Babies 4 and 5 are on their way!

EEK! We were trying for number 4- our last baby. Surprise! Twins! (With an empty sac with no baby). I just found out yesterday, I'm 12w2d. Both babies have their own sac and own placenta. I'm told that's the best scenario for twins. I had NO questions for the doc yesterday as I was just in shock. I have another appt with an u/s in 2 weeks.

I'm Alli, dh and I have 3 kiddos right now, 4.5, 2.5 and 13 months.I stay at home with them and hubby is a developmental engineer with the Air Force. I'm due April 8th, but the doc said he won't let me go past 38 weeks. I'll either be induced or have a c-section. Is this normal? I don't like the thought of an induction of I don't need it. But I'm clueless about a multiple pregnancy! I am the MOST worried about a c-section (other than healthy babies- but that is obvious!). My previous pregnancies have been a breeze, and labor has been also. My last baby came in 1hr 45min!!

Any tips, resources, books, websites etc... would be greatly appreciated!

 

I don't have advice as I haven't delivered my twins yet, but I wanted to say congratulations! This is numbers 4 and 5 for me as well. Mine are much older though.

 

Congrats and welcome to Twinstuff!

Many ladies on here have gone into labor naturally and delivered vaginally, so I'm sure they'll chime in to share their experiences.

Best of luck to you! We look forward to updates!

 

Congrats and welcome to TS. This place is probably going to be one of your best resources Ask any questions here and there's lots of experienced mama's to help answer!

Try not to worry about how the babies are going to get here yet, you got a lot of pregnancy to get through between now and then

My biggest suggestion is start loading up on the protein! Babies use your protein to grow, the more you eat the better the chances of them coming out good sizes. Mine were born at 36 wks 2 days and were 6.4 lbs and 7.2 lbs.

 

Congratulations!

I got the same spiel from my OB: c-section or induction at 38 weeks no questions asked. I posted here and found that was a bit of a overboard policy provided the pregnancy was going fine otherwise (obviously, there are several good reasons to induce or do a c-section earlier). I am currently looking for a new doctor/practice. I'm not opposed to being induced (mostly because I'm trying to imagine not wanting them out at 38 weeks! LOL), but my doctor also would not deliver if Baby B was breech (many docs will allow a woman to try vaginally if Baby A is head down even if Baby B is breech). My first pregnancy and labour were also very smooth, with labour and birth being fairly quick (5 hours).

I got lots of good responses when I posted about birth/labour policies and what seemed normal/not normal (provided pregnancy was low-risk).

 

:welcome: & congratulations!

I would say that the 38 week deadline is common but not necessarily normal. Depending on how strongly you feel about aiming for a vaginal birth, I would definitely encourage you to do some research into the elective delivery of di/di twins at 38 weeks. I would also ask your caregiver lots & lots of questions like: Why do you induce at 38 weeks in an otherwise healthy pregnancy? What are the benefits of continuing the pregnancy past 38 weeks? What are the risks? (And get specific - ask for numbers, stats, studies. Don't settle for "Well, there's a risk of x, y, z". It's important to know how likely & serious those risks actually are). What are the benefits of induction/c-birth? What are the risks of induction/c-birth?

Don't be afraid to get a second opinion. Keep in mind that your caregiver's perception & assessment of the risks & benefits may not match yours - you may be more comfortable with a different approach to the management of your pregnancy & labour than they are. If you sense this is the case, do not hesitate to switch caregivers. I think it's so important to find a caregiver who's ideas & philosophy on birth are as similar to your own as possible. It can save a lot of negotiating.

I agree with Danielle as well - there's a lot of time between now & then & some options may be taken off the table due to complications with the pregnancy. So while it's important to consider your values & priorities for this pregnancy & birth it's also important to stay open to all possibilities as there are many factors that are completely out of our control.

 

Congrats on your babies! I was also told that I wouldnt go past 38 weeks and that it would either be a section or vaginal dependin on their positions. I did have a scheduled section at 37 weeks, I requested the 37 weeks as my baby b really wasnt thriving and I was worried. My ob agreed with me. I had a section because of positions, baby A was frank breech and baby B was transverse. Like a PP post said you still have lots of time to worry about how they are going to get here.

