having twins at 35wks 6days nervous as hell

[twinqueen]

hi there, i went into prem labour last wk luckily the hosp managed to stop it and i was allowed home after 3 days. i have now talked my consultant into doing it next wk and delivering my twin girls. i will be 1 day shy of 36wks and he is complaining it is still too soon but due to the pains and stuff kicking in he has finally agreed. has anyone out there had twins at this stage i have heard some horror stories whilst in hospital about twins having to stay in but i go home i really dont want that. they weigh approx 5lb 9oz and 5lb 6oz. all advice welcomed.

Hi Twinqueen

Really don't worry - it won't do you or babies any good!

You will be fine - they are a great weight.

If first went into hospital at 31 weeks 2 days with a placental bleed. They gave me steroids etc incase I delivered. They let me out after five days but I was back in after six days and had them at 33 weeks and 2 days. DS was 5lb 1oz and DD was 4 lb 7oz.

They did have to go to special care but they were absolutely fine and just needed to establish feeding. They were in for about
2 1/2 weeks. I did come out before them but they were so well looked after. I went in once or twice a day to see them and my husband would visit with me or separately. It really gave me a chance to recover as I had a caesarean.I could ring any time of the day or night to find out how they were.

Are you having a caesarean?

Happy to chat about your concerns and give you any advice!

Good luck - let me know how you get on if you don't get a chance to reply before you have them.

I had my two four months ago at 3 days short of 37 weeks. One was just under 5lb and the other just over - so both smaller than your predicted weights.

They were both fine - no need to go into special care with either of them.

Have you had a steriod injection? Its supposed to improve lung development and should be given prior to the birth (I had mine at 28 weeks as had big danger of being very prem).

Good luck - its such fun having two!!

Multiple mums thread

They are brilliant weights.

I had twin boys at 38 weeks (undiagnosed until 10 days before they were born) 5lbs l3ounces and 4lbs 1ounce.

Try to get some stories on the multiples thread I have linked above. We have some mums on there with triplets as well

Good luck with everything I am sure you will all be just fine

hi everyone, thank you....yes i am having a c section but did expect originally to have them at 38wks, but due to prem labour, then serious back pain and old scar tissue pain i have been brought forward. i have had the injections for their liver and hope that their weight will keep them out of special unit. i am worried about that and also having a spinal etc....so your comments are all welcome. thank you.....

I had my DTs at 35+2 and although, like MrsBakerGirl, they did have to go into SCBU for 8 days for feeding and temp comtrol issues, the staff were fantastic and when I came home with them I felt really confident about breastfeeding them, etc as I'd been given so much help in hospital.

Mine were 4lbs 7 and 4lbs 13 so smaller than yours and I reckon they were only about 4 and a half pounds by the time we came home. Now 10 months and doing brilliantly - both mum and babies!

I am sure they will be fine. Had mine at 35 weeks , one was 5lbs 12 oz and the other 5lbs 8ozs, neither went to special care, and they were perfect.
Try not to worry, get as much rest now before the day, because once they are here, you be very busy!!! I had a C section too and though I was not too happy about the spinal injection, it all went like clockwork and so quick, after 23 hours of induced labour, it was a relief to see my babies so well.
Good luck!

I had 2 singletons, both at 37 weeks due to complications. Neither went to special care and with DD, you couldn't tell she'd been delivered early (with DS, you could tell). Both came home after just 1 night in hospital. Think positive!

A friend of mine had twins at similar weights to yours - no SCBU, all fine

Good luck

Just to add to all the rest, I also had my twins by c-section at just short of 36 weeks, we all left together after 5 days, and I cannot see that it will be any different for you.
Look after yourself now, and make sure someone else is looking after you post op, rest up your babies are coming and that is a beautiful thing!
S

Hi,

My twins - boy and girl - were born at 36 weeks. 6lbs 11 0z and 6lbs 3 0z. I had an emergency cesarean. Like your consultant mine was the same. He wanted me to go to 39 weeks, and only delivered them due to the girl being breech, me having pre eclampsia, and havind bilarubin in my blood - jaundice! The weights sound good, and they will be fine. May have to go into special care for a few days. Don't know if you have other children or if you're prepared for them, but would recommend highly you get and read "A Contented house with Twins " By Gina Ford. I have followed her advice and routines since they were 6 weeks old. They slept through the night from 11 weeks and have been contented happy babies since then. It is really hard getting them into the routine, you need to give it 2 weeks, but any twin/multiple mum will tell you without it you will go insane! I won't lie to you either, the first 3-6 months were hell. I think the worst part was the sleep deprevation in the early days. But now they are 14 months old and things are now getting easier.

