c-section vs. vaginal for head down twins

Hello all ! I am exactly 35 weeks and 3 days pregnant with my first child(ren)! We are expecting two identical twin boys at around 38 weeks. Both babies , A&B have continued to stay in the same positions over the last few months (Baby A head down and baby B breach) However, in my last ultrasound I found out that both babies have now turned head down! I had been planning a c-section since I found out the positions of the babies and I didnt plan on Baby B turning so quickly! Now I am faced with the question- C-section or Vaginal?? I have never had any children before, I am only 20 years old and I am very scared and feel ill equipped to take on such a decision!! I have been going back and forth while researching the pros and cons of each. My OB is sort of pushing me to lean towards a vaginal delivery if at all possible, as she thinks it is a safer route for me and the babies. But ultimately, she left the decision up to me and my husband. We dont know what to decide and any help would be VERY much appreciated!! Please, any help at all from experienced mothers of twins! I look forward to hearing from you all! :]

 

I'd go vaginal. Better for the babies and easier recovery for you. It is definitely a personal decision though. C-section is MAJOR surgery.

:hi: Welcome to Twinstuff!

 

Vaginally, I'm glad I did. I never had a c-section but have known people to have that and I'm just glad I didn't have to go through what they go through.

 

SOunds like you have an exceptional OB!!!! I'd go vaginal myself. (or rather, I did go vaginal). I'm very glad I did. I just typically trust mother nature to do her thing. The less intervention, the better.

 

I had an emergency c-section, and it is not fun (not that vaginal delivery sounds like so much fun either . . .)

Remember that with a c-section your recovery time will be longer, you won't be able to drive or lift anything heavy for several weeks, you are more prone to infection, etc.

While I'm all for c-sections when there is a medical necessity, I see no reason why so many people opt for major surgery when it isn't necessary.

Don't mean to preach, but you asked for opinions.

Good luck deciding!

Rachel

 

I delivered my son vaginally, and I had my twins by c-section (they were both breech). I would take the vaginal delivery any day. That said, the c-section wasn't the worst thing in the world, but it's so "medical" - and a vaginal delivery is so much easier to recover from! If these twins had been head down, i'm not sure what I would have chosen, since we had TTTS...

Good luck figuring it out!
Jenny

 

The twins were my first children and my OB put a lot of pressure on me for the c-section. My boys were not both head down though so it really wasn't an option for me.

If I had another child i would definitely have a c-section again. I am a little sad (just a little) that I missed the experience of labor and all that (my c-section was scheduled), but I felt so much more comfortable knowing what was going to happen.

Recovery was very easy for me, but I have never had a vaginal birth so I have nothing to compare it too. Good luck with your decision.

 

Push em out!!! You can do it!!! :love0028:

 

I have never had a c section.. go vaginally! C section is a major surgery and while labor is not fun its way less dangerous to you and babies and way less recovery time.

You can do it.. just think.. you carried them both around for almost 36 weeks now.. thats the hard part

 

Definitely vaginal. I had a c/s, while a girlfriend of mine had a vaginal twin delivery and the difference was night and day. I had a miserable birth experience- it was not at all the sweet emotional time that I had always dreamed of. The anesthesiologist (I know I butchered that word) knocked me out as soon as the boys were out, and I didn't get to see them until they were several hours old. She was able to hold them almost immediately and was really able to experience their birth. I really felt like one minute my babies were with me, and then all of a sudden amongst a medical/surgical blur my babies were gone and I was left alone to recover. And of course the recovery was terrible. I really hope and pray I'm able to VBAC if/when we have another. So if you have the option to at least try vaginal (because we all know how many issues can arrive) go for it!!! I think if you do so, you'll be very glad you did!!!

