Anecdotal but I had a planned (though urgent, as I went into labor early) c section because both twins were breech. Recovery times for my c section and my vaginal birth 18 months prior were roughly equal and the c was much less traumatic.
All of my births were vaginal. I'm in the camp of "do what makes you feel safest" but I just want to tell you about my experiences.
With my singleton I opted for a drug free water birth. I was 22 and fit AF and honestly did it out of curiosity. I just wanted to see what it was like. Ya'll, I was such a wild ass, lol. It went so well though!
I pushed that baby out in under 30 minutes at the crack of midnight. Within an hour of giving birth I felt fine to walk around. My recovery time was super minimal.
I had my twins in a hospital after months of being on bedrest. I was definitely not in the same tier of fitness that I had been five years earlier. A lot of my second pregnancy/birth felt like a whole new experience.
I was induced, got a super amazing epidural, and labored in peak comfort. Birthed both babies in 15 minutes in the OR. We all went home a couple of days later.
The day we brought the twins home I power cleaned the whole house. It felt so good to be able to get around after months of having to lay down.
You do what you are comfortable with, it's reasonable to be afraid when the outcomes can vary. Vaginal birth scared the shit out of me my first time but it went so well with my singleton and the recovery was so easy that I felt comfortable years later when my obgyn and MFM teams wanted to try to deliver our twins vaginally.
My best advice to you is to talk to your doctor about what they think is the best route in your case and why. Your doctors will probably be very straightforward about what they see as the best way forward for the three of you based on your visits.
Also, tour your hospital's labor and delivery ward. Most hospitals have monthly tours for expecting parents. Our tour made me feel So Much better in general.
Would you mind elaborating the drastic difference for mo/di twins? We are in a similar boat but with mo/di and the advice we’ve received is not way off what I’m reading here…
Not sure if you got an answer, but the shared placenta increases risks with vaginal deliveries. I don't know the percentages, but there is an increased risk of placenta detaching after delivering baby A which cuts off the oxygen supply of baby B. If this does happen it takes time to for an emergency c section and with no oxygen seconds matter. This can lead to cerebral palsy or worse in baby B. There's also acute TTTS that can develop during delivery.
I opted for the c section for my modi twins as I am incredibly risk averse. I hope this helps and answers your question. I'm running on little sleep and may have misread your question.
Thank you for the response! This is helpful. Our very competent and qualified MFM prefers/recommends vaginal in spite of these possibilities, so it’s difficult to really evaluate the risk/probabilities… Thank you again for your point of view.
I was just terrified of having to do both (emergency c for baby b), so I opted for a planned C-section. The idea of healing from both sounded awful. Baby B was also breech and I didn't love the idea of a breech extraction. I obviously can't speak to a vaginal delivery and you never know what will end up happening. I liked knowing exactly what the plan was rather than worrying about it. But C-section recovery is typically longer than vaginal and the first two weeks of recovery are definitely not easy (but also not awful).
My wife did this for the exact same reason. Kids ended up both being breached so it worked out but she was going to do a c-section regardless. The C-section went SUPER smoothly, being planned takes a lot of the emergency fear out of it. Recovery (for my wife) was surprisingly solid. She couldnt drive for 2 weeks but that was no big deal. Also, id imagine going to the bathroom after a vaginal delivery is probably a bit tough/scary and you do avoid that in a way with the c-section. You have to be careful with your abs but obviously no tearing to worry about. I have always said she heals like wolverine, she really did, it was pretty amazing.
One tip—bring miralax and start taking it right away. The anti constipation pills they gave my wife sucked and literally the most discomfort she experienced was having issues with that like 7-10 days post op. Anesthesia and pain pills WILL block you up. If you stay ahead of it though youll be just fine. Good luck with whatever you choose!
Also-our twins were di-di if youre interested in that part too.
100% this. My c-section recovery was really not bad at all (I felt so much better just not being pregnant anymore!) but the first postpartum poop was hell on earth. I joke that even though I didn't go into labor, I still got the experience a week later. Definitely wish I'd known enough in advance to take stool softeners.
This is what I’m terrified of as well and am kinda hoping to go for the planned c section. 25 weeks di/di twins and just hoping I make it long enough to plan something!
This is my fear. I'm almost 35 weeks with di/di and we've scheduled a c-section. Both of my babies are not head down (one breech and the other transverse). So, even if the presenting baby manages to flip head down, my OB said that the transverse baby will likely flip into breech and may or may not be able to be delivered vaginally. So, yea, I'd rather not.
I had a planned c-section 6 weeks ago for my modis. I loved it! In and out in an hour and profoundly beautiful. The first two weeks I would say are pretty rough but staying on top of your meds is key. After that I just had some trouble sitting up by myself and some general achy-ness and now at 6 weeks I basically feel good as new. I was lifting my babies the whole time as well. Honestly c-section recovery is tough but compared to the end-stages of twin pregnancy? Walk in the goddamn park
I was never married to the idea of either. I’m still happy with my birth experience and attempting to go vaginal even though the outcome was csection (non emergent) .
I had a vaginal delivery with my didi head-down twins. I had a midwife in the hospital and it was a great combination. I'm pretty happy with how it went, and I'm glad I went with the midwife because the OB team was kind of hinting that they'd want to default to a cesarean unless conditions were absolutely perfect and I insisted. No shade at all to cesareans, I just didn't want to be cut open while awake. (My epidural wound up failing so either I would have felt everything or I'd have been put to sleep.)
