Are you pregnant with twins, triplets or more? Connect with other expectant parents, ask questions and share your support.
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Hi all, We're expecting twins in July/August and starting to think about modes of delivery. I would like to have a vaginal birth after having a really positive birth experience with my 17 month old son but the consultant has recommended I have an epidural with the twins. I coped really well with no pain relief at all with my first and really don't like the idea of having an epidural but would love to hear your experiences of vaginal birth with or without epidurals to make a more informed choice. Also, we're based in South Cornwall if there's anyone in the area expecting this summer it would be nice to create some support :) Thanks!
Hi Becky, I also had a really good birth experience with my first, who's now just turned 2 years old. And recently gave birth to mcda boys. I also wanted vaginal, no interventions, spontaneous labour, little to no pain relief. Which is exactly what I had with my first. My twin pregnancy had no complications. Me and the twins were doing fine and healthy. Although I had bad morning sickness at the start and as I got into 30wks of pregnancy, it started to take a toll on my body. I started to struggle to walk as the weight on my hips increased, my sleep became increasingly disturbed, I felt so run down. My consultant had previously advised to have a planned delivery during the 36th week, as that is what is recommended for mcda twins. However I always wanted a spontaneous labour and believed they'd come out when they're ready. Which I do still believe. However, we had a routine scan at 35wks and my consultant again advised that they are born the following week. And I think by that point I was so fed up of this 'high risk' pregnancy, and I felt so exhausted, that I just wanted them out by then. So I agreed to a planned c section. I went ahead with the c section and it was a really good experience. It was calm and felt like a normal day. I know that sounds bizarre. But I'm now glad that they're out and we're all healthy.
Becky We are having to go down the C-section route due to the position of our twins. However, before this had been confirmed we had an appointment with a midwife who had twins herself. She was very pro a vaginal birth as this is the route she went down. We talked about the pain relief options and I said that we’d been told it would be sensible to have an epidural sited, even if we didn’t go down this route, as it was meant to make things easier in the event they need to do an emergency C. She advised that they would be able to site an epidural within minutes if required and that this wouldn’t be an issue. This is obviously not a personal experience, but was a discussion we had o with someone who had gone down that route.
Hello, I had a similar situation when my twins were born (now 17 months). Had given births to my older children just using gas and air and was adamant that a) I wanted to try a vaginal birth as long as position of T1 allowed and b) minimum pain relief. I was induced at 37 weeks and the anaethetist was pushing for me to have an epidural "just in case". I had several rounds of explaining why I didn't want one (I have hypermobility and am super sensitive to pain killers) and they kept telling me that it was in the best interest of myself and the babies in case things weren't going to plan. Long story short, I agreed to have a spinal if a c-section was needed and they eventially relented and let me get on. I ended up having said spinal and a c-section after T1 turned out to be in a more awkward position than thought (head down but at an angle that meant he didn't move down the birth canal with contractions) and both were getting distressed with the length of labour (T2 was still transverse at that point so instrumental delivery was thought unhelpful as most likely needed a section for T2 anyway).
Hi all, as you know all pregnancies are very different, however for an uncomplicated, healthy twin pregnancy, it is entirely possible to have a vaginal birth. I would you advise you to talk through all the options with your health care professional so that you are prepared for a c-section should your plan have to change at the last minute for any reason. I had a vaginal delivery with no drugs or interventions with my twin girls as I was lucky enough to be well and the babies were in a good position. Have a read through our Health Pregnancy Guide which can be found on our resources page: https://twinstrust.org/let-us-help/support/resources-and-groups/resources-for-parents.html Chapter 6 onwards looks at spontaneous labour and birth with twins and triplets. The booklet also provides info on C-sections too, which is always worth a read. My advise is have a preference but keep an open mind. Best wishes to you all :)
Hi Becky. I had a vaginal delivery with no epidural and I was so pleased I stuck to what I wanted. The consultant did try and push for an epidural but it just wasn’t something I wanted. Was induced at 37 weeks with twin 1 head down and twin 2 transverse. Luckily twin 2 turned to head down once twin 1 was born so no intervention was needed. I hope this helps and that you get the birth that you want
Hi Becky, Congratulations and I hope you're feeling good. I had a vaginal birth with my boy/girl twins. To be honest it was a bit of a shock as I had assumed I would be told to have a c-section. I was advised to have an epidural and the reason given was that in some cases, if the 2nd twin changes position after the 1st has been born then you could end up needing an emergency c-section, which would result in a general anesthetic unless you already had an epidural. Personally I had a really good experience with the epidural - I felt fully involved in everything that was going on, but was able to manage the dose myself and the recovery was quick. I would reccomend it, but its worth seeing if you can have a chat with your consultant to talk through all the options. Good luck!
Hi Becky. I’m in the same boat (except the twins are my first, but I would also like a vaginal birth without pain relief) so commenting so I can read the replies too. Sadly in South London though rather than South Cornwall.
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