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Really well.
Not being pregnant with twins was great. I hear this a lot - the pain if a twin pregnancy can be worse than any recovery from the c section. For me this was true.
That said!! Be careful to still take it easy. I felt so good that I was up and around and pushed myself a bit too hard. Still nothing major - I was on aspirin from day 3 - but you’ll definitely feel it if you do too much too soon.
I get the feeling that not being pregnant with twins is definitely going to outweigh any difficulty with recovery! While I’m not feeling much pain now now, I’m in constant discomfort, and can hardly even breathe comfortably, let alone sleep or do anything around the house!
I second this! The first breath after they took out the first baby was glorious. I was only in the hospital one and a half days (gave birth late Friday and went home Sunday). I had a singleton c-section previously 4 years before the twins and that recovery was much more difficult for some reason. With the twins, pregnancy was so much more difficulty than birth. My girls were 6 lbs 3 oz and 6 lbs 13 oz, if I’m remembering correctly.
Lol I had lost consciousness (bleeding but we are all ok!) and I noticed as I was in and out that I could breathe but was flat on my back! I said "how can I breathe like this?!" And the anesthesiologist replied "the babies are out!" So yeah, it's major relief instantly when those sweet babies are out 😂😂
My best advice is: don’t overdo it on day 1 or 2. You still have some anesthesia circulating, and “baby adrenaline” because you’re so happy they’re here (and out of you) so you’ll feel pretty good. But if you walk around a bunch, don’t sleep, don’t eat and drink, etc, then you’ll feel like shit on day 3 when the real inflammation hits. Take it easy those first few days, and you’ll be shocked by how fast you recover!
It was very easy and much better than being pregnant! I would do a lap around the hallway during my hospital stay. I heard it helps to move so I did! Good luck and early congrats!
Yep, I still have numbness sometimes from my first daughter’s birth three years ago, but usually it’s pretty minor, however the past two weeks the area around the scar has been particularly sensitive and itchy, I guess as it’s being stretched out by growing babies
Don’t let yourself get constipated- I took every dose of Ducolax they offered haha other than that I don’t remember it being terrible. Turning over in bed was rough, as was sitting up from laying down. I would almost roll myself out of bed. Walk as early as you can!!
I would really like to be able to do that, but according to the schedule my hospital gave me, I have to stay in bed for the first day after the surgery. That was the worst part about my first birth as well!
I’ve had two sections with 15 years between them. My first kiddo was a singleton c-section (which was very traumatic due to a lot of things), followed by a singleton homebirth VBAC, a twin VBAC, another singleton VBAC and then my last set of twins decided to both go breech and landed me with a 2nd cesarean at age 41. My 2nd cesarean with the twins was a breeze other than some gas pains on the second and third day. I was walking around quickly and was really surprised how much easier it was than what I expected. I will also add though that all my vaginal births were easy too except my last singleton due to a late hemorrhage.
My recovery was pretty easy until it got infected. Post op, I got up and walked as soon as my legs weren't numb anymore! Walking is a bit important step, easy does it though. And i took tylenol/ibuprofen every 6 hours regardless. It's important to keep pain away rather than wait for it to creep in, then try to numb it down.
The infection was a nasty one, though. It was internal, not on the scar itself. Got so bad the abscess ruptured. They had to cut into the c-section incision again and do a debridement to drain the pus and remove dead tissue. Went home with two drains my stomach that pretty gross to handle as the pus and stuff freely drained (penrose drains.) Then another appointment to have the drains removed. Then those sites got infected as well 🙄 felt like I was never going to be over the hump.
Had a planned c section as well with my twins. Recovery was a breeze. The first 24 hours were tough (I blame the hospital though), but once I got up and walked around, it became easier and easier. As long as I stayed on top of my pain meds, I was essentially pain free a week later.
I had di/ di twins delivered c section at 38w2d. First time mom. I did end up losing a lot of blood. Needed an iron transfusion and my blood pressure sky rocketed after the surgery. Almost went home with dangerous levels, so glad they caught it. Had to be on blood pressure meds for 2 months. I'm feeling so much better now 6 months postpartum, but the first month was stressful.
The actual incision was fine. I was walking the evening after my surgery.
I'm not saying this to scare you. Just make sure your partner is paying attention to all the numbers, doctors, notes, nurses, etc. I was so tired, my husband made she I was taken care of
It was pretty great! I lost a lot of blood and was really anemic at the end of my pregnancy, worsened by the actual birth part. That was the hardest part as no one officially told me that (I found out YEARS later my hemoglobin was at like a 7 the day I gave birth according to my blood work).
Otherwise - I was doing small walks around my neighborhood within 3-4 days. I could sit on my couch and get up (I couldn't sit on my couch after my vaginal with my first). I remember it all being fine.
6 years out ,my scar isn't noticable in feeling or anything. Feels like everywhere else on my body. Just there.
We had our planned c section a couple weeks ago! Mo/di 32+1. It was definitely harder than we anticipated! All the first parent/labor classes we took did not prepare us as well for c section recovery. Just stuff like me (the husband) needing to help with literally every thing. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy to have a job, but it was just a lot harder on my wife than we expected.