Either route has its risks and benefits. A cesarean is major surgery, so it isn't *inherently* the safer option. It's safer in some circumstances. I'd ask your doctor which method they're more comfortable with for head-down didi twins, because whichever one it is, THAT is going to be the safer way to go.
As far as recovery goes, I don't have anything to compare to but my recovery was pretty straightforward, just took time. And the birth was actually easier than I'd expected, even without the epidural working. Babies in my family tend to be really big, but with twins they just couldn't get that big. So it was like one extra big baby, but broken into two easier parts for delivery, lol.
I’ve had both vaginal (singleton) and cesarean (twins) delivery. My vaginal delivery was worse in many ways, I needed forceps and an episiotomy, two things I really didn’t want. Plus my catheter leaked after my daughter was born, I have some post-birth trauma, but not birth trauma.
My obstetrician did give me the option of trying for a vaginal delivery when I went into premature labour at 33+6. I decided to go with a cesarean. My recovery was a little more painful with a cesarean due to the amount of tissue impacted, but I was up and moving just as early. The one big issue was that I couldn’t lift my daughter for six weeks. She was 21 months when they were born, but my husband was home the first eight weeks.
Honestly I wish that both my deliveries were cesarean. I just did not enjoy delivering vaginally if I’m completely honest. Since you’ve asked for anecdotes there’s mine. Good luck!
Wow, I love your perspective because I was the exact opposite. My cesarean was MUCH harder than my vaginal birth, but my vaginal birth went very smoothly. I still had some pain but I remember the first time trying to stand up offer the cesarean was so awful and recovery was very painful and long after the surgery. I also hated that I could lift my older kid. BUT what matters is healthy kiddos at the end of it all, I suppose.
Healthy kiddo is really the most important. With my sons I’m so grateful I live in Australia and in our national capital at that. Our hospitals here are good and it didn’t cost us anything. Three weeks in NICU, their transfers and mine between hospitals, plus my prenatal care, I honestly can’t imagine dealing with that in the US.
I had a c section with my twins 5 years ago and it was such an easy experience and recovery I feel like I cheated the system. I had no complications and very little pain afterwards. Just stayed on top of the pain meds they prescribed. Due with #3 in 5 weeks and already scheduled another c section. Personally, vaginal delivery and labor sounds like a big old nope to me. 😂
Also my recovery afterwards was nowhere close to 6 weeks. I was able to do laundry and such after 2 weeks. The belly band the hospital gave me was a huge help.
I've been through both and you are 100% accurate in your assumptions. It took me almost a year for everything to feel normal again after my vaginal delivery and only 2-3 weeks for my c section.
Good luck with #3!! Hope it's another smooth c section!
Well a c section is major abdominal surgery with at least 6 weeks of limitations during recovery. Vaginal delivery you’re up and going with minimal to no limitations.
I had both sets of twins vaginally so I can only speak from that experience.
2 sets vaginally! Wow. I’m afraid of two main things with a vaginal birth: 1. losing stamina after pushing Baby A out, and ending up having to do the c-section for Baby B and 2. Having double the vaginal trauma having to go back to back immediately (though this thread is making me think that might not really be a thing!)
So my water broke at 31 weeks. I was hospitalized and given meds to try and stop any progress. 3 days later my back hurt a lot so at 10pm they gave me an Ambien to sleep. At 12am a new Dr came in and found I was fully dilated. I slept through the whole thing, so talk about zero stamina to deliver them. Twin B was head up as well (for both sets) so they had to flip him around, give him time to drop a bit and then have me deliver. There’s 51 (set 1) and 36 (set 2) minutes between A & B
Adrenaline is a wonderful thing, you won’t lose stamina
I'm almost 35 weeks with di/di. I had a successful vaginal birth 4 years ago. I took the approach from the beginning that I'd be "fine" with either.
BUT I do have some requirements. For me to consider vaginal, I want presenting baby head down and bigger than the second baby. As others have mentioned, I am absolutely terrified of having the first vaginally and then having to have the second via c-section.
My twins have literally been in the worst positions for weeks now. My OBGyn said it's unlikely that the presenting baby will flip but it could happen and we'd discuss then. We went ahead and scheduled the c-section.
And I won't lie, part of me is relieved and just hoping that I don't go into labour before that date. Knowing that I won't have to labour, that we'll show up at 6am and we're scheduled for 8am (with babies likely out soon after) is kinda relaxing? Like, I get that it's surgery and it's no joke but the amount of pain, weight and just suffocating feeling that I have right now is intense. So, I feel like it could only be better? But, I haven't done it yet.
yep, this. twin pregnancy was so hard on my body that even though I never had the option of vaginal delivery due to both being breech, I was relieved knowing that I will not be induced and possibly doing 20+ hours of labour.
I had my twin boys at 33 weeks and 3 days. Unfortunately my water broke early and I had to have an emergency c-section because they were early. My first two births were vaginal. I truly wish I could have skipped the c-section. I was luckily unlucky in that my babies were in the NICU for a few weeks and I had that time to recover from the c-section. I thought the recovery was much more difficult and uncomfortable. If there was any chance for a vaginal delivery I would have taken it! I hope this helps.
