Does Size Matter?

Hi!

This is my first time posting on ANY website so I hope I'm doing everything correctly. I am currently 25 weeks pregnant with identical twin boys. I am on bed rest in my home and have experienced the following:
21 weeks - emergency cerclage (2 days before my wedding that had been planned for over a year...we ended up getting married in the hospital room!)
- hospitalized for contractions and irritable uterus
- sent home on bed rest with terbutaline pump

I have a long list of quetions that I will address over time, but I'm of course most worried about how long I will be able to hold these babies in! I am 5'3" and weighed about 120 pounds before I got pregnant. I also have a short torso and am really concerned about the babies running out of room and going into actual premature labor! Any similar experiences?

 

QUOTE(theserranoboys @ Apr 3 2007, 09:57 PM) [snapback]204952[/snapback]
Hi!

This is my first time posting on ANY website so I hope I'm doing everything correctly. I am currently 25 weeks pregnant with identical twin boys. I am on bed rest in my home and have experienced the following:
21 weeks - emergency cerclage (2 days before my wedding that had been planned for over a year...we ended up getting married in the hospital room!)
- hospitalized for contractions and irritable uterus
- sent home on bed rest with terbutaline pump

I have a long list of quetions that I will address over time, but I'm of course most worried about how long I will be able to hold these babies in! I am 5'3" and weighed about 120 pounds before I got pregnant. I also have a short torso and am really concerned about the babies running out of room and going into actual premature labor! Any similar experiences?



no, not really.
I am the same size as you pre-pregnancy and I had 3 bigger than average babies and carried them all to term and had to be induced each time.

 

I had issues around 22 1/2 weeks with a funneling cervix and ptl and have been able to hold my babies in this long so it is possible.
I am about 5'3 1/2" and my belly has grown out more than anything. My babies are estimated at weighing over 5 lbs each already so I don't think my size has made a difference.

 

First of all :sign0016: this site is great and the women on here should be able to help with a lot of your questions. I know that there are a few women that had dialation and effacing early on and were able to keep thier babies in until 35-37 weeks. I was the exact same body type as you and as soon as my uterus started measuring full term (40 weeks) I started having a lot of contractions and was hospitalized for 4 days while they tried to stop the contractions and lower my blood pressure. This all happened at around 28 weeks I was sent home on Procardia and modified bed rest and have been doing ok since. Don't worry about the babies having room, they will find room. They will just keep filling you out and you will get more and more uncomfortable but at least they will be happy Every day that they stay in is good so just hang in there and keep up the good work!

 

Hi and welcome. Congrats on the twin boys and getting married. At 18 weeks I had a cerclage placed after my cervix funneled to 1.3cm. I've been on bedrst ever since and will probably continue until I deliver. I'm having identical girls and now I'm being watched for TTTS. I'm also 5'3" and weighed about 124 before getting pregnant I worry about how well I'm going to be able to carry them as well. Fortunately I have not had contractions but I've heard many success stories here of ladies carry into 30 weeks. Just take it day by day.

 

Hi and Welcome!!!!

I am 5'3" and I too have a very short torso. I carried my babies to 34w4d (although I too was on bedrest starting at 24 weeks). I am not aware of any scientific studies that say whether or not your height affects ptl. I do know they recently released a study saying that tall women were more likely to have twins, but that was it. It would be interesting to know.

 

My dr never mentioned anything about the mom's size as far as how long you can carry them ...... I weighed more & am only 5'. She did say, though, it might affect being able to do a vaginal birth or a c-section (I had a c-section). I never went into labor, though, the cervix stayed nice & closed.....even at 37 weeks I was only 1cm dialated, which is common even in singletons. We had a scheduled c-section at 38 weeks, 3 days.

 

I did a lot of research on this at the beginning of my pg. I was originally pg with quads and found that in woman who are shorter they "normally" have smaller uterus, but in all I read I didn't find anything that said that shorter woman were more likely to have ptl. They are more likely to have placenta previa or placental abruption bc of smaller uterus' so not as much space for the placentas to grow. But I think it really all has to do with how your cervix will hold up. Mine didn't hold up well with singletons and I was on bedrest and held them in till 36 weeks. I am 5'2 and about 120 before the twins...I only carried to just before 29 weeks....but I really don't think my size had anything to do with it...I just have a uterus that likes to contract and a cervix that dialates easily...

Good luck!

 

Hi and :sign0016: . Congrats on all the excitement - new hubby and babies on the way. I too worried about my size and carrying twins, I'm 5'2" and weighed 110 pre-babies. I was also very worried because I had preterm labor with my first DD and was on bedrest for 7 weeks with her. So at 20 weeks when they found that my cervix was down to 1.7, I went on strict bedrest and meds. The doctors thought a cerclage was to risky at that point. The bedrest worked wonders and my cervix actually lengthened. Unfortunately I caught a stomach bug at 27 weeks and I labor very quickly so they were unable to stop it. My girls were born and spent 9 weeks in the NICU. They are now 14 months and doing wonderfully. They are perfect and healthy in every way. Good Luck and hope you can keep cooking those babies!

 

I know of tall women who have problems with PTL, etc. There can be so many factors involved. Someone I know had fraternal twins...she's only 5'1'' and carried them to 37 weeks...delivered by planned c-section because baby A was breech.

 

The body is amazing at adjusting. I have seen the TV shows of women pregnant with quads and higher and wow - the uterus can expand in some amazing ways! I really don't think PTL is a result of the babies need more room per say, but many other factors. I still remember the mom of the septulets (McCoy I think), she was around 5'3 and had a very short frame as well.

I am 5' nothing and have a small frame as well. I am sure I will get very big and look quite funny, but I don't think being small would mean I wouldn't be able to carry the twins.

 

No you're fine I know very small women that had twins. I am 5'3 and about 130 lbs when I got pg and did fine. I went to 35 weeks. I also saw this show about the Roloffs (they are little people) on TLC and she had twins. One that is normal height and one that is a little person. If she can do it, so can you!

 

Thank you all so much for the words of advice. I feel much better hearing so many success stories. I had an appointment with my peri today and everything looks great. They are 1 lb. 14 oz. and 1 lb. 11 oz. which I think is about normal. Thanks again.

 

Congrats!

I am a lot taller. The only thing I remember was a post a few weeks ago and it turned out that the relatively tall women had "less problems" making it to 37-38 weeks, but of course it's not scientific or anything. I am 5'8" and carried them over 38 weeks until I was induced. However I started to dialate at 32 weeks and was 4 1/2 cm before they induced me ... so that didn't really mean a lot either!

Hang in there!