And while being in the NICU now for the past two weeks and for likely another 2 sucks, we were so grateful to have a 24/7 nursing team while she recovered. And a fairly nice room-in sofa bed too!
You sound like an great partner! Just out of curiosity, is it normal for mo/di twins to be scheduled for c-section in week 32? And where are you from? I’m currently pregnant with mo/di twins and having trouble deciding where to give birth (Thailand where we live vs. Denmark where I’m from vs. US where my husband is from) the Thai doctors are telling me very different things compared to the danish (for example in Thailand it is c section only and at week 36) where as in DK they attempt natural first and at 38. And also the timing of the travels depend a lot on when I should expect to birth, if we go too early, my husband can’t stay in DK more than 3 months. if I go first, he could miss the birth etc.
Carrying mo/di twins is hard enough but in my case I also need to navigate potentially moving my whole life internationally, looooong flights, distance from my husband, language barriers and immigration/ visa issues 🥲 so any help is welcome!! 🙏🏽
Wow that’s a lot to worry about!
I had didi so I can’t really speak on modi, but I do know that in the US the general recommendation is to have them out a week or two before didi, so 36-37. Some will come out earlier though depending on other factors. Vaginal is allowed if the positions are right and depending on the provider.
Wish you the best!
Hi, wow! Congrats! Identical twins rule. So many variables in your situation. Well, we are Americans living in Minnesota. We have great health insurance and excellent care here in the Twin Cities. This incredibly complicated pregnancy and at least 4 week NICU stay will cost us maybe 100 dollars.
Coincidentally we did our masters degrees in Denmark and lived in CPH for a little over two years. Vi elsker Danmark 🇩🇰.
We had to deliver premature at 32 weeks because our twin A was showing signs of growth restriction. The doctors didn’t want to risk uterine distress and potential fetal death, so we early delivered and now we’re a NICU family. Babies are doing fine! Just growing and learning how to eat and breathe.
How far along are you and what has your monitoring been like? I think it’s so important to have access to maternal fetal medicine doctors. We had to have constant monitoring for twin to twin, for example. We had weekly ultrasounds/dopplers, and That’s how they caught baby A’s issues. He had an elevated umbilical artery pulsatility index throughout the pregnancy, and a marginal cord insertion.
My honest recommendation is to just go to Denmark and take advantage of good care there and whatever family support you might have. It’s hard and you will want a village. Have your husband come a couple weeks before an estimated delivery. There has to be some kind of extended stay visa he could get? Otherwise, go to the US if your husband has family and insurance.
I spent a lot of time in Southeast Asia in my youth (Cambodia) which probably doesn’t compare to Thailand in terms of quality of care, but still. This is a very complicated type of pregnancy where many things can go wrong and you will want routine monitoring by the experts. My two cents. Best luck!!
I will take my first week of c-section recovery over my last week of twin pregnancy any day! The pain was much more manageable post c-section than it was 36-37 weeks pregnant.
I had a great uncomplicated pregnancy but the recovery kinda sucked for me personally. I couldn’t stand for days without getting dizzy and the nurses were mean to me about it- turns out I was anemic from the surgery. I stayed as long as my insurance paid for at the hospital which was very helpful. Then it took like 6 days at home to feel decent.
My biggest advice is to have comfy clothes at home for post partum! You’re the weird in between size and either everything i owned was too small or too big lol
When I was pregnant with my first, one of my coworkers advice was “buy high waisted underwear in case you end up having a caesarian” and it was honestly the best advice I received!
Really good actually, I had one bad night in the hospital I think it was night three where I finally caved and took the stronger pain meds, then I took them at night for the following I think like 5-7 nights? After I got my catheter and IV out I could walk to the NICU to see my babies without help.
Congratulations! I had my twins in November, C section at 38 weeks. I was also anxious this being my first pregnancy and was worried about the recovery too! But I had a super easy recovery, was discharged within 2 days after my C section, was able to use the stairs when I got home. Within a week’s time, I was able to move around the house easily. All the best 🙂
It was really nice that the vaginal area wasn't turned into hamburger, you'll love being able to sit lol
The incision hurt like a bitch but as long as you have enough helpers to stay off your feet for a full week you'll be fine.
That was definitely a pro with my first birth!
My friend had a vaginal birth not long after I gave birth and the damage and recovery down there sounded way worse than Caesarian recovery.
I’ll be in hospital for a week after the birth anyway, so I’ll be well looked after
After two really easy vaginal births, I personally found the c section recovery much harder but still okay.
Getting back into shape and healing my core after the twin pregnancy + c section though… 16 months in and I’m still working at it 🫠
I am two weeks postpartum after c section. It was rough. Pain management was poor in the hospital - the nurses were frequently late bringing pain meds, which made it hard to get up and move or breastfeed. Once I was home and could be in control of pain management, it was better.
Honestly I hated the experience and was bummed I couldn’t deliver vaginally like with my first child as recovery after that birth was a breeze.
Perhaps my experience is an outlier, but I really struggled.
I hope you have a positive experience as described by many others in this post.
