Twins - Nevada City,CA

D.,

I have four kids, One with epidural, one natural, and twins c-section. We "planned" a natural birth but due to complications (twins are rough on a body) they had to come out fast, so c-section it was. Your daughter should plan whatever way she prefers and then if it works out great, if not they do what needs to be done. I know lots of twin moms that had their babies naturally. Either way, no problem. By the way, I had one twin head down and one breech. My plan was to push the first twin out and then let the docor try to turn the other baby, but it never got to that.

I delivered my twin girls vaginally Jan 2008 in SF -- and it was a great experience! We induced at 37 weeks, experience was wonderful and the recovery quick with minimal discomfort. At my hospital, you do deliver in an operating room with double the number of staff (2 OB/GYNs, about 4 nurses, etc) in case of any complications during the procedure which could include a c-section if something goes awry with the vaginal delivery.

My doctor was very supportive of not doing a C-section ... she brought up the fact that it isn't necessarily required in the case of twins. In fact, she said delivering twins vaginally was sort of a lost art and it was too bad that doctors were not always wanting to do that (I am paraphrasing here). However, it absolutely depends on the position of the babies -- baby "A" must be heads-down to do this. Baby B does not have to be heads-down. Also, I'm sure that it depends on many health factors too.

Net, I would encourage your daughter to find out if her doctor has delivered twins vaginally or if he/she only / automatically does c-sections. Your daughter will probably be able to tell if the doctor has positive feelings towards it or if he/she is neutral or negative on the subject. Maybe the doctor is not confident of his / her skills in that area. I would encourage her to find a doctor that is open to doing vaginal deliveries if all the signs are positive.

Congratulations!

Hi D.!
I'm really surprised to hear the doc talking about a c-section so soon. I had 2 kids and then got pg with twins (baby 3 turne in to 3 and 4) I have never had a c-section! At the time of delivery, baby A was head down so the doc said we could go for the vaginal delivery. I delivered at 35 weeks and 2 days with no real complications. They did make me deliver in the operating room though just in case and I did have to have an epidural just in case. If baby A had been sideways or breach I would of had to have a c-section. My doc checked on an ultrasound right before delivery so he knew the exact posistions.
Hope that helps!

M.

I have 7YO twins who were delivered vaginally, no complications, even though baby B was breech. What my OB said was that often times doctors who don't have a lot of experience with twin deliveries will be more likely to recommend C sections esp. if one twin is breech.
I would suggest that your daughter try to find her nearest parents of multiples club - use the zip code search at http://www.NOMOTC.org to find the nearest club. One very helpful feature of a local multiples club is the opportunity to communicate with other parents of multiples esp. with regard to things like which local OB's and pediatricians are good with caring for twins/twin pregnancies.

I am proud mother of boy/girl twins turning 6 on 8/1. We had fertility help and were blessed with twins. They were estimated to be born on 8/31, however I was put on bed rest by the end of May because I was slowly beginning to dialate. I was on home bed rest from end of May to end of June, then spent 2 weeks on hospital bedrest. Needless to say my water began to break about 9 am on 8/1, then it completely broke by 1 pm. Both of my babies were born naturally (grant it, I did have an epidural, just not C section) , pushed out by 11 pm that night. My daughter was head down the whole time and the doctor said they preferred a vaginal birth over C section.. I tell you the delivery was so easy, I would have done it 100 times over if my babies would have been good sleepers the first year. That was the hardest.. getting them to sleep during the first year! Congrats, good luck & enjoy them. When God gives you twins, he speeds up your life so we have to remember to stop & enjoy every minute of them!
Almost forgot to tell you I was 38 weeks when my babies were born..

Hi there,
Congratulations! I'm a mother of twins that was also a surprise at our first appt. I would definitely suggest that your daughter consult another doctor. Unless there are any other high risk factors besides twins there is no need to go straight to a C-section.
My water broke at 34 weeks and I was able to have my girls naturally, and that was with the second one coming out breach. They weighed 4lb5oz and 4lb8oz respectively, and were healthy at birth, with the exception of jaundice. As a precaution the hospital I delivered at kept them in the NICU for 10 days, so they could regain birth weight and get rid of the jaundice.
I was lucky that I had few issues during my pregnancy, no morning sickness, no bed rest. I did develop PUPPS which is a rash, but was given benadryl and anti-itch lotion to deal with it. I did develop pre-eclampsia, which the doctors determined was the cause of my water breaking prematurely, however, my only symptom of this was increased swelling.
Again, have her speak with her doctor about trying to avoid C-sections unless medically necessary or speaking to another doctor.
Having twins is great and I wouldn't trade it for the world!