 

:Clap: Congrats!! Welcome to Twinstuff!! :welcome:

 

Welcome and congratulations. Chiming in as others have to say although you shouldn't stress just yet about how your babes get here, please talk with you dh and decide what is best for you early on so that if you need to switch docs you have time. Some doctors are just not comfortable unless the situation is "ideal" but definitions of ideal vary. My doc treated my pregnancy like my others and we agreed that as long as everyone was fine and as long as baby A was head down, we'd deliver vaginally. Those were the only set parameters. My delivery was fine, baby A was head down, B was feet first and they were both vaginal. Just make sure you know what you want.

 

Thanks everyone!! I know it's early to stress about that, but I'm terrified of a C-section! My next appt is in 2 weeks and I know I'll have a list of questions for the doctor.

I bought the book Expecting Twins, Triplets, and Quads by Barbara Luke. It has been recommended to me by a few people. 176 grams of protein a day?! Does that sound about right or is that excessive? (Another ? for the doc!) It seems like she focuses a lot of diet and proper weight gain for the best conditions of getting big, healthy babies.

Any tips or things I should know about a twin pregnancy? I've had 3 easy pregnancies in the past- should I be able to expect the same this time? I know complications are more likely with multiples... ahhh!! I'm still getting over the shock of TWO babies!

 

There are people that swear by her book and methods, and people that think she's a quack. Just focus on being healthy. Congratulations!

 

Congrats and welcome! My ob gave me till I was 38 weeks 3 days and if I didn't have them by then I was going to be induced. I asked if I could be induced sooner at 36 weeks 1 day because I had horrible pelvic pain and could hardly walk (most people don't have that so don't worry about it)and so I had my boys vaginally at 36w 3d with the help of induction. GL to you!

 

Bex is right- some people don't like Dr. Luke & some do. I did read & follow (as much as I could) her book. Her preface convinced me- I felt that it was a gift to be able to follow what she would do if you went to her Multiples Clinic (which was not feasible 1,200 miles away for me).

Yes, it's a ton of protein- it took me a couple of weeks to be able to eat that much food daily. I ate a LOT of eggs, beef, chicken & broccoli. One thing I specifically liked was her calcium & magnesium supplement advice- I never had a contraction until after my water broke, 5 full days after I went off the supplement. In part, I attribute that to the magnesium keeping my uterus soft.

 

Congratulations!!! My twins made 5 and 6 for us! You've come to the right place because this forum is a wonderful resource!!

Doctors not letting you go past 38 weeks seems to be about the "norm". My doctor told me he wouldn't let me go past my due date. I did end up being induced because they just didn't want to come out; they were born the day before my due date!! They were both head down and I delivered them both vaginally. I had a wonderful, healthy pregnancy with no problems what so ever! My previous 4 were uneventful as well. It sounds like you have pretty smooth pregnancies and deliveries, so chances are, this should be no different, except in the end you will have two bundles!!!

Congrats again!!!!

 

Congrats! My doc went by the 38 weeks thought too. I think it is fairly common. Personally, I was happy to have my repeat section at 38 weeks. My OB didn't like VBAC with twins and I wasn't OK with the risk either. Every OB has different thoughts though based on the limited evidence available to them to make these decisions and their own personal experience. If you want to deliver after 38 weeks, I would consider trying someone else. In the end, I think you don't want a doctor not comfortable with your plan so I would find someone who's thinking is more along the lines of yours.

Also, I had an uncomplicated pregnancy with my di/di twins. Honestly, other than being more uncomfortable than with my singleton and being a bit more closely monitored it wasn't too much different. I'm sure yours will be smooth given you are an experienced momma!

 

Congrats! Our twins were #5 and #6. My delivery was based on their positions as well as my OB going out of town. So I don't think my story will be much help. I was 4 hrs. from the next nearest hospital to try waiting it out a little longer. We opted to stay home and have the c-section (due to breech and transverse positions) at 37w3d. There are many factors that will help determine what is the best route to take at the end. My boys were take home babies and were excellent weights, 6lbs 14oz and 7lbs 11oz. So in the meantime, drink water, eat well and grow those babies! Congrats again!

 

I ate a lot of protein and my kidneys could not handle it as I was not used to it so I had some elevated kidney levels.. just be careful and ask your Dr. I had 4 very easy previous pregnancies and this one as far as complications was very easy but a LOT of pain and discomfort. However, my first contraction was at 12:30 am and both babies were here by 2:09 am delivered vaginal with our meds baby b breech at 35 and 5 with no NICU time!!! It was an experience to say the least! Congrats!!!!!

 

Congratulations! My twins are #s 4&5, too. Then we even opted for a #6 a few years later!