Multiple Births

Learning that you’re expecting twins, triplets or more can be exciting and, perhaps, a little worrisome. Rest assured. In most cases, women who are expecting more than one baby have healthy and successful pregnancies. Still, carrying twins or triplets is more of a challenge for your body, so these pregnancies are considered high-risk.

Care & Management of Multiple Pregnancy

While you’re preparing to welcome more than one baby into your home, your Mercy care team will be making sure you're getting the extra attention you need. Because there is a higher risk of several complications with a multiple pregnancy, you may need additional monitoring and testing to make sure your babies are doing well.

It’s especially important to keep your prenatal appointments, as these enable your OB/GYN to identify any problems early, and order tests if needed.

Delivering Multiple Babies

When the time comes for delivery, many multiple births require a cesarean delivery. However, twins may be delivered by vaginal birth in some cases. You and your Mercy OB/GYN will make this decision as your due date approaches.

Sometimes, multiple-birth babies are born prematurely, and may need to stay in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) until they are able to thrive on their own. Mercy has excellent NICU services, and will give your babies the best possible care until they are ready to go home with you.