Twin delivery at 35 weeks

Twin Birth Story 35 Weeks: Trusting my gut when plans went awry

Are you curious about twin pregnancy and birth? Read this twin mama’s personal account of her twin birth story 35 weeks to help you prepare.

I’m a planner. I love to plan, re-plan and rehearse, and then plan again. I was the student in class who would be prepared for a surprise test. At work, I am the one who looks at all agenda points, keeps my notes handy, and points ready before a meeting. My wedding was planned per military hours and I made sure nothing was amiss.

You get the drift, right? I am a sucker for control. God looked at me, laughed, and said “Give her twins, it’ll be a fun ride.” They say when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. But with twins, life gives you tomatoes, garlic, onions, and mangoes- go figure out what to do with it! 

I was diagnosed with PCOS a couple of years back and told that conceiving won’t be a piece of cake for me. We learned that it might take 6 months or longer, even though I had a good lifestyle and healthy habits. I was mentally prepared with this timeline. We weren’t yet “hardcore planning to start a family”.

If you just heard that second heartbeat for the first time, or you know it’s been two for a while, you need to read our twin pregnancy week by week timeline to help you learn what happens week by week with twins. Click here to learn more… and while you’re at it, check out our expecting twins classes and twin parent coaching services.

Twin pregnancy is rough

I fainted at home one day. Since that had never happened before I took a pregnancy test, and to our delight it was positive. The tears of joy became literal tears when my nausea hit the peak within a couple of days. I could not eat, sleep, or lie down.

When we went for an ultrasound and the doctor looks at us with a smile and said – “wow, there are 2 heartbeats”. I had tears rolling down my cheeks and my husband was staring at the screen, shell shocked. To be honest, it took him a couple of days to come out of it. Double the children is, in fact, double the responsibilities and double the work and resources for their well-being.

The pregnancy was tough. I had hyperemesis gravidarum. Because of that, I was losing weight instead of gaining. I was heartbroken when I was put on bed rest. I had worked so hard to get where I was professionally but this was more important.

It was an easy choice because my babies were growing well and that was all I wanted. At our week 33 ultrasound, we realized that Baby A had stopped growing due to IUGR. The doctors would perform a C-section the moment Baby B would hit a relatively decent wt (2kg) at birth so that at least one had a good chance of survival. Between 32 weeks and 35 weeks when they finally performed, I was a mess. I was second-guessing everything I would eat, every step I would take so that “I don’t harm the babies”.

Best birthday gift ever

My C-section fell on my birthday. I had my babies on my birthday in 2020. You read it right, April 2020 when the COVID-19 epidemic threw us all out of our comfort zones. My husband and I were tested for the virus and once negative, sent to the normal delivery ward where I was the only one. Thank God my husband was allowed because it was still early in the epidemic. 

I had never been to an operating room before. In fact, I never had been admitted to a hospital before. I was NERVOUS. It really helped that they explained everything that would happen so I didn’t panic in the room. I was then given an epidural so I wouldn’t feel anything and the doctors got started. My lovely doctor kept me breathing all through with the husband by my side.

First, they pulled out Baby A who didn’t cry immediately. Then, they pulled out Baby B and both the babies started to wail. It was music to our ears. My two bundles of joy were born on 11 April 2020 at 11.44 AM. My baby Boy (Baby A ) was 1.7kgs while my baby girl (Baby B) was 2. 1kg. They were tiny, but their cries were all I needed to know that everything will be alright. I was stitched up and then brought back to my recovery room.

I was sad that I could not have my babies next to me get that early skin to skin time. They were both sent to the NICU immediately after birth. They stayed there for 5 days because their lungs were not quite ready and they had to be monitored around the clock. Even so, I was happy that they were out because they were safer out than in due to IUGR.

Some things I might do differently now

Looking back they say hindsight is 20/20. You might find some things you wish you had known to do differently at the time.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of feeding a newborn baby every 2-2.5 hours. This is all the more true for most preemies, and I had two. If they were sleeping peacefully I didn’t wake them. I didn’t know that only feeding them on-demand would start a vicious cycle of the baby being too tired to eat, sleeping too much, not eating, and then being too tired to eat again. Preterm babies don’t always ask for milk. They often have to be woken up and fed at least every 3 hours. I wish I had known. I had to learn the hard way when the babies were diagnosed with jaundice due to low feeds.

Milk doesn’t come immediately. I wish someone had told me to see a consultant and start pumping the second day, for colostrum and to stimulate my breasts. My babies were too small to stimulate so I delayed for a couple of days, which I regret. Also, carry your breast pump if you are expecting NICU time. That way you won’t miss those first critical days.

