Answers for a worried Nana

My daughter just found out she's pregnant with twins. She has a three year old son and had absolutely no troubles with his pregnancy. She was pregnant, the baby was due about this time, and around Thanksgiving last year she had a miscarriage. We are very very excited about the prospect of twins, but also very very nervous. We have so many questions, and I've got to various websites for answers, but finally found this one, and am hoping that ladies that have been through it would be helpful. After having an ultrasound, and finding two sacs, they did a vaginal ultrasound, and said both babies have heartbeats, and are the same size. They are both in their own sacs, which the US tech said is the best way to have twins. I've read that once a heartbeat is found, it's less likely that the pregnancy will result in miscarriage. Also we're wondering if she will have the option of delivering the babies, or if she will have to have an automatic c section. How far along will she be before they can tell the sexes? How does one know if the twins are fraternal or identical........can they be identical and in their own sacs...and how does one find out? As you can tell this Nana is very nervous and confused. Help! Lol

 

Congratulations to your family! This website is wonderful...lots of good advice and support

I have the option of delivering vaginally since both baby A and baby B are (currently) head down. I would still have the option if only baby A was head down. We found out the genders a few days before I was 20 weeks...some people do find out earlier. And I will let someone else chime in on the differences between fraternal and identical, so they can better explain how each type of twinning occurs.

Welcome and please make sure your daughter spends a lot of time here, too!

 

Hey Nana! I have been through a similar situation as your daughter. I had a miscarriage before I became pregnant with my twins. Every ultrasound I went to I became very nervous until I saw their heartbeats. I was able to find out the sex of my twins when I was 16wks. We knew they were fraternal b/c each had their own sac, placenta and ofcourse one was a boy and one girl. I felt better after I made it through my first trimester. That is the most critical part of any pregnancy. I've never carried a single pregnancy to term, but it is my understanding that a twin pregnancy is much different. The women on this board have been extremely helpful and knowledgable about many aspects of a twin pregnancy. It is a great support site. I've also done a great deal of research on my own via internet, books. I hope this helps..and goodluck!

 

QUOTE(SMax @ Jun 17 2008, 01:55 PM) [snapback]831394[/snapback]
Congratulations to your family! This website is wonderful...lots of good advice and support

I have the option of delivering vaginally since both baby A and baby B are (currently) head down. I would still have the option if only baby A was head down. We found out the genders a few days before I was 20 weeks...some people do find out earlier. And I will let someone else chime in on the differences between fraternal and identical, so they can better explain how each type of twinning occurs.

Welcome and please make sure your daughter spends a lot of time here, too!



Thanks so much for your answer! It is very helpful to have people that have had the same issues to talk to.

 

QUOTE(debfitz @ Jun 17 2008, 02:08 PM) [snapback]831428[/snapback]
Hey Nana! I have been through a similar situation as your daughter. I had a miscarriage before I became pregnant with my twins. Every ultrasound I went to I became very nervous until I saw their heartbeats. I was able to find out the sex of my twins when I was 16wks. We knew they were fraternal b/c each had their own sac, placenta and ofcourse one was a boy and one girl. I felt better after I made it through my first trimester. That is the most critical part of any pregnancy. I've never carried a single pregnancy to term, but it is my understanding that a twin pregnancy is much different. The women on this board have been extremely helpful and knowledgable about many aspects of a twin pregnancy. It is a great support site. I've also done a great deal of research on my own via internet, books. I hope this helps..and goodluck!


Thanks for your quick response to my questions. It is very helpful to know that other people have been where you are now. Did you have an ultrasound every time you went to the doctor?

 

:wavey: Nana and congrats to your daughter for having twins!!!

I've heard the same thing about the heartbeats, though I've heard that when you hear it through a heart monitor {not through a vaginal u/s} that the rate of miscarriage goes down. I've also heard that in the second trimester the chances go down alot. I did have the option of having either a vaginal birth or a c/s. I think as long as everything looks good and baby A is head down, a vaginal c/s is okay. I'm not sure of all the details as I opted to get a c/s. I found out the sexes when I was 17 weeks pregnant. Some doctors like to wait until 20 weeks so that they can be as accurate as possible. I can't help you with the id/fraternal question as we knew from the get-go that they were fraternal, but I'm sure one of our members will be able to help you out on that. :hug99: I hope you daughter has a happy and healthy pregnancy. :Clap:

ETA: I wanted to add that I got an u/s every month until the end of my pregnancy. I had monthly OB visits and at 30 weeks it became every other week. At 36 weeks it became weekly.

