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WHEN were your babies born

7K views 90 replies 61 participants last post by  Scalpel 
#1 ·
What I want to know (in light of the induction thread) is WHEN your babies were born. I really want to know is WHEN women who WERE NOT induced or elected to have c-sections went into labor.

I feel like women who aren't messed with carry longer in general. I wonder if this is true. So here is what I am wondering.

WHERE DID YOU BIRTH:
HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU:
WERE YOU INDUCED:
ELECTIVE C-SECTION:
REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION:
SIZE OF BABIES:
TYPE OF TWINS:

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DECISIONS:
 
#2 ·
WHERE DID YOU BIRTH: At home
HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU: 40w3d
WERE YOU INDUCED: No
ELECTIVE C-SECTION: No
REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION: No
SIZE OF BABIES: Baby A : 6#11 vertex Baby B: 6#15 vertex
TYPE OF TWINS: Di/Di

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DECISIONS: I am so happy that I birthed successfully at home in the water. I had a beautiful birth with healthy babies.
 
#3 ·
WHERE DID YOU BIRTH: At a temporary rental home in another state (neither twins nor VBAC were legal in my state)

HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU: 38 weeks, 2 days

WERE YOU INDUCED:No.

ELECTIVE C-SECTION: No.

REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION: None, but I was DESPERATE to get them out and would have been begging for something elective had I been with an OB. Would have had a repeat cesarean if there had been any indication at all that something wasn't right about the pregnancy or birth process.

SIZE OF BABIES: 7 lb 4 oz, and 7 lb even. (both vertex)

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DECISIONS: Wonderful! I feel like I did a crapton of research to determine what I was really facing, took all of that into prayer, knowing my body and my birth history, and came up with a plan A that was perfect for us. I had a plan B, and a plan C so I was covered if anything didn't go according to plan (so I was not averse to going to the hospital if needed and planned to be close). But it worked out, and for that I am thankful.
 
#4 ·
WHERE DID YOU BIRTH: Home
HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU: 38 weeks 5 days
WERE YOU INDUCED: No
ELECTIVE C-SECTION: obviously not

REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION:
SIZE OF BABIES: Baby A was 6 pounds 6 ounces and Baby B was 7 pounds 6 ounces

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DECISIONS: I feel very good about my choices. Both babies were breech going into labor. A was born footling/complete breech and B flipped and was born posterior vertex. This birth was not "easy" but it was completely worth it. I had complete confidence in my birth team and they didn't let me down

SIDENOTE: I'd also be interested to know if the babies in question were MZ or DZ if it's OK with the OP? Mine were DZ/boy-girl twins. I think it makes a difference in the kind of birth you can expect to be "allowed" to have.
 
#5 ·
THANK YOU for starting this thread! It's hard to find all of this information in one place and it's really important for those of us in the middle of this to see and hear the positive birth stories! I know it makes me feel better just to know that I'm NOT the only crazy who's still carrying twins at 39.5 weeks...especially since that's what the general public seems to think!
 
#8 ·
WHERE DID YOU BIRTH: hospital
HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU:39 weeks, 3 days
WERE YOU INDUCED: yes
ELECTIVE C-SECTION: no
REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION: induction due to gestational diabetes, c/s because I had a million interventions and it was not time for babies to come
SIZE OF BABIES: A - 5.14 B - 7.1
TYPE OF TWINS: b/g

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DECISIONS: Not great. I wish I would have refused induction. I know that there is a "need" for babies whose mothers have gest. diabetes to come on time, but I think A would have enjoyed some more womb time. Also, had I refused induction I would have been able to vag deliver. I had pit, water broke, epidural (in that order) - none of which I asked for or wanted. I never dialated beyond a 2 or 3. B/c my water was broken, I was bullied into a c/s for fear of infection. C/s resulted in me seeing children immediately after, but not nursing dd(B) until 6 hours later and not nursing ds(A) until at least 12 hours later. I consider it a miracle that we were able to bf after not starting right away.
 
