Twins in 2013

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Anyone else having twins in 2013? I am 14 weeks now - massive, lardy bump already.

Hey Knackered! Hope tests for you and babies go well for you today and tomorrow - let us know. I shall keep my fingers crossed for you!

So, lots of mixed messages / differences of opinion from the midwife, the consultant and the obstetrician today. Midwife thought I'd just need a little medication for the BP (since being discharged I've been testing regularly and top figure is between 120-140 and bottom figure 75-100 ... but if I test after doing anything more than sitting or lying still then it goes up to 140-160 over 100ish). Consultant reluctant to prescribe meds, for fear of it getting low, preferring me to keep an eye on it at home. But obstetrician told me she has 'a very low threshold' for re-admitting me on the basis of pre-eclampsia (despite fact urine was clear for protein today!) and wants to see me personally for BP, urine and bloods twice a week.

Not that there are actually that many weeks left as she thinks I will have CS section a few days before I hit 37 weeks ? and I'm 35 weeks today ? yikes! Anyway, I've got at least 2.5 days at home before I see her again and face the possibility of readmission. She has told me to keep my bags at the ready - yikes.

Babies, however, are clearly oblivious to all this going on. Scans went v. well. Doppler on cords showed they are functioning normally and each baby has put on around 1lb in the last three weeks! Now each is around 5lb 5, which I'm very happy with. Must be my recent passion for copious amounts of cheddar cheese and potatoes!

Flippety jibbet. Better get on with some work! Let us know how you get on!

Well I attended clinic on Tuesday at 10.30am. Resting bp was 160/102 on meds so they decided to readmit. First plan was to antenatal ward but whilst still at clinic PCR came back around noon. It had been 143 Friday before. Came back at 940. Was admitted straight to High Dependency Unit for severe pre-eclampsia where they stabilised my bp after insisting I was taken up in a wheelchair so not to increase it!

My DTS and DTD were delivered by emergency C-section that afternoon.

DTS weighed 5lb 7oz at 34+6 and has been with me ever since - we're now on transitional care. DTD weighed 4lb 13oz and should come to transitional care later today. She's currently in HDU but no longer on CPAP and off her glucose drip so doesn't require the step-down to SCBU.

It's been an emotional few days but my DTs have arrived safely at least and I'm a very proud mummy!

Double congratulations knackered such lovely news! I am so pleased for you.

Did you know you were having one of each or was it a surprise? What did you call them? I bet you feel very relieved now, what a scary time for you all.

Do come and join us on the post natal thread. I love twin birth news!

:) :)

Oh Knackered congratulations! Welcome to the world little girl and boy twins! But my goodness, I can well imagine that going quickly from clinic to surgery was a bit of a shock, and a bit scary? But I'm so pleased that you and your babies are well. How lovely that both should by now be in transitional care with you (not sure what that is but it sounds like pretty good progress). Wow! Congrats again!

You've given me much food for thought for my own clinic appt tomorrow! BP is still high and altho I just want meds and stay at home, obviously if protein has returned significantly I really can't argue with readmission. But I am trying to practise my arguments for not staying in - e.g. they haven't tried to medicate the BP.

Awww - thanks for the congratulations!

I'll hunt out the post-natal thread pixies - thanks for pointing me over there.

Well both twins are with me now although DTD still in an incubator as she's having a bit of phototherapy for jaundice.

DTS is currently snuggled on top of me looking really content.

Manda hope all goes well at clinic today and that bp has behaved itself. Let us know how you get on! Hopefully you can avoid being as dramatic as me. Although the odd thing is I didn't feel particularly unwell.

Oh, and transitional care is a post-natal ward (although all the ladies have their own rooms), which is a step-down from SCBU / HDU. It's got neonatal nurses on it to monitor the babies.

hi am being induced for my twins on tues there identical in diffrent sacks am having a blood transfudion tomoz gor being very anemic this has been a hard pregnancy but nearly there i jist carnt wait to ser them and cuddle them :-D

Aww, you lot are discussion of the day!

congratulations everyone. twins are wonderful (mine are about to turn 1) but the first 6 months are v hard work. mine were born naturally at 38 weeks exactly, though I really had to push (ha ha) to avoid having a c-sect, which seems to be the default option. as for feeding, they had breast and bottle from early on until I stopped bf completely at about 3 months. the hardest thing I found wss having a toddler as well to look after...

Thanks for letting us know how you all are Knackered! Hope DTD's jaundice sorts itself out very quickly and you can all be reunited and on the way home soon!

