Refusing To Stop my contractions

[twinsmama71351]

I am 35 weeks pregnant with twins.  I went in for fetal heart monitoring three days ago and I was having contractions 3 to 5 minutes apart.  My doctor says it was too early and wants me to go until May 7th to preform a C-section.  He ordered magnesium sulfate to stop my contractions.  If I should start having contractions again and have to go in do I have the right to refuse to stop my contractions and if I do what can happen by my refusing to stop my contractions?

[penswriter]

My braxton hicks started at 24 weeks and by 28 weeks I was having contractions pretty regularly. (Every 20-30 minutes).I went to see my ob and he sent me to l&d at the hospital I was delivering at. After monitoring the boys for 12 hours they gave me the shot to mature their lungs.

Luckily my contractions never increased and they kept cooking for a few more weeks. My water broke at 34 weeks and they showed up 6 weeks early. They were both over 5 lbs and aside from a little jaundice completely healthy.

So, if you do go into labor it's not going to be horrible. But the longer they have to grow inside, the better.

[brandiw13]

I did have a c-section at delivery. It was definitely what I wanted from the beginning of my pregnancy. Me personally, I didn't want to chance trying to deliver one baby naturally and then possibly end up having a c-section with the other. Which for me was a good thing because my son (baby "a") was head down, but my daughter (baby "b") layed horizontal the entire time and never flipped.

[amandabxoxo89]

@brandiw13 that was very inspirational, as I am actively fighting pretermlabor since 26w(I am about 28 now) I am so very happy that your twins made out so well. You are truley lucky! Did you have a c-section at delivery? I am contemplating natural or c-section because baby b is pretty set on being breech and I am terrified his bag will rupture while baby a is delivered causing him to lose oxygen and putting him at risk for cp, many moms have told me cp is most common in baby b so I am terrified.

[brandiw13]

Like the others have said, they can't tie you down and make you take the medicine, but it's good to at least consider it. I delivered twins at 32 weeks 4 days completely out of the blue (my pregnancy was pretty much non-eventful). I was given everything under the sun to attempt to stop labor & it didn't work. Both my babies had to stay in the NICU for 2-3 weeks so they could learn to feed from a bottle. Thankfully though, both are perfectly healthy & neither suffered any long term effects from being born almost 8 weeks early. But, if I had it my way, they would've stayed in my belly until their scheduled c-section date @ 38 weeks.

[amandabxoxo89]

and i certainly read your post all wrong, you have every right! i want to refuse my 500mg of magnesium gluconate because the iv sounds scary with feeling limp, i guess its a little diffrent than what i am being asked to take, its just hearing it tightens the pelvic muscle but relaxes the rest scares my pants off because my heart is a muscle.

[amandabxoxo89]

correction "begins to deplete" this begins around 38w. just needed to correct that!

[amandabxoxo89]

well at least you not being made to carry to 39 weeks well after the placenta delpetes and the fetus will be so grown that if either has cerebral palsy the operation to stop any further damage will be useless. I had switched obs so i could deliver in a hospital with an nicu and it seems like a mistake. after 37 weeks theres really no room for growth in comparison to how much faster they grow outside the womb in thos two weeks they plan to ensure they stay. i am 27 weeks and they are already almost 3lbs! I am tiny, iswear my ribs are going to pop!

[amandabxoxo89]

from what little info I have managed to gather from my ob on twins is that they are full term at 37w Have you been given the shot to mature the lungs between 27-34 weeks? this also cuts bleeding of the brain by 70%. I do not have a direct link to give you, but my ob sent me home with papers from the march of dimes website on multiples and preterm labor. Also I was told by my previous ob that they perform c-sections at 36-37 weeks and no later to get then out to avoid complications while my ne ob with acsess to an nicu prefers to keep them in as long as they can since the generally come early to begin with. best withes, and hopes for a healthy delivery and babies.

[pearbaby2002]

I had both my babies at 36 and a half weeks, but I wasn't pregnant with twins! I think that ur babies will be fine if born now, but I would take the doctors advice and try to stay pregnant as long as possible, because the longer the babies can stay in the womb the better! I wish u the best of luck! Congrats on the twins!

[Faylew1012]

Your twins are not going to be nearly as big as a singleton. So when you hear of it being ok that doesnt always mean its ok for twins. You do have the right to refuse but your babies really need the extra time in there since they are twins. I have heard the same thing. Twins having medical problems because they are too early. You really want to get into the 37-38 week range as 38 is actually considered pretty much full term. Hang in there a little longer!

[AnnieBrooke]

I think the doctor cannot tell you that you "must" take any particular medicine.  35 weeks is not as bad as 32, not as good as 37 or 38, in terms of the babies' health.  I've known twins with eye problems and hearing problems, and some of this can be avoided by letting the babies stay in as long as possible.  As long as your doctor is satisfied that the babies aren't in distress in any way, it really seems like a good idea to carry them as long as you can.  That said, if you were to go in insisting that you be allowed to deliver, they can't tie you down and make you take medicines.  I would just listen to the doctor's reasons, though.  You'd feel really guilty if you were to insist on an earlier birth merely because you're tired of being pregnant, and then they had physical issues of some kind