[sarahloughmiller]

If you did have them at home, how did it go? What possitions were they in? Who was there with you? How fast did they come (length of labor & time between babies)?

I really want to do a home birth, but there is just not a midwife close enough to me that delivers twins. I don't think I am comfortable doing a UC birth with twins, but if the babies come really fast I probably will not make it to the hospital. I am just curious what other peoples experience is with this.\

Thanks, Sarah

 

[GeezerMom]

Not to be a party pooper, but I suspect the lack of midwifery is b/c twin births (and pregnancies) are high risk. I had a C-section at 38w 5d, my twins were both breech & I had developed dangerously high blood pressure and gestational diabetes (which was mild and easily managed).

Perhaps if you're 25 and in perfect health with a perfect pregnancy, home birthing might be an option. Personally I wouldn't risk it.

 

[alegna]

Bah. Twins are not high risk usually unless ob procedures make them high risk. Bumping this up as I know there are moms here who had twin homebirths. My midwife had her twins at home unassisted over 20 years ago

-Angela

 

[GeezerMom]

Which OB procedures?

 

[alegna]

The biggest "risk" in multiple birth is prematurity. Many OBs won't "let" twin pregnancies go past 37 weeks. Many schedule sections earlier.

sorry so short. wrestling babe

-Angela

 

[GeezerMom]

That's a shame, I'm sorry to hear it.

My OB wasn't in any particular hurry to deliver mine, and definitely didn't feel it was necessary to take them at 37w. If I hadn't developed high BP, he wouldn't have scheduled me at 38w 5d.

My son did have a few problems at delivery, I was glad to be in a hospital. Not that it made BFeeding easier (although they tried).

 

[sarahloughmiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeezerMom Perhaps if you're 25 and in perfect health with a perfect pregnancy, home birthing might be an option. Personally I wouldn't risk it.

I actually just turned 26 and am in great health and over all have had a good pregnancy. My blood pressure is always on the low side and no gestational diabetes or anything like that. I had ds at home and he was 10lb 5oz so I am confident that I can birth the babies just fine. They are both head down at the moment also, so that helps too.

 

[Nansala]

In my city, I was able to find only one MW who was willing to take me on as a patient... she'd been a MW for over 20 years and I was her first twin mom. In the end, I decided I couldn't be someones learning curve.

I have 4 yo b/g twins and I'm currently pg with my 2nd set -- due any time now. My first deliver was textbook. Both were head down, both were born within 2 minutes of beginning to push, apgars of 8/9 for each.

This pg, the girl keeps flipping breech, back to head down, back to breech again.

Do you have more "risks" with a twin pregnancy? Well... yes, you have two babies, once one baby is birthed, there ARE things that COULD happen. I wouldn't necessarily say a twin pregnancy is automatically "high risk" however, there are additional things you have to be watchful for.

But, with all that said, if I could have found a MW who was EXPERIENCED with twin births, I would have hired her instead of going with an OB.

In the end, I really just want two healthy babies. Yes, their birth is important to me, but not as important as it is to bringing them both home iwth me safe and sound -- JMHO.

Nancy
mama to Emily and Nathan 7/14/01
EDD 7/12/05 with b/g twins
(no family history, no fertility drugs either

)

 

[Wildcrafter]

I did, but none of us knew it was twins. I sometimes think that all the negativity and doubts surrounding birthing twins is in itself a risk.

My labor lasted 5 hours total. Baby #2 came 9 minutes after #1. I had no pregnancy problems and delivered 1 day before due date. sorry gotta go.
Mary

 

[Artisan]

I know hotmamacita homebirthed (breech!) twins. Maybe you could PM her.

 

[Artisan]

double post, sorry!

 

[Artisan]

Oh, and you should read, "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth," by Ina May Gaskin, who has delivered thousands of babies at home. She does not believe that twins are high risk and they do not send people having twins to the hospital -- they have homebirths as well.

 

[magentamomma]

I had my girls at home at 40 weeks 3 days. labor was 6 hours long with a 32 minute break in between. A good friend of mine also gave birth to her twins at home her labor was fast only about an hour and a half. There are elevated risksof hemmorage but kelp, and other supplements can reduce the risks. In the hospital you are very likely to be sectioned, some hospitals it's almost a garuntee. I would get an Ultra sound around 30 weeks to determine size and organ developement and position. Breech birth is the most common variable, so rather than find midwives with twin experience ( almost impossible in todays world) I would ask about their breech experience. Rwatch your blood pressure for sure, but I was able to moniter mine at the local drugstore. Eat lots of small high protein, iron rich foods, read Elizabeth Noble's having Twins, and exercise as you are able. I delivered in a sqatting position for the first, and hands and knees for the second who was born in the caul. The writer Sheila Kitzinger delivered her twins at home. Congratulations, twins are crazy fun.

