Since in vitro fertilization became mainstream in the 1990s, the rate of multiple births has grown steadily in Canada and around the world. Multiples now account for 3.2 percent of births, compared to two percent in 1991. While that isn?t a huge spike, because multiples are considered high risk, it carries an outsized impact on health services.
But just because we?re making more multiples doesn?t mean that our bodies are any better at bearing or birthing twins and triplets?multiples are still a high-stakes process. To get a handle on what twin-parents-to-be can expect, Today?s Parent spoke with Jon Barrett, a senior scientist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto and co-director of the Sunnybrook Research Institute?s Centre for Mother, Infant and Child Research, and asked him to answer some of the most common questions. 1. Are epidurals mandatory"
No, but they are highly recommended. And doctors don?t just recommend an epidural because it helps alleviate the mother?s pain; the babies are actually the main beneficiaries. ?Once the first child is delivered, the second gets itself into all kinds of funny positions,? says Barrett. ?If you have an epidural in place and you?re in an operating room, it allows for immediate intervention.? If you choose to not have an epidural and complications lead to a Caesarean section, you will likely be put under general anaesthetic and not be conscious for the birth.
2. Will I have a C-section"
Not necessarily. The rate of ...