About one third of all twins are born vaginally and the process is similar to that of giving birth to a single baby. If you're planning a vaginal delivery, it's usually recommended that you have an epidural for pain relief.
Some hospitals or practitioners strongly encourage — or even require — an epidural when delivering multiples. The epidural is for a good reason: It makes things easier (and safer) should you need to have an emergency C-section to deliver one or all of your babies.
If you are keen to avoid a c-section, the first and best decision you can make is to choose a care provider who supports natural twin birth. Stay as healthy as possible by eating well during pregnancy in order to avoid issues like gestational diabetes and encourage your babies to settle into an optimal birth position.
You're more likely to have a vaginal birth if the first twin is in a head-down position. But there may be medical reasons why a vaginal birth is not recommended. If you have had a caesarean section before, for example, it's not usually recommended that you have a vaginal birth with twins.
Physically recovering from a multiple birth, whether it was vaginal or via C-section, is much like recovering from a singleton birth — only more so. Indeed, the postpartum period can be worse with twins or triplets, as everything you experience will feel just a little bit more painful and last a while longer.
Conclusions: The optimal timing for twin delivery appears to be at 38 weeks of gestation, although individual maternal, foetal, and pregnancy characteristics should be considered when determining the best timing for delivery.
No.
That's not all, Monga says. Women pregnant with twins complain of more back pain, sleeping difficulties, and heartburn than those who are carrying one child. Being pregnant with twins also carries a higher rate of maternal anemia and a higher rate of postpartum hemorrhage (bleeding) after delivery.
Vaginal Birth of Twins
The good news is that even though you have two babies, you only have to labor once. Once the cervix is open, each baby will have its own pushing stage. This means you will have to push twice, but the majority of the time the second twin is born much more easily than the first.
The hardest thing about having twins is...
“Managing the movement of two babies. Carrying them both up and down the stairs, getting them into the car, etc.” —Simeon R. “Often having to make one baby wait!” —Catharine D. “Being outnumbered—the logistics of two on one is definitely the hardest.
Menstrual-like cramps or lower abdominal cramping that may feel like gas pains, with or without diarrhea. Increased pressure in your pelvis or vagina. Increased vaginal discharge. Leaking of fluid from the vagina.
A little more than half of twin pregnancies end in preterm delivery (before 37 weeks). While 40 weeks is the full gestation period of the average pregnancy, most twin pregnancies are delivered at approximately 36 weeks (range 32-38 weeks depending on the type of twin pregnancy).
The time between giving birth to your first and second baby varies from woman to woman, but the second baby is usually delivered within about 30 minutes to an hour after the first. In very rare cases, some women deliver 1 twin vaginally and then need a caesarean section to deliver the second twin.
In addition, previous studies have shown that first-born twins are, on average, taller and heavier than second-born twins until adolescence (Silventoinen et al., 2007; Pietiläinen et al., 2002).
The average weight of twins is 2.5kg.
The safest, most ideal time for women to give birth to dichorionic twins in otherwise uncomplicated pregnancies is at 37 weeks, found a new study. Women carrying monochorionic twins, appear to have the best outcomes for their newborns when giving birth at 36 weeks, the same study found.
It is estimated that 1 in 250 natural pregnancies will naturally result in twins. While twin pregnancies can happen by chance, there are some factors that may increase your odds of having two babies at the same time.
Being pregnant with multiples doesn't necessarily mean that your pregnancy will be problematic. However, women carrying multiples do have a higher chance of developing complications such as high blood pressure and preterm labor. For this reason, all multiple pregnancies are considered high-risk.
36 weeks pregnant with twins. This week you're 36 weeks pregnant with twins, and over half of twin pregnancies deliver before 37 weeks. Symptoms during this time in pregnancy include insomnia and fatigue, muscle cramps, the feeling of the babies “dropping,” and possibly losing your mucus plug.
Barring pregnancies that result from assisted reproductive technology, dizygotic twins are far more common than monozygotic twins and account for 70 percent of all twin gestations.
You Can Only Control the Things Within Your Control. “Having twins is not twice as hard—it's exponentially more difficult,” says Natalie Diaz, author of What To Do When You're Having Two and CEO of Twiniversity, a global support network for parents of twins.
While the average single baby weighs 7 pounds at birth, the average twin weighs 5.5 pounds. Triplets typically weigh 4 pounds each, and quads weigh 3 pounds each. Babies born at under 5.5 pounds are considered to have a low birth weight.
Premature Rupture of Membranes
During pregnancy, the fetus—or in the case of twins, fetuses—is enclosed in the amniotic sac. As a part of the labor process, the sac will break open (known as "water breaking").
Drink Alcohol, Use Drugs, or Smoke. It's never advisable to drink alcohol excessively, smoke, or take drugs, whether you are pregnant or not. When you are pregnant, doing so exposes your unborn babies to toxic substances, raising their risk of birth defects and chronic illnesses.
The risk of preterm labor and premature birth are heightened when there is more than one baby in the womb. 1 Other conditions such as preeclampsia, placental dysfunction, and twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome are more prevalent in twin pregnancy and increase the risk of an early delivery.