I brushed aside PPD during my pregnancy, thinking I’m too strong and happy for it. We often hear all the lovely and beautiful experiences and don’t discuss the real difficulties during childbirth. I knew I wouldn’t be affected by it. On day 2, I started getting scared about how I would manage with 2 babies. Then came the inconsolable crying episodes that would last hours. I felt like a failure and had suicidal thoughts. It was one of the darkest phases of my life when it should have been the most joyous. What’s worse is it caught me unaware. If I had read about it, I might have dealt with it better than I did by ignoring it.

Things that went perfectly in my twin birth story 35 weeks:

Giving birth is a mixed bag. There are some things that go perfectly and others that you might change if you could. Let’s focus on the good.

Trust that your doctor will do what is best for you and your babies. My doctor suggested I take steroid shots so that my babies lungs could develop. That helped reduce their NICU time. Before getting the shots, a number of family members and friends said to avoid steroids during delivery and look at insurance coverage. I’m glad I listened to my doctor and my babies are in better shape all thanks to her.

I took my husband because he is a very stable, calm person and I knew he would hold me if I became weak. It’s a good thing I brought him. I needed my husband when I was diagnosed with postpartum psychosis and had non-stop episodes of crying for no apparent reason. I was very aloof at times because I hadn’t spent time with my babies after birth. They were in NICU and I had trouble breastfeeding. There was a lot going on in those 5 days. My husband held my hand and helped me through quite a lot.

A lot of people, including nurses and family were suggesting (read coaxing) that I have my mother with me because she knows how to handle babies. I stuck to my guns because these 4-5 days are crucial more mentally than physically. You shouldn’t have anyone who would judge your mental state or your parenting skills. You should have your cheerleader around.

You want to keep your baby as safe as possible. As a new parent, you are often clueless about how to do that. Do not google. When in doubt call your pediatrician, see them, ask questions. If anyone at their office makes you feel guilty about doing this, it’s time to look for a new doctor.

I once called my doctor at 2 am when one of my babies threw up. He told me not to worry and see if the vomiting continues. He said that once in a while throwing up was normal. This call was no rocket science solution but I knew help was a call away. Literally. He gave me his personal number and asked me to call him directly instead of calling the on-call doctor.

This was helpful and reassured me that there was someone looking out for my babies. He still picks up my call at any hour. He has been critical in keeping my babies healthy and me sane. This doesn’t mean that you call your pediatrician non-stop. Trust me, you won’t be calling so much after the initial days when parental instinct kicks in but, knowing they are available always helps.

Last little tidbits

Another side note to mention the hospital bag. I had seen multiple YouTube videos to pack a big bag and what I realized is that here minimalism is the way to go. The hospital provides just about everything. All you need to carry is your pump, your going home clothes (keep accessibility in mind if you will be nursing), and going home outfits for your babies. Toiletries, food, snacks, clothes, medicines, diapers, etc are all taken care of by the hospital. 

Twiniversity tip- Many birth partners bring lots of snacks. If you are giving birth during COVID-19 you may want to check with the hospital about snack accessibility. Some hospitals do not have these stations set up during the pandemic.

As for the road to recovery after your twin birth story 35 weeks, hang in there, Momma. It’s long, but you’ll get there. You can’t exercise for at least 6 weeks. Sex is also out of question for the 6 weeks. Your stitches hurt even when you pick up your little one that weighs just a few pounds and it will feel as if your pelvic bones may have altogether changed places.

Be kind to your body. It’s been through a lot. Ask for help for cleaning your house and doing laundry for a couple of weeks. You need to rest. My one recovery tip is to take things slow. Recovery is easy. Relapse is difficult. 

All babies are different. All deliveries are different. And all experiences are different. Pick and choose what you like for you. What works for me, may not work for you. At the end of the day, we all make choices in the best interest of our baby or babies and hope we are doing the right thing.

Prakriti is a new twin momma. A Human Resources executive by profession, her twin babies have been her biggest and most challenging project which she is currently enjoying. Mostly.

What to Prepare For – About Twins

Your babies are considered born preterm if you give birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy is completed (37+0 weeks). Twins born at 35 weeks are considered moderate to late preterm, which means that you’ve hit a major milestone.

They’re no longer considered born very preterm. This is according to the World Health Organization (WHO), who subcategories preterm birth based on gestational age.

extremely preterm (<28 weeks)
very preterm (28 to <32 weeks)
moderate to late preterm (32 to <37 weeks)

What happens to twins born at 35 weeks?

