Let’s talk about twin pregnancy and twin birth along with labor and delivery! Whether you have been trying to get pregnant for a long time, or if you have a surprise pregnancy. Being pregnant means that you are no longer concerned solely for yourself, as you now have twins, triplets, or more to care for. Taking care of yourself before and during pregnancy, gives you a better chance of having a smoother labor and delivery.
Depending on your personal pregnancy, your medical provider may have already discussed your delivery plan. You may be scheduled for a cesarean (C-section) delivery. If everything in your pregnancy go well, a vaginal birth may be a great possibility. In this article, we will review some of the best ways to prepare for your multiple delivery, the twin birth itself, and postpartum care for you and your babies.
Multiple Pregnancy, Now What?
Perhaps you had a surprise pregnancy. Or maybe you used medical ways to become pregnant. Either way, you now have additional people to love and care for.
For the expecting moms who were surprised to discover that they are pregnant with a single baby, but later finding out that there is an additional baby along the way, can be shocking to say the least. Moms who were not planning their pregnancy may worry about not having the proper nutrition for a healthy pregnancy. That is why it is of the utmost importance to seek out care of a medical professional for the remainder of your pregnancy and postpartum.
From there, tests can be conducted to measure your levels of folic acid, iron count, and other important factors for a healthy pregnancy. Your health care provider may suggest taking supplements, like a daily multivitamin that specifically cares for an expectant mother and her babies.
If you are one of the expectant mothers who used In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), or other forms of medical fertility options, may not have been surprised to find out that you are expecting twins. Regarding the use of IVF, your chances of having twins with IVF increases 25% when used to become pregnant. Women over the age of 35 are more likely to have a multiple pregnancy. Let alone those who use fertility medications, professionally known as IUI.
Two of the most popular medications are commonly known as Clomid and Femara. Women may be prescribed these medications to help with fertility. Receiving a twin pregnancy is an extra benefit of taking either of these medicines.
The Final Weeks of a Twin Pregnancy
Fast forward to the final trimester of your pregnancy. Your body is changing and providing a haven for your growing babies. However, you can feel that it is becoming quite cramped for your twin babies.
As you near the delivery time, it is a good idea to have a birthing plan. Keep in mind that your actual labor and delivery may not go just as you plan. Be sure to be on the same page as your doctor and let him or her know what your expectations are. When the time comes for your babies to be born, the doctor will need to ensure the health and safety of your babies and yourself.
Around 36 weeks and 37 weeks along, your medical professional will be looking for the head down position. If both babies are positioned with their heads down, then there is a good chance of delivering vaginally. This position provides a better chance of having a vaginal delivery. Multiples being delivered vaginally, means that you may have a quicker recovery in postpartum.
As with all multiple births, the mothers are classified as being at high-risk. The OB/GYN professional is responsible for your safety by helping you along the way of your vaginal twin births. There will be a Twin A team and a Twin B team standing by to care for each of your twin babies.
It’s Go Time, Natural Twin Birth?
Your water may break naturally, or you may have labor induced by your doctor. You grab your overnight bag, filled with plenty of goodies, and head on over to the hospital in hopes of your twins being born vaginally. Perhaps your birth plan is going along smoothly, and your fraternal twins or identical twins are born hours after your water broke.
To have a back-up plan just in case there is a wrench thrown into the delivery, can give you a piece of mind during your twin delivery. Your back-up birth plan may be used, as advised by the medical professionals. If your doctor sees the signs and symptoms of a difficult birth, a C-section may be used to safely deliver your twins.
One difficulty may be that Baby A is in the heads down position, while the other baby is not. Your doctor may go through with the vaginal delivery. Typically, an ultrasound machine is resting on your belly to monitor how Baby B is situated. If possible, your medical physician may be able to situate your second baby by turning him or her for the heads down delivery.
A couple of other game changes could be that the babies have size differences. One baby may be larger than the other one. To keep the smaller twin safe, a C-Section may be scheduled prior to your arrival to the hospital. If your babies, most likely identical twins, share a placenta; a C-Section can be scheduled prior to your water breaking.
Twin Birth, More Things You Need to Know
When pregnant and planning for your twin birth, it’s best to be flexible in preparations for obstacles that may come your way. Through scheduling appointments, and taking day trips; flexibility is key along with taking things in stride. One thing that you can count on is having TwinStuff to turn to. We will continuously provide you with helpful blogs, along with adorable organic cotton onesies and bibs to dress your twins in. Check out our TwinStuff Facebook Group for additional advice and insight from supportive parents of multiples, where you can find reassurance throughout the many milestones along the way.