Well, my clinic appointment took six hours out of my day! BP remains an issue (150/100 at its very worst but more like 130ish/90ish these past couple of weeks; and it has been about 115/70 during the rest of the pregnancy) so doc prescribed beta-blockers and asked me to stay in for observation overnight. I said I'd rather not thankyouverymuch and there ensued a 20-minute discussion about why they would like me to stay in and it seemed to boil down to NICE guidelines which read something like don't give a 35-week pregnant woman beta-blockers without 24hr obs. But the last time they said stay in for 24hrs (last Thursday) it took four days to get discharged and essentially very little happened during that time apart from my BP looking a bit better and all other possible pre-eclampsia symptoms disappearing. I'm really not ready to go back into hospital. Anytime from Tuesday next week, when I'll be 36 weeks, fine. And obviously if anything was wrong with the babies or me I would have stayed in; I also said I'd think about staying in if I could have a single room (forgive my snootiness but other people's daytime television was driving me mad) but I was told that wouldn't be possible. So I came home after we reached a compromise: I'll attend Mat. Assessment Unit in the morning to get the results of today's blood tests and to get BP checked again (by which time I should have had three beta-blockers and hopefully things will look better). Feel a bit like a naughty schoolgirl but it feels like the right decision overall.

Awww this thread is taking me back ... my twins are 4yo today, they are in bed singing happy birthday to each other. Congratulations all!

My pregnancy was really tough towards the end, and I relied hugely on an online community for advice and support. Here is something I found that I wrote for a bulletin board when I was 7 months pregnant - the ultimate twin pregnancy symptoms quiz. Simply add up your sh*y symptoms and tell us how you are feeling with one simple number:

Vomiting: 1 pt for average voms daily
Incontinence: 1pt if you wear light pads, 2pts for heavy pads
Swollen joints: 1pt
SPD: 1pt (occasional), 2pts for constant
anxiety: 1pt
Sore/itchy bump: 1pt
Desperate to eat/drink naughty things: 1pt No energy: 1pt
Breathless: 1pt
Other chidren: 1pt per child
Helpful partner: deduct 2pts
Gagging for sex: deduct 2pts (2nd trimester only)
Braxton Hicks: 1pt per average BH per hour
Cough/cold: 1pt
Cramped house pi**ing you off: 2pts
Too big to get dressed: 1pt
Too big for bathtup: 1pt
Can't take pm nap: 1pt
Diarrhoea: 1pt
Constipation: 1pt
Piles: 1pt
Weeing > once an hour: 1pt
Rude comments on size of bump: 1pt / 3 comments
Rude comments about IVF: 1pt/comment
Partner annoyed at time spent on mumsnet: 1pt
Gestational Diabetes diet restrictions: 2pts
Rude consultant / hospital letters: 1pt

WHAT's YOUR RATING??? Come on all you lurkers this is a less embarassing way to have a huge moan..

Longstory you post made me laugh! My twin pregnancy is still fresh in my mind, DTs are 4 months old.

My points....26!

Thanks for posting :)

I hope it was 26 points when you were pg and not any more, gardenpixie ... !

16 points I think and I'm only 21+5 weeks!

I am having one of each flavour, and I'm already knackered all the time.

My biggest worry is how I am going to cope with DD1 who is 26 mo as I am struggling now as she is so lively, so goodness knows what will happen when I get bigger!

I had a lot of complications in my first pregnancy, so I also see a haemotology obstricican and a cardio obstrician in addtion to the twin clinic at my local hospital.

When did you or are you planning to start Mat Leave?

Well I tried to keep working but it was getting tougher and tougher, I'd never known a tiredness like it. My team staged a coup by arranging a leaving do, I was a bit offended at the time but it was probably sensible, at 31 weeks. I worked at home for another three weeks (while I could still reach the laptop) and signed off at 34 weeks, beyond which I was at the hospital most days which took me to 36+1. And that was with low risk twins!

Congrats to all of u expecting twins! Brings back memories,my twins will be 12 on valentines day ( boy/ girl) they were nos 4 and 5 for us and at the time of birth we had a 5 yr old ,a 4 yr old and a 2 year old.I made it to 39 weeks and 4 days before being induced as I was huge , my consultant would have let me continue but I was very uncomfortable as am not very tall! Twin 1 was a boy,ventouse,7lb 1oz and 15 mins later twin two born breech ( vaginally) a girl ,6lb 9oz............really hard work once home ( 2 days after delivery ) but great fun too,miss those days,sigh..........

Yes congratulations everyone.. My twins just turned 5! I almost had them in the back of a taxi...

i was 10 cm when i got to the hospital and didnt really know if i was in labour or not. I was gearing myself up labour ( they were babies 2&3) and out popped my DD followed 18 mins later my Ds .