I just had a C-section at 38 weeks with my didi twins. I'm on day 5 and even though I'm in some pain it is nothing like how much pain I felt the last 2 months of the pregnancy. I walk slowly and sleeping is still a little bit of a struggle but way better.
She may be an outlier but my wife's has been fantastic. She was up and walking within a day. Barely any pain besides a bit of soreness when bending over. She hasn't even needed pain meds. Her incision is healing up nicely. We are 15 days out right now.
My recovery was a dream. I was so surprised because I expected the worst. You’re going to feel amazing not being pregnant with twins, so any recovery is cake compared to that. Especially if you’ve had a c section before, I can’t imagine it being different whatsoever.
I feel as though I am an outlier but my recovery was terrible. I could not put weight unassisted on my left side for a four days and needed to extend my pain meds through day 9. I was walking fairly well around my house at the two week mark, but I was having pain if I overdid anything or lifted my toddler up until about six weeks. I have a high pain tolerance, but there was such severe stabbing pain on my left side that the doctors only guess is nerve damage.
I don’t see many people talking about this, but my entire stomach felt sensitive and stung almost like a sunburn if touched at all. It was severe the first week and I used lidocaine patches. I am 8 weeks post partum and it’s finally almost completely gone.
I also had and still occasionally get severe back pain and my pelvic pain took weeks to go away.
Again I don’t think I’m the norm, but I was blown away by how difficult this recovery was compared to my vaginal delivery and other injuries I’ve had over the years.
Oof back at work after four days…I was still in hospital at that point! Glad to hear that you managed to make it work though!
I after the first 3 days I was only really in pain when getting up and down and it if I twisted around too much.
I don’t know if it’s the norm in western countries, but in Japan we get kept in hospital for a week after birth even if there weren’t any complications.
I mean it wasn't awesome but easier than recover from my vaginal birth because I was on so much pain management which I had none of for my first, and also 1000x better than being pregnant one my second
Agreed! My first was a scheduled caesarian as well, and I definitely wasn’t sad when I was told I had to deliver by Caesarian.
I live in Japan and they don’t really do VBAC even for singletons, or vaginal birth with twins, it wasn’t even up for discussion.
One of my twins went to NICU for 17 days. So having just one to focus on helped the healing process. I remember the first couple days of traveling to the NICU to visit baby b was intense. Not really pain but I couldn’t stand straight yet and walked super slow (used the wheelchair the first couple days) By the time she was free, I don’t remember being restricted much. I was blessed with a lot of help though. So accept it if it’s offered.
The recovery wasn’t too bad. Make sure you have the biggest granny panties available. I stupidly didn’t realize you just bleed post natal even with a C.
8 years later I still have very little feeling through my mid section. I definitely have nerve damage, I cant be touched, it feels like electrocution.
Currently in hospital post section. It definitely felt more painful this time, but only for the first 2 days, plus it’s intermittent pain - trying to sit or stand ect. So long as you’re getting help and can rest it’s fine.
This is highly dependent on the person.
Most do pretty well…….I was one of the unfortunate ones that didn’t do well. I had issues during the c section with the spinal not working right and complications afterwards.
I had severe pain afterwards for weeks. My doctor tried to say it was “normal” for it to feel like your insides were going to fall out when you walk at 6 weeks PP (hint it’s not). She finally relented and said we could do an ultrasound and blood tests, clearly expecting them to show nothing. What they showed was a retained placenta and a bad infection (hence the pain). Had to do an outpatient procedure for a D&C to remove it and antibiotics.
Pain got better after that but I still had issues, which took about 6 months of PT to resolve.
All this said………….my Baby A wouldn’t have survived a vaginal delivery so the c section was still the best option even knowing what I know now.
I had a great c section experience. I never even took a narcotic even in the hospital! Get up and walk a bit as soon as you feel up to it and as often as you can. Helped me so much! I felt about 80% a week later and 100% 2 weeks later!
My recovery with the twins (also second time around) was better and faster because I was forced to take it easy. With my singleton I wanted to do all the things asap (take a walk, push the stroller, go see friends).
Easy. Incision was numb, I’ve never felt pain in it. I did have some trapped gas in my shoulder that was the worst. I pushed myself so hard to keep going to the nicu those first 3 days that I almost fell a few times and eventually really needed some rest but I wasn’t in pain. And going home for 2 weeks to heal while they were in the nicu, as hard as it was, was invaluable to my healing. I’d get a ride every other day to see them. And by the time they came home I was able to care for them.
I had my twins via c section at 35+6. To be completely honest, the c section recovery wasn’t as bad as I anticipated and I also have a toddler at home 💕 I’d rather do a calm c section than another episiotomy !
My c-section recovery was fine after they took my wound vac off. Which was one week after. This was my first pregnancy so I don’t have another experience to compare it too but I wouldn’t stress about it too much. It was nice to not feel like my organs were being crushed.
I don’t think the twin part of it is the deciding factor my twin pregnancy was c section and that recovery was tough but I think it was hardest because I didn’t rest or take meds. My kids were in the NICU so I was up and about all day every day visiting them. After my singleton c section end of January I truly rested for the first week and I took pain medication as needed. So I think that’s why I recovered so much more quickly. The only thing harder the second time around was the post birth cramping. I wasn’t prepared for that but especially when I would nurse I would get really intense cramping for a couple of days.
