Pregnancy Length

What a present for the holidays! Congrats. Also, congrats on carrying them to term. Full term for any pregnancy is 38-40 weeks. My son was 41 weeks, and I was induced. I begged for inducement with my daughter at 39 weeks. Both were fine. The part I liked about inducement, was getting to pick the birthday!
M.

Happy Holidays D.,
I have twin girls also, now 20 months old. I had a C-section at 38 weeks. Both of my girls were in a breech postion. They were both healthy and strong when they were born 6lbs & 9 oz & 6lbs & 4 oz. Don't worry they will be fine. I don't think my girls were ready to come out either but I am only 5'3 and there was no more room in the inn.lol They had to vacat. I thought if you look hard enough you would see toes. Just relax and have so you time if you can because before you know it.... They will be getting into EVERYTHING!!!

I just had twin girls 10 weeks ago at 37 weeks. They are both healthy and weighed 5.6 and 5.9 lbs each. They were strong and are doing great. I had them through a c-section, if you are having them at 38 weeks I would not worry, they can do a test to see if their lungs are fully developed if there are any concerns. As the other gals said, ask your doctors for all the details. He/she is the specialist in this area, I seriously doubt he/she would deliver you early so that he/she would not miss the holiday as suggested by another writer. Good luck and enjoy!

I would discuss your concern with your OB/GYN, but not worry too much about it. You are already further along than a lot of moms having twins. I am a twin and my sis and I were born 6 weeks early back in '77! Born at 3lb 13oz and 4lb 4oz! Do they know the weights of the babies at this point? My sis was in an oxygen bed (whatever it's called) for a little while, but other than that, we were fine. Good luck!

38 weeks is not considered early. they're considered fully cooked if they come out then.

Your hesitancy is valid! I would not go early either.
I heped with a homebirth of twins boy, she carried 40 weeks, it was a big blessing.
So what the demise, you need to get facts before being trusting, which it sounds like you heart is telling you anyway! Mom's know best, God gave us a knowing in our heart what is right...His point of view!!
Keep in touch!

I don't have specific knowledge about carrying twins. And I've heard before what your doctor is telling you and understand his/her point of view. However, I will say that a mother's intuition is usually right. I would express your concerns to your doctor and see if there are other options. Maybe the babies can be monitored very closely after 38 weeks. There is something to be said for letting babies be born when they are ready, especially if you are doing so well.

As for those that say it's your body that decides when to go into labor, I would argue against that. If you want evidence to the contrary, I suggest you read books on the Bradley Method. Dr. Bradley has had extraordinary cases where babies went far beyond their due date to reach readiness and if they had been induced when those outside the womb decided it was time, they may not have survived. (Not to say that'll happen in your case, obviously, but just to illustrate a point.) Also, (it's been a few years since I've had a baby so I don't remember the exact mechanism that the doctor told me causes this) but changes in the baby actually trigger the hormones in the mother to give birth.

One last word, there are many twins in my family. My grandmother was one and she gave birth to twins and I have cousins that are twins as well. Not one set of twins in my family was induced and all were carried safely to term, so it's not unheard of to let the babies decide when they are ready.

I would just talk to your doctor. I've learned from my own mistakes NEVER to ignore your instincts as a mother.

D.,

I've never had multiples, but I can tell you this: if you've reached 37 weeks, you're already doing better than a lot of other multiple pregnancies. You've actually reached full term. Since you ARE full term now (even if it was a single pregnancy) there is nothing wrong with an induction. Your babies are ready to come out at any time now. The only thing they will have to wait on is that mysterious trigger for labor. That's a function of YOUR body, not their readiness. They are ready now. I wouldn't turn down an induction. Your doctor is planning what he thinks is best for your babies and since you have reached full term, you have no reason to believe that it will cause them any kind of harm, they should be fully capable of dealing with birth at this point.

I had to be induced with both of my boys. The first one because I was overdue and my water had broken but labor had not begun and my second because of hypertension on my due date. Induction is nothing to fear, and I hear that most women experience a shorter labor and delivery if induced. I don't know how true this is, mine were 20 hours and 24 hours respectively, but they told me that was very unusual.

If you still feel uneasy about it, talk with your doctor a little more about it, but all in all I would say that it's probably a good idea and probably perfectly safe to boot or your doctor wouldn't have suggested it. Better an induction now than an emergency c-section and health complications for your babies later. I think the potential for something to go wrong if you wait justifies an induction.

Congrats on your fabulous twin pregnancy! My twins are almost 3 now, and I also had a great pregnancy. My doctors said the same as yours- no longer than 38 weeks. Apparently, twins do mature faster than singletons, and the placenta may begin to degrade sooner. If your twins have been measured and their weights look good on your ultrasound, I think the benefits of delivery at 38 weeks outweigh the risk. My twins were delivered via scheduled c-section at 37 weeks, 6 days weighing 6 lb 7 oz and 7 lb 9 oz- bigger than any singletons in my family at the time! They were, and still are among the healthiest kids I know. Good luck!