I only went to the hospital because a midwife i know told me not to hang around as they werent my first babies so they may come quick. So as soon as i had a few twinges i went in .. and i was 39+4.

So pleased to see some twins action on 'discussions of the day' - ours are 15mnths now. It has been great (I say that now that I'm back at work full time and sahd is not on fulltime double duty!). Good luck for all of your pregnancies.

LongStory, v. cute about your twins singing to each other! Love it! And I only scored 7 points on your quiz which makes me feel haps better! (I won't go on about how I've not vomited at all during the pregnancy?!)

Well, just one beta-blocker has brought down BP to the 120s/80s and taking a second now. Soon of to the mat. assessment unit to get the results of yesterday's bloods. Hope they are pleased with BP and there is nothing indicating pre-eclampsia in the bloods...

(I did re-pack my hospital bag after last week's stay just in case!)

Hello ladies and gentleman! Congratulations on your twin pregnancies.

Have you found this thread yet? It'll be very helpful when your babies arrive. We will see you there soon (maybe sooner than you think!)

Hi,

Sounds like your pregnancies are progressing well.

just wanted to let you know I have a red out and about nipper for sale £150. really good condition as only used for 8 months for my toddler and new born.

Live in North London, please let me know if anyone is interested.

Good luck with your pregnancies.

Congratulations ladies, all ths talk takes me back .

My dts (b/g) are 17 weeks now. It's bloody hard work being a twin mum but utterly amazing. It really is double the fun!

Wow - nice to see this thread on discussion of the day and to read everybody's stories.

Longstory - I laughed out loud at your post . I scored 12 so didn't do bad!

Manda - glad to hear the meds are keeping your bp down. How are you feeling?

Pixies - how are you getting on with your DTDs?

Well my DTD is now sharing a cot with her DTB . They look so peaceful at the moment. I am really lucky although have spent the day crying on and off . Got half an hour's sleep last night as the TC nurse couldn't be bothered helping with ng feeds. DH complained this morning and she's been swapped with another nurse from special care!

My bp is still unstable and very high so I'm now on beta blockers four times a day and a second anti-hypertensive drug. Feeling a bit unwell and exhausted and have to be monitored very closely overnight although they're letting DH stay on an air mattress in my room so he can look after the little ones, I can get some rest and express as struggling to do it all and keep bp down!

Hey knackered! Hurray for your boy and girl now sharing a cot - how lovely! I'm not surprised it leaves you a little tearful, but the erratic BP and the lack of support with feeds overnight is not going to help. Do you think you've had a hormone dip too? I'm a bit worried about that. Glad your DH stepped in on the lack of support re feeding, though, and FX your BP stabilises soon. I'll be thinking of you. This twin pregnancy thing doesn't half take a toll on our bodies, eh? Soon be back to something like normal, don't worry. I'm really, really pleased that they are letting DH stop in and help look after you and the twins.

Can I ask a bit of an inconsequential question which you can ignore if you're too busy with the babes...how much smaller your belly got within a day or two of giving birth? I was a size 12/14 and still am ... everywhere but the bump which (because I like over-the-bump stylee) requires size 24 big momma knickers from M&S. Actually, I've outgrown them and refuse to buy any more at this stage so have snipped the elastic either side! So glam! For hospital I've packed a couple of pairs of each size I've gone through - 14, 16, 18, etc, as I've no idea how much of my belly will deflate once babas are out. As I say, it's a daft question...!

I'm feeling well, and just delighted that I was allowed home yesterday after 3hr mat. assessment unit appt! Babies doing fine and although there is again a little protein in my urine they aren't worried about it yet as apparently it's not a 'worrying' urine (?) BP is even lower this morning - 115/73 when I woke and was lying down and 122/77 now I'm up and about. So now I'm worried that it's going to get too low ? argh! Anyway, will see what docs say on Tuesday at my 36-week appt. I'm prepared to go in now, if necessary, for further monitoring, even though I feel well in myself. It's extraordinary how quickly the beta-blockers made me feel a bit calmer and made my breathing slower and deeper.

I think the protein, though, may be related to a UTI. I have a touch of cystitis coming on - only noticed after cam home from hospital yesterday and have been mainlining cranberry juice ever since.

Just a quick note to say that my c-section is booked for next week, Weds 13 February, when I'll be 37+1. The pregnancy is getting quite difficult now so I'm looking forward to feeling a bit better in myself ... as well as meeting our babies of course!

Any hints and tips for c-section with twins?

How exciting. My tip is not to eat a big meal beforehand but do take a few minutes to really enjoy a hot cup of tea, because once they're here you'll forever be making one then watching it go cold :) Good luck!