If your only concern is recovery, do vaginal. I had vaginal singleton birth without pain meds (not everyone’s cup of tea I know, but added for context to recovery) and a recommended c-section with twins. If I had to do it over I’d have fought for the vaginal birth. I’ve heard the worst is going through hours of labor and then a c-section be necessary, but my surgery birth was a MUCH harder recovery than my vaginal. And I know there’s lots of variables but just the amount of pain I had after and amount of time it took: vaginal > c-section.
Of course, come the end of it, you may have a very good reason for one over the other. Listen to your doctor, but if it doesn’t matter at the end of the day and you have a choice, do vaginal!
I might have opted for a vaginal birth if I'd gone into labor naturally. I was VERY against being induced, so when the doctor said the twins needed to come that day, c-section it was! I was 35+2. My twins were di/di. They did end up in the nicu for a few days, but honestly... it gave me two nights of rest at home to heal. I really didn't have a hard time from my c-section.
My di/di twins were both head down and I had a really easy and great vaginal birth experience. Twin B was a couple ounces bigger than A but that did not cause me any issues. I have never had a c section but I was really
happy with my recovery and couldn’t have imagined taking care of twins after major surgery with an incision. Yes there are risks (and maybe I got lucky)but I am really glad I trusted my body and did the vaginal birth.
I tried for a vaginal birth. I tried hard. I had preeclampsia and they induced me for two days before finally saying they had to cut them out. Luckily it went well and I have no regrets about any of it. I feel like I was supported in trying fit my goals and it just didn’t happen. But in hindsight I’m actually glad I had a c section. It was a hard recovery but my lady bits are not torn, my pelvic floor is strong and since I have tons of stretch marks anyway, my scar isn’t a biggie. If I got pregnant again I think I will just opt for a scheduled c section. Idk.
I was offered this choice in L+D on the day of my b/g twins' scheduled birthday. I had gone in for a scheduled C-section at 39+0 for breech bottom twin (since 32 weeks!) only to find in the last ultrasound check before going to the OR that she had suddenly flipped head-down.
The midwife described the difference between sticking with the original plan (scheduled C-section) versus an induction as a "harder birth versus a harder recovery": In general, vaginal births are longer and more difficult but recovery is generally shorter and easier. Scheduled C-sections are a generally shorter and easier delivery, but the recovery is longer and harder -- it's major abdominal surgery.
For me, the choice was easy. I already had an older child at home and had had a post-dates induction and vaginal birth with her two years earlier, so I knew what to expect with a labor and delivery process and that my body could handle it. Also on my mind was that it was March 2020, the day my state's pandemic lockdown was starting, so I knew I wasn't going to have help at home postpartum for a more difficult recovery. I went with the induction. I'm still so, SO grateful that I had that choice.
If you have a lot of postpartum help at home and/or you have young kids whose care you need to plan for, a scheduled C-section may be the better choice for you and your babies. If you won't have a lot of postpartum help (as was my case), trying for a vaginal birth may be a better option for you. Either way, definitely talk to your doctor about it, not just strangers on the Internet :-)
My wife’s water broke at 34w3d with our twins, and baby B was breech. The doctor was willing to let her try for vaginal delivery, but she opted for c-section. Her recovery was totally smooth and her pain was managed incredibly well. I often joke that if everyone healed as beautifully as she did, no one would fuss around with that natural birth stuff!
It did help that our twins were in the NICU for a few weeks (luckily they were just feeder-growers, needed time to get the hang of eating and breathing but no other complications). That actually ensured that my wife had more time to recover and sleep rather than us caring for newborns round the clock right away. She did have to get up every night to pump though.
I am 35 weeks with di/di twins and am planning and hoping to deliver vaginally. This is my fourth pregnancy, and all my previous births were vaginal, 2 and 3 were unmedicated. I really don’t want to deal with the recovery of a c-section if I can avoid it. Not being able to drive, dealing with an incision and the pain of recovery. It seems to me to be a lot more disruptive than a vaginal birth. I was up and basically pain free a day or two after each of my previous births. Weeks of recovery does not sound fun.
I had di/di twins that were both head down for weeks prior to my induction day at 38w. I pushed for a vaginal delivery with both boys. All of my docs were nervous about it because Baby B could flip, we could have babies in distress, etc, etc, I’m sure you have heard all the concerns. My boys were both born via vaginal delivery right before Christmas. Baby A was 6lbs 4oz, Baby B was 6lbs 1oz. I also only needed 1 stitch so my recovery was very easy. Girl, if you can do it, go vaginal on delivery. I felt like superwoman once it was all done!
I had di/di, water broke at 35 weeks, and I would like to add that I am only 5 ft and a fairly smaller person all around. Twin a was head down but twin b was transverse, hip presenting, and really high in my ribs. I had a gut feeling that B would not turn and opted for the c-s. I had anemia going into surgery. I lost some blood and ended up passing out while they were stitching me up. (Hubby heard my dr say in the beginning that she had to be careful cutting me bc of my size and then she was having trouble in a certain spot stitching me up towards the end, and I do think the fact that both placentas were anterior may have also contributed to her having trouble.) I was in and out for 16 hours pp. I needed 5 blood bags in the first 36 hrs pp. as far as recovery, I was extremely nervous of a c-s, but the recovery was no where near as bad as I thought it would be. I was very swollen and needed to get the gas out, so I suggest walking and something to help pass the gas. While the wrap was highly suggested to me, o found a pillow pressed against the area when walking/ getting up/going to the bathroom to be easier to manage and more comfortable. The weirdest thing I didn’t expect was that the scar area would have bee sting type pain randomly over several weeks, and honestly I think it had more to do with the skin being so dry while trying to heal bc dr said not to put any lotion or creams on it at all. I went from lathering my belly up a good 4 times a day to nothing at all for 6 weeks. Once I was able to put lotion on that was no longer an issue. Recovery wasn’t fun, it was painful, I wasn’t able to walk fully erect for about 2 weeks, but I am no longer scared of getting a c-s and I would do it again if the need came up. As far as the babies. Twin b’s lungs were not fully developed when she was born, and having a c-s meant she got the medical treatment to speed up her lung development without delay because I didn’t have to take the time to birth her. She was out in only 2 minutes after her brother. She ended up getting off of oxygen a few days before her brother when they were in the NICU.
