Questions for twin pregnancy and labor.

[Emelee]

I've been wanting to post here for a while with questions but I keep forgetting I figure since I'm getting towards the 3rd trimester I should start asking some stuff!

1. With twins, if you had a vaginal delivery, how long was labor until the first was born and then the second? I'm hoping for a quick labor, obviously, since my first was 24 hours with my singleton.

2. How much weight did you gain versus how big were your babies? I gained 25-30 lbs with my singleton and she was 8 lbs 11 oz so I'm hoping that since I've already gained 30 lbs the twins will be at least 6 lbs each at full term.

3. How common is pre-term labor and is it easy to stop? What was the general time in pregnancy for the pre-term labor?

4. Did you buy a maternity belt and is it even worth it?

5. How easy was it to nurse both babies exclusively? I'm hoping to tandem nurse but we'll see.

6. How did you deal with an older child? Mine will only be around 17-18 months old when the twins are born and I'm so nervous how I will deal with her on a daily basis! I don't have anyone to come help except for the first week or so and I'm afraid she's going to be neglected since she doesn't understand what's happening.

Thanks for the answers! I know that's a lot of questions but they've been building up over time!

[~Erica~]

Originally Posted by Emelee 

I've been wanting to post here for a while with questions but I keep forgetting I figure since I'm getting towards the 3rd trimester I should start asking some stuff!

1. With twins, if you had a vaginal delivery, how long was labor until the first was born and then the second? I'm hoping for a quick labor, obviously, since my first was 24 hours with my singleton.

2. How much weight did you gain versus how big were your babies? I gained 25-30 lbs with my singleton and she was 8 lbs 11 oz so I'm hoping that since I've already gained 30 lbs the twins will be at least 6 lbs each at full term.

3. How common is pre-term labor and is it easy to stop? What was the general time in pregnancy for the pre-term labor?

4. Did you buy a maternity belt and is it even worth it?

5. How easy was it to nurse both babies exclusively? I'm hoping to tandem nurse but we'll see.

6. How did you deal with an older child? Mine will only be around 17-18 months old when the twins are born and I'm so nervous how I will deal with her on a daily basis! I don't have anyone to come help except for the first week or so and I'm afraid she's going to be neglected since she doesn't understand what's happening.

Thanks for the answers! I know that's a lot of questions but they've been building up over time!

1.  I didn't.

2. I think I gained about 50 lbs, and my girls were 5lb3oz/5lb13oz at 35w3d.  I had (controlled by diet) gestational diabetes, not sure how much (if at all) that contributed to weights.

3.  It's so variable.  I had none.  I had a c-section at 35w3d due to pre-e.  I had only occasional bh contractions until then.

4.  I think I had one, used it once.  No, not worth it.

5.  Not a problem at all.  I never got the hang of tandem nursing, it was always easier to do one at a time.  My girls were easy, and my husband was a huge help.   I nursed them until 1 year (they had some formula at daycare - I work full time and my pumping output couldn't keep up)

[rinap]

1) 11 hours of labor, 9 minutes between them.

2) 60 pounds gained, babies were 6 pounds  and 6 pounds 2 oz at 36 weeks
3) I never had actual preterm labor, but I had threatened preterm labor from about 20 weeks, and was on bed rest from 22 weeks. It was hard to stop (but responded well to drugs and bed rest) That was a hard three months.

4) No

5) It was very very hard, and the first three months involved a lot of pumping and bottle feeding. (3 1/2 hours of pumping a day, plus nursing practice, plus cleanup for the first two months) After three months we were able to phase out the bottles completely, and we're at eight and a half months now and still no formula. I *can* nurse both babies at once, sometimes, but I prefer to nurse them one at a time.

 

[mylilmonkeys]

1. We induced at 38 +3 weeks due to needing to be sure to have attendants (history of fast births, plus midwives an hour away) and my backup was going out of town for the weekend leaving her backup who only does Cs for multiples.  We broke my water at 10AM.  Labor kicked in at about 12:30 and A was born 1.5 hr later.  B was born an hour after that, by manual extraction.  I no longer recommend home birth for multiples, but it was a really rare complication.

