by Here is a question from Matt. He says that his wife was looking forward to a natural childbirth and had planned to use a midwife, but then found out she was too high risk to use a midwife. So, he’s concerned about what they should do about that.
Discussing Options for Delivery
It is true that twin pregnancies are at a higher risk than a regular singleton pregnancy. Now, that doesn’t mean that all your options are eliminated when you’re having twins. What you need to do is talk to your doctor about your options. These options may include where and how your twins are delivered. Have a frank conversation with your doctor about these options. It is okay if you have fundamental disagreements with your doctor about how you want your twins to be born. You can find another doctor who may give you the options and the care that you want.
Working within the Constraints of Twin Deliveries
Consider that you may need to be creative within the constraints that you have. For example, you may be able to try a natural delivery, but instead of at a birthing center or at home, you may have a natural delivery at the hospital. This way, the hospital, physician, or the nurses can monitor the health of the babies. If circumstances change quickly, you’re already in the hospital and the medical staff is on hand to help deliver your babies safely. Now, you’re not going to be able to have a natural delivery of twins unless the twins are in the right positions. So that’s where you have to be monitoring closely, toward the end of the pregnancy, how the twins are positioned so that you’ll know what position the babies are in and what your options are for delivery. That will determine if it is even possible to deliver those babies naturally or if a C-section will be required.
This question was originally addressed on the Dad’s Guide to Twins Podcast Episode 39: Telling Older Children You’re Expecting Twins, Road Trip with Newborns, Two Hospitals.
Picture by Jason Lander
