Premature Labour With Twins Or More
Twins and Multiple Birth Videos
Think you might be expecting twins? Find out the differences to expect from a multiple pregnancy, including bump size and weight gain.
Worried about your multiple pregnancy? Find out about the pregnancy complications you might face when carrying twins, triplets, or more.
Are you expecting twins? Learn the symptoms of premature labour and find out about pre-term birth in this short film.
Are you expecting twins? Find out the options for your labour and when a vaginal birth is recommended for twins.
Click here to learn about the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) and why your twins or triplets may need neonatal care.
Dr Carol Cooper shares her advice on how parents can stay involved in their babies’ care whilst in the SCBU
Is it really possible to breastfeed triplets? Dr Carol Cooper explains how you can make breastfeeding triplets work.
Should I feed my twins one at a time or both together? Is breast or bottle best? Dr Carol Cooper shares advice to guide you on how to feed your twins.
Will I have time to bond with each of my babies? Dr Carol Cooper offers practical advice on bonding with multiples.
Struggling to cope with crying babies? Dr Carol Cooper offers practical advice and answers why do babies cry?
Is the guidance for weaning twins and triplets different from the advice given for one baby? Find out from Dr Carol Cooper here.
How can I make sure my twins or triplets develop their own identities? Get tips for creating seperate identities for your twins from Dr Carol Cooper.
Why are my toddlers always getting into trouble? Find out about the terrible twos for twins and multiples here.
Potty training can instil dread into the parents of single toddlers, so how do parents of multiples cope? Find out here how to potty train twins and multiples.
Why are my twins naughtier than their friends? Find the answers from Dr Carol Cooper in this short film.
In the following short film Dr Carol Cooper explains some of the factors that lead to poor language development in twins and multiples. Also in this section, learn what you can do to encourage speech development and when to seek help.
How do I choose a good preschool for my twins? Dr Carol Cooper explains what to look for in preschools for twins.
Are you trying to decide whether to place your twins in separate classes at school? Dr Carol Cooper can help
Pre-term labour with twins or triplets
The good news if you are expecting more than one baby is that the labour for twins or more is not twice as painful or twice as long. However, you are a lot more likely to go into premature labour with a multiple pregnancy.
When is labour considered premature for twins?
Unlike single pregnancies, which are considered full term at 40 weeks, if you are carrying twins, triplets or quads, you will not be pregnant for as long.
Full term for twins is 37 weeks, for triplets it is 34 weeks, and for quads full term is 32 weeks. The earlier your babies are born before these dates the more likely it is that they will need to spend time in a special care baby unit.
Contrary to what you might expect your twins will be as developed at 37 weeks as one baby will be at 40 weeks, so if your babies are born premature by only a few days then it will be less of a problem than for a single baby born at the same time.
What are the symptoms of pre-term labour?
Nobody knows why pre-term labour is more common in multiple pregnancies but it is important to know the signs.
Symptoms include:
• Contractions every 10 to 15 minutes
• Abdominal or lower back pain
• A heavy feeling in the pelvis
• Blood, mucus, or clear fluid leaking from the vagina.
If you are concerned that you might be going into labour prematurely then phone and go to your labour ward immediately. Pre-term labour can be slowed or halted if caught at the right time. Even delaying labour for just a short time can be enough to mature your babies’ lungs with steroid injections.
Dr Carol Cooper, GP
Author of Twins and Multiple Births
All information used in this article was sourced from:
Cooper, C., 2004. Twins and Multiple Births. 2nd ed. Chatham: Vermilion
10683 Revised November 2012
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