2. I gained only 4 pounds more than my singletons.  My twins were 7,12 and 6,8. 

3. I had some days where BH would get really intense and regular.  I was always able to stop them on my own by taking a nice long bath in Epsom salts.  Stress was the biggest factor that would bring on contractions, especially tween tantrums from my oldest daughter.

4. Yes, I bought a belt, and it was very worth it.  I have SPD, and with my twins, I also had a problem with sacroiliac joint pain.  I got just a simple elastic belt from Babies R Us and was able to position it low enough to pull everything together.  The SI pain resolved itself, thankfully.  

5. I never needed to supplement my girls until they started solids.  This can be very variable depending on gestational age at birth, any complications, determination to exclusively breastfeed.  My girls insist on tandem nursing now, and this can be a blessing and a problem.  I don't tandem outside the house because I feel too exposed.

6. My 3 yo cut her own hair twice in the first few weeks home... EEK!  Get help.  Really.  For completely independent reasons, I have kept my 12 yo dd home this year doing virtual school, and honestly, I don't know what I would do without her presence at home every day.  

[pammysue]

[ladydodson]

Originally Posted by Emelee 

I've been wanting to post here for a while with questions but I keep forgetting I figure since I'm getting towards the 3rd trimester I should start asking some stuff!

1. With twins, if you had a vaginal delivery, how long was labor until the first was born and then the second? I'm hoping for a quick labor, obviously, since my first was 24 hours with my singleton.

2. How much weight did you gain versus how big were your babies? I gained 25-30 lbs with my singleton and she was 8 lbs 11 oz so I'm hoping that since I've already gained 30 lbs the twins will be at least 6 lbs each at full term.

3. How common is pre-term labor and is it easy to stop? What was the general time in pregnancy for the pre-term labor?

4. Did you buy a maternity belt and is it even worth it?

5. How easy was it to nurse both babies exclusively? I'm hoping to tandem nurse but we'll see.

6. How did you deal with an older child? Mine will only be around 17-18 months old when the twins are born and I'm so nervous how I will deal with her on a daily basis! I don't have anyone to come help except for the first week or so and I'm afraid she's going to be neglected since she doesn't understand what's happening.

Thanks for the answers! I know that's a lot of questions but they've been building up over time!

1. my water broke and contractions didnt start, in earnest, until about 17 hours later. once they started, my labor was less than 2hrs until baby a was born. i started feeling contractions again about 30-45 minutes later and then it was an additional hour or so until i started pushing w/ her. it all moved very fast, but when all was said and done, they were 2hr15min.

2. i gained i think 50lbs and my twins were 5lb20z  and 6lb3oz lbs. born at 37w1d

3. anything prior to 36wks. im not certain how common PTL is.

4. i didnt buy one, cant say.

5. im tandem nursing. it was difficult at first maneuvering the little newbs...swaddling and a big nursing pillow helped a lot.

6. i have three older children, they were almost 2, 3.5, and almost 15 when the twins joined our family...its really busy, but i would guess just incorporating her as much as possible into their care...getting a nice double stroller so you can push her/one baby and wear a baby for outings, ask for help for the first few months from a family member or baby sitter who can come play with her and help with naps, etc. as you develop your nursing relationship, etc.

[Emelee]

Thanks everyone for the responses! I'm sooo hoping for a shorter labor with these girls. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for around 12 hours, but we'll see! You all had great sized babies!

Erica-that's great you nursed them so long! I couldn't imagine working right, I would be so dead on my feet! I did enjoy nursing DD and think it will be nice to have one on one time with each of the twins too.

rinap-I'm hoping for a decent labor length like yours and definitely for them to be born close together! I would hate waiting for hours for the second one to come out... it would make me unable to enjoy and relax the first baby! Great job on nursing without supplementing, I hope I can do that as well!

mylilmonkeys-Awesome weights for your twins! I keep joking that if I go full-term they'll be 7 pounders at least! They already feel so big and cramped at 27 weeks I can't imagine later on! Never thought to take a bath to stop some of these more intense BH contractions. They seem to happen whenever I stand up or am walking too much. Such a difference from my singleton pregnancy.

ladydodson-I have a regular boppy but do you think one of those pillows just for twins would be worth it for nursing? Especially for tandem feeding? I couldn't imagine having two other young children so close in age to the twins! I bet your 15 year old was a major help! I feel like I'm cheating my dd out of her babyhood with having the twins but it's not like I was expecting to have 2 at once, lol!!! I will try and keep her involved, at least she understands how to be gentle with babies already and how to fetch things. I just hope she's not too jealous or feels neglected in those first few busy months with newborns.

