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Multiples
If you had a choice, vag or c-section with twins?
My baby B (girl) has been breech on every u/s from the beginning (baby A (boy) has always been head down), so I have been preparing myself for a c-section. Then, I went in this week and baby B surprised us and has flipped, so now both babies are head down. My doctor will only let me try a vag delivery if both babies are head down, so now I have a choice to make. I don't have to decide right now, but I am thinking about it a lot, and I'd like to hear some stories both ways, if you got to decide, and why you chose the way you did. FWIW, baby A has been measuring slightly bigger on every u/s too, but not by much.
Also, we have decided this is going to be our last 2, so I was going to have my tubes tied at the same time if I have a c-section. Would that sway your decision at all? We could always do other means of bc if I decide on vag.
I know you can have complications with ANY delivery, but I'm trying to avoid the double whammy. I did have a fast, relatively easy delivery with DS1.
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Re: If you had a choice, vag or c-section with twins?
Vag all the way.
You can get an Essure or Adianna done after 6 wks PP or have a PP tubal in the same hospital stay. Or your DH can have a vasectomy.
My c-section recovery was brutal. I'd never ever choose that way for myself. But that's me!
I didn't have a choice with two breech babies, but, even given the choice, I would have had a scheduled c-section. I didn't want the drama of laboring and having to convert to a section after being exhausted, or having the dreaded double whammy.
My c-section was very easy. I felt worse the day after finishing the bar exam than I did after my c-section. I hosted Thanksgiving 2 weeks later. If I have a 3rd, a VBAC isn't even remotely on my radar. I will happily take my scheduled c-section.
My OB said we would have done V if A was head down, even if B was breech, they can do a breech extraction with B. However, A was breech from 28 weeks on and B ended up turning sideways. My scheduled C was fantastic, I would have done it again in a heartbeat, but I've also never experienced a V birth so my only experience is the C.
I would have been afraid of a double whammy for sure though.
Peanut Butter and Jelly!
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I vote c/s too. I had a similar situation to you where they were breech or transverse all along and then both went head down so my doctor told me that I could decide what I wanted to do. I had already scheduled a c/s in advance while they were still breech. I was terrified of the double whammy or having a failed induction that ended up as an emergency c/s.
I ended up with the c/s after my water broke early at 34w and had a very easy recovery. My girls were also in the nicu for two weeks though which gave me time at home to sleep and heal without having to take care of them full-time on top of that.
Good luck!
I had difficult recoveries with my singleton boys after 3rd and 4th degree tears. Because of that, I had considered a c-section with our girls. My OB ended up swaying me toward a vaginal delivery... she was convinced that it would be successful based on the fact that I had 2 prior vaginal deliveries and both girls were head down and smaller than our boys. (Boys were both about 9 lbs., girls were closer to 6 and 7)
I'm SO glad she encouraged me to go vaginal again! My recovery was a breeze, I got to go home the day after they were born, and the whole experience was so much better than I had hoped for : )
I had a choice. baby a was head down but b was transverse. when I got to the hospital I was 7cm's dilated and my water had broken and they asked if I wanted to attempt vaginal delivery (I wasn't in that much pain for being that dilated). So DH and I talked about it and decided to go with the c-section, just because we didn't know how baby b would turn once A was out, and i did NOT want to deliver one vaginally and the other via c-section.
I'm glad I got a c-section, for me recovery was SUCH a breeze! I'd have no problems getting another one!
After 2 years, Injects, PCOS diagnosis and 2 IUI's, we were blessed with our beautiful twin girls!
Baby Girl #3!
I would want a vaginal delivery if I got to do it over again, hands down!! I was induced and labored well for about 8 hours but my baby B repositioned and felt it was safest to convert to a c/s. My c/s recovery was a nightmare!! Had pooling blood for weeks after my c/s and had to do several strong clotting meds that thankfully helped me pass the nasty clots.
I am trying to successfully VBAC my singleton due in early Oct. b/c I can't imagine having another c/s and trying to recover with 2 toddlers.
Best of luck in whatever you decide!!
I would be torn. I have always wanted to try a vag, but with some of the severe tears that occur or the possibility of a vag/csection combo and since I had a previous csection with my singleton (recovery was not a big deal), I would choose a csection.
If you want a tubal, I would go csection all the way. I had a tubal last week and it was no big deal. It made the csection longer and the recovery a little more painful, but it was over.
If you have a scheduled csection, you should ask about the anesthesia. My hospital does a spinal block with morphine (called duramorph or something) for scheduled csections. It is really good in the OR and the morphine gives 18 hours of pain coverage afterwards. This helped me immensely when they came in to get me out of bed and moving.
In my case, both babies were head-down when my induction started but after A came out, we discovered B had flipped to breech so the dr did a breech extraction.
After 2 rounds of IVF & 2 rounds of FET, we were blessed with identical twin girls!
"I have four children. Two are adopted. I forget which two. -Bob Constantine
"All for Love,' a Saviour prayed 'Abba Father have Your way. Though they know not what they do...Let the Cross draw men to You...."
i had a choice- and i chose c-sec all the way
i had a vag birth with DS1 - had a horrible 4th degree tear... have issues from it still 4yrs later that require surgery to fix.
there was no way in hell i was going to risk another tear... let alone the idea of a double whammy - going vag with one and c/s with the other.
i LOVED my c-s! It was so easy to recover from- much easier than my vag birth. LOVED it.