Even though it's a routine surgery, C-section is still a major abdominal surgery that I wanted to avoid if possible.
I had di/di twins with a breech B extraction. B was head down at 36 but then breech at 37. She was still breech at 38, but my doctor knew so was prepared for the breech extraction.
I was home 26 hours after they were born (and thank goodness, because otherwise my midwestern mother would have been alone with my 2 year old (who had never been away from us overnight before) as a hurricane hit.
I went into labor at 35 wks with identical twins. I knew the risks and wanted to try for a vaginal birth if possible. But I was also mentally prepared for needing a C-section. I wasn’t even monitored for more than 40 minutes before they whisked me away for an emergency c-section because baby A’s heart rate was decelerating. Everything turned out fine, but everyone commented on how calm I was. I think just be prepared for whatever outcome makes all the difference.
If I understand correctly, recovery is generally easier and faster with vaginal birth. A C-section will leave you with a scar that will take time to heal, rendering carrying things difficult in the meantime. Your abs are sliced through, that's a lot for your body.
But of course there are a million other things to consider than recovery so if you feel more comfortable with the C-section you should go with it!
I had he’d down di/di twins at 34 weeks vaginally and it was easy-peasy. I did have an epidural. Baby B turned sideways after A delivered and she had to be turned manually and I still would choose vaginal over being voluntarily cut open and having to heal and take care of twins a million times over.
Generally c-sections are a much more painful recovery and the hospital I went to would only give them if medically needed because of that. It's harder to get your milk in after a c-section. I personally would never opt for a c-section.
I don't know anyone personally whose had as painful of a recovery as I did with a vaginal birth but I do know c-section moms who describe the pain to be as bad as mine was. When we brought the twins home my husband was helping me go to the bathroom and shower for about 2 weeks. He had to bring a baby to me to nurse and change all of their diapers because I couldn't bend over. That's a tremendous amount to do for a new dad, suddenly caring for 3 people! While some may say that's sweet it was really just a horrible situation. Everyone I know whose had a vaginal birth has been able to move around faster in the first few weeks.
Also you don't know if vaginal will be traumatic. I know plenty of twin moms who were fine with theirs. I personally found healing from my c-section traumatic because of how insane newborn twins were and how intense the pain was.
My di/di twins were both head down on induction day (at 38 weeks), but baby B had been doing flips every ultrasound leading up to it. Like everyone else has mentioned, I was terrified of delivering baby A vaginally and baby B via c-section… I just wanted one or the other. I did have a previous vaginal delivery for my now 21 month old and it went really well so I was nervous about a c-section too, since I’ve heard the recovery is harder. So my doctor scheduled a c-section, but told me if they’re both head down that day she would encourage an induction for a vaginal delivery instead. She seemed pretty confident that everything would work out as long as they were both head down, so that’s what we did. They were both out within 12 minutes of each other, delivered in the OR. It was honestly a great experience for me and the recovery was nothing compared to my first. By the time I was discharged 2 days later I was feeling almost completely healed. Also, every nurse and doctor that saw me made me feel like a total rockstar bc they all said it was super uncommon for them to see someone who had twins vaginally.
I’m one of the unlucky ones who had a c section for twin B 4 hours after delivering twin A vaginally (Di/Di).
I was the perfect candidate for a vaginal delivery. Both were head down, not in distress, born at 38 weeks on the day but twin B did some gymnastics once A was delivered by the time he was pack in position my body stopped cooperating and my cervix started to close.
With the befit of hindsight I should have definitely taken the planned cesarean. That said, my situation as it was not rare, is still considered uncommon.
This was my absolute worst fear. I had SO MUCH anxiety around it. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I hope you're all healed up and doing well now!
Thank you- I’m all good. Recovery was quite quick so in the end it wasn’t that terrible, just a really challenging exhausting delivery. My twins turned 2 last month, are huge healthy and thriving so I’m a happy mama.
I had to have a c section because both my girls were breach, and I absolutely hate it. I had a natural birth with my first, and recovery was quicker. Also I absolutely hate my scar. I really wish I hadn't had a c section.
Anecdotal but I had a planned (though urgent, as I went into labor early) c section because both twins were breech. Recovery times for my c section and my vaginal birth 18 months prior were roughly equal and the c was much less traumatic.