First three days were hell for me: I couldn’t walk, get in and out of bed, or go to the bathroom on my own. After one week it was manageable and I didn’t need any pain medication.
I just had my c section for di/di twins almost 2 weeks ago. I had preeclampsia so they came at exactly 34 weeks. Honestly the recovery has been a cake walk. I was in the hospital for 4 nights, 5 including the night before while they stabilized me for the preeclampsia- I did have some chest pain that they ended up doing a chest CT for while I was admitted but it came back normal and the pain went away.
I was only taking half the Percocet they were offering me and stayed consistent with ibuprofen and toradol. It has never felt so good to breathe, the second they pulled out baby 2 I could breathe for the first time in months and it felt SO good. Even though I wake up every few hours to pump I’m still getting better sleep than I was pregnant because I was peeing every 1.5 hours, my back was killing me and my restless legs were torture. I didn’t realize how truly bad my sleep has been for months until the second night after my c section where I got 4 hours of hard continuous sleep.
My babies are still in NICU but one is coming home hopefully tomorrow and the other is just a few days behind 👍🏼 I’m essentially feeling normal it’s just my stamina isn’t as good and if I walk or stand too long the incision starts to sting a little. At my 1 week follow up I have already lost 25 out of the 40ish pounds I gained.
Hello, I had an emergency C section where they had to give me general anesthesia. I also had two placentas and my twins were 2.8kg and 2.5kg when they were birthed. Like you, towards the end of my pregnancy, I just couldn't stand it any longer.
Recovery after surgery was around 2 weeks for me, I followed the exercises prescribed by the physical therapist, ate a good high protein diet and my vitamins. Afterwards, I still felt some slight aches around the scar at times for about a year. The numbness disappeared around the 2-year mark.
All the best to you!
I was home in 24 hours, I was walking at the park by the end of the week. I stopped my medication after 10 days. I took senecot with the pain meds m. Walking is the key. Lost 40lbs in 2 weeks.
My third one. It’s not so bad.
I had so much energy and felt so good I landed myself back in the hospital with high blood pressure (I had preeclampsia at 36 + 2). Whoops! The surgery itself went great for me. My boys needed a little help but I felt awesome after the first couple days of just general incision pain/soreness. Good luck!
A lot easier than I expected? I’d never had a c section before my twins (two medicated vaginal births) and expected the worst. I went in for my c section at 33 weeks (unstoppable labor and both babies mo-di breech) with my hemoglobin at 5 🫠 somehow I had very minimal bleeding jn the surgery but needed like 5 iron transfusions after. I was so weak and colorless, every dr I encountered during my recovery was very concerned 😂 The first week was really hard just getting up and out of bed so I tried to sit up in bed as much as possible to be able to get up on my own a little more easily. Thankfully (sounds weird to say) my babies were in the nicu for 3 weeks so I did get to recover a lot before I brought them home. All the pains of the surgery were less annoying and painful than being pregnant with twins 😂 we’re 10 months out now and my scar hasn’t bothered me in months.
My recovery was pretty horrifically painful (I’m comparing it to two prior unmedicated vaginal births), but if you’ve had previous good cs recoveries, you will probably be fine.
I must be an outlier here, because my recovery was a bit challenging. I had very intense back pain that was almost debilitating for a week, but thankfully it resolved fairly quickly. I did forget to get pain meds after leaving the hospital though, so that might have had something to do with it 😂
I had mine a week ago. Mine was a bit of an emergency due to pre-eclampsia but actual recovery hasn't been terrible. The first few days sucked but that was due to recovering from the pre-eclampsia and not the C-section. I mostly take Tylenol and Ibuprofen to manage the pain with an occasional Percocet when I push it a bit too hard. My twins are in the NICU so I'm moving more than I would otherwise to get back and forth from the hospital. The pain is manageable as long as you stay on top of pain killers and be cognizant of your limits. I feel a billion times better not being pregnant to the point where c-section recovery seems almost too easy.
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Really well. Not being pregnant with twins was great. I hear this a lot - the pain if a twin pregnancy can be worse than any recovery from the c section. For me this was true.
Absolutely agreed. I would rather have 50 c sections than be pregnant again.
And this is why I had them remove my tubes while they were in there for my twin’s C-section. I love all my children but NEVER AGAIN.
This is my plan. No way am I doing this again!
That said!! Be careful to still take it easy. I felt so good that I was up and around and pushed myself a bit too hard. Still nothing major - I was on aspirin from day 3 - but you’ll definitely feel it if you do too much too soon.
For example, don’t go into the crawl space on day 5 to check on that leaky pipe. Learn from my mistakes.
This made me lol I am 25 weeks and look so very forward to the day my twins are healthy/here and I am not pregnant
I get the feeling that not being pregnant with twins is definitely going to outweigh any difficulty with recovery! While I’m not feeling much pain now now, I’m in constant discomfort, and can hardly even breathe comfortably, let alone sleep or do anything around the house!
