Hello everyone! We just found out Thursday that we are expecting twins! I am 14 weeks and just had my first ultrasound to confirm my due date and surprise! There are definitely two babies in there. I have one older son who is nine years old and I am getting married in a little over 2 weeks. I have been scouring the internet ever since we found out to find some support and resources and this place looks awesome. My first question (of many lol)...at our ultrasound the tech said that the babies were sharing a sac. We thought this just meant that they were identical, but after a little reading, I see that twins sharing a sac has a lot of potential complications. After my last doctor's appointment and before I found out I was having twins, I switched practices to a midwife, and now I don't know if I will need to see an OB/GYN if my pregnancy will be considered high risk. Anyone else had twins that shared the same sac? I could use some reassurance right now Anyways, nice to meet everyone and I am looking forward to getting to know you better! Oh, and my name is Sam
IMO you want to see both an OB AND a perinatologist NOT a midwife. Multiple pregnancies in general are considered high risk whether they share a sac or not. I found out I was having identical twin boys at 8 weeks 5 days and yes they did share a sac. It's my understanding that if the two fetuses share a sac that they are identical. If the split of the egg occurs early than you will have two fetuses. If the split happens later they may be conjoined...but don't quote me on that because I'm not 100% sure. But, if you saw two separate fetuses in your ultrasound I think you're OK! Immediately after that first ultrasound I was immediately told by my OB that this was a high risk pregnancy, we would be doing a LOT of ultrasounds to check for proper growth and development and that I would be referred to a perinatologist that specializes in high risk pregnancies for more frequent ultrasounds and to check for fetal development. A midwife was a big no no because they simply don't have the experience to handle these types of pregnancies. Not to mention most, I believe anyways, multiples pregnancies result in a c-section. My boys developed just as they should with no complications to them. I'm not going to sugar coat it though and say that the pregnancy wasn't without complications but everyone is different. There was a moment that my OB thought that one of the babies wasn't growing as big as his brother so they referred me back to the perinatologist and she said everything looked good. Just stick to what your OB and peri say and you should do fine. Pregnancy didn't agree with me but I don't think that had much to do with the fact that I was having twins...lol. I imagine you'll go through a lot of ups and downs and what ifs throughout your pregnancy but just keep positive and everything should be OK...and be sure to see that perinatologist! Congrats on you pregnancy and if you have any questions about possible complications or anything feel free to PM me, I don't mind.
:welcome: And congrats on your twin pregnancy :wub: My twins were b/g frats and obviously had their own sacs-so I am not an expert on this at all, however, I do think that in your situation with it being confirmed one sac you will need to see a specialist as opposed to a midwife. I would call and follow up on that issue first thing. Good luck with everything and keep us posted!! :babyflips: :babyflips:
Hi Sam! :welcome: I also had di/di twins (separate sacs, separate placentas) but in general, 1 sac means high risk. Although some midwives will deliver twins, 1 sac does usually equal an OB. I'm sorry- I really thought a midwife would be for me, too. (Mine ended up being more of a problem with my insurance, though.)
Congratulations on your twins!! My boys shared a placenta (which is probably what they meant when they said one sac) but they each had their own amniotic sac (so they were mono/di- which is monochorionic- one placenta, diamniotic- 2 amniotic sacs.) If they are sharing a placenta, then they are definitely identical. If your babies are sharing an amniotic sac they would be mono/mono (or mo-mo twins) which means there is only one placenta and one amniotic sac- which is more high risk than mono/di because of the chances of cord entanglement (and these twins are also identical.) The likelihood of mo-mo twins is pretty rare though I know there are a few moms of mo-mo's on this board. Either way, don't goggle anything- ask all your questions here otherwise you'll be in a panic! My pregnancy was considered high risk and I saw both my OB and a peri, though my pregnancy was complication free, aside from delivering a little over a month early. We had a lot of u/s to monitor for growth. I would definitely recommend switching back to an OB/GYN and getting set up with a peri.. Good luck and keep us posted on your pregnancy!!
:welcome: to Twinstuff Sam! I agree with the others, if your twins are sharing a sac, it would definitely be better to see an OB (probably even a peri too) and not just a midwife.
Thanks everyone for the welcome and the advice! I was seeing a family doctor for the beginning of my pregnancy, and was not at all happy with him, so that's why I switched to a midwife. But of course, all of that happened before we found out we were expecting twins! Does anyone know the best way to go about getting a referral to an OB/GYN? Do I ask my midwife or my family doctor? The ultrasound tech said that there was one amniotic sac, she didn't say anything about the placenta. I guess I'll be needing more ultrasounds in any case to see exactly what's going on.
I would ask your midwife- they should have an OB practice they are affiliated with, anyway. Good luck
For the referral it would depend on how your insurance works. I know I have to go through my primary care dr. for all referrals. However, I can access an OB/GYN without a referral with my insurance.
:welcome: My girls are mono/di and I had to go to a specialist, I can't even go to my family doctor because she doesn't have enough training in this type of twins, so I would assume that since yours share a sac that you probably will have to too. I think that whether or not you need a referral depends on your Dr.s policy and your insurance. I agree with PP who said DO NOT GOOGLE! I made the mistake of doing that several times and panicked every. single. time. Now I just come and ask on here... there are a lot of wonderful people on here with some excellent advice! I have found out a lot and been reassured a lot too! Congrats on your twins!
Hey Sam! Congratulations on your twins! I found out about mine at 14 weeks too! What a shock it was! I just wanted to say that I'm in Ontario too, and started out with a midwife. Once we found out it was twins, my midwife referred us to an OB for the specialized care. HOWEVER, you can STILL keep your midwife if you want. This is what I did. I had both an OB and a midwife following me, which was awesome because I had access to the technology and expertise that I needed, while at the same time got to enjoy the intimate care and help and access that the midwife provided. My girls were thought to be mono/di through the pregnancy, although it was found later the placenta was actually fused. Since you're already at 14wks, I think it will be difficult for them to tell for sure what kind of twins you are having. I really encourage you to keep your midwife if you can. You will love the reassurance and information and relationships that develop through hour long appts, rather than 5min visits for quick checks on the stats of the babies that you get with the OB. Its really nice to have the combination, and here in Ontario we are really lucky to have this option, and all covered by OHIP. I ended up delivering early and having to have a C-section. My OB was on vacation so we had the one on-call, but my midwife was in the OR with us. She stayed with the babies after, came to visit us frequently in the NICU, and then did home visits for 6weeks. It was amazing care and I would recommend to anyone, twins or no! Good Luck! Melissa PS - I have a sister in Ottawa who has a 9month old baby girl who I often visit...my girls are one...if you ever want to get together or feel like you need a friend, feel free to PM me!! I'm so excited for you!
Thanks Melissa! It's really nice to hear from someone who lives in Ontario and deals with the same health system. It sounds like you were able to have the best of both worlds by keeping your midwife but also seeing an OB. Thanks for the reassurance, I will definitely be around with more questions lol