[~Adorkable~]

Originally Posted by Emelee 
1. With twins, if you had a vaginal delivery, how long was labor until the first was born and then the second? I'm hoping for a quick labor, obviously, since my first was 24 hours with my singleton.

 technically i had a 30 hour 1st stage and a 16 minutes second (pushing) stage! but the first part was long because i had to be given Magnesium Sulfate to control the risk of sea sure from high BP i developed in labor. I had gotten to 7cm and was doing great after just 6-7 hours before the hell broke loose, so I'm guessing the rest would have gone a lot faster without the Mag. (it is also the drug they use to stop preterm labor, hence the slow down effect it had.)
 

Originally Posted by Emelee 
2. How much weight did you gain versus how big were your babies? I gained 25-30 lbs with my singleton and she was 8 lbs 11 oz so I'm hoping that since I've already gained 30 lbs the twins will be at least 6 lbs each at full term.

i started out slightly on the heavy side 5'7" 171lbs, i gained 31 pounds and gave birth to a 3oz and a 10 oz babe so a total of 10lb 13oz plus 2 placentas and waters. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emelee 

3. How common is pre-term labor and is it easy to stop? What was the general time in pregnancy for the pre-term labor?

that is dependent on soooo many factors i do not think other peoples history will give you any really useful data.  i went into labor 35w4d and had it stall on its own only to start of and on again 24 hours later, full labor was rolling and i brought myself to the hospital (high BP) at 35w6d and they were both the next day at 36w0d and very good milestone to meet, it usually gets you out of mandatory NICU check out. at that point they are called "Late Term Preemie" and treated pretty normal as long as they are doing well.

my first reaction when i was in labor was to stop it, but my midwife made it very clear that she felt that once you get into the 30's week wise, that babies push you into labor for a reason and fitting them leads to issues. (i think this is assuming you dont have some underling issue you know about)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emelee 
4. Did you buy a maternity belt and is it even worth it?

YES and YES i had a number of them as i got large and they were wonderful, they also calmed my BH contractions so that was a big plus

also i had a post partum support garment that went from just below my bust to my mid thigh and it saved me when everything was all loose right after, i wore it for about 2 weeks, maybe more.

Originally Posted by Emelee 

5. How easy was it to nurse both babies exclusively? I'm hoping to tandem nurse but we'll see.

my babies got nothing but my breast milk till they war about 8-9 months and are still nursing strong at 14 months. that being said we did not really figure out nursing and get totally off pumped milk bottles till 6 months! so it is a journey for sure. i have seen many mommies do a great job nursing twins. flexibility is a must and be open to pumping for a number of reasons. my twin EZ2Nurse pillow is still a lifesaver and i still use it to tandem nurse!

Originally Posted by Emelee 

6. How did you deal with an older child? Mine will only be around 17-18 months old when the twins are born and I'm so nervous how I will deal with her on a daily basis! I don't have anyone to come help except for the first week or so and I'm afraid she's going to be neglected since she doesn't understand what's happening.

one thing I'm very thankful for was my twins being my first kids, but others here can help you with this one.

[mylilmonkeys]

Originally Posted by Emelee I have a regular boppy but do you think one of those pillows just for twins would be worth it for nursing? Especially for tandem feeding?

A twin pillow is almost a necessity for tandem nursing when they are tiny.  In the first few weeks, when you are nursing almost all night long, you can sit up in bed or in a recliner, put a baby on each side and snooze.  The slopes keep the babies from falling off the sides.  Twin pillows are MUCH bigger than a boppy.  

[rinap]

I found the twin nursing pillow a necessity. Both for tandem nursing and so I could snuggle one while I nursed the other.

[ithappened]

what twin nursing pillow did everyone use and was happy with?