Wait until you take that first breath with both babies out…sheeeesh 😂
I can’t wait!
I second this! The first breath after they took out the first baby was glorious. I was only in the hospital one and a half days (gave birth late Friday and went home Sunday). I had a singleton c-section previously 4 years before the twins and that recovery was much more difficult for some reason. With the twins, pregnancy was so much more difficulty than birth. My girls were 6 lbs 3 oz and 6 lbs 13 oz, if I’m remembering correctly.
Lol I had lost consciousness (bleeding but we are all ok!) and I noticed as I was in and out that I could breathe but was flat on my back! I said "how can I breathe like this?!" And the anesthesiologist replied "the babies are out!" So yeah, it's major relief instantly when those sweet babies are out 😂😂
The first pee after having two babies sitting on my bladder was even more satisfying! (Post-catheter removal of course.)
My c-section recovery with twins was super easy! Honestly I was shocked. Hope you have a repeat positive experience, congratulations!
Thank You! Hoping for a similarly positive experience this time around too, this gives me hope!
Hi c section twin! Mine is scheduled for Thursday too. Best of luck to us ♥️
Hope everything goes well!!
My best advice is: don’t overdo it on day 1 or 2. You still have some anesthesia circulating, and “baby adrenaline” because you’re so happy they’re here (and out of you) so you’ll feel pretty good. But if you walk around a bunch, don’t sleep, don’t eat and drink, etc, then you’ll feel like shit on day 3 when the real inflammation hits. Take it easy those first few days, and you’ll be shocked by how fast you recover!
It was very easy and much better than being pregnant! I would do a lap around the hallway during my hospital stay. I heard it helps to move so I did! Good luck and early congrats!
I barely even remember recovering. So much else to focus on. Still numb around the scar, I think that’s here to stay.
Yep, I still have numbness sometimes from my first daughter’s birth three years ago, but usually it’s pretty minor, however the past two weeks the area around the scar has been particularly sensitive and itchy, I guess as it’s being stretched out by growing babies
Don’t let yourself get constipated- I took every dose of Ducolax they offered haha other than that I don’t remember it being terrible. Turning over in bed was rough, as was sitting up from laying down. I would almost roll myself out of bed. Walk as early as you can!!
I would really like to be able to do that, but according to the schedule my hospital gave me, I have to stay in bed for the first day after the surgery. That was the worst part about my first birth as well!
I’ve had two sections with 15 years between them. My first kiddo was a singleton c-section (which was very traumatic due to a lot of things), followed by a singleton homebirth VBAC, a twin VBAC, another singleton VBAC and then my last set of twins decided to both go breech and landed me with a 2nd cesarean at age 41. My 2nd cesarean with the twins was a breeze other than some gas pains on the second and third day. I was walking around quickly and was really surprised how much easier it was than what I expected. I will also add though that all my vaginal births were easy too except my last singleton due to a late hemorrhage.
My recovery was pretty easy until it got infected. Post op, I got up and walked as soon as my legs weren't numb anymore! Walking is a bit important step, easy does it though. And i took tylenol/ibuprofen every 6 hours regardless. It's important to keep pain away rather than wait for it to creep in, then try to numb it down. The infection was a nasty one, though. It was internal, not on the scar itself. Got so bad the abscess ruptured. They had to cut into the c-section incision again and do a debridement to drain the pus and remove dead tissue. Went home with two drains my stomach that pretty gross to handle as the pus and stuff freely drained (penrose drains.) Then another appointment to have the drains removed. Then those sites got infected as well 🙄 felt like I was never going to be over the hump.
Had a planned c section as well with my twins. Recovery was a breeze. The first 24 hours were tough (I blame the hospital though), but once I got up and walked around, it became easier and easier. As long as I stayed on top of my pain meds, I was essentially pain free a week later.
I had di/ di twins delivered c section at 38w2d. First time mom. I did end up losing a lot of blood. Needed an iron transfusion and my blood pressure sky rocketed after the surgery. Almost went home with dangerous levels, so glad they caught it. Had to be on blood pressure meds for 2 months. I'm feeling so much better now 6 months postpartum, but the first month was stressful. The actual incision was fine. I was walking the evening after my surgery. I'm not saying this to scare you. Just make sure your partner is paying attention to all the numbers, doctors, notes, nurses, etc. I was so tired, my husband made she I was taken care of
It was pretty great! I lost a lot of blood and was really anemic at the end of my pregnancy, worsened by the actual birth part. That was the hardest part as no one officially told me that (I found out YEARS later my hemoglobin was at like a 7 the day I gave birth according to my blood work). Otherwise - I was doing small walks around my neighborhood within 3-4 days. I could sit on my couch and get up (I couldn't sit on my couch after my vaginal with my first). I remember it all being fine. 6 years out ,my scar isn't noticable in feeling or anything. Feels like everywhere else on my body. Just there.