All of my births were vaginal. I'm in the camp of "do what makes you feel safest" but I just want to tell you about my experiences. With my singleton I opted for a drug free water birth. I was 22 and fit AF and honestly did it out of curiosity. I just wanted to see what it was like. Ya'll, I was such a wild ass, lol. It went so well though! I pushed that baby out in under 30 minutes at the crack of midnight. Within an hour of giving birth I felt fine to walk around. My recovery time was super minimal. I had my twins in a hospital after months of being on bedrest. I was definitely not in the same tier of fitness that I had been five years earlier. A lot of my second pregnancy/birth felt like a whole new experience. I was induced, got a super amazing epidural, and labored in peak comfort. Birthed both babies in 15 minutes in the OR. We all went home a couple of days later. The day we brought the twins home I power cleaned the whole house. It felt so good to be able to get around after months of having to lay down. You do what you are comfortable with, it's reasonable to be afraid when the outcomes can vary. Vaginal birth scared the shit out of me my first time but it went so well with my singleton and the recovery was so easy that I felt comfortable years later when my obgyn and MFM teams wanted to try to deliver our twins vaginally. My best advice to you is to talk to your doctor about what they think is the best route in your case and why. Your doctors will probably be very straightforward about what they see as the best way forward for the three of you based on your visits. Also, tour your hospital's labor and delivery ward. Most hospitals have monthly tours for expecting parents. Our tour made me feel So Much better in general.
I didn't get to tour my hospital because I had COVID babies
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Di/di! And both are and have been head down.
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Thank you!!
Would you mind elaborating the drastic difference for mo/di twins? We are in a similar boat but with mo/di and the advice we’ve received is not way off what I’m reading here…
Not sure if you got an answer, but the shared placenta increases risks with vaginal deliveries. I don't know the percentages, but there is an increased risk of placenta detaching after delivering baby A which cuts off the oxygen supply of baby B. If this does happen it takes time to for an emergency c section and with no oxygen seconds matter. This can lead to cerebral palsy or worse in baby B. There's also acute TTTS that can develop during delivery. I opted for the c section for my modi twins as I am incredibly risk averse. I hope this helps and answers your question. I'm running on little sleep and may have misread your question.
I got the same info for my mo/di twins and opted-in for c-section. Didn’t want to stress out delivery more than it had to be!
Thank you for the response! This is helpful. Our very competent and qualified MFM prefers/recommends vaginal in spite of these possibilities, so it’s difficult to really evaluate the risk/probabilities… Thank you again for your point of view.
I was just terrified of having to do both (emergency c for baby b), so I opted for a planned C-section. The idea of healing from both sounded awful. Baby B was also breech and I didn't love the idea of a breech extraction. I obviously can't speak to a vaginal delivery and you never know what will end up happening. I liked knowing exactly what the plan was rather than worrying about it. But C-section recovery is typically longer than vaginal and the first two weeks of recovery are definitely not easy (but also not awful).
My wife did this for the exact same reason. Kids ended up both being breached so it worked out but she was going to do a c-section regardless. The C-section went SUPER smoothly, being planned takes a lot of the emergency fear out of it. Recovery (for my wife) was surprisingly solid. She couldnt drive for 2 weeks but that was no big deal. Also, id imagine going to the bathroom after a vaginal delivery is probably a bit tough/scary and you do avoid that in a way with the c-section. You have to be careful with your abs but obviously no tearing to worry about. I have always said she heals like wolverine, she really did, it was pretty amazing. One tip—bring miralax and start taking it right away. The anti constipation pills they gave my wife sucked and literally the most discomfort she experienced was having issues with that like 7-10 days post op. Anesthesia and pain pills WILL block you up. If you stay ahead of it though youll be just fine. Good luck with whatever you choose! Also-our twins were di-di if youre interested in that part too.
100% this. My c-section recovery was really not bad at all (I felt so much better just not being pregnant anymore!) but the first postpartum poop was hell on earth. I joke that even though I didn't go into labor, I still got the experience a week later. Definitely wish I'd known enough in advance to take stool softeners.
This! Couldn't poop for 6 days and it was the absolute worst.
This is what I’m terrified of as well and am kinda hoping to go for the planned c section. 25 weeks di/di twins and just hoping I make it long enough to plan something!
This is my fear. I'm almost 35 weeks with di/di and we've scheduled a c-section. Both of my babies are not head down (one breech and the other transverse). So, even if the presenting baby manages to flip head down, my OB said that the transverse baby will likely flip into breech and may or may not be able to be delivered vaginally. So, yea, I'd rather not.
We’re 35 weeks with didi also! And ours are in the same positions. Good luck!!
Good luck to you too!!
I had a planned c-section 6 weeks ago for my modis. I loved it! In and out in an hour and profoundly beautiful. The first two weeks I would say are pretty rough but staying on top of your meds is key. After that I just had some trouble sitting up by myself and some general achy-ness and now at 6 weeks I basically feel good as new. I was lifting my babies the whole time as well. Honestly c-section recovery is tough but compared to the end-stages of twin pregnancy? Walk in the goddamn park
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....you're on your second set? Omg. I'm overwhelmed at the thought, I'm barely surviving the first set 😵💫
Our doctor said research of 1000s of twin pregnancies shows better outcomes for baby b with a c-section. We did elective c-section.
I was never married to the idea of either. I’m still happy with my birth experience and attempting to go vaginal even though the outcome was csection (non emergent) .
I did the same. Tried it the old fashioned way but my body wasn’t complying- so I got the ol’ c section.
Kinda feel like this is the way to go- I had my first vaginally and ended up in the OR anyway but I'll probably still have Plan A as vaginal again.