 

[ElizaBird]

i birthed my twins at home this last january. It was an amazing, empowering birth. they were both vertex. i was healthy, BP was starting to rise towards the end, but it never got too high. my labor was 17 hours all together (first babies). babies heart rates were perfect the whole time. apgars were 9/10 and 10/10. they were born 1 hour and 12 minutes apart. I had i midwife who did not have a lot of experience (she'd done them only in the hospital) but whom i trusted immesely. Best of luck. Twins are amazing.
Eliza

 

[lexbeach]

I would have HAPPILY had a homebirth with my twins had I been able to find a midwife (any midwife!) willing to take me on. As it was, I ended up using an OB and planned to deliver at the local hospital. Their procedure for twin births was that the mom had to be lying on her back on an operating table in the operating room for the delivery. They strongly encouraged an epidural and there would be an anesthesiologist present. I was so freaked out about the idea of being so confined. . . not only in the hospital, but lying on my back on a hard skinny table?! I think my fear is what caused my babies to be breech (or at least, my fear contributed to it). Then, when they were both breech, I couldn't find anyone who would assist me in a vaginal delivery period. I fantasized about just waiting until the last minute and showing up at the hospital with one baby basically coming out. . . but of course that was unrealistic and in the end my fear took over and I had a scheduled section at 38 weeks, 2 days. My babies were both born pink and healthy, and weighed 8-7 and 6-4. I was 22 years old and in great health, no high bp, nothing. If I were in the same situation again (pregnant with twins and still living here), I'd go to The Farm and have the midwives there assist me.

I am still dealing with the trauma of the c-section.

HTH!

Lex

 

[magentamomma]

Iam so sorry for your pain lexbeach and all you twin mommas who had sections because it's standard. At our local hospital we had the same proticals I actually had a CNM at the oldest and largest ob clinics tell me that the doctors were not trained to deliver breech or to deliver in any position other than lithomy. I was also told if we had gone ther I would not have been able to even labor upright. All that brings on the cascade effect in the hospital. I was lucky to find midwives willing to help. Don't really know what I would have done otherwise.

 

[sarahloughmiller]

Thanks for the input ladies. It is so nice to hear more stories of twins being born naturally. I realize there are more risks to a twin birth, but I jsut don't see the need to have them in the operating room with 10 people that I do not know there waiting for something to go wrong.

lexbeach - I am so sorry about your birthing experience, that is exactly what I want to avoid. The fears they put into us about things going wrong just causes them to go wrong and I don't want that to happen. I am glad your babies came out so healthy though. That is kind of a big weight difference, your OB wasn't worried about that durring your pregnancy?

 

[kir]

I was coming to this forum to ask a similar question!!

I am just about to reach 16 weeks now, and i've suddenly started panicking about the birth. My OB assured me that she takes twin births on a case-by-case basis and won't force a c-section....but i know how things go. And I know that a lot of docs are just scared in twin pregnancies, don't know a lot of advice to prevent problems, only look for problems then treat them...etc. etc.

I don't think homebirthing is an option here (unless we go totally unassisted, and i'm too inexperienced/scared for that). So I'm hoping for the least invasive, least depersonalised hospital/birthing center option. I'm so scared about a c-section, so scared about not being in control and having me and DH cut off from our twins right when they're first born

I guess my question is less about homebirth, then, and more about people who birthed somewhat naturally and were happy with having done that, whatever the setting.

I'm just really overwhelmed about it right now. I was literally crying about this the other night. i've never even been to the hospital for anything before! I don't want to start with this!

Love to hear lots more of these good birth stories....

(BTW, I don't mean to say that a c-section birth story is not good....but so often it's presented as the only option to twin moms, and that's what scares me, b/c it just can't really be true...)

K

 

[magentamomma]

why isn't homebirth an option? Are you talking legalities? I used three unliscensed midwives. In my state it is illegal for liscensed mw to deliver twins, but my ladies had all given up their s because of all the regulations that they felt were prohibiting them from practicing midwifery as they believed it should be practiced. They had 17 of their own hbirthed children between them and over 40 years combined experience. I would imagine that if you asked around there are word of mouth mw in your area who would be willing to help you. Ask ladies wearing slings

and obviously religious women with lots of kids. Yes those are both generalizations, but I've discovered that these "types" of women tend to not stay in the mainstream(myserlf included) for whatever reason. I hope no one takes offense but this is actually how I found my midwives.... by asking any and all likely candidates. good luckand congratulations

 

[sarahloughmiller]

I found a midwife that will do it! She lives about 5 hours away, which seems kind of far, but she is fine with the distance. I am so excited to be planning another home birth again. After having my 1st at home, I just could not see going to the hospital to have a baby much less two of them. Thank you for your hb stories, it really encouraged me to put more effort into finding someone that was willing to be here with me.