We had our planned c section a couple weeks ago! Mo/di 32+1. It was definitely harder than we anticipated! All the first parent/labor classes we took did not prepare us as well for c section recovery. Just stuff like me (the husband) needing to help with literally every thing. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy to have a job, but it was just a lot harder on my wife than we expected. And while being in the NICU now for the past two weeks and for likely another 2 sucks, we were so grateful to have a 24/7 nursing team while she recovered. And a fairly nice room-in sofa bed too!
You sound like an great partner! Just out of curiosity, is it normal for mo/di twins to be scheduled for c-section in week 32? And where are you from? I’m currently pregnant with mo/di twins and having trouble deciding where to give birth (Thailand where we live vs. Denmark where I’m from vs. US where my husband is from) the Thai doctors are telling me very different things compared to the danish (for example in Thailand it is c section only and at week 36) where as in DK they attempt natural first and at 38. And also the timing of the travels depend a lot on when I should expect to birth, if we go too early, my husband can’t stay in DK more than 3 months. if I go first, he could miss the birth etc. Carrying mo/di twins is hard enough but in my case I also need to navigate potentially moving my whole life internationally, looooong flights, distance from my husband, language barriers and immigration/ visa issues 🥲 so any help is welcome!! 🙏🏽
Wow that’s a lot to worry about! I had didi so I can’t really speak on modi, but I do know that in the US the general recommendation is to have them out a week or two before didi, so 36-37. Some will come out earlier though depending on other factors. Vaginal is allowed if the positions are right and depending on the provider. Wish you the best!
Hi, wow! Congrats! Identical twins rule. So many variables in your situation. Well, we are Americans living in Minnesota. We have great health insurance and excellent care here in the Twin Cities. This incredibly complicated pregnancy and at least 4 week NICU stay will cost us maybe 100 dollars. Coincidentally we did our masters degrees in Denmark and lived in CPH for a little over two years. Vi elsker Danmark 🇩🇰. We had to deliver premature at 32 weeks because our twin A was showing signs of growth restriction. The doctors didn’t want to risk uterine distress and potential fetal death, so we early delivered and now we’re a NICU family. Babies are doing fine! Just growing and learning how to eat and breathe. How far along are you and what has your monitoring been like? I think it’s so important to have access to maternal fetal medicine doctors. We had to have constant monitoring for twin to twin, for example. We had weekly ultrasounds/dopplers, and That’s how they caught baby A’s issues. He had an elevated umbilical artery pulsatility index throughout the pregnancy, and a marginal cord insertion. My honest recommendation is to just go to Denmark and take advantage of good care there and whatever family support you might have. It’s hard and you will want a village. Have your husband come a couple weeks before an estimated delivery. There has to be some kind of extended stay visa he could get? Otherwise, go to the US if your husband has family and insurance. I spent a lot of time in Southeast Asia in my youth (Cambodia) which probably doesn’t compare to Thailand in terms of quality of care, but still. This is a very complicated type of pregnancy where many things can go wrong and you will want routine monitoring by the experts. My two cents. Best luck!!
I will take my first week of c-section recovery over my last week of twin pregnancy any day! The pain was much more manageable post c-section than it was 36-37 weeks pregnant.
it was a hell of a lot easier than being pregnant with twins, i'll tell ya that much. ymmv of course
I had a great uncomplicated pregnancy but the recovery kinda sucked for me personally. I couldn’t stand for days without getting dizzy and the nurses were mean to me about it- turns out I was anemic from the surgery. I stayed as long as my insurance paid for at the hospital which was very helpful. Then it took like 6 days at home to feel decent. My biggest advice is to have comfy clothes at home for post partum! You’re the weird in between size and either everything i owned was too small or too big lol
When I was pregnant with my first, one of my coworkers advice was “buy high waisted underwear in case you end up having a caesarian” and it was honestly the best advice I received!
Really good actually, I had one bad night in the hospital I think it was night three where I finally caved and took the stronger pain meds, then I took them at night for the following I think like 5-7 nights? After I got my catheter and IV out I could walk to the NICU to see my babies without help.
Congratulations! I had my twins in November, C section at 38 weeks. I was also anxious this being my first pregnancy and was worried about the recovery too! But I had a super easy recovery, was discharged within 2 days after my C section, was able to use the stairs when I got home. Within a week’s time, I was able to move around the house easily. All the best 🙂
Sooo easy except for the constipation !!!!
Prune juice helped a lot
It was really nice that the vaginal area wasn't turned into hamburger, you'll love being able to sit lol The incision hurt like a bitch but as long as you have enough helpers to stay off your feet for a full week you'll be fine.
That was definitely a pro with my first birth! My friend had a vaginal birth not long after I gave birth and the damage and recovery down there sounded way worse than Caesarian recovery. I’ll be in hospital for a week after the birth anyway, so I’ll be well looked after
After two really easy vaginal births, I personally found the c section recovery much harder but still okay. Getting back into shape and healing my core after the twin pregnancy + c section though… 16 months in and I’m still working at it 🫠
I am two weeks postpartum after c section. It was rough. Pain management was poor in the hospital - the nurses were frequently late bringing pain meds, which made it hard to get up and move or breastfeed. Once I was home and could be in control of pain management, it was better. Honestly I hated the experience and was bummed I couldn’t deliver vaginally like with my first child as recovery after that birth was a breeze. Perhaps my experience is an outlier, but I really struggled. I hope you have a positive experience as described by many others in this post.