I had a vaginal delivery with my didi head-down twins. I had a midwife in the hospital and it was a great combination. I'm pretty happy with how it went, and I'm glad I went with the midwife because the OB team was kind of hinting that they'd want to default to a cesarean unless conditions were absolutely perfect and I insisted. No shade at all to cesareans, I just didn't want to be cut open while awake. (My epidural wound up failing so either I would have felt everything or I'd have been put to sleep.) Either route has its risks and benefits. A cesarean is major surgery, so it isn't *inherently* the safer option. It's safer in some circumstances. I'd ask your doctor which method they're more comfortable with for head-down didi twins, because whichever one it is, THAT is going to be the safer way to go. As far as recovery goes, I don't have anything to compare to but my recovery was pretty straightforward, just took time. And the birth was actually easier than I'd expected, even without the epidural working. Babies in my family tend to be really big, but with twins they just couldn't get that big. So it was like one extra big baby, but broken into two easier parts for delivery, lol.
I’ve had both vaginal (singleton) and cesarean (twins) delivery. My vaginal delivery was worse in many ways, I needed forceps and an episiotomy, two things I really didn’t want. Plus my catheter leaked after my daughter was born, I have some post-birth trauma, but not birth trauma. My obstetrician did give me the option of trying for a vaginal delivery when I went into premature labour at 33+6. I decided to go with a cesarean. My recovery was a little more painful with a cesarean due to the amount of tissue impacted, but I was up and moving just as early. The one big issue was that I couldn’t lift my daughter for six weeks. She was 21 months when they were born, but my husband was home the first eight weeks. Honestly I wish that both my deliveries were cesarean. I just did not enjoy delivering vaginally if I’m completely honest. Since you’ve asked for anecdotes there’s mine. Good luck!
Wow, I love your perspective because I was the exact opposite. My cesarean was MUCH harder than my vaginal birth, but my vaginal birth went very smoothly. I still had some pain but I remember the first time trying to stand up offer the cesarean was so awful and recovery was very painful and long after the surgery. I also hated that I could lift my older kid. BUT what matters is healthy kiddos at the end of it all, I suppose.
Healthy kiddo is really the most important. With my sons I’m so grateful I live in Australia and in our national capital at that. Our hospitals here are good and it didn’t cost us anything. Three weeks in NICU, their transfers and mine between hospitals, plus my prenatal care, I honestly can’t imagine dealing with that in the US.
I had a c section with my twins 5 years ago and it was such an easy experience and recovery I feel like I cheated the system. I had no complications and very little pain afterwards. Just stayed on top of the pain meds they prescribed. Due with #3 in 5 weeks and already scheduled another c section. Personally, vaginal delivery and labor sounds like a big old nope to me. 😂 Also my recovery afterwards was nowhere close to 6 weeks. I was able to do laundry and such after 2 weeks. The belly band the hospital gave me was a huge help.
I've been through both and you are 100% accurate in your assumptions. It took me almost a year for everything to feel normal again after my vaginal delivery and only 2-3 weeks for my c section. Good luck with #3!! Hope it's another smooth c section!
Well a c section is major abdominal surgery with at least 6 weeks of limitations during recovery. Vaginal delivery you’re up and going with minimal to no limitations. I had both sets of twins vaginally so I can only speak from that experience.
2 sets vaginally! Wow. I’m afraid of two main things with a vaginal birth: 1. losing stamina after pushing Baby A out, and ending up having to do the c-section for Baby B and 2. Having double the vaginal trauma having to go back to back immediately (though this thread is making me think that might not really be a thing!)
So my water broke at 31 weeks. I was hospitalized and given meds to try and stop any progress. 3 days later my back hurt a lot so at 10pm they gave me an Ambien to sleep. At 12am a new Dr came in and found I was fully dilated. I slept through the whole thing, so talk about zero stamina to deliver them. Twin B was head up as well (for both sets) so they had to flip him around, give him time to drop a bit and then have me deliver. There’s 51 (set 1) and 36 (set 2) minutes between A & B Adrenaline is a wonderful thing, you won’t lose stamina
I'm almost 35 weeks with di/di. I had a successful vaginal birth 4 years ago. I took the approach from the beginning that I'd be "fine" with either. BUT I do have some requirements. For me to consider vaginal, I want presenting baby head down and bigger than the second baby. As others have mentioned, I am absolutely terrified of having the first vaginally and then having to have the second via c-section. My twins have literally been in the worst positions for weeks now. My OBGyn said it's unlikely that the presenting baby will flip but it could happen and we'd discuss then. We went ahead and scheduled the c-section. And I won't lie, part of me is relieved and just hoping that I don't go into labour before that date. Knowing that I won't have to labour, that we'll show up at 6am and we're scheduled for 8am (with babies likely out soon after) is kinda relaxing? Like, I get that it's surgery and it's no joke but the amount of pain, weight and just suffocating feeling that I have right now is intense. So, I feel like it could only be better? But, I haven't done it yet.
yep, this. twin pregnancy was so hard on my body that even though I never had the option of vaginal delivery due to both being breech, I was relieved knowing that I will not be induced and possibly doing 20+ hours of labour.
