You won't necessarily need to have a caesarean section if you're expecting twins. Many women expecting twins have a vaginal birth. Talk to your midwife and obstetrician about your circumstances, and the birth options open to you. It's natural to feel nervous about vaginal birth if you're expecting twins.
You may have heard that being pregnant with twins means an automatic C-section, but that isn't always the case. When it comes to twins these days, about half come into the world vaginally.
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.
Yes, it is entirely possible to deliver twins in the water. The key question, however, is whether your midwife or obstetrician is comfortable to support you to birth in the water, so you might like to ask your obstetrician or midwife to ascertain their support.
It's common for twins to be born by 38 weeks, and roughly 60% of twins are born via c-section.
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).
"That goes up to 80 percent with triplets, and even higher for quads." How long they stay in the hospital varies. For twins, the average stay is nine to 25 days. For triplets it's 11 days to up to three months.
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.
“While a completely drug-free twin birth in a hospital setting is possible [if both babies are presenting head-first], many obstetricians will encourage their patients to have an epidural for pain management due to the possible need for breech delivery or cesarean delivery for the second twin.”
A parasitic twin is partially absorbed by the autositic twin in the early stages of development in the womb. It won't be fully absorbed by the healthy twin after it's born. Currently, there's no in utero treatment due to the complexities of diagnosis and the potential range of abnormalities.
However, for a given pregnancy, only the mother's genetics matter. Fraternal twins happen when two eggs are simultaneously fertilized instead of just one. A father's genes can't make a woman release two eggs.
These standard charts may not describe optimal weight gain patterns because recommended delivery gestational age for twins is between 37 and 42 weeks with average twin birth weights ≥2500 g to reduce mortality and morbidity.
Bed rest during a multiple pregnancy is sometimes used as a way to prevent complications,1 but it is not a requirement for all twin pregnancies. If everything progresses normally during your twin pregnancy, you may not require bed rest.
The average length of pregnancy for twins is 36.4 weeks. Babies who are born between 32 weeks and 37 weeks generally do very well. If your babies are born early, they are likely to be fine, but they may need to spend time at the special care baby unit (SCBU) or the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Just how early should I expect to go into labor? Twins tend to arrive sooner than singleton babies. While single babies develop for an average of 39 weeks, twins tend to appear around 35 weeks. (Triplets often arrive even sooner, by about 32 weeks; and quadruplets cook for an average of about 29 weeks.)
Many authorities recommend that monoamniotic twin pregnancies be delivered by elective cesarean as early as 32 to 34 weeks of gestation due to the risk fetal demise secondary to cord entanglement. Continuous electronic fetal monitoring of both fetuses is required throughout labor and delivery.
For women born 1870-1899, moms of twins averaged reproductive spans of 14 years 11 months versus 14 years for singleton moms. Both results were statistically significant. Moms of twins also were older at the time of their last birth.
The interval between vaginal delivery of the first and second twins (mean, 21 minutes, range, one to 134 minutes) was 15 minutes or less in 70 (61%) cases and more than 15 minutes in 45 (39%) cases.
You may like to sleep your twins in their own Moses baskets or cots from birth, or you may decide to co-bed them in the early weeks and months. Co-bedding means siblings share the same sleep surface during any sleep period, for example by being in the same cot together.
The longest interval between the birth of twins is 90 days, in the case of Molly and Benjamin West, dizygotic (fraternal) twins born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA to parents Lesa and David West (all USA) on 1 January and 30 March 1996.
Is your hospital go-bag ready? The average pregnant woman will likely want to pack her delivery bag around week 37, but as a pregnant woman of multiples, it is best to have all of the hospital bag for twins or more, organized by 35 weeks.
Just 40% of twin pregnancies go full term. The average twin pregnancy is 35 weeks, compared to the average singleton pregnancy, which is 39 weeks.
At least 50-60 per cent of twins are born before 37 weeks, and up to fifteen per cent before 32 weeks. Once the babies are born, each baby will be assessed and treated individually. Two key factors in how a baby does after a premature birth are gestational age and birth weight.
Your twins are becoming more developed to be ready for life outside of the womb. At 24 weeks, they are considered viable and could possibly survive outside of the womb - in an intensive care unit, with a lot of help. However, they still have quite some developing to do and weight to gain.