Lack of everything during this twin pregnancy

[Lmt38]

Advice needed please. Im currently 27 weeks pregnant with twins. I was told i would have more care during this pregnancy but feel like its less than a single pregnancy. I dont know whether im coming or going. I have all the relevant appointments sent to me but the lack of information is worrying. Ive had rude comments from a midwife which was really upsetting, i have 4 other children & when i had a scan she said " i dont need to tell you where to go as you've had that many" and when they ask about how many children i have they seem to think its funny & pull faces, so unprofessional!! Ive had a young doctor telling me to stop folic acid & writing it in my notes, then my community midwife telling me that he was wrong to do that & even phoned another midwife to confirm that i still have to take it. Ive had one midwife telling me i will have a normal birth which im not keen on with it being twins & dont want them being in any distress then another telling me it will be a c section. Ive had nobody go through anything with me. My appointments just seem to be less then 5 minutes so no chance of going through anything at all. This is my first twin pregnancy & im scared as it is & i need to know the ins & outs so im prepared. All i know atm is that at 28 weeks i need to do self injections, not been told what for etc etc plus im terrified of needles, not even been given any options like do i have to do this. Ive been told ill be induced at 37 weeks, no dates have been set or any information on what will happen regarding all that. Really dont know where to go from here or who to speak too. What should be a happy time for me its not due too all this. Any advice would be great. Thanks

Sorry to hear this. I'm 28 weeks with twins and it's totally wrong that you're being treated this way!

Your hospital should have a PALS (patient advisory liaison service) department, for issues just like this.

Look it up on their website and send them an email explaining exactly how you feel (include all the info above), particularly that you're worried and feel under-informed.

Then follow it up with a phone call and make sure they've got it.

Also, check out the multiples topic on here - you can ask other twin mums-to-be about various issues (to compare).

I have twins who are 4. I found consultants don’t seem to think uncomplicated twin pregnancies need consultant care and I found them very dismissive. They missed something very important and it almost ended in a loss of one of my boys.

I wanted a caesarean and they put me off until the last minute, finally booked one and then less than a week later I had an emergency cs at 35+1.

I would contact your unit and ask to speak to the head of midwifery and outline your concerns.

You might also want to mention the recent Ockenden report and the importance of informed choice on place and mode of birth, including maternal request caesarean. Mentioning Ockenden should get them listening!

Do contact PALS they are brilliant.
I had a horrible horrible lady do my 20 week scan (singleton) and she left me in absolute bits. I sobbed the whole way home even when I was at home.

My DP contacted pals at like 11pm that night and the next morning at 5am they emailed back and the head of midwifery phoned me at 9am. They're brilliant and will get this sorted for you x

I think it must depend on your area - I'm in the West Midlands and had fantastic care - automatically had all care moved over to the big hospitals twin clinic which I attended fortnightly she had scans every 4 weeks and a dedicated multiples consultant so then didn't have routine appointments with the midwife (although I did arrange to see her at 16 weeks and 28 weeks)

The injections are blood thinners - I've taken them before and the fear of doing the injection is worse than actually doing it

I took folic acid the whole way through

I'd already had a c section so it was a given that I'd have another c section for these twins. It was very much a case of you can do natural birth if you really want but the default position was always a c section.

Congratulations!
You will definitely have more appointments with multiple pregnancy however I think,thanks to Covid they are not as consistent and long enough as they will normally be.
I am assuming they are a bit relaxed about the schedule as your pregnancy is progressing well and if you had a history of previous uncomplicated pregnancies and deliveries,they just don't want to interfere too much without a reason,just 'wait and see' approach.
In relation to your anxiety, because it's twin pregnancy and you fear of needles etc,I would contact your midwife to discuss it first before contacting PALS.
you have also mentioned confusion over folic acid.It is very common that doctors and midwives have different opinions on such.If you want to know for sure,check NICE guidelines for antenatal care in multiple pregnancies.
Good luck with everything.

I had twins last time and my care was great. I was seen every 4 weeks and given time to ask any questions. Currently pregnant with our 6th (a singleton) and it feels like I've barely been in so far although I have 3 appointments booked in for next month. They want me on injections from 28wk this time, those are blood thinners as I'm classed high risk for clots now due to age, weight and number of babies I've had. I would have gone for a VB with the twins had the lower not turned breech late on, they were wonderful prepping everything for that and left it open for induction if she turned again (she didn't). I have the option of ercs or vbac this time, no negative or sarcastic comments have been made to me by any care provider.

Sounds like you have a rubbish team looking after you and you need to make a formal complaint. I know they are very busy atm but that is no excuse for poor care.

Thank you to everyone for all your advice. I will contact PALS & see how i get on

Hi OP. I don't know if it will help at all to hear my experience so far, but I have also been having trouble arranging a C-section. I'm 32 weeks pregnant with twins, it's my first pregnancy. At the 28 week appointment with the consultant, they strongly advocated a natural birth, and would not agree to a caesarean at that stage. I am disabled and have health conditions that mean I simply would not be able to give birth naturally without considerable danger to myself and my twins. I had my 32 week appointment today and although the consultant has now agreed to a caesarean, they won't actually book it in until I have my 36 week scan and appointment! It has been a frustrating process so far, and I really sympathise with you. If they could just agree to a caesarean now, and book it in, it would eliminate so much stress and worry. I don't know why they have to be so difficult.

Have you spoken to your midwife about wanting a caesarean? I have an appointment with mine in a few weeks time, and she has said that she can intervene with the consultant if needed to make sure that a caesarean takes place. We will also go through my birth plan. Ultimately, it is your right to choose whether or not you have a vaginal birth or a caesarean, and they must comply with your wishes unless there is a medical reason why it wouldn't be possible.

Please feel free to PM me if you'd like to chat. We can support each other through this.