 

QUOTE(nana2three @ Jun 17 2008, 03:17 PM) [snapback]831461[/snapback]
Thanks for your quick response to my questions. It is very helpful to know that other people have been where you are now. Did you have an ultrasound every time you went to the doctor?


I had several ultrasounds because I was considered high risk. I conceived my twins via ivf, so I had many ultrasounds. We were able to hear and see the heartbeats at 8 or 9 weeks I think. We felt better after that, but it was still scary having thoughts of miscarriage. I just really took it easy and tried not to worry.

 

Congrats to your family!!

I think most doctors are still comfy with a vaginal delivery so long as baby A is head down. (Some I think prefer for both to be head down.) And I think it sometimes also depends on any weight variances between the two if baby B is not head down. They can be identical and still have their own sacs. If it's a boy and a girl, it's obviously fraternal twins. But if they are same-sex twins, a blood test is the absolute answer to the frat/identical question. (And I guess if they look as different as night and day you could assume frat twins.)

I found the sex of Baby B at 18wks, baby A didn't cooperate until 20wks.

Let your daughter know about this site. It's the best place for support, encouragement, and advice through pregnancy and beyond!

Keep us posted!

ETA: I also had several ultrasounds due to being high risk.

 

Congrats to your family. :yahoo: You've gotten some good answers, so I am not going to repeat everything that was said.

I did find out at 17w3d that I was having b/g twins. I would also recommend her seeing a perinatologist along with her OB. The peri is just more trained for high risk pregnancies in most cases. I know my peri gave me an u/s at every visit.


Good luck to your daughter. You should tell her to join Twinstuff!

 

QUOTE(summerfun @ Jun 17 2008, 02:33 PM) [snapback]831503[/snapback]
Congrats to your family. :yahoo: You've gotten some good answers, so I am not going to repeat everything that was said.

I did find out at 17w3d that I was having b/g twins. I would also recommend her seeing a perinatologist along with her OB. The peri is just more trained for high risk pregnancies in most cases. I know my peri gave me an u/s at every visit.
Good luck to your daughter. You should tell her to join Twinstuff!



Thank you so much!

 

Hello and congrats on your grandbabies It is my understanding that identical twins can have their own placentas and own amniotic sacs as well if the fertilized egg split early enough in the game. I am having identicals and they were able to tell because they are in their own sacs (the membrane between the babies usually appears to be very thin between identicals) and they are sharing a placenta. They are also both boys. They can try to determine identical vs. multiples though figuring out if the babies are in their own sacs, sharing a placenta (although this can be misleading because sometimes two placentas can fuse and appear to look like one), and their genders. Boy/girl babies are always fraternal. Fraternal twins always are in different sacs and have their own placentas. Identicals are harder to diagnose I believe unless one placenta is visualized early on or if they are in one sac. Even though my doctor has said the boys are identical she says that the only way to know for sure is at birth. I initially assumed that because I was told that the babies were in different sacs that they were fraternal as well. Since I went to the OB almost at the end of my first trimester, it was a bit too late to tell if the placenta was one or if it had fused (there are signs they can look for on u/s). They are basing their diagnosis off of the super thin membrane and the same gender. \

I agree with what the other gals said about c-section. That is what my OB told me as well. She also told me that one of the miscarriage "milestones was the heartbeats, and the next is after the first trimester. I hope I didn't overwhelm you with too much info all at once. If you search twin pregnancy on Amazon.com there are numerous books that may help your family understand more about twin pregnancy. I read a ton of them and realized that even being a pediatric nurse, I hadn't known the first thing about twins!!
Good Luck

 

Hey Nana :sign0016: .........Congratulations to you, your daughter and your family. :a_smil09:

My babies are in separate sacs, but they share one placenta and thus identical. My OB told me that the Ultrasounds done during the first few weeks of pregnancy are most accurate in telling if the babies are idential or fraternal. Of course if they are of different sexes they will be fraternal.
I am having ultrasounds every 2 weeks, since I have high risk pregnancy, but we found out, that we were having boys at 16 weeks. I dont know about the hearing hearbeats and risk of pregnancy. Just think good positive thoughts and this forum is here for support always.
Most doctors try for vaginal delivery if Twin A is head down, even if Twin B is breech. In case they can't get baby B to move to head down position, they do a C-section. If both babies are head down and no complications, the vaginal delivery will be done. If both babies are breech or have other complications then a C-section is done.
Keep us posted
Lots of hugs :hug99: :hug99: and good wishes

 

QUOTE(gina_leigh @ Jun 17 2008, 02:27 PM) [snapback]831484[/snapback]
Congrats to your family!!