#9 ·
WHERE DID YOU BIRTH: at home
HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU: 39 weeks on the dot
WERE YOU INDUCED: Yes, castor oil
ELECTIVE C-SECTION: No
REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION: Anxious DH, midwife going on vacation,
and I was not confident or well researched enough
SIZE OF BABIES: 6.11 and 5.12, both vertex
TYPE OF TWINS: MZ di-di

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DECISIONS: The short answer is fantastic, although it's more complicated than that. I had two perfect babes at home the way I hoped, and I recovered easily. The fact that I induced with castor oil created some problems (slow labor before its time) but solved others (Baby B got out when she might have needed to, and we ended up with my MW's amazing super-star back-up MW). If I were doing it again I might have waited, but I have a hard time saying that since things turned out so well.
 
#10 ·
WHERE DID YOU BIRTH: Hospital

HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU: 36 weeks, 6 days

WERE YOU INDUCED: No

ELECTIVE C-SECTION: No

REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION: Baby B was an emergency c-section after a vaginal birth with baby A. Reasons - she flipped transverse after ds was born, placenta abrupted and I started hemmoraging.

SIZE OF BABIES: Baby A - 5lbs 8oz, Baby B - 6lbs, 3oz

TYPE OF TWINS: Boy/Girl

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DECISIONS: Although I wish some things could have gone differently (does anyone really want an emergency c-section?) I feel pretty good about my decisions in terms of the care I received during pregnancy and delivery. I stuck to a few things that were important to me and although there was a bit more intervention than I would have liked (NST's and steroid shots due to early contractions and low fluid level around one baby) I am happy with the outcome.
 
#11 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by homebirthing View Post
I feel like women who aren't messed with carry longer in general. I wonder if this is true. So here is what I am wondering.

I kind of don't understand this statement. Of course if you're not "messed with" (I assume you mean induced?) you're likely to stay pregnant longer than if you're induced--induction leads either to a vaginal birth or a c-section within a couple of days. I guess I am missing something here?
 
#12 ·
WHERE DID YOU BIRTH: Hospital / unmedicated
HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU: 35w1d
WERE YOU INDUCED: No
ELECTIVE C-SECTION: No
REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION: N/A
SIZE OF BABIES: A was 4lbs 15oz; B was 5lbs 15oz
TYPE OF TWINS: MZ (speculative mono-di, placenta pathology was 'inconclusive')

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DECISIONS: Just fine! I did everything 'right' (protein, calories, water, listening to my body, etc. and they still came early. It just reinforced my belief that you can follow all the 'rules' and kids will still find ways to surprise you and challenge your assumptions!
 
#13 ·
WHERE DID YOU BIRTH: Hospital
HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU: 38 w 2d
WERE YOU INDUCED:no
ELECTIVE C-SECTION:technically, I suppose yes. It was scheduled.
REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION: Pressure from care providers, insulin dependant gestatinal diabetes, suspicions from care providers about other things never diagnosed. Hospital bed rest for 12 days, at home bed rest anytime after 28 weeks that I happened not to be in a hospital. Baby b was breech, A vertex.
SIZE OF BABIES: 7.4 lbs each
TYPE OF TWINS: di/di

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DECISIONS:
Depends on the day. While I didn't want a c-section, I felt that the system wasn't set up for me to succeed. I'm very grateful to have had full term, "take home" babies after they thought I'd be lucky to get past 30 weeks. I never felt that fear, but my care providers certainly thought so, despite never having symptoms of premature labor. My c-section was uncomplicated, but still hard on me. I healed very quickly, but the first 24 hours after the boys were born were a fog for me.

That c-section made it difficult to attempt a vbac with my subsequent birth, and while I tried (hard! 38 hours of ineffective labor with a doula), I still ended up with another c-section. And that c-section probably means that I'm done having children, because I'd rather not indure another c-section.

If I knew than what I know now, I'd want to attempt a natural labor with my twins. Yet I don't know really, since I know of a set of adult twins, one with cp, and it's thought that the cp was caused by reduced oxygen to the second twin during birth. I find myself very grateful that I've got healthy twins, despite the scar on my stomach.
 
#14 ·
WHERE DID YOU BIRTH: Hospital Operating Room attached to Birth Center
HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU:37 weeks 5 days
WERE YOU INDUCED: Not really - had pitocin at 9 cm dilated
ELECTIVE C-SECTION: No
REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION: N/A
SIZE OF BABIES: 6 lb 6 oz and 6 lb 11oz
TYPE OF TWINS: B/B I think fraternal?

