My second interview with Kerry Tuschoff, founder of Hypnobabies, on their online radio show is available now at the archives.

Listen now!

My book on natural childbirth with twins is in the works! For now, here’s the fifth in a series of tips to help you prepare for the best possible outcome for your multiple pregnancy and planned natural birth.

Tip #5: Avoid Unnecessary Preterm (or even late preterm) Birth

Let’s be clear up front: twin babies are not “term” any time before singleton babies are.  While there have been some studies that suggest that twins’ lungs mature a little faster, and that they can safely be born a week sooner than singletons (36 weeks for twins instead of 37 weeks for a singleton), do not go out of your way to convince yourself that your babies will come any sooner than a singleton, and don’t be frightened into issuing an unnecessary early eviction notice just because your babies need more time to “cook.” 

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I recorded an interview last week with Kerry Tuschhoff, founder of Hypnobabies, for her online radio show. It airs tomorrow, and again Saturday, and then will be archived online. This interview is more about my personal birthing history, what led me to choose a twin HBAC, and a little about natural twin birth. I’m recording another one in a few weeks (that will air July 11) that will address specific tips for improving outcomes in twin pregnancy and planning for a natural twin birth.

Anyway, here are the details about accessing it if anyone is interested, copied and pasted from the Hypnobabies newsletter:

Birthing Twins Naturally!

This week, Friday June 13th at 9 AM Pacific Time (and Sat. 6/14 at 1 PM Pacific Time) on Hypnobabies LIVE at http://www.HealthyLife.net we have Christy Croft, mother of 5 children, including VBAC, homebirthed twins!

Our show this week is very important since many women having multiples are told that their babies will be premature and must be delivered by Cesarean section. Not true! Christy’s babies were 7 lbs each and born vaginally, at home and were a VBAC. Christy very candidly shares all of her birth stories; very personal journeys of self-discovery and growth….

Please join us for this very special show, and please pass this information on.

Hypnobabies LIVE is on at 9 AM Pacific Time, (Noon Eastern Time) on http://www.healthylife.net. (Link below also) It will be replayed the next day - Saturday at 1 PM (Pacific Time), and 4 PM (Eastern Time).

** If you are unable to tune in for the live show, each show will be ARCHIVED and retained at http://www.healthylife.net forseveral months. You will be able to access our Hypnobabies Live shows *at your convenience* and listen to our archived shows whenever you want. It will take a couple of days for each show to appear on the Archive list after it airs for the first time.

Here are some helpful hints about accessing the show:To hear our Hypnobabies LIVE show go to www.healthylife.net. (click on the link below) To listen you will need Windows Media Player if you don’t have it there is a link in the upper right hand corner of their homepage that will allow you to download a free version. If you are going to listen to the program live you simply click the “LIVE listen here” button in the upper right hand portion of the homepage.

Wait a few moments for the program to load and make sure your speaker volume on your computer is turned up. After a short wait you will hear the show. Depending on when you log in the show may already be in progress. If you want to listen to an archived version of any past “Hypnobabies LIVE” show you will need to click on “Show Archives”. This will take you to a list of past shows and you can select which one you want to hear.

Today, I was interviewed for the Hypnobabies LIVE radio show.  It will air next weekend, and I’ll post more information about that soon.  In it, I talked about my birth experiences, and how they led me to choose a twin HBAC for my babies’ birth.  Here is the video I made about that journey.

My book on natural childbirth with twins is in the works! For now, here’s the fourth in a series of tips to help you prepare for the best possible outcome for your multiple pregnancy and planned natural birth.

Tip #4: Get (and keep) those babies in a good position for birth.

Let me be clear on this from the start: I do not believe that both babies necessarily have to be vertex (or head down) in order to have a vaginal birth. However, things will go a lot smoother for you in your birth planning (as well as during the actual birth itself, usually) if you at least have a vertex baby A. Studies show that as long as baby A is vertex, baby B’s position should not matter in the choice of whether or not to have a vaginal birth, and that vaginal birth with a breech or transverse baby B (at the onset of labor) is fine. Your baby B can be turned by external version after baby B is out, born breech, or have a “breech extraction.” Additionally, with a mother who has prior vaginal births and a provider who is breech experienced, some providers will support a vaginal birth even with a breech baby A. Do your research on this before the birth, and talk to your provider about your concerns. As with each of these tips, much of what you can safely do will be dependent upon whether or not your twins share a placenta or amniotic sac, as those who share either will need special monitoring or birth interventions.

In any case, there are some things you could do that might improve your chances of having two vertex babies.

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My book on natural childbirth with twins is in the works! For now, here’s the third in a series of tips to help you prepare for the best possible outcome for your multiple pregnancy and planned natural birth.

Tip #3: Nutrition during your pregnancy is more important than you can imagine.

During any pregnancy, nutrition is very important; during a multiple pregnancy, it makes an even bigger difference in the outcome! Here are some suggestions to get you started on your twin pregnancy nutritional research.

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Every now and then, I make a video for YouTube even though I have no background or experience in video editing.  It’s not that I think they are masterpieces of skill or entertainment, but I hope that they still inspire people, in some small way, to consider their options.  Here is a video that I recently made for YouTube to help promote awareness that natural (unmedicated, unhindered, physiologic) childbirth can be an option, even for moms of multiples!

My book on natural childbirth with twins is in the works! For now, here’s the second in a series of tips to help you prepare for the best possible outcome for your multiple pregnancy and planned natural birth.

Tip #2: Choose a Provider and Place with a Philosophy that Approximates Your Own

Each of us has a philosophy about birth, whether we realize it or not. Even those who claim to not really care how the babies get here as long as they arrive safely have a philosophy– a philosophy that potentially discounts the deep emotional impact of the birth process while emphasizing the outcome of healthy babies. And all of us, after all, want healthy babies, right? Contrary to what many in the medical community or popular culture sometimes say, mothers who choose unhindered childbirth (perhaps even a home birth or birth center birth) do not do so simply to have more control over the birth process, although that is certainly a plus of being an informed participant in your birth planning! They do so because they believe, based on the research they have seen, that interventions do not always ensure positive outcomes or healthy babies. In fact, some of the research indicates that many birthing practices which have become routines for some providers, or in some birth locations, have a detrimental outcome on the birth process, the health of the mother, and/or the health of the baby.

For this reason, if you are to have a birth you will experience and remember with a sense of empowerment, peace, and joy, it’s important to have a provider and a location for the birth with a philosophy that closely approximates your own.

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My book on natural childbirth with twins is in the works!  For now, here’s the first in a series of tips to help you prepare for the best possible outcome for your multiple pregnancy and planned natural birth.

Tip #1: Find a Supportive Network

If you’re like many moms who just find out that twins are on the way, your first stop on the research journey may have included finding other moms of multiples.  Finding other moms who have experienced multiple pregnancy and birth, and life with newborn babies, can be a great benefit.  They can offer support and guidance, they know what it feels like to carry some of your new worries and anxieties, and they understand the ways in which being pregnant with (or mother to) two or more can be a completely different experience than carrying or parenting one.

That said, if you’re hoping for a natural childbirth, or plan on attachment parenting your child, you may or may not find support for your plans at your local Moms of Multiples (MoM) club, or at many of the more mainstream web sites about twins.  When you discuss pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, or any other parenting issue with other MoMs, remember that the information they share is based upon their experiences alone. 

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