I think most doctors are still comfy with a vaginal delivery so long as baby A is head down. (Some I think prefer for both to be head down.) And I think it sometimes also depends on any weight variances between the two if baby B is not head down. They can be identical and still have their own sacs. If it's a boy and a girl, it's obviously fraternal twins. But if they are same-sex twins, a blood test is the absolute answer to the frat/identical question. (And I guess if they look as different as night and day you could assume frat twins.)

I found the sex of Baby B at 18wks, baby A didn't cooperate until 20wks.

Let your daughter know about this site. It's the best place for support, encouragement, and advice through pregnancy and beyond!

Keep us posted!

ETA: I also had several ultrasounds due to being high risk.


Thanks so much for your answers. Are most twins born c/s?........was your c/s?

 

QUOTE(anxious @ Jun 17 2008, 02:42 PM) [snapback]831522[/snapback]
Hey Nana :sign0016: .........Congratulations to you, your daughter and your family. :a_smil09:

My babies are in separate sacs, but they share one placenta and thus identical. My OB told me that the Ultrasounds done during the first few weeks of pregnancy are most accurate in telling if the babies are idential or fraternal. Of course if they are of different sexes they will be fraternal.
I am having ultrasounds every 2 weeks, since I have high risk pregnancy, but we found out, that we were having boys at 16 weeks. I dont know about the hearing hearbeats and risk of pregnancy. Just think good positive thoughts and this forum is here for support always.
Most doctors try for vaginal delivery if Twin A is head down, even if Twin B is breech. In case they can't get baby B to move to head down position, they do a C-section. If both babies are head down and no complications, the vaginal delivery will be done. If both babies are breech or have other complications then a C-section is done.
Keep us posted
Lots of hugs :hug99: :hug99: and good wishes


Thanks so much for your answers. I never, ever want to see the horrified look on her face that I seen when she told me the baby she was carrying didn't have a heartbeat. I just want to arm myself with any and all info that might be helpful to her. Thanks again!

 

QUOTE(mstofko21 @ Jun 17 2008, 02:41 PM) [snapback]831520[/snapback]
Hello and congrats on your grandbabies It is my understanding that identical twins can have their own placentas and own amniotic sacs as well if the fertilized egg split early enough in the game. I am having identicals and they were able to tell because they are in their own sacs (the membrane between the babies usually appears to be very thin between identicals) and they are sharing a placenta. They are also both boys. They can try to determine identical vs. multiples though figuring out if the babies are in their own sacs, sharing a placenta (although this can be misleading because sometimes two placentas can fuse and appear to look like one), and their genders. Boy/girl babies are always fraternal. Fraternal twins always are in different sacs and have their own placentas. Identicals are harder to diagnose I believe unless one placenta is visualized early on or if they are in one sac. Even though my doctor has said the boys are identical she says that the only way to know for sure is at birth. I initially assumed that because I was told that the babies were in different sacs that they were fraternal as well. Since I went to the OB almost at the end of my first trimester, it was a bit too late to tell if the placenta was one or if it had fused (there are signs they can look for on u/s). They are basing their diagnosis off of the super thin membrane and the same gender. \

I agree with what the other gals said about c-section. That is what my OB told me as well. She also told me that one of the miscarriage "milestones was the heartbeats, and the next is after the first trimester. I hope I didn't overwhelm you with too much info all at once. If you search twin pregnancy on Amazon.com there are numerous books that may help your family understand more about twin pregnancy. I read a ton of them and realized that even being a pediatric nurse, I hadn't known the first thing about twins!!
Good Luck


Will she find out if the twins are fraternal or identical....obviously she will if they are b/g twins, but do you have to know if they are identical for any reason?

 

Glad you guys have found this site!
Has she joined herself yet?
And how far along is she?
Oh and and most important, CONGRATS!

I'm in the same boat as your daughter and after going to the library and reading up on miscariages I found out a lot of interesting things. About 40% of pregnancies end in a miscariage but they are so early that most aren't even detected, just thought of as a heavy period. Also most of early miscariages happen because the chromosomes don't match and divide correctly.

Try to see it as if she got this far the odds are deffinatly in your favor! As hard as it is to relax doing so would be better for all four of you, and make it more enjoyable as well.

After my miscariage I saw it as at least the got pregnant, which means that the chances of having a beautiful baby later was good, little did I know we'd get two!