Twins born at 35 weeks may not need any medical treatment. They may be able to go straight to the maternity ward with you. In most cases, they’re now able to breathe by themselves.

The main thing they need to do at this point is to grow and gain weight. They may need help with feeding, but not necessarily. The staff at the hospital should guide you and help you with breastfeeding when the time is right.

If you’re not able to breastfeed right away, it’s important that you start pumping. For the first few days, before your milk comes in, hand expression is often the most effective way to express colostrum.

Colostrum is the first milk your breasts produce during pregnancy.  It’s much thicker than the milk that is produced when your milk comes in. It’s a yellowish or clear fluid and full of antibodies and immunoglobulins.

When your milk supply increases, it changes from colostrum to breast milk.

How big will my twins be?

Your babies measure approximately 46 centimeters (18.11 inches), when you’re 35 weeks pregnant with twins. The median weight for dichorionic twins in this week is 2486 grams (5lbs, 7oz).

For monochorionic twins, it’s 2386 grams (5lbs, 4oz). Have a look at our estimated fetal weight charts to learn more about how dichorionic and monochorionic twins grow in the second half of pregnancy.

Can I do something to help my babies?

Frequent skin-to-skin contact is good for both you and your babies. It comforts your babies and helps them adjust to the “new” world they’ve been born into.

Skin-to-skin contact is – among other things – also associated with a decreased likelihood of infection.

These identical twin boys were born at 34+1 weeks in 2017. They shared a placenta but had an unequal share, so one was 3lbs (1360 grams) at birth and the other 4lb, 3oz (1899 grams).  They both went into Special Care straight after they were born.

The bigger twin just to help him regulate his temperature. He was back with his mom within a few hours after birth. The smaller twin was there just to gain weight, he had to be 4lbs (1814 grams) before he could come home.

The doctors were pleased with how healthy they both were. The smaller twin came home from special care after two and a half weeks. 

These fraternal boy-boy twins were born at 34+2 weeks. They were born via planned c-section due to growth issues with twin a. They weighed 3lb, 14oz (1757 grams) & 4lb, 6oz (1984 grams) at birth. 

They stayed in the NICU for 2 weeks to wean into bottles and grow. Twin 2 had slight jaundice, he was under a light for 2 days. Other than that, there were no complications, and the boys have no long term health issues from being born premature.

These mo-di twin boys were born at 34+0 weeks. One twin weighed 4lb, 12oz (2154 grams), the other twin weighed 3lbs, 6oz (1530 grams). Baby a was 5 days in the NICU,  and baby b was 14 days in the NICU.

They didn’t have any major issues, they just needed to grow and gain weight which they did really fast. Their mother had betamethasone shots before delivery, maturing the lungs of the babies. They didn’t have any breathing issues.

How we were born) twins, 35 weeks, EX, PMC. – 74 answers

Finally we are home) since September 7th we had to go through a lot of things, it won’t fit in one story, so I’ll write here only about the birth itself)

Pregnancy was pretty easy (for twins :)), of course it was already it was hard, everything hurt very much, but in general I planned to go through at least until September 20-27 (there was a PDR on these dates).

And at the beginning of September, I was worried only because my doctor was on vacation until the 6th) and I always said that he would return and I would be calm))) and now, on the cherished 6th, I happily go to the appointment, CTG and ultrasound, everything is fine, although the children lie with a valet and the first girl remained in the pelvic (lay down like this from 26 weeks), so we discussed PCS and what was left quite a bit (as I thought, two weeks). in the evening everything was as usual, walked up with the dog, ironed something else from children's things at home and I feel that I can’t find a place for myself ... it’s like I’m shaking all over, I was worried that I was sick, but there was no temperature, the pressure was normal, I decided to go to bed, hoping that by the morning it will be better. I went into the bathroom and then it poured out of me ... I call my husband, he asks with bulging eyes what it means) I say that everything seems to be time and ask me to bring my phone) at 00:20, I call the doctor, he says to come to the reception. we are going very quickly, the only difficulty is that the water continues to pour and all the clothes immediately become wet) well, there are no traffic jams at night and we reached the PMC in 15 minutes. They looked at the reception, quickly gave local clothes, filled out documents and sent for ultrasound) I go out with an ultrasound and lost my husband, I think where could he go ... and then he comes out so handsome almost in a doctor's suit) it turns out that at that time he was sent to change clothes)

