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Development Times Two
From Womb to Delivery Room with Twins
By Renee Roberson
Most women carrying twins have a perinatologist, or maternal fetal medicine specialist, as their primary physician during the pregnancy. Multiple pregnancies are monitored a little more closely than single pregnancies to make sure the babies are experiencing equal growth and blood flow in the womb.
By 28 weeks of a twin pregnancy, an expectant mom will probably be measuring full-term. This is a time where a woman should get plenty of rest and take precautions to prevent preterm labor, because the size of the uterus could trick the body into believing it's time for labor to begin, Dr. Schapiro says.
Around 30 to 32 weeks, your doctor will want to monitor the growth of the baby every two weeks. Twins are generally considered mature enough for delivery around 37 to 38 weeks.
"If a woman carrying twins starts experiencing preterm labor, she may be given steroids to help the babies' lungs develop before 34 weeks," Dr. Schapiro says. "After that, doctors generally don't administer steroids, as the lungs are probably developed enough for delivery."
Twin placentas generally mature more quickly, and many twins are delivered either vaginally or via C-section around 38 weeks, depending on the positioning of the babies, Dr. Schapiro says. During the third trimester it's hard to anticipate when a woman might go into labor, as many factors can come into play.
Pam Freiberg's twins were due in mid December, but she was induced a few days before that because both her girls were already fully developed in the womb and she wanted to be home by Christmas with her other child at home. Both girls were delivered vaginally and each weighed 7 pounds.