D.-

I had my twins 6 years ago in August and let me tell you were we surprised when the doctor told me it was twins. (I also have a singlet) I carried my twins to 37 1/2 weeks and had a vaginal delivery with no problems. My doctor agreed with my husband and I that we would do a C-section If and only If it was absolutely necessary. Our Doctor told us c-sections are often easier for doctors and they get to deliver babies on their own schedules that way. If the babies are in the right position, there is no placenta-previa and everything else is fine, I encourage your daughter to have a vaginal delivery, it's better for her and the babies.

Congratulations, this will be an exciting, exhausting, wonderful adventure!!!

A friend of mine had twin boys about a year ago and delivered them naturally, so it can definitely be done! She went full term and delivered at 38 weeks. She didn't håve any complications. I would advise them to talk to their dr. about it and see if he is open to a natural delivery. If he isn't, and that is important to them, I would look for a different dr.

Hi,
My sister had twins a little over a year ago. We have the same OBGYN. I feel it is a bit premature for her doctor to say, off the bat at their first appt., that s/he will do a c-section. My sister did end up having a c-section because one of the babies, baby B, was breach, and that was the only reason. Other than twins usually coming early and possible bedrest to try to keep them in a little longer, I have never heard of doctors saying they will do a c-section that early in the pregnancy.

I would be looking for another doctor! My twins were delivered vaginally 7 yrs ago & back then I had heard other people saying the same thing about their docs & they were told look for another doc! Unless there are complications I don't think a doc should plan on doing a c-section. I was told as long as baby A is head down they will at least aim for a viginal birth. My baby A was head down & she came out no prob. My baby B was breech. They tried to turn him but he would not turn so my doc asked me what I wanted to do - I told him I'd prefer no c-section but obviously to do whatever needed to be done to make it safe for my son. He reached in & pulled him out by his legs & it was fine.

I think she may need a doc w/ more twin experience - nothing can match experience!

Hi D.!

What wonderful news! My twins are turning 1 this month and I can't believe how quickly the time went.

There are tons of women that deliver naturally with twins. Is your daughter a high risk pregnancy? if the doctor is already wanting to do a C-section, maybe she should interview other doctors that has more experience with delivering twins naturally. Birth is a natural thing, the less amount of medical intervention the better.

unfortunately I do not have any other advise as far as pregnancy and doctor visits for I did not know I was having twins till after the first one was born.

Good luck!

J.

A friend of ours had twins in January and she had them naturally. I would have her talk to her doctor more and ask him why he is thinking c-section.

I have two friends who have both deliverey twins naturally. One of them was in labour for less than six hours (first babies). If your daughter wants to try to have them naturally, she should be able to give it a go if there aren't any complications. I don't have any Bay Area references, but hopefully someone else will. Best of luck.

I have 4 year old twin girls and had them both naturally and vagina. I let my doctor know that unless medically necessary I wanted a natural birth. Both girls were head down so it was ideal. The first one came out fine and then the second one decided to not follow and went side ways. They ended up turning her into a breech position and was able to deliver her this way. They were both 5lbs 15oz, and were full term. We both stayed in the hospital for 24 hours and then came home. The office that I went to had 2 doctors, one of them was totally on board to have a natural childbirth, the other one was not so. He said that he would like to schedul a c-section. But I told him unless it was necessary I didn't want to, I had 2 other children at home. Wouldn't you know that he was the one that would be on call the night I went into labor. By the time he got to the hospital I was already 8 cm and there was no time for anything. So he delivered them both and we had no complications. I would ask your daughter to ask lots of questions and most importantly why they would already talk about doing a c-section. Unless there are existing medical concerns or medical conditions that arise, making a vaginal delivery dangerous, I would even look into finding a different doctor. Perhaps the doctor is uncomfortable with a multiples pregnancy. The office that I went to had a lot of experience with multiples so they were very comfortable and knowledgable. A good way to get a doctors recommendation is to have her contact her local twins club and ask around. It is very possible to have a healthy multiples pregnancy with a natural delivery, I know quite a few women that have. God Bless

