Twin Homebirth

I was planning on doing a homebirth and then I found out I am having twins. I have heard quite a few precautions and warnings about the risks. I am wondering if any moms on here did a twin homebirth or tried to? If so, would you share your experience and opinions with me?

 

What kind of twins are you pregnant with? Di/di, mo/do or mo/mo?

 

I, too, had planned on a homebirth. I was working with a lay midwife who is also a certified nurse practitioner (so she works out of her own office, not under the supervision of a doctor, and she can write prescriptions and bring oxygen and other things to the birth that many midwives can't). When I found out I was having twins at 20 weeks, she told me that she couldn't deliver me at home or at her birthing center. She had tons and tons of experience, and had delivered ten unexpected sets of twins at home... but wouldn't knowingly plan for a twin home birth. I wish I had a better story for you, but my midwife was quite convinced that it just wasn't safe.

 

I didn't have a homebirth with my twins, but did have a homebirth with my singleton. With my girls, homebirth just wasn't on my radar but if it had been, I would have risked out of a homebirth anyway as they arrived at 34w1d.

I think there's a lot to consider when choosing where to birth & that it's a very personal choice. There are risks and benefits to all options & those risks and benefits may change throughout the pregnancy based on factors that are outside of your control. In the end though, you need to choose the set of risks and benefits that are most comfortable for you.

Anyway, here are some twin homebirth stories for you, if you're interested in reading them:

Home Birth of Twins Born Past 41 Weeks, One Footling Breech
Twin Home Water Birth Video, Born at 40+ weeks and 1 1/2 Hours Apart
One Extraordinary Birth (Six Days of Labor, 33 Hours between Births, Two Healthy Babies)
A Very Fast Twin Home Birth with Transfer for Mom
2 Videos of Twins and Triplets Born Naturally!
Accidental Unassisted Home Birth Of Twins
Twin Home Water Birth

 

Thank you for your comments! My twins are di/di.

 

Hi! I did birth my twins at home. Mine too were di-di, and there was a lot I did which made me feel the choice was totally safe for my babes and me. In fact, I felt it was by far my best option. My local hospital has an 80% twin c/s rate, and since I have a family history of late / long labors, and suspected induction would not work for me, staying home was our best shot at an unmedicated, natural birth.

Here's what made ours a fantastic experience:

I stuck with parallel care through 38 weeks (although I didn't discuss homebirth plans with my OBs and peri). This was important for us, because I felt it would smooth things over in the case of transfer. I even preregistered with the hospital, so if we had ended up there things would have been seamless. Plus, it gave me the added confidence that all was well with me and the babes right up to the end.

Most important was our midwife. We were lucky and ended up (long story) with a midwife who serves the PA amish community and I was her 43rd twin homebirth, all successful. Experience means a lot, especially with twins. You want someone familiar with the birth you would like, and someone who's seen all the variations.

Finally, what worked for us was a good team (my doula was fantastic) and flexibility. The hospital was close, and at any indication that was needed we were prepared to go.

There's a lot of scary rhetoric around twin births, most of which isn't right. You're in a good position - experienced mom carrying di/di twins. If you can find a solid midwife and a good back-up, and set things up to give you the best chance to have the birth you want, while adding in some back-up plans, you might do well at home.

Feel free to PM me with any questions.

Best wishes!

Here's a link to my long birth story -
http://www.mothering.com/community/t/925854/twin-homebirth-in-dc-first-time-mom-great-outcome