Twin Pregnancy 36 to 40 Weeks
At the point of twin pregnancy 36 to 40 weeks you are pretty full of babies! Your developing twins are becoming larger and stronger as they approach
what most doctors consider full term for a twin pregnancy, 38 weeks.
They will have very little, if any, space to squirm around.
They are now putting a tremendous load on the placenta (or placentas) and will
likely be monitored by your doctor weekly at this stage. Most of the
downy hair that developed on their bodies (lanugo) has disappeared as
the storing of body fat continues. Twins born around the 38th week will
generally have birth weights only slightly lower than that of singletons born at the same time.
What You May Be Experiencing
During Twin Pregnancy 36 to 40 Weeks
There certainly are more than a few mothers who have in fact carried twins to a full 40 weeks (ouch!). More often though, about 50% will start labor around 37 weeks or earlier. In any case you should feel very proud of yourself for making it this far, indeed!
Most women carrying twins to this point
will experience a host of aches and pains, sleepless nights, numerous
trips to the bathroom, terrible heartburn, swollen feet, trouble taking
deep breaths, an enormous, cumbersome belly and whatever else you can think of that feels uncomfortable. But, keep
in mind, I did say "most women". There are always those lucky few that
breeze through pregnancy, even with twins.
What you should be
paying attention to now are all of the signs of labor such as:
- A
feeling of fullness or pressure in the pelvis.
- Change or increase in
vaginal discharge.
- Spotting or bleeding.
- Leaking amniotic fluid.
- And,
of course, if your doctor is checking you regularly, effacement and
dilation.
You will also likely have a good idea about how you will
birth your twins given their
position in the womb
. If their position is favorable with the presenting baby (Baby A) head down, a vaginal birth should be fine. If they're not in an optimal position you will probably be discussing a C-section with your OBGYN. Though, there will be a lot more to the decision making process than we have expressed here of course, as every woman will have a totally unique pregnancy with lots of factors to consider.
We say this a lot throughout the website, but as with anything else, you should always contact a qualified healthcare provider with any questions or concerns.
- See Week 12 to 16
- See Week 16 to 20
- See Week 20 to 24
- See Week 24 to 28
- See Week 28 to 32
- See Week 32 to 36
- See Week 36 to 40
- Go Right to Labor and Delivery!
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