I know that delivering twins vaginally is possible - my cousin did it last year. She did it in San Jose, but I am not sure where. You might want to look at the aneurysm rate after C-section, though, just as a cautionary tale. Another aspect to look at would be the induction rate of multiples. The British Medical Journal did a study about that within the last couple of years. The mortality rate of one or more multiples was much higher with induction than without.

Best of luck and good for you for looking into this instead of just taking a doctor's word for it.

I am a twin, born 45 years ago in Fremont when it wasnt so common. In fact it was so uncommon that a paragraph about it was in the paper.

We were my mother's 4th birth. I was 9 and a half pounds, my sister was amost 9 pounds! My mom delivered vaginally, with me coming out head first and my sister then coming out breech. Everything went fine.

I think it is a shame that doctors will automatically call for a C section, especially with all the sonograms and tools they have at their command. I beleive it has more to do with a desire to avoid the possibility of being sued than anything else.
Dr. Bleeker who works in Pleasanton/Livermore would be a good doctor to use. He doesn't beleive in interfereing unless you ABSOLUTELY have to. He beleives a woman's body was designed by God to birth. he won't even do an episiotomy unless absolute.He also works with a midwife, Bea Haber.
I gave birth to my first, who was alomst 10 pounds! I was in labor for 30 hours(pushing 20 minutes). Any other doctor would have called a c section but he did not.I didnt have an episiotomy either.

Hi D.
I had twins 20 years ago however I know many women who have had them
Going into my first appointment my DR had mentioned C section as a possibility but not the primary way he wanted to deliver Whnen it came time to deliver the Dr tried to deliver vaginally but due to distress went the C sec
My preganacy went well and my daughter were delivered 5 weeks premmie
Other women I know sonme went thru similar situations others had a pregancy and delivery as if there was only one baby ie no c section easy delivery etc Tell your daughter to enjoy the time carrying twins is fun especially when the hands and feet starting poking Twins are a special gift as any child is but to watch twins interact and grow to young adults as mine are was a pleasure Congrats to you and your family

Congratulations first of all! What an exciting time for the entire family. I have 3½ year old twin girls. My husband and I didn't find out we were pregnant with two until 20 weeks! It was a pleasant/exciting/welcomed suprise. I will never in my life forget that moment. Anyway, I wanted to say that I'm grateful that I carried them to 40 weeks (one day short and my water broke on its own) and had them naturally. I realize now that it depends on the doctor and as well as of course your pregnancy. As soon as I was told by the lab tech that I was carrying twins I called my doctor and my first question to her was if I would have to automatically have a c-section. She said no and that she in fact had just recently safely delivered a set of twins naturally. I must say that I had a very healthy pregnancy and never required bed rest. In fact, I remember after delivery the doctor mentioning that no wonder I went full term since the placenta was very healthy (whatever that means). But anyway, both girls were also head down and in position early on. I did go through pushing labor for three hours, so it wasn't easy, and you have to push for both (some people seem to think that the second just slips right out after the first). From water break to second baby delivered was just short of 12 hours. Don't get me wrong, if I would have needed a c-section, I of course would have accepted. I just didn't want it to be automatic because of multiples. I realize now that many doctors don't even allow you to carry beyond 38 weeks, I believe because they are worried the babies will be too big. I'm grateful that I was blessed with a wonderful pregnancy and two beautiful and most of all healthy baby girls. If your daughter accepts it, she will need a lot of help! I remember just wanting a good home cooked meal. (My husband is wonderful, but his idea of taking care of dinner is take out). Just don't forget to give the excited family some private family time too. God Bless! Feel free to e-mail me with any questions.

P.S. I also breast fed them both up to 6 months, so it is possible, and in many cases easier.