I actually had the choice, and both of my twins were head down. I chose a c-section. I don't regret it, and I recovered in no time (1 week). Obviously surgery hurts, but if you take your meds on time, and try to get up and moving right away, you can be back to normal in no time. I didn't have any complications, but you have to take into consideration that any surgery can have complications.
There are pros and cons to both. I think it's really up to you as to what you feel is best for you and babies. Sometimes c-sections can actually be safer than vags in some cases...but then a vaginal delivery has pros because it squeezes all that liquid from baby's lungs.
Hoping you have a safe and easy delivery with the twins.
Tubals at the time of c-section take about 1 minute per side and no data shows they cause any more pain in recovery. So no, they rarely make the c-section longer. The only time they increase c-section time is in the instance of dense scar tissue preventing the uterus from being removed. In that situation, it's usually not possible to do a tubal and it is skipped after attempts of taking down scar tissue. Perhaps you had scarring and that's why it took longer.
I don't know you and am in no way mitigating your decision. I understand you had a c-section before and that's part of your thought process. I just think wanting permanent sterilization in the time of so many other options besides a c-section tubal ligation should not be a reason for a primary c-section especially for someone who's had a prior vaginal delivery (the OP's situation).
There's no guarantee of that with either type of delivery. There are people who have horrible recoveries with both and easy recoveries with both.
OP, here's an article that does a good job of explaining some of the pros and cons, what to expect recovery-wise, etc.:
https://www.webmd.com/baby/tc/cesarean-section-topic-overview
Oh sure...pick me to quote. lol-
I've never met anyone IRL that complained about their section....sure, there are exceptions but, for the most part, those that elect a section are glad that they did.
I was dilated to an 8 with Emerson and didn't get the epi until very late because the anesthesiologist was "busy" and it was PURE hell and ended up with a section because her h/r went down into the 60's. That's what I base my opinion on. AWFUL!!!! Both of my sections were BLISS-the planned section was even better than the emergency.
: )
Thank you all for your responses! I have a lot to think about now. I really appreciate hearing everyones stories, both ways.
I never really thought about the tubal until I was convinced I was going to have a c-section, so that's not a high priority, but I'd like it done if I have to have a c-section anyway. I really thought a c-section would be the "safer" way to go with twins, but now it's just got me thinking that a vag birth might be easier, since my first went so fast (under 3 hours).
I love your enthusiasm.
But yeah, I responded to yours because you were promising zero problems and super speedy recovery and that jumped out at me as overstating it a bit. That does sound like a rough experience with Emerson though so I can see why you have the perspective you do! 
Plenty of people have C-section complications or a rough recovery, couldn't lift the babies the first few weeks, etc. Also one of my good friends locally had her (full-term singleton) son end up in the NICU for two weeks because of lung problems that were a result of a C-section. I just think it's really important for anyone considering them to do their research, weigh the risks versus benefits of each option as well as all the anecdotal stories since a lot of those will conflict anyway and it just depends on who you ask! 
I think a lot of it is perspective.
Some on here had vag then c-section and would have preferred twin vag.
Some had scary first c-sections and enjoyed their scheduled twin section.
I had no choice and absolutely hated my section. In fact, one year later I'm starting to have pain in my scar. I'm truly worried I have endometriosis somewhere in my scar because it only hurts when I get my period. And that's super craptastic.
To the OP, you've had a successful vaginal delivery. Remember that subsequent vaginal deliveries are usually easier (pushing effort, tears) than the first simply because the first baby paved the way. C-section does not guarantee a safer route of delivery for twins (or any baby really). C-section babies can still get skull fractures and have a higher risk of breathing difficulty because the goop didn't get squeezed out by the birthing process. They can still have a shoulder dystocia.
So it's great to look at all of the options and discuss with your doctor what is best for you!
Thanks. It's just my luck you know. Oh well....at least I am armed with the info and colleagues to help me deal with it. But it does suck.
Christian Alexander - 11/13/06
Amelia Rose & Owen Thomas - 3/29/11
The things that I can remember about my section that sucked... ehhh... the procedure isn't "fun" but L&D can't be fun either ; ) I can't remember much about the recovery, because at two days old (we had been home less than an hour) DD quit breathing and turned blue and needed to be rushed to the emergency room and back into the hospital, so my memory of *my* issues are slight.
I remember it hurting like HELL... *next* to my incision site. The cut they made didn't bother much, even when it split back open. But apparently because I wasn't "resting" my nerves were trying to re-generate too quickly and the shooting/stabbing pain I was feeling was them, not the incision.
I did/do still have numbness at the incision site, sometimes pain and itching too (odd).
This time if both kids are head down, I'm going to try for a VBAC, and I'm not even remotely scared of the double whammy. I would rather try vaginal and get converted to a section too, than schedule it.
These are our last kids, so the experience is worth a shot for me. I don't plan on a tubal so vag delivery is OK.