well. Have another one too (6) but fortunately she was an only one and term