My friend also had twin boys at 27 weeks which weighed just 2lbs each, and now they are 6 weeks old and are doing well.

Be happy to give you any other advice if you need it, especially post cesarean part. Good luck!

Hi,
As my name is a dead give away you will know I have triplets! They were born at 32 weeks because baby number 3 had really slowed right down. I had a c section/spinal block, and it was all over in 30 mins start to finish. Rebecca was 4.lb 3 oz, Thomas was 4.7oz and James was 2.15oz!I had been given injections to mature their lungs from week 24. Rebecca and Thomas went into an open cot in SCU and James into an incubator just to keep him warm. No one needed any help when born and they all came home together in just under 4 weeks once James tipped the scales at 4lb!! Picture on my profile of them about 7 weeks old! For me that morning was a wonderful experience, I would do it over again! Your babies are wonderful weights, please don`t worry, all will be well xxx

twinqueen... you need to get your paedatrician to write in your notes that they are not to be taken away unless there is a specific medical reason (hospital policy is NOT a medical reason).

If you're planning on bfing them then he/she should also write that they are not to be given formula without your express permission.

If you have to express try to do it by hand because those precious pearls of colostrom get lost in the tubes of the breast pumps.

I'm sure that all will be well and you and the babies will be out lickety split!

Hi there,

I had my twins at 35 weeks on the nose (IUGR), they were predicted to be about 5lb 08oz each, came out at 4lb 15oz and 5lb 04oz. They were fine with regards to breathing etc I'd had steroid injections at 32 weeks). We had to stay in for a fortnight as they coudnlt breastfeed/feed at all due to no sucking reflex, expressing not working to the point they lost over 10% of their body weight and had to be tube fed.

11 months on, they are a healthy, normal weight. They are about 8 weeks behind developmentally, but all babies differ so it's hard to say that with any authority really.

Planned section was fab - very different to my previous emergency one. And, there was no mention of me having to leave the hospital before my babies, I was told I could stay as long as they did. HTH

Hello twinqueen. My twins were born at 36+5 and were smaller than anticipated from scans (they were 4lbs 11 and 5lbs 4) but although I remember someone saying "right we're just going to take them to SCBU now" and me sobbing saying "but why" they then said "actually there's no need as there's nothing wrong with them" and we were on the ward within an hour or two. I think they often tell you to be prepared that they might go into special care but many don't.

Good luck if you haven't had them already!

Hello,

My daughters were born at 35+3 after a massive bleed (I had placenta praevia and recurrant bleeds and early labour scards for the second half of my pregnancy). They were born by emergency c section and weighed 5lbs 3oz and 4lbs 13oz and, amazingly, avoided SCBU, which I think is quite rare. However, I'd had two lots of steroids for their lungs at previous labour scares and I think this helped hugely.

Did they give you a steroid shot at all? Your babies will be absoltely fine. They may end up in SCBU for a few days - largely to help regulate their temperature and help with feeding as babies born before 36 weeks don't tend to have much of a suck reflex. Mine were tube fed for 4 days (I expressed my colostrum and then breastmilk into their tubes so they got all my nutrients on top of the premmie formula that the hospital gave them). We went home when the girls were a week old. However, not all babies need to go to SCBU at this gestation so although you need to bear it in mind as a possibility it isn't a foregone conclusion and it would just be to get them really settled and strong.

Hope this helps and GOOD LUCK!!! Twins are the greatest blessing.
Kx

Forgot to say, I had natural delivery and no steroids (or any other drugs etc to help them along) and they still came out ok . Well DS2 was helped out with a ventouse but other than that all was straightforward.

hi everyone, thank you for your kind words and support, i have bought the book recommend it to everyone.....a contented house with twins.....fab. i had my girls wed 2nd july at 10.45 and 10.46am, jessica my breech weighed in at 5lb 13oz, isabelle 6lb 5oz. we were home in 2 days mainly due to my determination to move! all doing well. health visitor came today jess has lost 5oz izzy 7oz. we had an argument because she told me to feed them 90ml when at the mo they are only taking around 40-50ml....how the hell can you make them drink more! anyway they are doing well, i have had my staples out and apart from getting frustrated because i cant drive i am fine. thanks again everyone!

Congratulations on the birth of your lovely girls.

CONGRATULATIONS twinqueen!! x