 

My twins were my first children too. They were both vertex. I was induced at 38 weeks and delivered baby A(Katelyn) vaginally and had an emergency c-section due to cord prolapse for baby B(Jessica). Having recovered from both deliveries at the same time and having had complications with both(no fun!), I can tell you that my recovery from the vaginal delivery was way easier. There was no way to predict the cord prolapse ahead of time and everything looked ideal for a vaginal delivery with their positions and their weights. You just never know! Still, in the same situation I would attempt a vaginal delivery since the recovery is easier. I still have pain from the c-section due to surgical adhesions but was completely recovered from the vaginal delivery around 10 weeks post-partum.

I posted this in another thread too, but figure it might be worth mentioning here too. The only local hospital still doing VBAC(vaginal birth after c-section) in my area is the one I delivered at. They will only allow a VBAC for a woman who has had a successful vaginal delivery as well as c-section(s). My OB mentioned this in the OR when I got upset about having to have the c-section after laboring for 20 hours and delivering Katelyn to console me and we talked about it in later visits. So, you may want to find out the policies in your area if you will be having more children in the future and would want to have a VBAC at that point. You may find out that if you have a c-section for this delivery you will always have to have a c-section.

 

Vaginal...My boys were my first too Baby A and B were head down the day before my water broke when I got to the hospital B went transverse. My doc encouraged vaginal and I am glad I did it, B naturally turned actually they may of went in and gave him a little push I don't really remember...anyway I had them on a Wed and was home on Fri. with them other than being tired and worn out recovery was not a problem.

 

I would be the happiest woman alive if my babies would turn and I could have a vaginal delivery! Labor isn't fun, but there is something beautiful about it. It is pain with a purpose, and you are up and moving almost right after! I say go for it.

 

Vaginally.

I delivered my A head down and my B was breech, I went vaginally took 1 push for A and 3 total pushes for B, was 4:46 and 4:49 birth times

 

I went vaginal and I am sooo glad I did. I was reall nervous as you are, I didn't want to have to do both, but it actually went really good. I would definatley take your docs advice on it. Good luck!!

 

Like everyone else, I say go for a vaginal delivery if you have the chance. I had to have a C-section (A was breech and B was transverse). It wasn't a horrible experience, but it certainly wasn't fun. You're strapped to a table, you have a million people fussing over you and monitoring your vitals, your husband has no role to play, you're not in control, your babies are taken from you because you have to be sewn up.... I could go on and on. My recovery was pretty easy, but still, a C-section is major surgery. I wouldn't recommend a C-section for anyone who could avoid it.

 

We had a c-sec on the books just in case but didn't decide for sure until 2 days before. They both turned head down at around 34 weeks and I was hoping to go vaginal but at my last appt I was developing pre-e and the doctor said we could not wait for mother nature. I was not dilated AT ALL and he said an induction would likely be a very rough labor. So in the end I didn't really have a choice. The c-sec was not nearly as bad as I thought but it was not a breeze either. It did take some time, maybe 10-14 days or so, to get up and around comfortably. Everyone came through it healthy so I can't complain.
Personally I would try for vaginal but if there was even the slightest problem I'd have another c-sec in a heartbeat. For what it's worth I have a friend from high school who gave birth to a singleton on the same day. She was still not healed after 6 weeks and told me she wish she'd had a c-sec (she's fine now BTW). So I guess you just never know.

Jen

 

Vaginal. Vaginal is better for the babies and better for you. C-sections are major abdominal surgery and it will be more difficult to care for twins if you have to recover from a c-section as well!

 

Another vote for vaginal. I had a vaginal delivery with all my kids, including the twins, and baby B wasn't even head down, but that was not an issue for my doctor (he was born by breech extraction). Glad to hear your doctor is leaning towards a vaginal delivery too. That shows that she's comfortable that you and she can do it! Go for it. I had a very quick recovery both times even though I had 4th and 2nd (twins) degree tearing.

 

Another vote for vaginal...we had our twins, my first children vaginally and it went just fine.
Best of luck to you whichever way they enter the world!

Enjoy the ride!