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DECISIONS: Very happy over all. I agreed to deliver in the OR, but declined the "just in case" epidural. Our MW caught both boys as the OB stood in the corner and waited in case anything went wrong. Stalled out at 9cm, had some pitocin, but it was ineffective and finally asked the MW to break the waters. Boys arrived shortly after. Great experience!
 
#15 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by OGirlieMama View Post
I kind of don't understand this statement. Of course if you're not "messed with" (I assume you mean induced?) you're likely to stay pregnant longer than if you're induced--induction leads either to a vaginal birth or a c-section within a couple of days. I guess I am missing something here?
There seems to be this association with being pregnant with twins and only carrying to 35 weeks scenario. So basically, as a mom of twins, are you more likely to have pre-term labor and birth just because you have more than one baby...or in reality, is it that care providers are causing a rise in pre-term labor and birth by overly medically managing women carrying twins.
 
#17 ·
WHERE DID YOU BIRTH: Hospital
HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU: 37 weeks
WERE YOU INDUCED: No
ELECTIVE C-SECTION: Depends on your definition of "elective"
REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION: I had a C-section due to a breech presentation in twin A. She had been frank breech, but was transverse breech at the time of the C-section. I had pre-eclampsia and was in early labor, so that's what triggered the C-section.
SIZE OF BABIES: Twin A was 6 # 8 oz, Twin B was 4 #, 8 oz. Their size discrepancy and B's small size were a surprise undetected by late ultrasounds. Knew she was smaller, but A was estimated at 7-1/2 and B at 7 at 36 weeks. Oops!
TYPE OF TWINS: Fraternal

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DECISIONS: I have mixed feelings. Knowing what I know now, I think A was probably turning from breech to vertex and that's why she was transverse. They told me I was in early labor, but I didn't feel anything. I wish we'd waited a bit longer. I called because I was having odd pains in my belly that weren't like labor and the L&D nurse told me to come in to triage. I have a lot of, "what if I hadn't called & the pre-e had been discovered the next morning & Phoebe had been able to turn vertex?" But I had pre-eclampsia and I know that can turn problematic quite quickly. It was not an ideal birth. I probably would have been induced the next morning because of pre-e & who knows how that would have gone? I have a lot of feelings about Fiona being in the NICU for observation & that would have happened anyway, even with a vaginal birth, given her size, apnea upon first nursing & severe jaundice. I worked through a lot of the feelings about their birth when I prepared for my VBAC.

I do wonder sometimes about these discussions of length of pregnancy -- there are mamas here who had premature babies and did *nothing* wrong. I worry that conversations such as these can be painful.
 
#18 ·
WHERE DID YOU BIRTH: In a hospital with an OB who had a LOT of twin/breech experience

HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU: Checked in with ctxns 5 minutes apart at 36wk6days, gave birth just after midnight at 37 weeks

WERE YOU INDUCED: I was having regular ctxns all morning and went in. After several hours, I agreed to have amniotic sac of TwinA broken. Several hours later, I added pitocin. Babes were born 8+ hours after checkin.

ELECTIVE C-SECTION:no

REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION: We decided to augment labor mostly for my mental reasons (it was proceeding exactly like the long and very difficult birth of my DS... although he was posterior and had a head in the 97th percentile... so the actual delivery was a LOT better.) With the added worry of monochorionic twins, I didn't feel strong enough to weather 24+hours of labor in a hospital and 3+ hours of pushing (which I had with son).

SIZE OF BABIES: 6.2 (vertex) and 5.7 (double footling breech extraction)
TYPE OF TWINS: Monochorionic MZ twins

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DECISIONS:Looking back (and realizing how wonderful and in control the actual delivery was), there is a part of me that wishes I hadn't hurried things along. But I also felt myself spiraling into despair as the labor followed the pattern of my DS so exactly... and in THAT moment, it was the right decision. So I guess I'm OK with it all. I *loved* the birthing part of my twin birth. I could feel everything, their heads were SO much smaller, and that wonderful joy in the room after the safe arrival of Twin A, followed by my OB saying "let's do it again!". Pretty cool. Not many people get that thrill.
 
