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Delivering Multiples
What to Expect When You're Carrying More than One
By Melinda Copp
Even though she was carrying twins, Holly Smith, a mom from San Francisco, Calif., wanted to try for a natural childbirth. She even found a midwife who was willing to deliver her at home if she made it to 37 weeks. But she continued seeing her OB/GYN throughout her pregnancy because she knew most multiple pregnancies don't make it past 35 weeks.
"Early on I was told that I would have to deliver in an operating room, although I could labor in the labor and delivery room until I was ready to push," says Smith. "I was also strongly encouraged to get an epidural, just in case I needed an emergency c-section – just the opposite of what I was hoping for."
In the end, Smith didn't have much of a choice. Her water broke at 32 weeks and she was admitted to the hospital where she stayed for another two weeks.
"Once I hit 34 weeks, they read me the riot act every day until I agreed to an induction," says Smith. "Their rationale was that the risk of infection was now higher than the risk of being born too early. Finally I agreed and I was put on pitocin."
The drugs worked abnormally fast, and in four hours Smith had dilated to 9 centimeters without experiencing much pain. She agreed to have an epidural catheter put in place, but she didn't take a dose. Next Smith was wheeled to the operating room, thinking the babies would come any time. But they didn't, and she waited in the operating room for another four hours without dilating any further.
Then, Baby A started having problems – his heart rate decelerated with every contraction, and the doctors worried that the baby couldn't handle another dose of pitocin to dilate Smith further. The only choice left was a cesarean section.
"My midwife was at the hospital with me, but I didn't really get to labor because the contractions were weak despite my 9 centimeters of dilation," says Smith. "C-section it was, and I guess the best thing my midwife did was to reassure me that, even in her opinion, that was the best choice."
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