Okay, so I am 37w1d today!! Which I am so thankful I have made it this far!! Pregnancy wise I am feeling great, haven't had any high BP, no swelling, babies are great. At 33w6d ultrasound baby A, my boy, was measuring at 5lb8oz, and baby B, my girl, was measuring at 5lb3oz.. Baby A has been head down the whole time, and baby B is transverse and has been for a while too. Oh and my dr says if baby B is still transverse she can induce and we can try for a vaginal delivery. The hospital's policy is they don't deliver breech babies because of lawsuits, blah blah.. So they will try to push her down when he is delivered so she goes head down. I want to say can I sign a waiver or something so if it comes to simply her being butt first or feet first and everything else looks good that they can just deliver her, insteasd of cuting me open to. I am just praying it all goes smoothly! Okay well Dr said originally we were going to induce or do csection (depending on babies position) next week, probably Wed at 38w, or Thurs at 38w1d. Well I have had a really bad Puppps rash for the past few weeks it has been horrible. I wasn't getting any rest and was scratching my skin raw! My Dr told me on Monday if you are still struggling with the puppps, then she is on call on Saturday 08/22 from 8am to 8am on Sunday morning, and she will do an ultrasound, and check for positioning. We could decide on induction or csection at that point. I will be 37w3d on Saturday. So my puppps is still quite uncomfortable, but it is getting better, thanks to pine tar soap and dandelion root.. So I am struggling with the decision, should I just go in on Saturday (oh and I have told my family on both sides and they are planning for that day now..) at 37w3d, or should I wait it out and hopefully go into labor on my own in the next 4-5 days after that, and wait until 38w and get induced or csection..?? I know I am rambling on so much, but I just want to do the right thing. I want to make sure my babies have baked long enough. I know 37w3d is great, but will 4 or 5 more days really help them out more too?? I wish I would just go into labor on my own, and not have to make a decision.. Thank you ladies for your advise, thoughts, and opinions!! Bring them on!!
Congratulations on making it this far!!!!!!!!! I understand your dilemma. You are huge and uncomfortable, you are at a reasonable gestation, the babies are more than likely to be just fine on the outside, and you don't want to risk any additional complications that could suddenly arise. I can tell you my experience, and also the experiences of many many other twin moms that I have come to meet. 37 weeks is NOT full term. When they say 37 weeks is full term for twins, it's not true. Twins are more likely to come out earlier, and rarely do OBs let twins bake to 40 weeks because of the risk of complications, but 37 weeks is still 3 weeks early. And twins are typically smaller than singletons so that puts them at risk for additional issues like trouble to keep warm, blood sugar issues, weight gain trouble, etc. I was on bed rest from 24 weeks due to short cervix, but have made it to my scheduled c-section without membranes rupturing, no contractions, etc. I could have made it longer for sure! I was just too impatient to get them out, my OB felt comfortable with a c-section at 36w6d (he was on call that day), and I didn't want to wait longer than that because what if he wasn't on call when I went into labor and I was stuck with someone I didn't know? To this day I keep second guessing taking them out early. One of the twins had some trouble breathing and spent 2 days in the NICU. A minor issue but it affected the whole dynamic of breastfeeding, bonding, etc. etc. They both had trouble keeping warm, had major weight gain struggles (they kept losing weight after we got home, intstead of gaining), I had to quit breastfeeding and pumping because of it. And they weren't small at birth either, they were 6lb1oz and 6lb6oz! They also were 'behind' on the early developmental milestones like smiling, holding their heads up, being alert, etc. Basically, for the first 3-4 weeks they acted like they they should have still been inside. And only 3-4 weeks into it did they start acting like full term newborns. And I have a singleton full term toddler, so I have a point of comparison. It's not a huge issue in the end because obviously babies at this gestation do just fine, and my girls are just fine and mostly 'caugh up', if you buy into the milestone charts. But they were clearly preterm and could have used those extra few days inside. Your babies are doing great, and to answer you question whether those extra 4-5 days make a difference: absolutely! They say each day inside equals 2 days on the outside. It's a tough call because they are likely to be fine either way, and what if you develop complications in the next few days. But at the same time remember that they are not quite full term yet and may need additional TLC to adjust to the outside, even at 37w3d. Good luck!
It is a tough call and everyone's personal preferences and situations can vary so much. What I would do if I had that situation (and I envy you both for the TwinA vertex and being at 37 weeks) is go for spontenous labor. That is always my preference b/c then I feel the babies would be signaling their readiness to come out, vs. me being the one to make dictate the circumstances. That does not mean that is the best choice for your situation, I have NO idea what it is like dealing with PUPPS. Good luck mama!
What a decision!! I think I may be in the minority here but since you asked ... LOL. I would probably chose the earlier route. My last singleton was 10 days overdue, 8 lbs 4 oz at birth and still spent 7 days in the NICU, I believe that you are never safe no matter what gestation. I truly believe it was because she was overdue that she ended up in that situation. This is a different situation that mine, but I just wanted to bring up that even full term + babies can end up needing NICU time so waiting can't give you a guarantee. Good luck in your decision momma, what a hard one but you will do what's best for you and your babies and that's what matters!!! Here's to hoping you go into labor before both dates and don't have to worry!
I had a totally opposite situation to Mommy2BMR. I was on bedrest from weeks 29-34. I was hugely uncomfortable and my blood pressure was getting high but *I* was the one who asked for the induction at 37 weeks and my doctor agreed. I had a vaginal delivery on wed evening and we all went home early friday the babies were smaller than we had anticipated (see weights in signature) but they were completley healthy. They had no nicu time and I breastfed for 14 months! We've hit all our milestones on time & even early in some cases. Every pregnancy, baby, mama and doctor are different. I dont know much about your condition but follow your gut. I was also 100% effaced and dilated 5 when I showed up at the hospital so I knew if I hadnt had the induction it would have been any day. Are you effacing or dilating at all? I liked knowing the time, place, date etc and that my doctor would be the one there delivering. Best of luck in your decision. Parenting is full of them! Congrats on the twins!
Thanks ladies!! I was dilated about 2 and 65% effaced this past Monday, so not sure if I am anymore dilated now.. I think I am going to wait and see if they come on their own in the next 5-6 days and then talk about induction or csection later next week. I probably won't go past 38w1d, so it is soon too..6 more days.. The rash is getting somewhat better. Sleeping isn't, ewe, at about 3:30am, sleeping is so rough. Laying on either side is terrible, it is so uncomfortable and hurts, then if I roll over I get a contraction which is even more uncomfortable. I know we are so close though, so trying to let these little stinkers come on their own, well for another 6 days, haha! Thank you ladies!