I was told with my singleton at 38 weeks that we could go anytime, she was ready at that point. She was just going to get bigger, that's all. I had gestational diabetes, so they were worried about her getting too big. Funny thing, I had that appointment where they told me that and went into natural labor that night. My daughter was born at about 38 weeks and was 20 inches and 7 lbs 9 oz.

The human body is not an exact science! I think docs just do the best they can given education and experience. I always say get a second opinion if it makes you more comfortable, but 38 weeks should be fine. -S

I don't have multiples but I was induced for both my pregnancies the first because my water broke the day before I was due but no labor was starting after 8 hrs, my second was induced at 39 weeks and 5 days, for no reason other than at my request, both were healthy and happy weighing 6 and 7 pounds respectively. I'm told by both my doctors (2 different doctors in the deliveries that induction at 38-40 weeks carries no more significant risks of unplanned c-section than if you went into labor naturally. Good luck.

Hi there,

I had both of my babies at 37 weeks, this is considered full term. They are just gaining more weight at this point. Twins are never usually carried much longer than what you are going to get induced at, there isn't room for them to grow comfortably anymore. I am sure that you would like for them to come out on their own, but trust your dr when he says it's time for them to be delivered. Be grateful you didn't deliver any earlier, alot of times twins come so early that they have to spend time in the NICU. You did a great job!

There are risks to an induction, in addition to the risk of prematurity, which you mentioned. Make sure you understand the risks and benefits of all possible courses of action before you consent to an induction. If you doctor says that something bad "might" happen to one of the babies if you carry 38+ weeks, ask him how common that is, in your doctor's experience and in the literature. There needs to be a full discussion of the risks of induction along with risks of waiting.

Nothing is risk-free--whether you ride in a car or decide never to venture beyond your doorstep, something bad "might" happen. What does your doctor think about you coming in frequently for monitoring and doing kick counts at home instead of induction?

Keep your mind free from worry for your own sake and for the sake of your babies. Maybe this week you will go into labor by yourself! Great job carrying your twins so long and listening to your intuition, and best wishes to you.

Dear D.,
I hope you will make a decision that's right for you! I carried my twin daughters full term and they were fine! My OB/GYN never said anything to me of the likes of what yours is saying!
You might want to get a second opinion, perhaps of another doctor in the same practice! I remember when I was pregnant with my twins, there were three docs in that practice and they didn't always agree! Two of them even said I wasn't having twins even up to my fifth month of pregnancy!
I also had two other pregnancies. My son was still in utero after his due date and my OB/GYN (the same one as for my twins) said he was going to induce me on a particular date. I prayed long and hard for my baby to come naturally without having to be induced and the Lord answered my prayer!As a result, I went into labor the night before I was to be induced!:)
I hope you will have the same success! Being induced may be fine; I just wanted my baby to come without having to force the delivery!
J. F.

I have not had twins but I have known people to carry twins to term. If it were me I would get a second opinion. Induction and c-section carry a lot of risks with them and I would want to know that I could not wait and have them naturally.

I know two people who went full term and two who were overdue with twins. All of them were fine. Ask your doctor the real reason behind his/her recommendation. But go with your gut even though your doctor suggests it, it does not mean you HAVE to do it. It sounds more like the holidays are coming and he doesn't want to be called in! Good luck!

The risk with the induction is a greatly increased risk of c-section. My understanding is that while there is an increased risk of death with a twin pregnancy, it is still small. Further, babies born earlier are more likely to be small, have jaundice and have problems breastfeeding.

For what it is worth, my sister's twins were born at 37 weeks at 7lbs 4oz each. However, they were by c-section because she had severe preeclampsia.

If everything is going well with the babies, I don't see a reason to rush them out.

I would get a second opinion and listen to your gut. If you and the babies are otherwise healthy I would avoid induction like the plague unless you want to have a c-section with all of the risks associated with major abdominal surgery and the associated breastfeeding issues. Your babies and your body knows how long they need to stay in. If you get to the point where your instincts are saying that it's time and they aren't coming, or you develop complications, then I would reconsider.

I was similar, induced between 37 and 38 weeks with my twins. There is valid medical reasoning for not allowing twins to go beyond 38 weeks. The amniotic environment actually reaches maturity sooner than with singletons (40 weeks). Twins lungs develop faster than singletons, too. I have no idea why, but I discovered this in some of my twin books. You should research the medical rationale more and talk to your doctor, but I recall thinking through the same decision and all advice pointed toward early. Is Twin A head down? If so, you'll likely be able to deliver them vaginally. I was able to deliver both of mine head down, although most doctors are not willing to deliver twins. I was careful to induce on a date that guaranteed my doctor was on call. One word of advice re: induction, do it in the morning rather than at night. Because of all the monitoring I did not get a wink of sleep. I wish you all the best with your two bundles of joy! What a special blessing. My girls are 4 months old, and I'm daily both tired and amazed.