OMG - 34 wks pregnant and just found out we have twins

[skye's mama]

OK - I need a crash course on twins. Anyone recommend a book that covers twin birth? At this point I know they are vertex (both heads down), which seems to be really good from the few pages in the books I have.

My midwife does not do homebirth for twins. So I need to do some research to understand the risks involved in twin birth, and whether I should look for another midwife that will do a homebirth with twins, or decide to have a hospital birth after all, which I really don't want.

Thanks!

[Jane]

Congratulations on your surprise!

Personally, I'd find a midwife to deliver twins to keep my options open. I'm sure there are plenty of doctors who will take a transfer of care for a twin pregnancy. It's kind of standard procedure for them to get late-almost-term patients.
But finding a midwife might take a few weeks to track her down and arrange an appointment and all that. Some midwives will accompany you to the hospital as a doula if that becomes the logical choice at birth.

[Jane]

Duplicate post. Sorry!

[mama2mygirls]

i just wanted to say congrats on twins!

[momto l&a]

I just wanted to say congrats
What a wonderful surprise

My mw will do twins so I'd say search for a mw that will meet your needs.

[Twinsmama]

Hi!

Congrats on your twins! Do you know what position they are in? I don't want to scare you or anything but twins are kind of a special thing, and depending on what position they are in you may want to at least consider a hospital birth. (It is possible to have a nice hospital experience, even though home is more comfortable). Also, twins almost never go to 40 weeks, so you have to be ready for an early arrival, and possibly (though it didn't happen to me) some preemie care depending on how developed their lungs are. Another consideration is whether they are sharing a placenta/sac/etc...a home birth might be a little risky in those cases, too.

My husband and I were planning a waterbirth until we discovered we were having twins and that both babies were breech. They never did turn around and home birth would have been extremely inadvisable in my case. I had to get a c-section, which I was terrified of, but it turned out just fine.

I have some resources here.
It has all the twin books I read and some of the equipment we've found to work well.

Good luck!

[gcopeley]

I would recommend Elizabeth Noble's book on having twins. It was a great resource in carrying my twins to over 39 weeks and having as natural birth possible and preparing for what interventions might come up. Cogradulations!

[skye's mama]

Thanks everyone for your encouragement!

Twinsmama - the twins are both vertex (heads down), which from the litttle I have read is the best possible position.

I talked with my midwife more about homebirth and twins. She said that the community out here does not support it. This means that if she were to attend a homebirth with twins, and something went wrong, her license would be revoked. This would be regardless of how my husband and I felt about it. This would also be the case if she attended a breech birth or a VBAC. She also said she knew that in other parts of the country this was different.

She has offered to discuss my situation with her peer review group of midwives. She said there is a small possibility that someone or several will decide that they would be willing to attend.

Meanwhile I am just trying to not let all the information about how risky twin births are get to me. I keep reminding myself this is the same healthy normal pregnancy as the first 34 weeks when I didn't know I had twins.

gcopeley - thanks for the book recommendation. I'll definitely get a copy!

[angie6]

You are a very wise mama! You have made it to 34 weeks and with the right diet and exercise you should be able to make it full-term without any problems!

I also reccomend Elizabeth Noble's book on twins and Dr. Brewer's blue ribbion diet to make your pregnancy a success! I did both per my midwife and we had a 100% natural delivery and I carried them 39 weeks and 5 days. They weighed 7lbs 140z and 7lbs 15oz.

I stayed away from negative people and kept a very positive outlook. When someone tried to approach me with a horror story I stopped them and told them I really didn't need to hear anything like that right now and told them I had 100% faith in my midwife and my body and the ability to nourish and birth my children.

I did have to deliver in the hospital because my midwife would not do a homebirth either but it turned out alright. I still wish I could have delivered at home or in a birth center. She attended and did everything but it just was not the same.

I also did not officially find out I was having twins until I was 19 weeks along. I knew something was different but no one would listen until I insisted on a ultrasound.

Good luck and stick to what feels right for yu and your family!
Angie

[lexbeach]

Oh, how exciting!

You seem to be doing very well with the shock of it all! I found out at six weeks, and can't imagine finding out so close to the actual arrival date! You don't actually need two of everything (if people are telling you this). The only things I found I really needed two of were carseats and slings. But, still, the adjustment to two babies from one baby is HUGE.

