Preparing for a Twin Birth

Once you get your head around having twins, there’s the million dollar question of how on earth will they come into the world.

On finding out I was pregnant with twins, my immediate reaction was caesarean.

The idea of birthing two babies and two placentas felt like A LOT!

But then on speaking to the midwives, they said that given Olive’s birth was straightforward vaginal birth with a spontaneous labour  (you can read my birth story here), I’d be a strong candidate for going down that route. 

(I should also point out that I’m a DCDA twin pregnancy, so fairly low risk as far as twin pregnancies go)

Decisions, decisions…

Please note, before you read on, that this is all based on my personal experience from speaking with the midwives and consultants during my twin pregnancy at the hospital. Different trusts may have different opinions.

There are plenty more things to think about that I may have missed off, differing opinions, plus I’m not a professional in this field.

Things I considered regarding a vaginal birth

• Travelling down the vaginal canal helps squeeze all the fluid out of the lungs along with coating the baby in bacteria which is meant to help with gut health and allergies
• You’re not recovering from abdominal surgery so hopefully I’ll be up and about, be able to lift my babies and not be too reliant on help from others
• I’ll be able to drive straight away which would make me feel less isolated in those early days
• There’s a 10% chance of having a vaginal delivery followed by an emergency c section for the second birth (I was told 5% chance by my midwife, but the consultant told me 10%)
• My placenta with Olive was a few minutes away from a manual extraction as it did not want to budge. I’m slightly nervous about the risk of this happening with there being two this time around
• Likely to need an induction (although 60% of twins come pre term/37 weeks) to get things going. Although given I went into labour spontaneously with Olive, there’s a high chance this will happen rather swiftly. For the second birth, they’ll need to give me syntocin hormone drip to ensure the contractions continue. In addition, they’ll also need to manipulate the second twin (once twin 1 is out) to ensure they’re head or bum down – for which I’ll need an epidural.
• There isn’t currently an option for a water birth with twins due to it being tricky to monitor (apparently there are 2-3 trusts in the UK who do offer this, but it’s rare and not an option at Kingston)

Things I considered regarding a caesarean birth

• You know when they’re coming (hopefully) which makes childcare a lot easier – this is a weird factor to think about, but when you’ve already got a child, you kind of have to think about it
• It’s a routine procedure and with it being planned, it’s meant to be a relaxing experience and they can take time over it.
• You know (mostly) how it’s going to go, so you eliminate the “what ifs” of a vaginal delivery (I say “mostly” because there are risks with everything, so you can never be 100% sure)
• You’re recovering from abdominal surgery (too often people refer to caesareans as the easy way out, but it’s a lot to put the body through) so there’s a lot of resting required in the first few weeks and you won’t be able to pick up your older one (if you’ve already got another child)
• I’m so squeamish! I can’t bear the sight of a blood test, so goodness knows what I’ll be like with a canular in my hand, along with the idea of being cut open
• No driving for 6 weeks, so there goes any top up food shops, social outings or freedom
• I’ll have to rely on my husband, Charlie, for nursery runs and the rest – I’m lucky enough that we both work from home and he has the flexibility to be around, but not everyone has this advantage.

My Decision

Truth be told, I’ve been toing and froing between both births, given I’ve been told I’m a strong candidate for a vaginal birth based on Olive’s entry into the world. There’s been chat about what will happen if I spontaneously go into labour prior to my “end date”. Although this is nice to know they’d be ready, this time around, my gut is telling me otherwise so I’ve finally settled on a planned c section.

I’ve heard so many incredible stories of vaginal twin births, however for me, this time around I feel that I want a more “controlled” outcome as knowing (hopefully) how it’ll go will put me at ease.

I had my incredible vaginal delivery with Olive, and now it’s time to have a different kind of wonderful birth with the twins…

Planning for a Caesarean Birth

This time around feels weird. 

Previously, I saw a women’s health physio at 20 weeks, I was eating 6 dates a day from 36 weeks, drinking my Hot Tea Mama raspberry leaf tea, preparing my pelvic floor with an EpiNo while watching positive birth stories and avoiding any dramas/thrillers on TV to ensure I was in a full on oxytocin zone. So much so, I watched every Hugh Grant film in the lead up to Olive’s birth, even bouncing on my birthing ball to Four Weddings and a Funeral while in early labour!

This time, I’ve not done any of the above. 

Given I’ve got it in my head I’m going for a c section, I’ve not seen a women’s health physio (not really had time to be honest!), watched all things dramatic and gory (such as Griselda, 24 hours in Police Custody, Slow Horses etc), have steered clear of anything that is meant to help with a vaginal labour and not given my pelvic floor prep too much thought (other than re-strengthening it following that endless cough that’s been going around and working with it to withstand the weight of two babies and the rest, bearing down on it).

That said, I feel there’s a lot to do for me to get into that birth zone.

A caesarean is still a birth and it should feel like one. 

Plus, given how squeamish I am, I feel I need to get into a zone where I’m fully accepting and at peace with what’s going on, along with preparing for the recovery on the other side (I’ll cover the recovery side of things at a later date)

• Reading up about caesareans. A friend of mine shared her experience from Hackney Hypnobirthing.  which I highly recommend to anyone
• Listened to podcasts on caesarean births
  • The Birth-ed Podcast: Caesarean Birth with Consultant Obstetrican, Florence Wilcock
  • Midwife Pip Podcast: E.74 Planning for a Gentle Caesarean Birth | Amy Lane

Aside from this, things I’m planning on doing in the remaining week(ish) lead time to the Twins’ Birth:

• Getting into nesting mode – sorting out the baby clothes, random cupboards I have the urge to clear out and sort, 
• Bringing my exercise intensity down in the days leading up to the birth because no one wants DOMS post surgery, when it’ll already be hard to stand and walk
• Making sure we’ve got the support we’ll need in place for the other side. My mum is coming to stay to help look after Olive (as I’ll be in hospital for a minimum of 3 days)

So, that’s it from me.

Blog post coming on What to Pack in your Hospital for a Planned Caesarean Twin Birth (as I’m yet to finish doing it, plus it’s handy reflecting on it as I’lll probably pack things I don’t need or miss things out that I really needed!)

See you on the other side!