who has had a natural/noninvasive twin birth???

644 Views 6 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Gena 22, Apr 26, 2009

mamakven

Discussion Starter · Apr 24, 2009

i am 24 weeks, pregnant with twins and having a HECK of a time with my new doctor!!! a little background, i've had 5 babies, 4 naturally, 3 at home, and this is really hard to deal with!! anyway, i've cut and pasted an email to my local mama group here, so i don't have to type it all out again.... thanks for any feedback!! OH, one thing, i'm a lot overweight and my dr. doesn't seem to like fat people much.. think that might be a part of the whole scenario, and explains the weight loss/diet issue...

Ok all... dh suggested i post here and ask you all your opinions, since at least 2 of you are doulas and most are interested in birth in general... anyway, i just finished bawling my eyes out to andy, and here's why. This pregnancy has been a shock in so many ways. I just really expected ONE baby. And i don't mean that in a unappreciative way... i know that one pregnancy and 2 babies is really a pretty good deal in a LOT of ways. But i am in a situation now that i feel totally powerless and trapped. Dawn (my midwife) recommended i stay with the doctor that i'm with, and said she'd utilize him if she was having twins herself which made me feel better for a while, and the nurse that i spend most of the appt time with is AMAZING, she really takes as much time as i need to explain stuff to me and she's a sincerely nice person, but there is SO much i have to just DEAL with that i never had before, and the question is, is it truly necessary because they are twins, and that changes everything THAT much or is it excessive and medical-ish, exactly what i've worked so hard to avoid in the FIRST place.

So ok, here's my objections 1. the choice of vaginal vs. Csec isn't mine anymore- it all depends on the doctor, and they SAY as long as A is vertex, not breech or transverse, then vaginal delivery is a go. Well, who knows what might change that in the end and be an "emergency" My biggest concern about THAT is that the babies are big. they are measuring 94th and 95th percentiles, and about a week larger than "scheduled" (huuuuuuuge eye roll) now, they are UNIFORMLY big, just like LEIF was uniformly big! THat's how my babies WORK! They aren't diabetic babies with huge heads and bellies, they are just plain proportonately big becuause they come from solid scandinavian stock, PERIOD. anyway, andy said after my appointment, "i give you till 35 weeks before he insists on inducing you" and it really has been weiging on me all week. Becuase i think he's right. I think the babies will be big, and if i don't go into preterm labor, he will insist on inducing me ridiculously early.

2. This GD diet i'm on SUCKS!!!! it completely BITES!! i HATE IT! i have little room in my stomach ANYWAY! its not like i'm overeating! i've LOST 20 lbs and granted i gained 7 last week, but that easily could have been water retention, increase in blood volume, growth spurt for babies, etc. Believe me i KNOW when i'm not eating appropriately and its NOT now. well, kinda becuase this stupid diet, which was prompted becuase my 1 hour test score was 139, exactly the same as when i had leif, which when i had leif was just fine but apparently 3 years later, is NOT fine. so now i'm finger pricking 4 times a day and trying to keep my blood sugar under 120 and about 1/3 of the time last week it was a little over, so since my last appointment, i've been following their stupid diet, as much as i can, because i'm not exactly cooking right now, and all but eliminating fruit and my beloved jamba juice... sigh... not allowed to have juice at all, can have fruit but only one serving at a time, several times a day, and the problem with that is, I OFTEN load up on one thing at a time, then i make my daily allowance of it and don't have to worry about it! but i can't do that with this stupid diet. i have to have exactly the right servings exactly at certain times. ANd all this because my blood sugar is borderline high, and i have big babies. Well DUH i have big babies!?!? its not like it takes 7 of them to figure that out?!? uggggg!!!!!

3. and i think the biggest issue is the complete lack of control of my body. All these "necessary" tests and interventions are just making me INSANE! For example, last time, i had to get a vaginal ultrasound to make sure my cervix was long, Ok, so i reluctantly agreed to that. Well i get in there, and he's like, we might as well do your pap too! and i'm like, no, we were just going to do that AFTER the babies were born, and he was like well we're here now, so fine, we were going to do that then. and we might as well do the fibronectin test also, and just throw the swab away if your cervix is long. ANd the thing is, i have ISSUES with strange men digging around in my BUSINESS. Like long term from childhood issues, So he started putting the speculum in, and of course i'm NOT relaxed but made a serious effort there. and he couldn't find my cervix and just digged and digged and it HURT and i was like "ouch" inch a lot and doing my best NOT to cry. Andy was right there holding my hand which was awesome, but still... and the drs like, "come on! this is how you got pregnant, remember? ANd i wanted to SCREAM "NO, i DIDN'T get pregnant by some JERK sticking a cold metal object up me!" but i didn't. so finally he discovered my cervix is up more toward the front and he couldn't reach it at all cancelled the pap and just did the internal US which determined my cervix was long, and just fine. So i am supposed to do the fibronectin thing at 28 weeks, and he reassured me that he had a longer speculum (!!!!!! Yeah, that made me feel SOOOO much better!) ANd i'm just wondering if i REALLY have to deal with feeling raped every month!

I mean i GET that the most important thing is the babies, and i GET that twins changes so much and i have a high risk pregnancy now, but this all together, is HARD to take. and i'm wondering if i really have to. Any feedback? i know i could probably find a midwife that could do twins, but i'm not entirely sure i'm comfortable with the safety of that... espeally since there's a GOOD chance at least one of them will be breach. i mean, at least this way i KNOW what to expect?! ugg.... another thing is i could just outright refuse any vaginal anything, right? except GBS i think is required, right? Anyway, if anyone has any feedback, i'd sure appreciate it...