That's great that both babies are head down. Do they seem to be moving around a lot still (i.e. flipping), or have they pretty much settled in? It really only matters that Baby A be vertex. A breech baby B is the best kind of breech delivery that there is. Both of my babies were breech from about 28 weeks on (actually, Jasper (baby B) flipped from breech to transverse and back up until the end). I ended up with a c-section, which was devastating to me since I had wanted a home waterbirth. But, when I first got pregnant, I was lamenting to my acupuncturist about how my midwife wouldn't assist me due to the twins. He calmed me down and pointed out that I didn't get pregnant to have a homebirth. I got pregnant to be a parent, and what mattered most was what happened after the babies came out, not whether or not they came out in the hospital or my bedroom. So, I changed my focus to hoping for healthy babies.

I'd say that if you get to have a vaginal birth that would be wonderful regardless of where it takes place. Even if they make you deliver in the operating room. I *wish* I could have at least gotten the chance to push my babies out!

My babies were born at 38 weeks, 2 days, and weighed 8 lbs., 7 oz. and 6 lbs., 4 oz. They were both very healthy.

Be sure to check out some of the threads about breastfeeding twins. I wish I had done more research before my guys were born. They are EBF, and it's going great now, but the beginning was anything but easy. Also, "Mothering Multiples" is a great LLL book that you should definitely own.

Get some rest, mama, and keep those babies growing a few more weeks!

Lex

[gcopeley]

I would suggest having a very detailed birthing plan if you do birth in a hospital and want as natural birth as you can have. I started out with a homebirth midwife and found out I was having twins at about 4 1/2 months. I switched over to a doctor at that point because my midwife wasn't trained for twins. I had to make it very clear to them I did not want interventions and that I planned on giving birth vaginally. I went over the birthing plan with them and then researched more extensively any issues they or I had untill we found a happy medium. I I agree completely with Angie. The diet is so key. I ate mass amounts of protien (all types- nuts, seeds, beans, meat, eggs, yogurt) and no empty calories (white sugar, white flour, white rice). My babes were 5lb 11oz and 6lb 6oz (my oldest was 5lb 10oz so we have small babes to begin with). They are now very healthy and happy 8 months old who love breastfeeding and will untill they are reading to wean. By the way, I have a breastfeeding pillow that I am just about to sell at our yard sale this weekend. If you would like it I could send it to you. One less thing you would have to think about and I would rather just give it to someone who could use it. It is a large foam one.

[1Plus2]

Congratulations!!!!!!1

Wow!! What an awesome surprise for you and your husband! I found out at 8-weeks that I was carrying twins. I was induced due to preeclampsia at 38w3d. My girls weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and 7 lbs. 1 oz. Baby A was head down but Baby B was breech. I delivered Baby A vaginally and then my OB turned Baby B and she was also delivered vaginally 47 minutes after her sister.

I also highly recommend you get Elizabeth Noble's book. It's called "Having Twins". The book Lex recommended (Mothering Multiples) is also a wonderful resource for nursing your twins.

You are headed for an amazing journey...enjoy every step of the way.

[breathingmom]

Sky's mama, welcome to the incredible journey of nuturing twins, in utero and in your arms when they arrive! It sounds like you have been taking good care of yourself and that you are eager to read about some positive natural twin births. I also know what a challenge it can be to find people who understand!

You have come to the right place to find encouragement for your natural approach to your pregnancy and deliveries. Our midwife instilled in us a strong belief that while my pregnancy was "special needs" it was not automatically "high risk". I intensely feel that this thought is what kept me feeling positive about having my twins at home.

We had my twins in the privacy of our home at 38 1/2 weeks. They were both vertex and they weighed 7 lbs, 10 oz. and 7 lbs, 5 oz.! Some of the best things were that the babies were never taken from us, our older son was able to be with us the whole time, I was able to labor in a birthing tub, I was able to slow dance with my husband in early labor, my Mom was able to cut the cord for our first twin, and we had the most incredible group of people with us who all felt very positive about attending our babies births which added to our joy.