[Emelee]

Adorkable-I'm still on the fence about a maternity belt just because I don't want the extra expense if I won't use it... I am considering it more and more if it really helps with BH contractions which I get constantly!! In regards to preterm labor, I know everyone is different, I was just curious because I wondered if such frequent BH contractions were a signal that I was at risk for preterm labor. I'm really hoping to get to 37 weeks so I can deliver with my doctor/midwfie team!!

Thanks mylilmonkeys and rinap, I think I will definitely plan on getting a twin nursing pillow, especially for those long nights nursing the whole time! I remember my boppy with my dd was very helpful and I can only assume that a larger one would be best for two babies!

[anexia]

I have twin dd 16m, ds 3, ds 5, dd 7, dd14

1  I was induced at 38wks.  dd1 was born vag an hour and half later.( other labors had been quick)  dd2 was born 20 min later c-section. (she was transverse)

2  I gained some right at the end after I stopped paying attention but until then I had gained about 30-35lbs  thats just a few lbs more than with each of my boys.  They were 5.5 and 7.1 Way bigger than we expected as my other children were all between 5.12-6.14

3  I had bh regularly from 13 wks.  They became very intense by the 3rd trimester but only really threatened labor once about 34wks.  I really appreciated the test as it gave me some peace of mind.  Dont remember what it was called.

4 maternity belt was a nice Idea but all it really did was shove those babies even farther into my already bruised and battered ribs.

5 I thought i would nurse both babies 50/50  I had planned to give one baby a bottle and nurse the other than switch at the next feeding.  But by the time I had them really nursing well and ready to try it bottles were just too much work.  I liked to feed them separatly and get that special time but if I was in a hurry or they were both hungary at the same time I tandem nursed and it wasn't as difficult as I expected.  just forget modesty!  I lived in my cushioned arm chair(like a lazy boy)  that gave me the support to nurse or snuggle both babies.  But when I wasnt in the chair a nursing pillow was a must.

6  It was tough on my littlest guy.  He was 2.  I would sit in the recliner with the foot rest up so he could sit on the foot rest in front of me while I nursed babies.  The first 8 weeks I spent a lot of time nursing.  but after that we kindof got the hang of it.  And all of my kids adjusted pretty well aside from the occassional meltdown.  We joke that its a good thing that we had twins cause there are never enough babies to go around.

Big thing is get help.  Its ok to ask.  I used to have people come over and hold babies so I could clean and do laundry or even just eat.  once word got around people were anxious for a turn to come play with a couple babies.

[ShanaV]

Originally Posted by Emelee 
1. With twins, if you had a vaginal delivery, how long was labor until the first was born and then the second? I'm hoping for a quick labor, obviously, since my first was 24 hours with my singleton.

About 24 hrs total, with 5 mins between them.

2. How much weight did you gain versus how big were your babies? I gained 25-30 lbs with my singleton and she was 8 lbs 11 oz so I'm hoping that since I've already gained 30 lbs the twins will be at least 6 lbs each at full term.

Only 20 lbs, but they came so early. 30 wks.

3. How common is pre-term labor and is it easy to stop? What was the general time in pregnancy for the pre-term labor?

I had some ptl at 29 wks, got it treated, but then it started again at 30, and that was that!

4. Did you buy a maternity belt and is it even worth it?

Didn't get big enough to need it.

5. How easy was it to nurse both babies exclusively? I'm hoping to tandem nurse but we'll see.

It was extremely hard. But they were so premature. I hope you have an easier time! But definitely stick with it, because it gets so much easier! We're still going strong at 21 mos.

6. How did you deal with an older child? Mine will only be around 17-18 months old when the twins are born and I'm so nervous how I will deal with her on a daily basis! I don't have anyone to come help except for the first week or so and I'm afraid she's going to be neglected since she doesn't understand what's happening.

I don't have older kids, but regardless, you will need help the first couple months at least! Someone to bring you food and water, play with the older DD, and to provide a warm body to hold a baby if necessary.

A twin size nursing pillow is a requirement. I used the twin plus Brest Friend pillow.

[Justmee]

1. With twins, if you had a vaginal delivery, how long was labor until the first was born and then the second? I'm hoping for a quick labor, obviously, since my first was 24 hours with my singleton.

