Twins in NICU?

Question

I am scheduled to have my identical twin girls Monday, July 30th and I'm a little worried about their health. Chances are they will be in NICU, I will be 34 weeks and thats the longest the doctor is letting me go due to risk of intanglement from the umbillical cord and they are in the same sac. My question is how long do you think they will be in NICU and when you have visitors are they allowed to hold the babies being that they are in they incubator? I want to hear from people who have twins are have been through this experience with someone who has had them. Any advice would help!

Answer 1

I would call the NICU where they will be going and ask about visitation hours and policies. Some units have 24 hour visitation, unlimited visitors, sibling visitation....some are parents and grandparents only for certain times.

The general rule is to shoot for their 40 week due date as the anticipated discharge date, but that is not always the case. In your situation, the fact that they are girls is in their favor. White male infants tend to do the worst and black females the best (don't exactly know why, but we call it wimpy white boy syndrome...). I had 2 born at 34.5 weeks. The first, a boy, was on a ventilator for a week and was able to come home after 2 weeks. The second, a girl, came home in 5 days after requiring oxygen for only a few hours.

The best advice is to take it day by day. There will be good days and bad days, but just keep remembering that everyday is one day closer to when they get to come home!

Answer 2

34 weeks along is great! There is no way to say how long they might be in the hospital. If they are actually in the NICU, visotors will be limited, due to germ exposure and just too much activity is not good for them. You and their father will be the only ones allowed at first. Then as they get stronger and closer to coming home others, such as siblings and grandparents are allowed to see them. Unless they are very small and frail, you will be allowed to hold them, feed them and change them, if possible. I have had 3 of four sons as preemies. My second born son was preemie, very frail and in the NICU for a month. No one could even hold him at first and he was in an incubator naked, just covered with wires and tubes. He is now 16 years old. Sons 3 and 4 (twins) were born at 28 weeks and actually weighed almost 5 pounds each. They were in the NICU for about 3 weeks. They are almost 3 years old now. All are fine now. Keep in mind the NICU can be scary and overwhelming at first, especially if you've not dealth with such before. Having that 2nd child years before that was a preemie really helped me deal with my twins stay better. I knew they would be home and healthy soon, just a matter of time. Hang in there and be sure if you can to get rest at home when able. You won't get any after they come home and if you have a c-section you'll need rest to heal. Best wishes!!!!

Answer 3

I have not had twins but my daughter was born when I was 32 weeks and was in the NICU for 2 1/2 weeks. I think it all depends on how the babies are health wise how long they will be in the NICU. Also in most NICU's they only allow the mom, dad and grandparents. We were allowed to hold our daughter but she had to stay swaddled in blankets to keep her body temp regular. I hope all is well try to get as much rest as possible now I know you'll need it and CONGRATS!!!!

Answer 4

34 weeks is pretty good for twins. They may not be in NICU if they are breathing ok. My sister had her twins at 26 weeks. They are 3 -1/2 now and doing well. They spent about 1-1/2 months in NICU

Answer 5

My twins were born at 34 weeks. They were in the NICU for a couple of weeks. It will all depends on their weight and any other problems. My doctor wanted my girls weight up before they were released and also make sure they were eating right, they were both having trouble with sucking, so they had feeding tubes. They both came home perfectly healthy little girls!

Answer 6

My son was born at 34 weeks 4 weeks ago and he was in the NICU. Parents and grandparents are allowed to visit 22 hours of the day. No visitors are allowed during a two hour window due to shift change. Parents are allowed to hold the baby during feedings only due to the babies needing to conserve energy to eat at their next feeding. Even babies in incubators can have parental contact (there were babies in incubators next to my son and I saw their parents holding them). As for outsiders coming in i know you have to be over 12 or a sibling and accompanied by a parent. I'm sure if you wanted to give up holding them for a feeding to let someone else visit and hold them that would be ok. That is what I did when family came to visit my son. They usually only allow the child to be held for 30 mins every three hours at least this is how it worked at our hospital. Hope this helps and Congratulations!

Answer 7

i wish you the best of luck, and best wishes for two healthy babies! most NICU's will not allow visitors to hold such premies other than the parents, it actually depends on the twins weight, and lung function. my cousin works in a NICU and she typically says that under 4 pounds, 3-4 weeks in the NICU, but it really depends on how strong every thing is developed with your babies. once the twins are at a great weight, and are breathing good, heart rate is perfect, they are good to go home to your care. the shortest i have experienced any baby in the NICU from friends or family was 1 week up to 4 months. but 34 weeks is great odds for you for the least complications!!! again, the best of luck to you!!!!

Answer 8

My baby was born at 35 weeks and she had to stay in the NICU for 8 days.

She had jaundice and had to go under the billi-lights (UV lights) and she had to go 3 consecutive days without what they called an "episode" (drop in heart rate/blood-oxygen levels).

Like everyone else says, it's different for every situation.

I'm a twin myself. My twin and I were born at 33 weeks and we had to stay in the NICU for 2 weeks. That was quite a long time ago though.

Good luck and congratulations on having twins!

Answer 9

No, only immediate family is allowed in the NICU.
You can't even leave a sister to stay with the baby during visiting hours. You or your husband have to be there.
The grandparents can go in regularly
Visiting hours are adhered to strictly
These are the rules in our NICU as of 2 years ago.

Answer 10

Well, that's really hard to say. It really depends on the severity of their underdevelopment. It can be different for every premature baby. Good luck though! Here's hoping everyone goes well!