D.,
I remember reading a story years ago about a mom who had twins naturally and they were delivered ten days apart.
One was ready the first day, and the second was not, so they opted to wait and see. So now the girls have separate birthdays, but are itentical. I thought that was truly amazing, being how sore I was after delivery, I could not imagine doing it again ten days later.
W. M.

Hi I had twins and delivered them naturally. My doctor said it depended on the position of baby A (if he has turned) by about 30 weks or so (when the babies don't have much more room to move. My babies were born at 37 weeks weighing 6lbs 4oz each. They are 12 minutes apart! Good luck!!

First of all Congrats! I wanted to say that although I did not have twins myself I have heard of women who have given birth to twins vaginally, it absolutely can be done. I would suggest that your daughter seek out other OB's and find out who would be willing to at least let her try to deliver vaginally and of course there is always the option for an emergency C-section. I have read of many twins being delivered at home even (I had both of my children at home with the help of the midwife.) Your daughter may also want to find out if there is a midwife who is experienced with twin births who may have hospital privaledges. Now a days most OB's just go with a c-section because it is more straight forward and conveinent. I do want to remind you that although the surgery is easy for the doctor it makes her recovery twice as hard and for a mama who will have two babies to take care of she will benefit greatly from a vaginal delivery rather than having to go through major abdominal surgery which may interfere with her ability to care for, bond with and nurse her babies. I am a student midwife right now and I am a certified Doula as well so I would be available to offer any other ideas! In the meantime good luck and enjoy the double blessing!

I am a mom of twin girls that are the greatest! I did have a c-section because one of the girls was breech. I could of delivered the first one naturally and they could of tried to turn the second, but if they were not successfull then I'd have to have a c-section. When my water broke and I got to the hospital, they did an ultrasound so see the position of both girls and one was still breech so I opted for the c-section. I really didn't want to have baby #1 nautrally and baby #2 c-section if they couldn't turn her.
I didn't have any complications from the c-section. I delivered at 34 weeks. The pregnancy itself had no complications. Because they were born early they did spend a week in the NICU but we got to take them both home on the same day.

I wish you all the best of luck. Enjoy being a grandmother to twins. They really do have a special bond! Mine just turned 4 and are the best of friends. Most importantly they are individuals. I don't like it when people call them "the twins" Have fun!

Hi D.!
Conrgrats on two more grandbabies! I was surprised (to say the least!) when my OB found two babies on the ultrasound at my first appointment. My dr. said there was no reason to plan a C-section unless issues developed later on in the pregnancy. She said as long as my pregnancy was progressing normally and baby A was head down, it didn't matter how baby B was lying. She could manually turn baby B if she needed to after the delivery of baby A. Well, long story short, at 39 weeks my water broke and I went into labor naturally. Both babies came on their own, 8 minutes apart, both weighing in at 7lbs 2oz. I had a fabulous delivery! My boys are now 10 months old and keep me plenty busy!! My advice to your daughter would be to find a doctor who has lots of experience with multiple births and not one who would plan a c-section this early in the pregnancy because it's more convenient for him. Congrats again on the double blessing!!

Hi D.-
My sister in law gave birth to two large twin boys last year. One was 6.5 lbs and one was 7 lbs. That was a lot of baby! Her doctor did not push a c-section, but was going to do a normal delivery- c-sections are reserved for complications and for when the baby can't come the normal way. If a doctor is pushing it, he is either really old school, or very new and they are doing alot of c-sections now- partially because there won't be any issues with the birth canal, and partially because the baby will be perfect and round from not having to endure birth. I would say, that if there is nothing wrong with her pregnancy, and if the babies turn appropriately, she should do it the regular way. C-sections are also a way for doctors to "schedule" your delivery, even when labor has not started. I beleive in them, but only when they are needed. I, personally, would inform the doc that this was going to happen the regular way unless the babies refused to turn.
C-sections leave you with a huge scar, and it takes a long time to heal, making mommy less than accessible to her new babies.
I hope this helps.
-E.