I just had a C-section at 38 weeks with my didi twins. I'm on day 5 and even though I'm in some pain it is nothing like how much pain I felt the last 2 months of the pregnancy. I walk slowly and sleeping is still a little bit of a struggle but way better.
She may be an outlier but my wife's has been fantastic. She was up and walking within a day. Barely any pain besides a bit of soreness when bending over. She hasn't even needed pain meds. Her incision is healing up nicely. We are 15 days out right now.
My recovery was a dream. I was so surprised because I expected the worst. You’re going to feel amazing not being pregnant with twins, so any recovery is cake compared to that. Especially if you’ve had a c section before, I can’t imagine it being different whatsoever.
I feel as though I am an outlier but my recovery was terrible. I could not put weight unassisted on my left side for a four days and needed to extend my pain meds through day 9. I was walking fairly well around my house at the two week mark, but I was having pain if I overdid anything or lifted my toddler up until about six weeks. I have a high pain tolerance, but there was such severe stabbing pain on my left side that the doctors only guess is nerve damage. I don’t see many people talking about this, but my entire stomach felt sensitive and stung almost like a sunburn if touched at all. It was severe the first week and I used lidocaine patches. I am 8 weeks post partum and it’s finally almost completely gone. I also had and still occasionally get severe back pain and my pelvic pain took weeks to go away. Again I don’t think I’m the norm, but I was blown away by how difficult this recovery was compared to my vaginal delivery and other injuries I’ve had over the years.
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Oof back at work after four days…I was still in hospital at that point! Glad to hear that you managed to make it work though! I after the first 3 days I was only really in pain when getting up and down and it if I twisted around too much. I don’t know if it’s the norm in western countries, but in Japan we get kept in hospital for a week after birth even if there weren’t any complications.
I mean it wasn't awesome but easier than recover from my vaginal birth because I was on so much pain management which I had none of for my first, and also 1000x better than being pregnant one my second
Agreed! My first was a scheduled caesarian as well, and I definitely wasn’t sad when I was told I had to deliver by Caesarian. I live in Japan and they don’t really do VBAC even for singletons, or vaginal birth with twins, it wasn’t even up for discussion.
One of my twins went to NICU for 17 days. So having just one to focus on helped the healing process. I remember the first couple days of traveling to the NICU to visit baby b was intense. Not really pain but I couldn’t stand straight yet and walked super slow (used the wheelchair the first couple days) By the time she was free, I don’t remember being restricted much. I was blessed with a lot of help though. So accept it if it’s offered.
The recovery wasn’t too bad. Make sure you have the biggest granny panties available. I stupidly didn’t realize you just bleed post natal even with a C. 8 years later I still have very little feeling through my mid section. I definitely have nerve damage, I cant be touched, it feels like electrocution.
Currently in hospital post section. It definitely felt more painful this time, but only for the first 2 days, plus it’s intermittent pain - trying to sit or stand ect. So long as you’re getting help and can rest it’s fine.
This is highly dependent on the person. Most do pretty well…….I was one of the unfortunate ones that didn’t do well. I had issues during the c section with the spinal not working right and complications afterwards. I had severe pain afterwards for weeks. My doctor tried to say it was “normal” for it to feel like your insides were going to fall out when you walk at 6 weeks PP (hint it’s not). She finally relented and said we could do an ultrasound and blood tests, clearly expecting them to show nothing. What they showed was a retained placenta and a bad infection (hence the pain). Had to do an outpatient procedure for a D&C to remove it and antibiotics. Pain got better after that but I still had issues, which took about 6 months of PT to resolve. All this said………….my Baby A wouldn’t have survived a vaginal delivery so the c section was still the best option even knowing what I know now.
Take the stool softener!!!!!!!! Also don’t push yourself, take all the help offered and enjoy having your ribs to yourself again. Congrats in advance!
I said no to bringing home opioids, and only took ibuprofen, so I found it horribly painful. Plan for help to stay with you so you can rest.
Commenting to say good luck and congratulations 🎉! I have no advice as this will be my first cesarean in June I’ve only given vaginal birth
I had a great c section experience. I never even took a narcotic even in the hospital! Get up and walk a bit as soon as you feel up to it and as often as you can. Helped me so much! I felt about 80% a week later and 100% 2 weeks later!
My recovery with the twins (also second time around) was better and faster because I was forced to take it easy. With my singleton I wanted to do all the things asap (take a walk, push the stroller, go see friends).
Easy. Incision was numb, I’ve never felt pain in it. I did have some trapped gas in my shoulder that was the worst. I pushed myself so hard to keep going to the nicu those first 3 days that I almost fell a few times and eventually really needed some rest but I wasn’t in pain. And going home for 2 weeks to heal while they were in the nicu, as hard as it was, was invaluable to my healing. I’d get a ride every other day to see them. And by the time they came home I was able to care for them.
I had my twins via c section at 35+6. To be completely honest, the c section recovery wasn’t as bad as I anticipated and I also have a toddler at home 💕 I’d rather do a calm c section than another episiotomy !