Rebecca

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kltroy

· #2 · Apr 24, 2009

I have not btdt, but I *have* consulted w/ a local doc who does breech twin deliveries. (I was 31 weeks preg w/ #2 who was breech at the time, and was feeling him out on the possibility of a breech VBAC. Fortunately my baby flipped) I say this only to point out that these folks exist but may take some looking to find. I would contact your local ICAN group as they may know who would be more supportive of your birth choices. When I talked to this doc he mentioned that his first choice for twins when one was breech was to deliver the vertex twin, then do a quicky version, and then deliver the second.

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snowmom5

· #3 · Apr 24, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by kltroy

When I talked to this doc he mentioned that his first choice for twins when one was breech was to deliver the vertex twin, then do a quicky version, and then deliver the second.

This is what we did. Baby A was vertex, baby B was transverse. The OB and resident turned baby B to vertex, internally and externally (I did have an epi, my choice, though I suppose it wasn't exactly required or anything), and he was out in two pushes five minutes after baby A. That was my first vbac.

As far as the rest goes, in terms of prenatal care, everyone's got their own personal level of risk they're willing to take, so there's not much more I can say. Only other thing is that this pregnancy (singleton) I'm taking metformin to term. I've never had GD and don't make big babies, but insulin and glucose are nonetheless issues for me (pcos, strong family history of type 2 diabetes). Anyway I feel a lot better than I did in my prior pregnancies and gaining weight is less of a struggle than it was in those pregnancies (I didn't gain enough with my twins; I know it sounds like it's sorta the opposite of the GD problem but oddly enough there is still the insulin/glucose connection). My endocrinologist has long wondered why more GD isn't treated with metformin here in the US (apparently it is in certain other countries).

(I should clarify that my twin pregnancy was not natural/non-invasive. I had other issues going on not mentioned here.)

Good luck!!

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meganmarie

· #4 · Apr 24, 2009

I can't comment on twin birth but just had to respond because its clear you are going through such a tough time emotionally. I hope that writing it out has helped you process some of the things that are frustrating you. What I really hope and pray for you is that you can find a way to make peace with things and think positive - about the loss of control, for example, and uncertainties involved in a twin birth, and the challenge of diet - because you can't change those things. So the only answer is to, as the saying goes, find the strength to accept them. Embrace them, even, and make them your own. Find other ways to think of them, or other things to think about. Easier said than done I know!! But what your little babies inside you need is a relaxed, unstressed and peaceful mama keeping them healthy, so that's what you need to be. Take a deep breath. Do some yoga? Whatever it takes!

On your care provider: if your midwife recommends him as the best choice for twin birth, and you can verify that through your MDC Tribe and local ICAN chapter, then you may need to stay where you are. It sounds promising that he's open to vaginal twin birth at all, because you hardly find that any more. On the other hand, based on your description of the vaginal exam, he also sounds like kind of a UAV. (Not the word I want to use). You absolutely have the right to refuse tests, interventions, vaginal exams you don't want or need, and your DH needs to back you up. I'd suggest you ask to have an appointment with your OB in his office, not an exam room, when you are dressed and feeling confident - so you can let him know your issues and your history and why you'll be (politely) refusing future VE's. Also, bring up any other concerns you have with his care and see if you can work them through.

I hope things get better for you.

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lisa_nc

· #5 · Apr 24, 2009

I had an OB managed twin pregnancy that ended in an accidental UC at 38 weeks. Also, it was a VBAC. It was the longest battle of my life. Stand your ground, mama. Join ICAN. Do your own research. Don't let them bully you.

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farmers_wife

· #6 · Apr 25, 2009

Hi there! I am trying to have triplets (25 weeks along) naturally so I can see exactly where you are coming from, trust me! Luckily my Ob is on board with TRYING to have them vaginally, I just don't want to deliver in the OR because everyone is just tempted to just section me is my fear. I would STICK to your guns sister, stand up and don't be bullied. I had to BATTLE with the nurses the hospital the other day (I was very sick and dehydrated from vomiting) and they INSISTED I STAY IN BED at all times until I got clearance from my doc. Like my babies would just fall out of my vagina if I stood up

Just because we are pregnant with multiples we are not ticking time bombs

Sorry for the rant, having a bad afternoon, Good luck and keep us posted!

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Gena 22

· #7 · Apr 26, 2009

Don't have time to write much, since my own twins need me

, but here are a few thoughts:

1. Check out the multiples board here at MDC. Some of us have had fairly natural twin pregnancies and births. There are some great "stickies" at the top of the page with birth stories. Including mine!

2. Know the GD diet is tough, but protein is what you need right now. Keep up the good work and check out Barbara Luke's book and/or website. I don't agree with her on when twins should be born, or necessarily cutting your activity, but she's great on nutrition.

3. Do NOT let yourself be induced early, especially at 35 weeks. That's ridiculous. U/S weights are notoriously bad. Which leads me to . . .

4. You should really consider leaving your OB. Recommended or not. Look for a homebirth MW if you're so inclined. If all goes well it can be great!

Try not to get down, with all the shock and scary things being shared with you right now.

Having twins is a blast! Congrats!

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