It was a beautiful birth for many reasons, the babies were born at 40+3, in a Midwifery Led unit at Liverpool. She laboured in the pool and the birth was intermittently monitored, no cannula sited or paeds present.
We were lucky to have a fantastic Consultant midwife who drove a few hours in the early morning to be with us and support the midwives in the unit who were concerned about conducting a twin birth without constant monitoring and in the low risk area and also a lovely obstetrician who had supported the birth plan throughout the pregnancy and birth.
It was a lovely, calm and normal birth, she used a tens machine and entonox and both twins were head down. The first twin (a boy) was 7lb 2oz and the little girl was born 15 Min's later 5lb 5oz. The midwives were great, checking with two handheld Doppler's that they had two heartbeats and stabilising the little girl after her brother was born to help prevent her turning transverse.
After the birth they left us alone so she could have skin to skin, she had no tearing and I left her happily breastfeeding the babies.
This birth was calm and relaxed and normal and shows that how low risk twin birth should be!
8 comments:
Great work!! You don't hear of natural twin birth much these days.
Wow! I've always thought twins had to be born by C-section or soemthing! sounds like the perfect birth!
This is so wonderful! Thank you for sharing, so that the world can see what's possible. :)
Kristyn.
Thanks for posting this Selina. I am doula-ing for a twin mum due in august and love reading these sorts of stories. I think your comment about the supportive Obs consultant and consultant midwife were hugely important. I just need to find some round here!
Congratulations and weldone to that wonderful mum and weldone to you too,
Helen (Helen@Cuthbertson.co.uk)
I am a midwifery student in California, at the base of the beautiful 14,000 foot Mount Shasta. I am very encouraged to hear your story about the natural, gentle birth of twins. We all need this support, to bring back gentle, and loving birth to babies and mothers; births where the babies can feel our trust for the process that they are being born into. Thanks again.
Sally Cooper
Hi selina,
Lovely to hear such a positive birth story. I'm expecting twins in July, and am currently doing all the research I can to ensure I also have a positive birth experience.
One question - what did the midwife do to stabilise the second twin? this seems to be the bit that goes wrong for quite a few births, so im interested in any techniques you know to help twin 2 descend successfully!
Many thanks
Emma
Hi Emma, thanks for the comment. My clients babies were both head down. She started pushing almost immediately after twin 1 (partly I think to try to avoid a change in the position of twin 2. Twin 2 was born within 5-10 minutes of twin 1. As far as I remember the midwives did not do hands on stabalisation of the second twin, but I am meeting up with our consultant midwife this week and I will ask him!
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