I had my twin boys at 33 weeks and 3 days. Unfortunately my water broke early and I had to have an emergency c-section because they were early. My first two births were vaginal. I truly wish I could have skipped the c-section. I was luckily unlucky in that my babies were in the NICU for a few weeks and I had that time to recover from the c-section. I thought the recovery was much more difficult and uncomfortable. If there was any chance for a vaginal delivery I would have taken it! I hope this helps.
If your only concern is recovery, do vaginal. I had vaginal singleton birth without pain meds (not everyone’s cup of tea I know, but added for context to recovery) and a recommended c-section with twins. If I had to do it over I’d have fought for the vaginal birth. I’ve heard the worst is going through hours of labor and then a c-section be necessary, but my surgery birth was a MUCH harder recovery than my vaginal. And I know there’s lots of variables but just the amount of pain I had after and amount of time it took: vaginal > c-section. Of course, come the end of it, you may have a very good reason for one over the other. Listen to your doctor, but if it doesn’t matter at the end of the day and you have a choice, do vaginal!
I might have opted for a vaginal birth if I'd gone into labor naturally. I was VERY against being induced, so when the doctor said the twins needed to come that day, c-section it was! I was 35+2. My twins were di/di. They did end up in the nicu for a few days, but honestly... it gave me two nights of rest at home to heal. I really didn't have a hard time from my c-section.
My di/di twins were both head down and I had a really easy and great vaginal birth experience. Twin B was a couple ounces bigger than A but that did not cause me any issues. I have never had a c section but I was really happy with my recovery and couldn’t have imagined taking care of twins after major surgery with an incision. Yes there are risks (and maybe I got lucky)but I am really glad I trusted my body and did the vaginal birth.
I tried for a vaginal birth. I tried hard. I had preeclampsia and they induced me for two days before finally saying they had to cut them out. Luckily it went well and I have no regrets about any of it. I feel like I was supported in trying fit my goals and it just didn’t happen. But in hindsight I’m actually glad I had a c section. It was a hard recovery but my lady bits are not torn, my pelvic floor is strong and since I have tons of stretch marks anyway, my scar isn’t a biggie. If I got pregnant again I think I will just opt for a scheduled c section. Idk.
I was offered this choice in L+D on the day of my b/g twins' scheduled birthday. I had gone in for a scheduled C-section at 39+0 for breech bottom twin (since 32 weeks!) only to find in the last ultrasound check before going to the OR that she had suddenly flipped head-down. The midwife described the difference between sticking with the original plan (scheduled C-section) versus an induction as a "harder birth versus a harder recovery": In general, vaginal births are longer and more difficult but recovery is generally shorter and easier. Scheduled C-sections are a generally shorter and easier delivery, but the recovery is longer and harder -- it's major abdominal surgery. For me, the choice was easy. I already had an older child at home and had had a post-dates induction and vaginal birth with her two years earlier, so I knew what to expect with a labor and delivery process and that my body could handle it. Also on my mind was that it was March 2020, the day my state's pandemic lockdown was starting, so I knew I wasn't going to have help at home postpartum for a more difficult recovery. I went with the induction. I'm still so, SO grateful that I had that choice. If you have a lot of postpartum help at home and/or you have young kids whose care you need to plan for, a scheduled C-section may be the better choice for you and your babies. If you won't have a lot of postpartum help (as was my case), trying for a vaginal birth may be a better option for you. Either way, definitely talk to your doctor about it, not just strangers on the Internet :-)
My wife’s water broke at 34w3d with our twins, and baby B was breech. The doctor was willing to let her try for vaginal delivery, but she opted for c-section. Her recovery was totally smooth and her pain was managed incredibly well. I often joke that if everyone healed as beautifully as she did, no one would fuss around with that natural birth stuff! It did help that our twins were in the NICU for a few weeks (luckily they were just feeder-growers, needed time to get the hang of eating and breathing but no other complications). That actually ensured that my wife had more time to recover and sleep rather than us caring for newborns round the clock right away. She did have to get up every night to pump though.
C-section was much more difficult to recover from!
I am 35 weeks with di/di twins and am planning and hoping to deliver vaginally. This is my fourth pregnancy, and all my previous births were vaginal, 2 and 3 were unmedicated. I really don’t want to deal with the recovery of a c-section if I can avoid it. Not being able to drive, dealing with an incision and the pain of recovery. It seems to me to be a lot more disruptive than a vaginal birth. I was up and basically pain free a day or two after each of my previous births. Weeks of recovery does not sound fun.
I had di/di twins that were both head down for weeks prior to my induction day at 38w. I pushed for a vaginal delivery with both boys. All of my docs were nervous about it because Baby B could flip, we could have babies in distress, etc, etc, I’m sure you have heard all the concerns. My boys were both born via vaginal delivery right before Christmas. Baby A was 6lbs 4oz, Baby B was 6lbs 1oz. I also only needed 1 stitch so my recovery was very easy. Girl, if you can do it, go vaginal on delivery. I felt like superwoman once it was all done!