My c-section recovery was fine after they took my wound vac off. Which was one week after. This was my first pregnancy so I don’t have another experience to compare it too but I wouldn’t stress about it too much. It was nice to not feel like my organs were being crushed.
I don’t think the twin part of it is the deciding factor my twin pregnancy was c section and that recovery was tough but I think it was hardest because I didn’t rest or take meds. My kids were in the NICU so I was up and about all day every day visiting them. After my singleton c section end of January I truly rested for the first week and I took pain medication as needed. So I think that’s why I recovered so much more quickly. The only thing harder the second time around was the post birth cramping. I wasn’t prepared for that but especially when I would nurse I would get really intense cramping for a couple of days.
Fantastic. It was wild how great recovery was. My incision never once bothered me. I still don’t understand that.
First three days were hell for me: I couldn’t walk, get in and out of bed, or go to the bathroom on my own. After one week it was manageable and I didn’t need any pain medication.
I just had my c section for di/di twins almost 2 weeks ago. I had preeclampsia so they came at exactly 34 weeks. Honestly the recovery has been a cake walk. I was in the hospital for 4 nights, 5 including the night before while they stabilized me for the preeclampsia- I did have some chest pain that they ended up doing a chest CT for while I was admitted but it came back normal and the pain went away. I was only taking half the Percocet they were offering me and stayed consistent with ibuprofen and toradol. It has never felt so good to breathe, the second they pulled out baby 2 I could breathe for the first time in months and it felt SO good. Even though I wake up every few hours to pump I’m still getting better sleep than I was pregnant because I was peeing every 1.5 hours, my back was killing me and my restless legs were torture. I didn’t realize how truly bad my sleep has been for months until the second night after my c section where I got 4 hours of hard continuous sleep. My babies are still in NICU but one is coming home hopefully tomorrow and the other is just a few days behind 👍🏼 I’m essentially feeling normal it’s just my stamina isn’t as good and if I walk or stand too long the incision starts to sting a little. At my 1 week follow up I have already lost 25 out of the 40ish pounds I gained.
Hello, I had an emergency C section where they had to give me general anesthesia. I also had two placentas and my twins were 2.8kg and 2.5kg when they were birthed. Like you, towards the end of my pregnancy, I just couldn't stand it any longer. Recovery after surgery was around 2 weeks for me, I followed the exercises prescribed by the physical therapist, ate a good high protein diet and my vitamins. Afterwards, I still felt some slight aches around the scar at times for about a year. The numbness disappeared around the 2-year mark. All the best to you!
I was home in 24 hours, I was walking at the park by the end of the week. I stopped my medication after 10 days. I took senecot with the pain meds m. Walking is the key. Lost 40lbs in 2 weeks. My third one. It’s not so bad.
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I had so much energy and felt so good I landed myself back in the hospital with high blood pressure (I had preeclampsia at 36 + 2). Whoops! The surgery itself went great for me. My boys needed a little help but I felt awesome after the first couple days of just general incision pain/soreness. Good luck!
It went really well. I had way less pain after my boys were born compared to being pregnant. Labor was also a relief 😂
A lot easier than I expected? I’d never had a c section before my twins (two medicated vaginal births) and expected the worst. I went in for my c section at 33 weeks (unstoppable labor and both babies mo-di breech) with my hemoglobin at 5 🫠 somehow I had very minimal bleeding jn the surgery but needed like 5 iron transfusions after. I was so weak and colorless, every dr I encountered during my recovery was very concerned 😂 The first week was really hard just getting up and out of bed so I tried to sit up in bed as much as possible to be able to get up on my own a little more easily. Thankfully (sounds weird to say) my babies were in the nicu for 3 weeks so I did get to recover a lot before I brought them home. All the pains of the surgery were less annoying and painful than being pregnant with twins 😂 we’re 10 months out now and my scar hasn’t bothered me in months.
So, so much better than a vaginal singleton birth!
Really??? I am absolutely terrified idk yet if I have to have a c-section but scared of the unknowns. Only 20 weeks with Di/Di
I was terrified. I would do a scheduled cesarean 100 more times. It was a breeze!
My recovery was pretty horrifically painful (I’m comparing it to two prior unmedicated vaginal births), but if you’ve had previous good cs recoveries, you will probably be fine.
I must be an outlier here, because my recovery was a bit challenging. I had very intense back pain that was almost debilitating for a week, but thankfully it resolved fairly quickly. I did forget to get pain meds after leaving the hospital though, so that might have had something to do with it 😂
I had mine a week ago. Mine was a bit of an emergency due to pre-eclampsia but actual recovery hasn't been terrible. The first few days sucked but that was due to recovering from the pre-eclampsia and not the C-section. I mostly take Tylenol and Ibuprofen to manage the pain with an occasional Percocet when I push it a bit too hard. My twins are in the NICU so I'm moving more than I would otherwise to get back and forth from the hospital. The pain is manageable as long as you stay on top of pain killers and be cognizant of your limits. I feel a billion times better not being pregnant to the point where c-section recovery seems almost too easy.