I'm still confused on the mono/di fraternal/identical deal because I moved in the middle of my first trimester and had to switch doctors so this one can't really tell without seeing what my earlier doctor saw. I posted the earlier pics here a month ago and the other ladies thought that they were in their own sacs, which is what it looks like and the ultrasound tech said "I think the placentas will separate" and I was still in shock about having twins I didn't ask any questions! But this new tech said that it looks like they share a placenta so they could be identical. I guess what to learn from this is to ask questions, write them down as you think of them and try to keep with the same doctor so there isn't any confusion.

The best time to know for sure about the sexes is around 20 weeks.

Also about the delivary options, different books say different things. A lot including "what to expect when expecting" say that most will be c-section but looking on here I find that not to be true. It depends a lot on the doctor and how comfortable they are with vaginal delivery. finding a really good doctor who has had a lot of experience with twins is key. Most of the time if baby A is head down they will deliver vaginally and hope that the second twin is down too, and most of the time the doctor will pull the second one out if its breech because you are stretched out so much after the first one. Because it is a high risk pregnancy though, most likely she will deliver in the OR and an epidural is encouraged if they have to do an emergency c-section. Reading the other ladies delivery stories helps give you an idea of what could happen and what seems to be the norm here.

Sorry this was so long but I hope it helped you and didn't scare you.
If she has any questions tell her to post them here and everyone who can will help answer and even if they can't they'll let her know that they are thinking of her and wishing the best. And even if she just has to vent and complain about ANYTHING this is a good place and will help her know that she is far from alone!

 

Congrats to you and your family! I can understand your nervousness about everything.

I found this site when I was about 11 weeks along with my twins and it has been a lifesaver.

The twins can be indentical if they are in the same sac. If they are same sex, you can do tests to determine that (DNA tests). I have heard that the chance of miscarriage goes down once a heartbeat is detected.

Your doctor should be seeing a perinatologist as well as her regular OB. She will most likely have to deliver in a hospital that has a level III NICU. Are you near a city? I don't think that I noticed where you were from.

Not every twin pregnancy results in c/s. Did she have a vaginal birth w/ her 3 year old? I did have a c/s but it had to do with a medical condition I had.

Her u/s will most likely be more frequent than other moms of singletons. She may start NST earlier in her pregnancy than she did with her son.

Most of all, just tell her to take good care of herself (and you take care of her, too )...and tell her to get herself signed up here, too!!!

Welcome, glad you found us and hope that we have answered some of your questions and maybe put your mind at ease!

 

QUOTE(nana2three @ Jun 17 2008, 02:47 PM) [snapback]831375[/snapback]
My daughter just found out she's pregnant with twins. She has a three year old son and had absolutely no troubles with his pregnancy. She was pregnant, the baby was due about this time, and around Thanksgiving last year she had a miscarriage. We are very very excited about the prospect of twins, but also very very nervous. We have so many questions, and I've got to various websites for answers, but finally found this one, and am hoping that ladies that have been through it would be helpful. After having an ultrasound, and finding two sacs, they did a vaginal ultrasound, and said both babies have heartbeats, and are the same size. They are both in their own sacs, which the US tech said is the best way to have twins. I've read that once a heartbeat is found, it's less likely that the pregnancy will result in miscarriage. Also we're wondering if she will have the option of delivering the babies, or if she will have to have an automatic c section. How far along will she be before they can tell the sexes? How does one know if the twins are fraternal or identical........can they be identical and in their own sacs...and how does one find out? As you can tell this Nana is very nervous and confused. Help! Lol

Hi Nana,
Your daughter can either have mono/di twins or di/di twins if they are in two sacs. Mono/di twins stand for monochorionic diamniotic meaning one placenta and two amnionic sacs and all mono/di twins are identical. Mono/di twins also have a thin membrane between them. Di/di stands for dichorionic diamniotic meaning two placentas and two amnionic sacs and they can be either fraternal or identical. Di/di twins tend to have thicker membranes separating them. You will only be able to tell if di/di twins are identical or fraternal by a blood test/DNA test after they are born unless you find out she is having a boy and a girl. If they are mono/di, I would recommend seeing a peri and having them monitor her fluid levels at least every two weeks because there is a 25% chance of mono/di twins developing TTTS (twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome) and it is identified by high fluid in one sac and low fluid in the other sac. I'm having mono/di twins and my fluid is checked weekly, but the TTTS foundation recommends at least every other week.

My ultrasound tech was able to tell that one baby was a boy at my 14 week ultrasound, but it wasn't until my 18 week ultrasound that I found out for sure that both were boys.

