Giving twin birth will be the most important day in your life, so creating a birth plan is of the utmost importance!
By creating a birth plan, you will be able to know what to expect and how you want things to be done, like deciding how you want the delivery and the labor to be. The main idea is that you will have to focus only on one thing when it’s the day of delivery, and that is to safely bring your twins into this world.
What is a Birth Plan?
You will have to think about it the moment after you made the twin birth announcements to the world because time flies and you don’t want to be unprepared when the big day comes. A birth plan consists of your preferences during labor and delivery. For example, you might want to include who is going to be there in the room, or maybe you want pain meds to be ready at any time, or how you want the lights to be in the room. It has to include everything that you think will make the whole process a comfortable one.
What we want to underline, according to all the twin birth stories that we have read, is that you can never have it go 100% how you envisioned. You cannot predict all the things that may happen on that day. It’s best to be a little flexible and expect the unexpected.
What Should You Include in Your Birth Plan?
Although it can be tempting to add many details in your twin birth plan, you will have to keep it easy for all and short. Let’s see what you can include in your twin birth plan:
The Basics and Atmosphere
List the doctor’s name, your name, and all the contact information, the place where you would like to give twin birth, and who you want to be standing there near you on the best nursery glider. As for the atmosphere, think about what the environment would be comfortable for you: maybe dimmed lights or someone to capture the magic moment in a video, etc.
Delivery and Pain Meds Preferences
There are many options for you to consider when giving twin birth. You can opt for natural twin birth, the medical term being vaginal birth, or the more likely scenario of getting a C-section.
Some women prefer having a mirror in front of them so they can watch their babies being born. Maybe you want to take on the tradition of your partner cutting the umbilical cord.
Usually, twin birth requires a C-section procedure, as it can be tricky to do it the natural way even with having an episiotomy. Can one twin hide behind the other until birth? Well, there were cases in which one of the twins was hiding, and they had a surprise twin birth on the spot, and it can be a common occurrence.
Pain management is crucial during twin birth labor, and it has to be treated seriously, as you may not plan an epidural, which can happen. Best is to ask your doctor what are your best options for relieving pain, and the options can include massaging or breathing.
Feeding and Care
Once the twin birth process is complete, and your babies arrive in this world, you will have to think about the process of feeding and care. You have to know if you want to breastfeed them immediately after giving birth. There is also the option of making a combination of breastfeeding and bottle feeding. Again, these matters should be discussed with your doctor before making your plan.
Would you want your twins to stay with you in the room at all times, or would you prefer them to be in the nursery from time to time? Will you be OK with the medical staff giving your baby formula or a pacifier? If one of your twins is a boy, would you want him to be circumcised right after birth in the hospital? If your kid is uncircumcised, and has difficulty retracting his foreskin, or the foreskin does not retract at all, it is likely that he has phimosis, which can be treated through a phimosis cure treatment.
Who Should Review Your Plan and Who Should Get a Copy?
Once you have established who the persons that will be attending the twin birth are, you will have to review your plan with them, no matter it is your partner, a midwife or a labor coach.
Of course, your doctor should be the first one to review your twin birth plan, as this is important to do early for possible conflicts.
The average twin birth weight is usually around 5 ½ pounds for full-term twins. However, one baby is probably going to weigh more than the other, according to twin birth statistics.
Giving twin birth can be a challenging thing, as it is most likely that you are going through this for the first time in your life, and it can be scary. But knowing exactly how that day is going to unravel should bring some peace of mind and put you in a comfortable mood. The main idea is that you should be focusing only on delivering healthy twins and not stress about how the light is in the room or who is present there. Discuss with your doctor or partner what options you have available for a clean and healthy twin birth.
What are the things that you included in your birth plan when you gave birth to twins? Do you have other recommendations for all the mothers that are reading this? Feel free to share your experiences with us in the comments below.