#19 ·
WHERE DID YOU BIRTH: Hospital w/ awesome OB, checked in fully dilated ready to push
HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU: 30w5d
WERE YOU INDUCED:no
ELECTIVE C-SECTION:no
REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION:n/a
SIZE OF BABIES: 3,4 and 3,5
TYPE OF TWINS: dz

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DECISIONS: Well, since I went into labor naturally 12 days earlier and had a terb pump to prolong my pregnancy it was what was necessary!
 
#20 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by cjcolorado View Post
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DECISIONS: Just fine! I did everything 'right' (protein, calories, water, listening to my body, etc. and they still came early. It just reinforced my belief that you can follow all the 'rules' and kids will still find ways to surprise you and challenge your assumptions!
Amen, sister!
 
#21 ·
WHERE DID YOU BIRTH: Hospital (home wasn't an option where I live)
HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU:37 weeks + 1 day
WERE YOU INDUCED: Nope, water broke and off we went
ELECTIVE C-SECTION:Not really
REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION:C-Section due to footling breech presentation and a TON of blood when my water broke
SIZE OF BABIES:5 lbs 12.5 oz and 5 lbs 15 oz.
TYPE OF TWINS:DI/DI which turned out to be monozygotic

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DECISIONS: I was THRILLED to have gone "full term", overjoyed really. The c-section was terribly non-empowering for me (given that my last birth before this one was a wonderfully gentle home birth). I know that there really was not much I could do about it, but I still to this day wonder (especially when I hear other stories here about mamas birthing footling breech baby A's) if things could have been different. The "rules" here in Canada for breech have now changed, but they still include footling breech as a criteria for operative birth. So, I'm happy enough with my decisions (and my wonderfully healthy babies that went straight home with me 2.5 days later), but I still mourn the natural birth I didn't get with them.

PS I seem to recall a poll on her a while back that showed when the mamas here birthed their babes. Sorry, I'm too darned tired to find it!
 
#22 ·
WHERE DID YOU BIRTH: first set-at home, second set-hospital
HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU: first set-39w1d, second set- 38w2d
WERE YOU INDUCED: no, no
ELECTIVE C-SECTION: no, no
REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION: had an emergency cesarean under general anesthesia due to fetal distress and TTTS with second set
SIZE OF BABIES: first set- 7lbs, 6oz and 7lbs, 6oz; second set- 7lbs, 9oz and 6lbs, 6oz
TYPE OF TWINS: both sets are monozygotic (and monochorionic)

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DECISIONS: I am so glad that I chose a homebirth (HBAC) with my first set of twins. It was a wonderful birth! I don't regret planning a UBAC for the second set, even if it did end in another cesarean. I know the c/s was necessary but honestly, it doesn't really help me feel any better about it. How I wish things could have been different...
 
#23 ·
WHERE DID YOU BIRTH: Hospital
HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU: 36w 5d
WERE YOU INDUCED: no
ELECTIVE C-SECTION: Sort of
REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION: There was a discordance between the babies and one was "failure to grow". There was only one placenta and both babies were transverse.
SIZE OF BABIES: Baby A 4.3 pounds, Baby B 5.28 pounds
TYPE OF TWINS: Fraternal

I was quite happy with the descision. I had a really quick recovery from the surgery and nursed both babies within 10 hours of giving birth. Baby A was breathing and eating on his own, but was just too small not to be in the NICU. Baby B was with me rooming in. I did the sould searching and realized that maybe it was better for Baby A to grow on the outside than suffer on the inside. If I had to do it over, I would do more research into nutrition and food so that they would have been bigger at the time of birth and maybe I could have avoided the NICU. The surgery was great, I hardly have a scar and am planning for VBAC in November. All in all a great experience.
 
