MULTIPLE PREGNANCY Exclusive Pregnancy Care I Dr. Samatha Kumar

"Multiple pregnancies twins and triplets the antenatal care is more frequent antenatal visits with the doctor more frequent ultrasound to monitor the growth of the baby. So in the first trimester we usually ask for a scan to confirm pregnancy between 7 to 8 weeks of pregnancy. Then a scan between 11 to 14 weeks is the month which will diagnose whether it is a monochorionic twins or a dichorionic twins. If it's a dichorionic twins after the first trimester screening is done we usually call them at around 16 weeks to get an cervical length scan which will pick up if there is any shortening of the cervix and if required we might put the cerclage stitch for her. In monochorionic twins along with the cervical scan 16 week scan we can pick up Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome also then we do a TIFFA scan in 20 weeks and then every 4 weeks we do scans pick up how the babies are growing. Along with this we ask the mother to take iron and calcium supplements regularly. We advise the mother to monitor the blood pressure regularly at home so that we can pick up eclampsia at a early stage. We screen the mothers for gestational diabetes by doing an OGTT between 24 to 28 weeks and yes in Twin pregnancies from 28 weeks we would call them every 2 weeks for regular antenatal checkups. In dichorionic twin pregnancy we can wait up to 37 to 38 weeks for delivery and then monochorionic twins from 36 to 37 weeks we can plan delivery"