My water broke 10pm wednesday night, they were born at 4:40 and 4:50 Friday morning

2. How much weight did you gain versus how big were your babies? I gained 25-30 lbs with my singleton and she was 8 lbs 11 oz so I'm hoping that since I've already gained 30 lbs the twins will be at least 6 lbs each at full term.

I gained about 50 lbs, and they were 4lbs 8oz and 4 lbs 1oz

3. How common is pre-term labor and is it easy to stop? What was the general time in pregnancy for the pre-term labor?

Not sure, mine were 35 weeks and a bit

4. Did you buy a maternity belt and is it even worth it?

No

5. How easy was it to nurse both babies exclusively? I'm hoping to tandem nurse but we'll see.

Not difficult once I got the hang of it. I did both together in the football fold or one regular and one football, using a regular pillow.

6. How did you deal with an older child? Mine will only be around 17-18 months old when the twins are born and I'm so nervous how I will deal with her on a daily basis! I don't have anyone to come help except for the first week or so and I'm afraid she's going to be neglected since she doesn't understand what's happening.

I had my twins first to get out of that issue. I have no idea how you moms with other kids do it!!

[mylilmonkeys]

Originally Posted by ithappened 

what twin nursing pillow did everyone use and was happy with?

I got a great deal on an EZ2nurse pillow on ebay.  Turned out the seller lived in the city my dh works in, so he picked it up no shipping. LOL  

[queenofchaos]

EZ2Nurse pillow is great and absolutley necessary.  you can get by with a bunch of pillows, but it is pretty hard to manage when you've got *two* bitty, somewhat floppy newborns to cope with. 

You should get more help in some form or fashion.  Whether it is someone to help with housework, or the 18 month old, or whatever.  Like a PP mentioned, I have some older children at home because we homeschool.  If it wasn't for them I would have sunk!  You've still got some time, start asking around about people who can help.  Be shameless, no one will blame you.  You will need help for a minimum of 6 mths, better a year, and better than that 2 yrs.  It will lessen over time, but I can't recommend anything else more.

[ithappened]

You will need help for a minimum of 6 mths, better a year, and better than that 2 yrs.  It will lessen over time, but I can't recommend anything else more.

how much help would you say? for example daily, a few times a week, full time?

[Emelee]

Thanks for all the replies! I'm just entering the third trimester (yay 28 weeks) and already feeling like I can't get off the ground from sitting! And poor DD can barely fit on my lap when we rock because I have to sit straight up or feel like I'm suffocating on baby feet!

anexia-I wish my labors were quick like that! I agree that perhaps a maternity belt right now would be bad since the girls are already shoved feet up into my ribs. Baby A is particulary vicious about kicking her side! I also worry that my dd will want to nurse too and be jealous when I have to tell her to wait. That is if she's still nursing when the twins get here.

ShanaV-Wow, 24 hours of labor and then everything happened all at once at the end! I bet that was intense! Great job nursing them so long even though they were preemies! That is one of my bigger worries as far as breastfeeding goes, that they will be too little and training them will be too much difficulty!

Justmee-I'm surprised (if you were at a hospital) that they let you labor so long with twins with your water broken. Were you already having contractions or was it a spontaneous break and stuff starting happening afterward? I'm thinking that the double football hold will be easiest for me because of my height and because it seems you have your hands free to grab a drink or something. With my older dd, that was the only way she would latch on one side.

queenofchaos-I wish I could get help and I've been trying to line up people but my sister is having her first baby the same time I'm having the twins so no one thinks I'll need help and she'll need a lot since she's a new mom . But I'm already planning my frozen meals which helped for a good month when dd was born and I know will be even more of a life saver now!! I plan on getting a cheap deep freezer off of craig's list to completely get stocked up with easy meals for DH and myself!

[pammysue]

Originally Posted by Emelee 

queenofchaos-I wish I could get help and I've been trying to line up people but my sister is having her first baby the same time I'm having the twins so no one thinks I'll need help and she'll need a lot since she's a new mom . 

Wow-that's really crazy! How does your sister feel about it? Can you enlist her help? Maybe if she talked to your family and told them you will need help too, they would listen.