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Vaginal Birth of Twins

Finding out your are pregnant can cause a myriad of emotions but finding out your are pregnant with twins adds a whole new dimension to the experience of being pregnant! I personally have only carried one baby in utero at any given time so I can only imagine what it would be like.

Having two babies inside of you does add an element of difficulty to the birthing process but thankfully there are many safe options for delivering twins in this day and age and cesarean is not always the only option!twins doula

There is a common belief that giving vaginal birth to twins is twice as hard as vaginal birth of one child but this is not the case. One of the most difficult parts of labor is the time and effort that goes into dialating the cervix to 10 cm. This must only happen once regardless of the number of babies. The main difference that makes twins more difficult is the need for two pushing phases. There is usually a break in between the two pushing stages, and the second baby is usually relatively easy to push out because the first baby “paves the way.” This is not intended to discredit the hard work that mothers of twins do in birth but more to reassure those expecting twins that they need not panic about the effort that goes into birthing twins.

Whether twins are born via cesarean or vaginal delivery is largely dependent on the position of the two babies inside the womb. When labor begins, vaginal birth is a possibility if both babies are head down (vertex), or if the first twin is vertex and the second is breech. Twins will be in one of these two positions about 70% of the time. The other possible positions include two side lying babies (Transverse), two breech babies, or the first twin is breech with the second head down. These positions are usually delivered via cesarean section. In about 3-4% of twin births, the first baby is born vaginally while the second requires cesarean surgery.

If you are hoping for a vaginal birth of your twins it is important to understand that there are often different hospital protocols for a twin birth than there are with a single birth. Be sure to check into the hospital twin policies of your facility before the birth so you know what to expect. Also, I would recommend including a doula in your birth team! Best of luck with your beautiful bundles!