when to deliver mono/di twins

I am 34+1 weeks pregnant with mono/di twins. I have researched a lot about when it is safe to deliver them etc, and almost everything I have read says you shouldnt go more than 36, 37 weeks tops due to the placenta wearing down and other risk factors... well I had to switch doctors mid pregnancy because we moved and now my new doctor is telling me that they wont even talk about induction/c section until at least 38 weeks. That seems a bit late to me, but I dont know... so when did you have your mono/di twins? In your experience what was your doctors cut off or when would you have been induced etc... Thanks!!! Andrea
Oh and of course what was the outcome...

 

My girls are mono/di but I didn't make it far enough to be induced. I have read on here though that most Dr's don't go past 35-36 weeks with mono/di. There are lots of moms on here that have been in your situation and I am sure they can help you. GL!!

 

I had an elective C at 35 and 2. My Peri doesn't go past 36 EVER but likes to deliver at 35 if lungs are mature.

I was pregnant with a friend at the same time. She was also pg w/ mono-di boys via IVF. All was going great until 36 and 1 when she went in for an u/s and lost one of them. It just reaffirmed my decision to go a little past 35. Not worth the risk of waiting any longer.

I don't think any Peri who has done his/her research would advise going over 36 weeks w/ mono-di twins. It just isn't a good idea.. too risky. The babies will be just fine after 35 weeks OUTSIDE.

Good luck!

 

My ob wouldn't schedule my c section (because she doesn't do VBAC's) any earlier than 39 weeks, though we knew that was just a formality- she wouldn't have let me go that far. I delievered at 35 weeks 4 days because I was contracting regularly and dilating, though honestly I think if I protested I could have gone a bit longer, but by then I was ready.

 

I'm expecting mono/di girls and my OB and peri agreed they would not let me go past 35 weeks. Now I'm on hospital bed rest making it through one day at a time, but our original c/s date was 34 and 3. One of the pp mentioned a friend losing one twin after 35 weeks and this is why my docs deliver between 34 and 35. They say that there are no presenting factors before the loss and at 34, the risks of prematurity are less than the risks of staying in.

I would talk to my doctor if I were you. You need to be comfortable with their decision whatever it may be. Not to scare you, and I'm sure many mono/di mommas deliver after 35 weeks safely, but you need to know your risks also.

 

I had my mo/di twin girls at 38w4d by scheduled c-section because they were both breech. they also had stable ttts. i'm very glad we made it that far - they were small and not totally developed lung-wise at even that gestation! i had no signs of going into labor on my own.

 

My dd had her mo/di twins at 36w 1day. That was the latest her peri and ob wanted them delivered....
They weighed 5.14 and 5.10 and spent one night in the special care nursery and only due to fluid in the lungs..

 

Personally, I'm shocked to see such early elective deliveries of mono-di twins. Prematurity is risky business, too, even at 35 weeks. It was never suggested to me to induce unless medically necessary (which it was at 37 weeks due to pre-e). Giving those babies enough time to grow, develop sucking reflex, develop their lungs to breathe, etc is important. I found one article that seemed to suggest 35 weeks but others I found suggsted 36-37 (which is actually, from what I've read, about the average the natural delivery occurs).

My boys were born at 37 weeks and were 7 lbs and were a little of 6 when they came home. No NICU time. They were scrawny but healthy except for some jaundice which never needed official treatment. I wouldn't be comfortable delivering any earlier than 36 weeks, personally.

 

I think the most important thing in making the decision is whether you feel comfortable with your doctor and the care you're receiving. Does your new doctor have a good amount of experience with twins? A lot of doctors consider "full term" with any twins to be 37 weeks. Would you be able to get a second opinion, maybe from another doctor affiliated with the same hospital? Have you spoken with a perinatologist? I know you're pretty far along so it would probably be weird to switch docs at this point, but you might feel better even just talking to someone else.

There have been a few inconclusive recent studies which show that instances of intrauterine death increase after about 36 weeks gestation, even for uncomplicated mono/di pregnancies. I think it's pretty rare though and the studies are not entirely conclusive!!!

I am carrying mono/di twins and my peri has planned a scheduled C for 36 weeks. My doc is very conservative though, and I am already showing some warning signs of TTTS so they want to get 'em out as soon as the preemie risks are down.

Frankly I think your body will probably be the best judge of when you're ready. If you do choose to induce a bit early there are preparatory treatments (ie injections to help the lungs develop quicker) to make your babies' stay in the NICU short or even nonexistent.

 

We had a scheduled c-section at 38 weeks on the day.
Prior to 38 weeks and medical standards recommend amnio to confirm lung development, and we wanted to avoid that due to the risks involved. If we had elected to do the amnio, we could have delivered at 37 weeks. We did have the steriod shots at 32 weeks due to a positive FFN test.

However, we had weekly sonograms with the peri and at 36 weeks, we started having them once a week at the OB, and twice a week at the peri, to monitor for placenta degradation.

As it turns out, our girls were 1 pound difference, so I think they missed something, IUGR or late onset of TTTS maybe? They were 5lbs 12 oz and 6 lbs 12 oz.

I had Gest. Diabetes, and my insulin requirement dropped to 1/4th the previous requirement over weeks 34 to 36. My diabetes doctor said the placenta was deteriorating, but the peri and OB agreed it was normal and not significant enough to warrant early delivery. Other than that and some mild dots of calcification in the placenta, there were no signs of anything negative.

Our girls had no NICU or special care nursery time. They stayed with us the entire time, and are perfectly healthy. I was VERY concerned about going beyond 36 weeks, and that's why they started the extra sonograms.

 

i went into labour spontaneously at 34w1d after 7 weeks of bedrest. i got the steroid shots for lung development at 27w because i was showing signs of PTL. my girls spent 13 days in the NICU, mostly feeding & growing, although Danika did need CPAP for the first 18 or so hours - she was having trouble expanding her lungs on her own.

all that being said, my OB let me know pretty early on that she wasn't letting me past 36 weeks - although she did a very bad job of explaining why. she made it seem like she just wanted to be in control and didn't really explain about issues with the placenta or anything like that. i've learned a lot more about it since being on these boards.

i think it would be wise to get a second opinion. or to ask some really pointed questions of your current OB. it's important to be clear about why he/she is making the choices they are & to decide if you're comfortable with their choices.