Dr. Cook explains when a woman pregnant with multiple babies must have a cesarean section (C-section).
Dr. Cook:
It’s a good question. When we are talking about twins, it’s a decision you are always making with your physician, but it’s predicated predominantly on the position of the babies in the uterus and mostly based upon the presentation of the first baby.
So for instance, the woman I am delivering next door, her first baby is head down; her second baby is breach. In that situation, if you have a patient who is motivated for vaginal delivery and an operator who is experienced at delivering breach, we will do vaginal deliveries for a second breach, but the first child’s breach is usually a cesarean delivery.
So for twins, it ends up about 50% of time being a cesarean delivery. For the higher order multiples – triplets and more – 90% plus end up being cesarean deliveries.
About Dr. Curtis Cook, M.D.:
Dr. Curtis R. Cook, M.D., is a maternal-fatal medicine specialist and the Associate Director for Phoenix Perinatal Associates providing care for women with complicated, high-risk pregnancies. Dr. Cook received his medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine and completed his residency at Butterworth Hospital in Michigan.
Visit Dr. Cook at Phoenix Perinatal Associates