If you choose to go to the hospital you have to be able to deal with the fact that you will be labeled "high risk". Some people are good at advocating for themselves in such a sitatution, but I wanted to be able to give all my focus on my new arriving babies. I knew that the idea of having to be moved to the operating room to deliver the babies (even if the labor was progressing without complication) was not for me. I didn't realize at the time what a courageous step our midwife took to be with us (thank you Debra!!!) at our homebirth and how difficult it can be to find someone to attend a twin homebirth.

Our dd's will be turning six next week and it's an incredible joy to watch their relationship as sisters grow and change over the years! I wish you much peace as you make choices for the arrival of your babies! I hope you will continue to share your journey with us!

Jill

[hotmamacita]

Congrats. I, too, found out late.

I birthed both breech twins at home and they were both over 8 pounds. I met a lot of midwives from S.F. recently at a conference.

PM me with questions.

Trust your instincts!!!! And eat tons of protein and drink a gallon of water a day.

[KatherineinCA]

Just want to add my congratulations! My twins were born at 38.5 weeks, and weighed 6 1/2 and 7 pounds. Protein, water and lots of rest were very important.

[Amandzia]

twinbirth

I hope you won't be scared out of having a hospital birth. If you are very clear about what you want, you can have a natural birth. I gave birth vaginally with no medication to my twins. The second one was a footling breech. My OBGYN knew I only wanted surgical intervention if it was really needed and she was happy to respect my wishes.
I spoke to my midwife friend who was willing to do a home birth and she explained the particular problems that could arise with a twin birth. The second one can flip after the first one is out, so it may not remain headdown. There is a greater risk of a prolapsed cord (the cord comming out first ) when the water breaks and becoming pinched. My OB does vaginal twins as long as the first one is head down.
We roomed in with them and went home the following day.
I would recomend making contact with your local La Leche League leader now so that you have a contact person should something go amiss with breastfeeding or one or both babies needs to stay in the hospital.
I hope you get the birth experience you want.

[phathui5]

So how's it going? Time for an update, lady.

[Teensy]

Congratulations!

I do not have twins, but a friend who did have twins had a really, big nursing pillow that allowed her to nurse both boys at once (football hold position). She thought the pillow was very useful.

One other thing you need - another baby name! LOL

I did have a hospital birth with a birth plan (no meds, labor in shower, etc.) and it was no problem. There was no disagreement at the hospital about anything I requested and all went just fine.

Best wishes!

[skye's mama]

My baby girls, Skye and Zoe, arrived on August 14!

Skye weighed 6 lb. 5 oz. and Zoe, who was 'twin A', 5 lb. 15 oz. They are clearly fraternal, have very different facial features. Skye is a redhead, or at least a strawberry blond. Zoe is currently a brunette.They are both just darling, but I am seriously exhausted at this point. Still trying to get the nursing in stride. At least they both are gaining weight pretty well.

They were born in the hospital, in an OR no less, which I hated, but they were vaginal births with no pain meds, etc. I am still trying to come to terms with the birth. I am conflicted because I know I should be (and am) grateful for having two beautiful babies and by most twin standards, really had it easy, but at the same time feel like I was robbed of the birth experience I wanted. It is just really hard for me to let it go.

Thanks again everyone for all the advice and encouragement! The ez2nurse pillow arrived just in time, and I've pretty much read Elizabeth Noble's twin book cover to cover. I still need to get 'Mothering Multiples'.

I will try to write more later when I have a bit more time and energy - maybe some time next year? :LOL

[KatherineinCA]

Congratulations!

Yes, this is a very draining and exhausting time. Try to just focus on resting, and feeding your babies and yourself. That's all that matters. I breastfed my twins for 11 months. The dramatic increase in energy I experienced after they weaned showed me just how much of my energy had been expended in making milk. If I had known during those 11 months how much of my energy was devoted to nursing, I think I would have been more gentle with myself and with my expectations for how much I "should" have been doing (in terms of the house, travelling, entertaining people, etc.). Keep things as simple as you possibly can.

And you have every right to grieve the birth experience you didn't get. Having had three c-sections, I know that women are often told, "Just be grateful you have a healthy baby" or "Be grateful you have two healthy babies." That doesn't change the fact that you had a certain birth you envisioned, and you have to take the time to come to terms with the loss of that birth in your own way. Don't let anyone take that from you.

Take care,
Katherine