Keep Those Babies in There

Avoiding Premature Delivery With Twins By Jill Eggleton Brett

The home pregnancy test revealed a plus sign. The blood test was positive. Congratulations – you're pregnant! But when your waistline is expanding exponentially in the first trimester, you have an extra dose of morning sickness and you're already feeling fetal movement – that's when you discover you're pregnant with twins.

Striving for 40 Weeks
After the shock subsides and you've told everyone you know the latest news on your bundles of joy, it's time to concentrate on keeping those babies where they belong. This place, of course, is inside the uterus. The uterus is meant to house a fetus for nine months. But when there is an extra baby vying for growth space, twin pregnancies often result in early deliveries. Your first job as a mother of twins is to keep your duo corralled in your uterus for as many weeks of the 40-week pregnancy cycle as possible.

"Nature is so good to us," says Dr. Shanta Srivastava, an obstetrician/gynecologist in Upland, Calif. "The uterus will typically keep expanding and proceeding as normal until around the 28th week. Then when the twins start pushing the uterus into full capacity with their rapid growth, sometimes problems with pre-term labor can develop."

Preventing Preterm Labor
Dr. Srivastava offers tips on how to help prevent pre-term labor with twins.

• Take two prenatal vitamins daily instead of one. After all, you're now eating for three! Taking two vitamins daily helps ensure each twin is getting enough nutrients.
• Increase the intake of all fluids, especially water. Dehydration and a lowering of amniotic fluid are both contributing factors of pre-term labor.
• Increase the amount of bedrest, or overall relaxation, after the 28th week. It's a good idea to take as much pressure off the uterus as possible. Enjoy frequent naps, lounge on the couch and do activities sitting or lying down when possible.

Talk to your OB/GYN for more personalized advice.

Surviving Bed Rest
If you consult with your physician and find yourself on a more regimented rest schedule, don't fret. Many mothers of twins have gone before you and successfully kept their brains from turning into mush. Perhaps cleaning the grout on your kitchen tile sounds more exciting at this point, but don't give up. In this case, the benefits to be gained from bedrest and taking it easy are more than worth the hassle.

"As silly as this sounds, I used to color with crayons and a coloring book when I was confined to the couch," says Stacey Robinson, mother of twins in Fontana, Calif. "If I watched too much television, I would just long for the things I wasn't supposed to be doing. Coloring helped me focus on something and therefore I was able to relax for a while. My twins ended up being over 7 pounds each when they were born at 38 weeks."

Beatriz Phipps of Phillips Ranch, Calif., took a high-tech approach. "I was confined to my bed by order of my doctor beginning with week 32 of my twin pregnancy," she says. "My laptop computer was my window to the world. I kept my brain busy and my body relaxed while chatting in bedrest groups on the Internet. My effort to rest was rewarded when I gave birth to two, full-term healthy girls."

Preparing for Birth
Even if you follow your doctor's advice to the letter, only nature knows when your babies will arrive. Consider becoming informed and prepared now by discussing a few key issues with your partner and your doctor. Talk to your doctor about what to expect with a vaginal delivery of twins, as well as what to expect in case of a C-section. Also, read up on things like breastfeeding and baby care, so you can learn about it before you actually do it.

You have been blessed with the privilege of carrying twins and being their mommy. The pregnancy and the delivery may not go as you had always imagined, but your two end results will fulfill your every dream.

 

Want to see more? The Home Stretch: Surviving the Last Trimester With Twins I Wish Someone Had Told Me How to Survive the Bed Rest Blues Predicting Pre-term Labor? Gauging Effectiveness of Home Uterine Activity Monitors Talk about it!

About the Author: Jill Eggleton Brett is a freelance writer.