EnJ,
To be honest, your babies cld be placed in the NICU after delivery for a lot of different reasons on top of them being premature. They might need to be put on CPAP to open up their lungs & help wt their breathing, they might be of low birth weight or might even have feeding issues.
Really, with twins, once you get past 32weeks, its an 'icing on the cake'. If your gynae is worried abt you delivering preterm, he wld have given you steroid jabs to help mature your babies lungs.
Like I said before,
BEDREST is important. I know its very very difficult because I am also the active type of person who has to be out & abt doing smthg all the time. I had my twins at 29wks. Prior to that I was travelling at 24wks, house hunting after, going out to get babies stuff. I must have pushed myself wt all that excess walking etc.
Try to make bedrest fun. Play games, watch TV or invite girlfriends over for a chat to keep you company. Get up for a short walk every 2-3hrs or so. Dont worry abt babies stuff. Those you can get later plus can also ask hubby to get
You resting is more important esp for the wellbeing of your babies.
Breast pump: I just got a Medela Mini Electric which was sufficient for me. As my babies were in NICU, a lot of times, I expressed using the hospitals. Depends on your lifestyle really & whether you plan to TBF your babies in future too.
Delivering naturally: Of course its possible. I do personally know of a few mothers who managed to successfully carry their twins close to term & delivered their babies naturally. Have you spoken to your gynae abt your wishes?
As I do know that some gynaes may not encourage a vaginal delivery as it may take longer if compared to a C-sect. Intervention rates are quite high in hospitals in Singapore (smthg I nv quite liked).
Vaginal delivery of twins depends a lot on the presentation of the babies. They can be delivered vaginally when:
* The gestation is greater than 32 weeks
* Twin 1 (the baby closest to the cervix) is larger
* Twin 1 is head down
* Twin 2 is head down, breech or sideways
* Twin 2 is smaller than Twin 1
* No evidence of fetal distress
* No Cephalopelvic Disproportion(CPD): that's when either the baby's head is too large or the mother's pelvis is too small to allow the baby to pass through
My advice is to keep your options open to both. You can prepare yourself to deliver vaginally but understand that you don't have control over the situation when it happens & you may just end up with a C-sect. Either way, be positive & it will turn out for the best!