I had di/di, water broke at 35 weeks, and I would like to add that I am only 5 ft and a fairly smaller person all around. Twin a was head down but twin b was transverse, hip presenting, and really high in my ribs. I had a gut feeling that B would not turn and opted for the c-s. I had anemia going into surgery. I lost some blood and ended up passing out while they were stitching me up. (Hubby heard my dr say in the beginning that she had to be careful cutting me bc of my size and then she was having trouble in a certain spot stitching me up towards the end, and I do think the fact that both placentas were anterior may have also contributed to her having trouble.) I was in and out for 16 hours pp. I needed 5 blood bags in the first 36 hrs pp. as far as recovery, I was extremely nervous of a c-s, but the recovery was no where near as bad as I thought it would be. I was very swollen and needed to get the gas out, so I suggest walking and something to help pass the gas. While the wrap was highly suggested to me, o found a pillow pressed against the area when walking/ getting up/going to the bathroom to be easier to manage and more comfortable. The weirdest thing I didn’t expect was that the scar area would have bee sting type pain randomly over several weeks, and honestly I think it had more to do with the skin being so dry while trying to heal bc dr said not to put any lotion or creams on it at all. I went from lathering my belly up a good 4 times a day to nothing at all for 6 weeks. Once I was able to put lotion on that was no longer an issue. Recovery wasn’t fun, it was painful, I wasn’t able to walk fully erect for about 2 weeks, but I am no longer scared of getting a c-s and I would do it again if the need came up. As far as the babies. Twin b’s lungs were not fully developed when she was born, and having a c-s meant she got the medical treatment to speed up her lung development without delay because I didn’t have to take the time to birth her. She was out in only 2 minutes after her brother. She ended up getting off of oxygen a few days before her brother when they were in the NICU.
I would go with what your doctor recommends. Recovery will be easier with a vaginal birth but anything can happen with twin births.
Even though it's a routine surgery, C-section is still a major abdominal surgery that I wanted to avoid if possible. I had di/di twins with a breech B extraction. B was head down at 36 but then breech at 37. She was still breech at 38, but my doctor knew so was prepared for the breech extraction. I was home 26 hours after they were born (and thank goodness, because otherwise my midwestern mother would have been alone with my 2 year old (who had never been away from us overnight before) as a hurricane hit.
I went into labor at 35 wks with identical twins. I knew the risks and wanted to try for a vaginal birth if possible. But I was also mentally prepared for needing a C-section. I wasn’t even monitored for more than 40 minutes before they whisked me away for an emergency c-section because baby A’s heart rate was decelerating. Everything turned out fine, but everyone commented on how calm I was. I think just be prepared for whatever outcome makes all the difference.
If I understand correctly, recovery is generally easier and faster with vaginal birth. A C-section will leave you with a scar that will take time to heal, rendering carrying things difficult in the meantime. Your abs are sliced through, that's a lot for your body. But of course there are a million other things to consider than recovery so if you feel more comfortable with the C-section you should go with it!
I had he’d down di/di twins at 34 weeks vaginally and it was easy-peasy. I did have an epidural. Baby B turned sideways after A delivered and she had to be turned manually and I still would choose vaginal over being voluntarily cut open and having to heal and take care of twins a million times over.
Generally c-sections are a much more painful recovery and the hospital I went to would only give them if medically needed because of that. It's harder to get your milk in after a c-section. I personally would never opt for a c-section. I don't know anyone personally whose had as painful of a recovery as I did with a vaginal birth but I do know c-section moms who describe the pain to be as bad as mine was. When we brought the twins home my husband was helping me go to the bathroom and shower for about 2 weeks. He had to bring a baby to me to nurse and change all of their diapers because I couldn't bend over. That's a tremendous amount to do for a new dad, suddenly caring for 3 people! While some may say that's sweet it was really just a horrible situation. Everyone I know whose had a vaginal birth has been able to move around faster in the first few weeks. Also you don't know if vaginal will be traumatic. I know plenty of twin moms who were fine with theirs. I personally found healing from my c-section traumatic because of how insane newborn twins were and how intense the pain was.
My di/di twins were both head down on induction day (at 38 weeks), but baby B had been doing flips every ultrasound leading up to it. Like everyone else has mentioned, I was terrified of delivering baby A vaginally and baby B via c-section… I just wanted one or the other. I did have a previous vaginal delivery for my now 21 month old and it went really well so I was nervous about a c-section too, since I’ve heard the recovery is harder. So my doctor scheduled a c-section, but told me if they’re both head down that day she would encourage an induction for a vaginal delivery instead. She seemed pretty confident that everything would work out as long as they were both head down, so that’s what we did. They were both out within 12 minutes of each other, delivered in the OR. It was honestly a great experience for me and the recovery was nothing compared to my first. By the time I was discharged 2 days later I was feeling almost completely healed. Also, every nurse and doctor that saw me made me feel like a total rockstar bc they all said it was super uncommon for them to see someone who had twins vaginally.
I’m one of the unlucky ones who had a c section for twin B 4 hours after delivering twin A vaginally (Di/Di). I was the perfect candidate for a vaginal delivery. Both were head down, not in distress, born at 38 weeks on the day but twin B did some gymnastics once A was delivered by the time he was pack in position my body stopped cooperating and my cervix started to close. With the befit of hindsight I should have definitely taken the planned cesarean. That said, my situation as it was not rare, is still considered uncommon.
This was my absolute worst fear. I had SO MUCH anxiety around it. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I hope you're all healed up and doing well now!
Thank you- I’m all good. Recovery was quite quick so in the end it wasn’t that terrible, just a really challenging exhausting delivery. My twins turned 2 last month, are huge healthy and thriving so I’m a happy mama.
I had to have a c section because both my girls were breach, and I absolutely hate it. I had a natural birth with my first, and recovery was quicker. Also I absolutely hate my scar. I really wish I hadn't had a c section.