#24 ·
WHERE DID YOU BIRTH: Hospital
HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU: 32w 3d
WERE YOU INDUCED: no
ELECTIVE C-SECTION: no
REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION: n/a
SIZE OF BABIES: Baby A 3.12 pounds, Baby B 3.6 pounds
TYPE OF TWINS: dz b/g

i had horrendous varicose veins in my pelvic area and couldn't move without extreme pelvic pain due to those and also spd. i'd also been having intense runs of contractions since 27 weeks. so my body was soooo happy to birth when i did. it was the most incredible relief i can't tell you!! but my mama heart broke to have them early and in scbu, and i do wish i'd taken it easier than i did in the last few weeks. but i was single with four older children. and i spent most of the pregnancy lying down in bed from 5 weeks. just got up to cook and do basic laundry etc...so i figure i gave it a pretty good shot to grow them as long as i did


with the births i was encouraged to go for a section as soon as we got in as baby a was oblique breech. but he shifted to breech over the next hour and both babies were vaginal births. i'm grateful to God for this, as it meant i was on my feet to express and take milk to the babies every couple of hours. if i'd been bedridden afterwards it would have been hard to get my milk established as there were no 'runners' for me to get pump, bottles etc.

i had a friend expecting mz twins at same time who had surgery in first trimester to have cysts removed and was told her girls wouldn't make it. she lost weight the whole pregnancy and ate really badly but had a section after failed induction at 38 weeks.

cause and effect is proven everyday, but then sometimes we break the rules!!

i know i have some fellow preemie mamas here
we still rock
:
 
#25 ·
WHERE DID YOU BIRTH:Hospital
HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU:41W3D
WERE YOU INDUCED:Yes, at 41 weeks. MW thought I was 40 weeks as I lied about IVF dates just to be sure I wasn't pushed to go early. It "failed" I went home and my water broke later.
ELECTIVE C-SECTION:
REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION:
SIZE OF BABIES:8 lbs 3 oz and 6 lb 9/11 oz (unsure of the oz for baby b)
TYPE OF TWINS:di/di

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DECISIONS: I had an unmedicated, vaginal delivery of the babies but I hated the induction and that it set me up to be so tired (no sleep no food for 3 days) and I believe it caused my water to break before I was ready and I didn't go into labor without encouraging it. (nipple stim) If I were to do it all again I would have found a homebirth midwife who did twins no matter how far I had to travel for prenatal appointments. I still regret my lost homebirth but can't really complain irl because all the twins I know were c-sections.
 
#26 ·
WHERE DID YOU BIRTH: hospital
HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU: 39 weeks, 2 days
WERE YOU INDUCED: no (believe me, it was offered, and encouraged!)
ELECTIVE C-SECTION: no
REASON FOR INDUCTION/C-SECTION: elective c-section was offered while I was in labor because Twin B was breech. I opted out and the baby turned vertex after his brother was born.
SIZE OF BABIES: 7 lbs (baby A), 7 lbs 11.5 oz (baby B)
TYPE OF TWINS: monochorionic (mo/di) MZ twins

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DECISIONS: I feel okay. I was not happy about the pressure to "hurry up and deliver" after I got to 37 weeks. I wish I had gotten more information about the impact of cutting twin A's cord before B was born (for twins who share a placenta.) I also wish we had paid more attention to their hemoglobin levels during the first weeks, and checked their ferritin, too. We ended up with one severely anemic twin (albeit a non-clinical presentation, so nobody could quite believe what the labs were telling us, when we looked at him) at 7 months, and the explanation was an undetected slight twin-to-twin transfusion that had depleted his iron stores from the beginning. At birth, one's hemoglobin was at the high end of normal and the other's was at the low end, but both were in the normal range and could not be called polycythemic or anemic, so acute TTTS was not diagnosed. I am not sure where I stand now, concerning the risk of acute TTTS and birth with mono/di twins. There are big question marks in my head, around what I would consider "right" or "safe," and I think my "ideal" wishes for birth (home, non-interventive) are a bit in conflict with what I'd consider an acceptable risk for mo/di twins. But even that isn't for sure....the question marks. I wanted the spontaneous, unmedicated, vaginal birth SO BADLY, and I got it, and I'm definitely happy about that, but I wonder some if there's a bullet that we just barely dodged and don't realize it. Anyway, I just am trying to convey that despite my overall satisfaction with the labor & birth, I have slight niggling misgivings about the validity of the things I wanted so much.
 
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