Twins and More Program

Twins and More is a program specializing in the care of women, who are expecting multiple births. The program also helps prepare women and their families to care for the babies after they're born.

Health Care Team

In the program, you'll meet regularly with perinatologists, who are specialists in treating complications during pregnancy. Midwives, obstetricians and gynecologists, and nurses ensure that the many factors common to all pregnancies, not just multiples, are addressed. Counselors, genetic counselors and lactation consultants are also part of the team.

In addition, you'll have access to the UCSF Fetal Treatment Center, a world leader in diagnosing and treating birth defects before delivery.

All UCSF babies have access to neonatologists, specialists in caring for high-risk newborns at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, one of the highest-ranked children's hospital in California.

Frequent Visits

Women carrying multiples have a higher chance of developing complications, such as high blood pressure and preterm labor. We schedule more frequent prenatal visits so we can watch for early signs of complications.

Testing

Because you and your babies are more likely to develop complications, you need more tests to diagnose problems and monitor fetal development. Ultrasounds are performed every four to six weeks to ensure babies are growing normally. You may decide to have additional genetic tests for your babies, although it can be more complicated to test multiples than other babies.

If you have questions about which tests are best for you, ask your health care provider or call our Prenatal Diagnosis Center to speak to a genetic counselor.

Complications

With multiples, there's an increased risk of premature birth. If your babies are born early, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital has state-of-the-art facilities to care for premature newborns, including our Intensive Care Nursery and follow-up care, and the Fetal Treatment Center for treatment of birth defects. UCSF pioneered intensive care for newborns born with complications.

Education and Support

One of our program's primary goals is to provide you with the resources you need during a pregnancy with multiples. Our resources include:

• The Women's Health Resource Center, which has a selection of books, videos and other resources on pregnancy and parenting.
• Our prenatal education program, Great Expectations, which offers 13 different classes to prepare families for pregnancy, birth and beyond. We provide two classes designed especially for families of multiples — "Expecting Twins or More" and "Breastfeeding Twins or More."
• Our nursing triage phone line provides supportive advice to parents of multiples.
• Our counselor will meet with you at least once during your pregnancy to help you plan for help after the babies are born, as well as checking in on you during your pregnancy.

After Delivery

Care for you and your babies doesn't end after delivery. We have many resources to help you recover from your delivery and care for your special newborns. The Women's Health Resource Center also provides a variety of pospartum resources.

Read about Laurie and Josh Anderson and their experience with the Twins and More program.