Our daughter birthed twin daughters exactly one year ago---
a hospital vaginal delivery, as planned. C-section was mentioned when one of the babies repeatedly "crowned" then "retreated". Hopfully this non surgical delivery could proceed, knowing it was preferred over c-section, as long as nothing developed that would be dangerous to mommy or babies. Two OBs were present- one a friend (observing & advising). Thank God the delivery did proceed with our "non-surgical team" and wonderful effort by "Mommy". So proud of her, and she really appreciated "her team"!
Mommy and babies did great-- a job well-done!

Hi Lucky Grandmother!

My twins have just turned 8. I had mine in Australia and they are really into natural over there. There was no talk about C sections unless there was a problem that couldn't be addressed. My doctor recommended an epidural so that if there were any problems, we could deal with them without delay. Since my first child was born completely drug free, I was REALLY for trying an epidural anyway! As it turned out, I had to be induced since they weren't in any hurry to come out. They were born vaginally. The first twin came out with no problems and the second twin was breech and there was a split second of panic until the doctor reached in and pulled the second twin out. He had told me this is fairly common and why he had recommended an epidural. When he told me this, I felt like a cow, but in reality it went so smoothly and I really didn't know that he was doing that. I was so much better off dealing with my twins having had such a "comfortable" delivery than I had recovering from the shock of natural childbirth.

I wish your daughter luck. You both have so much fun to look forward to!

Dear D.,
Congratulations on your double blessing!
My niece just had twin boys earlier this year. She was very against having a C-section but her doctor told her right from the beginning that it would all depend on the pregnancy and positioning of the babies, etc. He didn't tell her she HAD to have one, but he couldn't promise it wouldn't happen either. He really wanted her to be prepared for the possibility because she was so adamantly against it (basically saying she would REFUSE to have a C-section).
As it turned out, she was able to deliver one baby vaginally but the other was sideways and too far up so he had to be delivered by C-section. Half went one way and half went the other. The main thing is that they both got here safely and were perfectly healthy. Can you believe that both those baby boys together weighed just under 16 pounds? Even the smallest one weighed more than my son did. It was pretty amazing.
I guess my advice would be to not freak out at the mention of C-section like Joanna did but to have a doctor that is open to the possibility of vaginal delivery. Ultimately there is no way to predict or promise what will be best for the babies when the time comes, just like any birth.
Continued blessings!
Be sure to let us know when the babies arrive!

I would not go to a dr that pushed C sections. Often times they are necessary in multiple births but unless there is a high risk situation she should be able to try a natural delivery. She should consult with another dr but it should be one that specializes in multiples or high risk pregnancies.

Congratulations D., what a blessing! I am a 30-year-old twin, and all of my friends who have had twins these days get C-sections due to the potential complications of delivering twins vaginally. My own birth is a cautionary tale: 30 years ago C-sections were still rare, and the doctor planned to deliver my sister and me vaginally. My sister, the larger twin, was positioned correctly for birth and was in first position, but I was breach. The doctor believed after my sister entered the birth canal, my head would follow her feet, and I would rotate and enter the birth canal after her head-first. Thankfully, he had a specialist standing by just in case. I remained in breach position after my sister was delivered, and my vital signs were fading fast as precious minutes ticked away. The specialist quickly stepped in, knocked my mother out, reached up, grabbed me by the feet, and pulled me out. As horrible as that sounds, he saved my life. I was born 13 minutes after my sister, and was in an incubator for my first few weeks of life recovering my strength. Happily, there was no lasting trauma, but if I had twins today my mother would certainly lobby for a C-section, for the safety of the babies.

Best of luck with your double blessing!

J.

Hi D.!
You sound like a wonderful grandma because you care and realize you're blessed. We were very fortunate to experience a natural delievery of our twins (with an epidural). Our girls were positioned so that it was possible. I'm sure you'll get a lot of expert responses. Our twins were positioned head down. I believe it's possible to find out the percentage of c-sections of a doctor's deliveries.
I believe it pays off to follow the doctor's instructions to a t when it comes to multiples. They don't usually make it to term, and so every last day before delivery is important to their development. My firstborn was in ICU for one week and the second born for two weeks. As premies they can have severe medical issues (as I'm sure you know). I prided myself on being totally healthy in every respect as insurance toward their well-being and it paid off!
All the best to you, your daughter, and son-in-law,
G.