Your stay in the hospital in this case is going to be very short, and it's often dictated by how long mom needs to stay in the hospital to recover from delivery. This could be as little as two or three days or maybe three or four days if mom has had a c-section. This was the case with our twin girls.
Okay now back to the hospital. Depending on the type of birth you're having and any complications you or baby might have, expect to stay there between 2-4 nights. I had a Cesarean with twins and our insurance would have covered four nights but we opted to stay just three. Here's what went down while we were there…
In general, if you delivered vaginally, you'll likely feel better in three weeks, though it can be six weeks or longer if you had a tear or an episiotomy. A Cesarean recovery may take four to six weeks, though it's not uncommon to feel some pain for months.
Babies born before 34 weeks may go home closer to their original due date, especially if they have needed higher degrees of support in the NICU. If they're born at 34 to 35 weeks, they may need to stay in the NICU for two weeks. Twins born 35 to 37 weeks may stay a week or less.
The process of labour is more or less the same as for 1 baby, but your maternity team will usually advise you to have your babies electronically monitored because of the higher risk of complications. This means attaching belts with sensors (1 for each twin) to your bump.
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.
The average weight of twins is 2.5kg.
What's a 'normal' weight for a multiple? About half of all twins weigh at least 5½ pounds at birth. (Below 5½ pounds, or 2,500 grams, is considered a low birth weight, with a higher potential for complications.)
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.
Dropping 30 pounds two weeks after delivering twins is not uncommon. All that excess fluid (extra blood volume, amniotic fluid and water weight) — not to mention the weight of your babies themselves — goes away rather quickly after birth.
Planning to give birth to twins by vaginal delivery is as safe for a mother and her babies as planning to have a cesarean section, a new study suggests. Planning to give birth to twins by vaginal delivery is as safe for a mother and her babies as planning to have a cesarean section, a new study suggests.
With a twin pregnancy, your body makes high levels of pregnancy hormones. So morning sickness may come on earlier and stronger than if you were carrying a single baby. You may also have earlier and more intense symptoms from pregnancy, like swelling, heartburn, leg cramps, bladder discomfort, and sleep problems.
Just as your belly slowly grows to accommodate baby during pregnancy, it'll slowly go back down to its normal size now that baby is on the outside. Postpartum belly progression varies from mom to mom. But, in general, you can expect to feel more like yourself within the first six months postpartum.
Expect it to take around six weeks for your uterus to contract fully. At six weeks, you may have already lost the weight you gained during pregnancy. This is especially true if you're breastfeeding. Breastfeeding mothers shed around 500 calories per day.
Caesarean section surgery usually takes 30-60 minutes, although the entire process takes a few hours. There'll be many people in the operating theatre with you. You can usually have a support person.
Full-term for twins is the same as full-term for singleton babies, technically: 39 weeks pregnant. But if your twins are born at 37 weeks, that's as close to actual full-term as many twins get. At that point, they have full lung maturity and should be able to leave the hospital within a few days of delivery.
Previous studies of twins have reported that the second-born twin is, on average, lighter than the first-born twin at birth (Glinianaia et al., 2000; Gielen, et al., 2007; van Baal and Boomsma, 1998).
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.
The mean birthweight slightly decreased from 2462 g in 2001 to 2440 g in 2010 for male twins (p = 0.49). For female twins, the mean birthweight significantly decreased from 2375 g in 2001 to 2338 g in 2010 (p < 0.001) (Fig. 2).
Why is multiple pregnancy a concern? Over 60 percent of twins and nearly all higher-order multiples are premature (born before 37 weeks). The higher the number of fetuses in the pregnancy, the greater the risk for early birth. Premature babies are born before their bodies and organ systems have completely matured.
Twins are more or less equally likely to be female or male. Contrary to popular belief, the incidence of twins doesn't skip generations.
Monochorionic-diamniotic twins are identical twins that share a placenta but each develops in their own separate amniotic sac. This is the most common type. Monochorionic-monoamniotic twins are identical twins that share both a placenta and an amniotic sac. This is the rarest and highest risk form of twin pregnancies.
Regarding #1 (co-bedding), the conservative/mainstream school of thought in the western world is that it's best to separate the twins “early on” since they'll need their own sleeping space eventually. The attachment parenting contingent refutes this, saying twins can sleep together indefinitely and are happier for it.
You can put your twins to sleep in a single cot while they're small enough. This is called co-bedding and is perfectly safe. In fact, putting twins in the same cot can help them regulate their body temperatures and sleep cycles, and can soothe them and their twin.