I'm automatically having another c-section because I had one with my first son, but I think as long as one baby is head down, most doctors will let you try a vaginal birth. However, it really depends on the doctor so I would have her ask.

Otherwise, congratulations! Definitely let your daughter know about this site. It is wonderful and very informative. I have learned so much from the other ladies!

Marisa

 

I had a c/s as my PERI practice will not do a vaginal delivery with twins. It didnt matter to me as both my babies were breech when I delivered at 37 weeks, but I know many other women who saw the same practice and had c-sections just because.

I would also recommend she join a mothers of multiples club. They can be so helpful. She can find one local to her by going to http://www.nomotc.org/

I also know my club allows Grandmas to join, so if you want you may be able to join one as well. They can be a wonderful support system and valuable resource. Those women know it all.

I second what others have said about seeing a PERI. After 24 weeks I got 2 U/S a week. It was a lot, but I loved seeing them.

Congrats to your family. Twins are a blessing!

 

QUOTE(nana2three @ Jun 17 2008, 02:49 PM) [snapback]831532[/snapback]
Will she find out if the twins are fraternal or identical....obviously she will if they are b/g twins, but do you have to know if they are identical for any reason?



The OB should tell her what they are at least guessing at one of her earlier appts. It is best to find out if they are fraternal vs. identical because identical twins can run into some complications when sharing a placenta. They can have growth discordance or twin-to-twin-transfusion syndrome and therefore identical pregnancies may be monitored a bit more closely. I personally started going to my OB every 2 weeks at 20 weeks and went every 3 weeks prior to that. I also go for a growth scan every 3-4 weeks. With identicals they monitor growth and fluid levels carefully. Some OB's recommend going to a perinatalogist with twins in general and some only with identicals. My OB works with perinatologists who consult weekly with her so I just stayed with my OB. I am 22 weeks so far and doing great though! You will meet a lot of women on this site who had ID twins and no problems :icon_biggrin:

 

:sign0016: From another Nana.... I am the proud nana of identical mo/di twin boys age 18 months... They were delivered via c/s and due to the shared placenta her medical team consisted of a MFM (peri) with bi-monthly check ups and an ob also with bi-monthly check ups. She delivered two heathy babies at 36w 1d with no NICU time...
You are going to LOVE this experience.. I can't tell you how blessed I feel to be part of these sweet boys lives.

 

I've read that once a heartbeat is found, it's less likely that the pregnancy will result in miscarriage. I was also told this also, but it is still possible. Sorry I know I worried until I hit 28 weeks. Even until they were actually born I worried. It sounds like things are going well so far.

Also we're wondering if she will have the option of delivering the babies, or if she will have to have an automatic c section. It can depend on the dr and their comfort level with twins. If she truly wants a vaginal delivery she should find a dr who is experienced with twin delivery. My dr had said as long as the first twin to come out is not breech we could try a vaginal delivery regardless of Baby Bs position. Both babies were breech though and I ended up having a C-section. It worked out ok though.

How far along will she be before they can tell the sexes? They usually know for sure after 18 weeks I was told. Sometimes they can tell sooner depending on the babies position. It isn't confirmed though until 18 weeks.

How does one know if the twins are fraternal or identical........can they be identical and in their own sacs...and how does one find out? If they are boy/girl then they are definitely fraternal. Usually if they are in their own sacs and have their own placentas they are fraternal but their is the chance that they can still be identical this way. The only way to know in this case is to have a dna test done after birth. If they are the same sex and in the same sac sharing the same placenta they are definitely identical.

I hope this helps.

Jen

 

Hooray, another grandma! There are several of us that frequent the board and we're thrilled to have another one. Welcome!!! Congratulations to your daughter and to your whole family, twins really are a DOUBLE BLESSING! It's a whole new ballgame with twins, truly amazing and so much fun.

My daughter has 14.5 month old fraternal twin boys. We found out immediately after their birth that they were fraternal because they are different blood types (although they don't look alike so we would have figured it out on our own!). She saw a regular OB throughout her pregnancy, thankfully she had an uncomplicated pregnancy with no bedrest at all (she worked full time until 32 weeks) and she delivered via c-section at 37 weeks. Her boys weighed 6lb 8oz and 6lb 13oz, no NICU time. My daughter also has a 4 week old baby so the twins are already big brothers!

You have found a wonderful site, all the ladies here are absolutely awesome and will be a valuable resource to both you and your daughter, during her pregnancy and for years to come!