further we were taken to the prenatal room, there was another couple besides us, there was a girl with contractions. They put me on CTG, they injected some kind of injection so that the lungs opened up and put a dropper, they tried to delay the time so that after 12 hours they would give a second injection for the lungs. but I feel contractions ... I say it hurts a lot, it doesn’t get better from the dropper, the contractions are getting stronger and stronger, so the doctor (MB Fighter) came and disconnected me from the dropper and CTG and said that it would no longer be possible to wait 12 hours. so we didn't stay long in prenatal. then there was only the way to the operating room (oh, of course, also to the enema room). my doctor Grigoryan VM, an anesthetist, and also a bunch of people came (2 more obstetrician-gynecologists, children's resuscitators, a bunch of people whom I didn’t even pay attention to (nurses or midwives I don’t even know who was there, I only remember the crowd). anesthesia was a spinal epidural, the anesthesiologist is just super - Lobko KN))) he is sooo cool) he and my doctor took turns singing songs during the operation)) it was fun) then their songs were spinning in my head for a few more days and I walked around the maternity hospital and sang them))) I practically didn’t feel how anesthesia was done, then only warmth in my legs, the bed was tilted with me so that everything was evenly distributed. I was warned that I would feel pressure on my stomach, but there would be no pain. in general, a strange feeling when you feel like they are picking at you))) at some point the anesthesiologist shows me something, I turn around and see my husband in the window and it immediately felt so good) he stood and watched the whole operation! supported me with gestures, it helped a lot! It was so nice and good to have him around! nine0003

I didn’t understand what they were doing with my stomach, I felt how they were pressing on it, I realized that they were starting to get the girl) as soon as they got her out, the doctors examined her, then I hear only something about the legs ... it turns out the boy who was still in the afternoon on the ultrasound head down, turned around with his legs. they got the kids, I so wanted to look at them, but the doctors looked at them, my crumbs are 45 cm, 2340 and 2440 in weight and 7/9 and 7/8 in apgar) finally they showed me, such crying, little lumps! tears flowed, of course! How long have I been waiting for this moment! a couple of seconds, they just asked me if I was taking such babies))))) and I already couldn’t imagine life without them)))) and that’s it, the kids were taken to intensive care, and they sewed me up . .. the state at that moment was like in the fog, now I don’t remember almost anything .... except for the doctors’ songs) then I remember only how I ended up in the PIT, my husband sat next to me, showed me photos of the children on my phone, I looked at the clock and counted the minutes when it would be possible to get up and go to him ... it was 4 in the morning on the clock and I could not sleep at all. I spent the whole day in pita! maybe they were waiting for the ward on the floor where the children's intensive care unit and the department for nursing premature babies to be vacated. This day dragged on forever! It seemed to me already that I would never be transferred to the ward. I said there that I’ll get up now and go straight from here to the children’s intensive care unit! they didn’t let me go anywhere ... and catheters were stuck to me in all places, it seems. of course, getting up for the first time was difficult and painful ... but in general, all this is trifles!) Now I remember the operation itself and the postoperative period and none of this scares me, well, yes, sometimes it hurt, all the same, the seam is fresh, but somehow in That moment you don’t think at all that something hurts! and finally 9in the evenings and they transfer me to the ward . .. I have no strength (I haven’t slept for about 40 hours), I can hardly stand on my feet, but of course my path could only be in the direction of resuscitation ... and here are these incubators, the first incubator with my daughter , small, all in sensors, droppers, catheters ... but so pretty, so dear and beloved! I will never forget this second, I could not stop the tears, from happiness and fear at the same time. through one incubator lies my son, emotions keep repeating ... I can’t tear myself apart between them, I can’t see enough ... they only allow me to put my hand through the window and touch the kids! but how I wanted to hug them, hug them to myself ...! nine0003

then we had a difficult recovery period, but that's another story ... I'll write about it in my diary tomorrow))

PS gave birth! I can't fault almost anything. my doctor Grigoryan is generally a person about whom I can talk endlessly! this is the most attentive, most optimistic and ALWAYS uplifting doctor!) all the nurses, midwives and other employees there are delighted with him) and I can only share their enthusiasm)

children's doctors, nurses, midwives, many have already become like family (we spent a long time there)! child care is just excellent, round the clock and attentive! There are not so many children and everyone is given enough time.

advice to those who choose a maternity hospital - be sure to choose one with children's resuscitation, of course no one plans to go there, but both mine got there ... and what would happen if there were no resuscitation, I don’t even want to imagine. children get there at full term (in my department, of course, I met other mothers there), with various problems, although nothing foreshadowed. nine0018