Labor is generally the same whether you're having one baby or two. During delivery is when things differ significantly. When it's time to deliver your twins, you will go to an operating room even if you are delivering vaginally.
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.
When you're carrying twins or more, you'll typically have a greater number of Braxton Hicks, although some women don't have any symptoms. It's just your body's way of helping you get ready for the real thing. Actual labor contractions are similar for twins and singles (and yes, we're sorry to say, they hurt).
Tightening or low, dull backache that may be constant or come and go, but changing positions and other comfort measures don't ease it. 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.
Preterm labor and birth
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.
This difference was apparent only in nulliparous women. No statistical difference was noted in the mean length of the second stage of labor (0.8 +/- 0.5 hour for twins and 0.7 +/- 0.6 hour for singletons). Conclusion: Twin gestations have a significantly shorter first stage of labor than do singleton gestations.
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.
Labor is generally the same whether you're having one baby or two. During delivery is when things differ significantly. When it's time to deliver your twins, you will go to an operating room even if you are delivering vaginally. This is a safety precaution known as a double setup.
Twins should be delivered at 37 weeks to minimize stillbirths and newborn deaths, the researchers conclude. There's no evidence to support routine delivery before 36 weeks, the authors also note.
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").
On the other hand, you're likely to have more contractions prior to active labor, so your cervix may be quite dilated early on. What's more, since multiples often come weeks early, the pushing phase of a vaginal delivery may be quicker since the babies will be smaller.
If you suspect that you're in labor or if your contractions come every five minutes and last at least a minute each time, call your doctor or midwife. If your water breaks head to the hospital at once. Try not to panic.
Expect the whole procedure to take a few hours. Maybe two or three, with a few hours on either side for check ups and aftercare.
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.
A new study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics indicates that the optimal time of birth for twins is at 37 completed weeks of pregnancy. Twins are now being born more often because of an increase in the use of assisted reproductive techniques, in which almost a quarter result in twinning.
Expect around nine to 25 days after birth if your twins need to spend some time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). But remember, that not all twins need time in the NICU. Let's talk about the first ideal situation, which is when your twins are born, they're super healthy and they're ready to go home.
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.
There is also an increased risk of stillbirth with advancing gestational age in otherwise uncomplicated twin pregnancies, which is why elective birth is recommended at 37–38 weeks gestation [9]. Thus, complications to twin pregnancies are frequently seen and labour induction is often indicated.
For a given pregnancy, the odds of conceiving fraternal twins are only determined by the mother's genetics, not the father's. Fraternal twins happen when two eggs are simultaneously fertilised instead of just one.
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.
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.
Researchers now believe that when a baby is ready for life outside his mother's uterus, his body releases a tiny amount of a substance that signals the mother's hormones to begin labor (Condon, Jeyasuria, Faust, & Mendelson, 2004). In most cases, your labor will begin only when both your body and your baby are ready.
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.