Is Giving Birth To Twins Painfull ? The Hidden Truth

Posted by lawremedical@gmail.com March 12, 2023

Is Giving Birth To Twins Painfull ?

Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.  Twins can be either monozygotic (‘identical’), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic (‘non-identical’ or ‘fraternal’), meaning that each twin develops from a separate egg and each egg is fertilized by its own sperm cell.

 

Since identical twins develop from one zygote, they will share the same sex, while fraternal twins may or may not. In rare cases twins can have the same mother and different fathers (heteropaternal superfecundation).

11 Fascinating Facts About Fraternal Twins

 

In contrast, a fetus that develops alone in the womb (the much more common case, in humans) is called a singleton, and the general term for one offspring of a multiple birth is a multiple.  Unrelated look-alikes whose resemblance parallels that of twins are referred to as doppelgängers.

 

Understanding your delivery options is crucial because twins are more likely to arrive early, frequently before 38 weeks. Only around half of twin pregnancies continue past 37 weeks.

 

There is a good potential that one or both of your babies may spend some time in special care due to the likelihood that they will be delivered early.

 

Early in your pregnancy, talk with your midwife or doctor about your birth options because twins are frequently delivered prematurely.

 

You should also talk about the location of your ideal birth. Given the increased likelihood of problems with a twin birth, you will probably be advised to give birth in a hospital.

More medical personnel are frequently involved.

 

A third of all twin births occur vaginally, and the procedure is comparable to giving birth to a single child. It’s typically advised to get an epidural for pain medication if you’re planning a vaginal delivery. This is because if there are complications, it will be simpler and quicker to help the woman deliver the baby if she is already receiving adequate pain treatment.

 

It is typical to think about having a vaginal birth if the first twin is cephalic (head down). Other medical factors, though, might preclude this from being achievable. It’s typically not advised to deliver twins vaginally if you’ve already undergone a caesarean section.

If you give birth vaginally, you could require an aided.

 

You can decide to have an elective caesarean at the beginning of your pregnancy, or your doctor might suggest one later on due to probable difficulties. If you’re having twins instead of a single child, your chance of having a caesarean is almost two times higher.

 

Depending on the babies’ positions, a caesarean delivery may not be necessary. You will need to undergo a caesarean section if the presenting baby—the one who will be born first—is in a breech position (feet, knees, or buttocks first), or if one twin is lying in a transverse position (with its body lying sideways).

You may also require a caesarean due to certain problems.

 

This could be because:

  • one or both babies become distressed
  • the umbilical cord prolapses (falls into the birth canal ahead of the baby)
  • your blood pressure is going up
  • the labor is progressing too slowly
  • assisted delivery doesn’t work

In very rare cases, you may deliver one twin vaginally and then require a caesarean section to deliver the second twin if it becomes distressed.

Vaginal Birth of Twins

This means you will have to push twice, but the majority of the time the second twin is born much more easily than the first. This is because the first twin has paved the way, so to speak. The average time between the birth of the first and second baby is generally about 17 minutes

To form identical or monozygotic twins, one fertilised egg (ovum) splits and develops into two babies with exactly the same genetic information. To form fraternal or dizygotic twins, two eggs (ova) are fertilised by two sperm and produce two genetically unique children.

There is no place for external cephalic version of twin 1. Several studies have suggested that vaginal breech delivery of fetuses <1500 g is safe, whereas others suggest a poorer neonatal outcome for second twins delivered vaginally when in a nonvertex presentation.

Twin pregnancy is not just risky for the babies, but also for the mother. However, many of the risks to the mother are also risks to the unborn babies, since they can lead to premature labor, complications, or in the worst cases, fetal death.
While 40 weeks is the full gestation period of the average pregnancy, most twin pregnancies are delivered at approximately 36 weeks (range 32-38 weeks depending on the type of twin pregnancy).

The most common way for twins to lie is both with their heads down – the best for birth. There’s not a lot of room in your womb, so it’s quite common for one or both babies to be feet or bottom down (breech).
Older women generally have a higher chance of conceiving twins. A 35 year old woman is about 4 times more likely to have fraternal twins than a 15 year old! That is because they are experiencing some hormonal changes as they near menopause. This could encourage their body to release more than one egg during ovulation.

Early signs of a twin pregnancy include severe morning sickness, quick weight gain, and more breast tenderness. You may also notice an increased appetite or extreme fatigue. Plus, those who have a twin pregnancy may begin showing sooner
Twins and triplets often don’t have a chance to reach a healthy weight before they’re born. While the average single baby weighs 7 pounds at birth, the average twin weighs 5.5 pounds. Triplets typically weigh 4 pounds each, and quads weigh 3 pounds each.

Sources:

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (Australia’s mothers and babies data visualisations), Twins Research Australia (Support services), NSW Health (Having a baby, Multiple pregnancy: when it’s twins or more), Raising Children Network (Pregnant with twins)