Steroid shots in my twin pregnacy

Lela - posted on 05/31/2011

Congratulations on your twins! I did have to have the steroid shots...once a week...prior to delivering healthy twin boys. At 5 1/2 mths gestation we were involved in a car accident. I felt fine until a wk later. Arrived at the hospital in premature labor. I was on bedrest from that point on but had other things going on as well...caught pneumonia in the ER of the hospital from someone. This was on May 10th. I did not start the shots until July and had 2 shots every Thurs until I delivered. My due date was Aug 3rd and my identical sons were born on Aug 8th. They were very healthy and only remained in the hospital to gain a little weight. That was 22 years ago and I now have very handsome college men. Their lungs were totally matured at birth so the shots worked! Hope you experience the same great outcome with your babies.

Stephanie - posted on 05/31/2011

seems pretty normal to me for twin pregnancies...
I had to get steroid shots when I was preggo with my twins. My boys ended up being born at 30 weeks & had no heath issues. Who knows what would have happened if I had not gotten the steroid shots.... The only reason we couldn't bring them home right away was because they couldn't suck, so they couldn't eat without feeding tubes. They are 16 now & have no poblem eating!

Patricia - posted on 05/31/2011

i had 2 steriod shot because i went into labour 11 weeks early but they were able to stop it thank god i was told the same thing given the time over i would do it again because i believe i would have gave him a better chance of surviving

Rebecca - posted on 05/31/2011

I too had both shots. I had home based ones to stop labor and then the steroid to develop thier lungs at 29weeks. They were born at 36 weeks. we spent 3 nights in the hospital, the extra night was beacuse baby b had a heart murmer that cleared up that night. Both are just fine and cute. they are now 7 months.

Teresa - posted on 05/30/2011

The steroid shots worked great for my twins they are now 12 years old and still no side effects but back when I got mine they were not limited to 2 shots as they are now I got 5 and it made my teeth crumble in my mouth,a small price to pay for very healthy lungs never had to be on oxygen and they were 1 day short of being 32 weeks.This shot is a good thing and I highly recommend that you take it.Like I said now they only give 2 and it helps the babies.However with the bed rest thing I couldn't do it one twin was in my lungs while the other played kickball with my bladder so goodluck if you can do the bed rest they say it helps but you seriously want to keep them in as long as you can even though you are going to be miserable

Sade - posted on 05/30/2011

Had the shots. B/G twins still preterm at 30 weeks. Girl twins was completely ok. No problems at all. Boy Twin has sever asthma, is mildly Autistic (PDD), but is a joy to have! Smart as a Whip! Just in his own way. My little girl was in the hospital for 6 weeks following the delivery and my son was in for 11 weeks.

I'll say.. What ever helped the babies, I took. My son still has to take steroids for this lungs. We tried him with out the steroids and we were constantly in the ER. They are only 5 now so the doctor says he should grown out of the asthma.

Cindy - posted on 05/28/2011

I had the shots around 28 weeks and again at 33. I was on modified bed rest for most of my pregnancy and then put in the hospital at week 33. I delivered via c-section on the day my 35th week began. My girls were very healthy and had no trouble breathing due to the steroid shots. They were in the nursery for a week after being born but mainly due to feeding issues.

Stacy - posted on 05/27/2011

I had it at 32 weeks because I was 5cm dialated. I ended up having my b/g twins at 35 weeks 4 days ... My daughter was home in 5 days my son in 9...Overall health is great each have their own small fixable issues...

Rebecca - posted on 05/27/2011

I had the shots at 24 weeks and again at 33 weeks My twins had TTTS and they thought I would deliver early. I actually delivered at 36 weeks and our smaller twin still needed help with breathing. I'll never really know if it helped or not.

Anna - posted on 05/27/2011

I had the shots to mature their lungs, as well as to stop contractions when my cervix started dilating and shortening at 30 weeks. They put me on bedrest for 5 weeks. My twins arrived 2 days after the bedrest order was lifted.
Both were completely healthy and only in the NICU overnight for observation. They were 5.10 and 6.0 lbs, big and healthy. They came home with me the day I was released from the hospital.

Nete - posted on 05/27/2011

Yep Yep got the shots, did the bed rest... do take it seriously..and take it easy ... I ended up going into labor at week 30, after thinking I could walk from the parking-lot to the store ...NOT.... they managed to stop it with a cocktail of drugs and hold off the labor until 33 1/2 weeks (not fun)..... do try to keep them in as long as possible .. shots did work and both our twins are doing great just turned 3 .. best of luck

Jennie - posted on 05/27/2011

I had steroid shots as well to prevent early labor. My twins were born at 32 weeks and 4 days and you would never know that they were born early! Do what the doctor tells you and YES you might end up on bed rest but its for the health of those babies..almost 4 months in the hospital but well worth it!

Andrea - posted on 05/27/2011

I have never heard of needing a steroid shot for thin mucous membrane. Your cervix is 4cm long, wow that is very good and sounds healthy. You don't need to be on bedrest with 4cm cervix length. With risk of premature labor people are often put on bedrest. The research is not clear how this is helpful, most drs will do this to do "something" when you can't control what is going on.

I was on modified bedrest because I had regular contractions when I was walking . Standing wasn't as bad but if you are not walking there is little reason to stand. I was on modified bedrest to see if it worked starting at 20weeks. At 25 weeks I was removed from work on sick leave since I had enough days. I didn't have to stay in bed but I had little desire to anything else because by 28 weeks I couldn't walk. I crawled to the fridge to get food and I had a really difficult time to stand up without help. My cervix was shortening by the week and I had funneling starting at 26-27 weeks. With 2.5cm my dr said it was still long enough (30w) and 1.8cm at 31w. Bed rest isn't the most beneficial thing for pregnant women because it causes muscle loss and weakness when you need your muscles the most, and for labor and delivery and for taking care of your babies after delivery. Research isn't clear on the bed rest debate either. Do it if you feel better or your dr tells you to do it but don't stay inactive just because you are PG.



The optimal benefit of steroid shots begins 24 hours after the first injection, and lasts about 7 days. However, if a mother does not deliver within a week of the steroid treatment, most of the available research suggests that subsequent injections of steroids are not helpful. (By Robin H. Steinhorn, MD) Have to find the actual research that shows the steroid shots don't work after 2 weeks and weekly shots can be harmful.



You really need to be in labor or premature labor for you to have any benefit from the steroids. If you don't deliver within 2 weeks the shots are useless, and can be harmful (to you it can cause infections which can cause miscarriage or premature delivery, to your babies, it can cause developmental delays). It isn't a drug to be given lightly. The best predictor of premature labor and delivery is the fibronectin test. If you are leaking amniotic fluid, the test can predict labor within 2 weeks. Thin mucous membrane isn't a predictor of premature labor.



I received a shot at 32w after I had a PROM. I didn't get the second shot because I delivered within 20 hours. The next dose was due in 24 hours and I asked for it but they wouldn't give it in 20 hours. Even that much time is important, this drug has to be used within guidelines to be effective. My 32w1d babies didn't need to be on respirators, they just needed to grow. They were not able to nurse since they didn't have the sucking reflex yet. Otherwise they were fine. One developed a prematurity complication but he survived.

Angela - posted on 05/27/2011

I had my steroid shots a week before I went into labor. I was very greatful I did since I delivered at 31 weeks. My twins only had to spend 3 weeks in the NICU, but were only on oxygen for a couple days. Now are 16 months and you would never know they were early.

Brittany - posted on 05/27/2011

I went into early labor at 27 weeks I got the steroid shots while they were trying to stop labor, once labor was stopped I was on bed rest in the hospital just in case labor started back, my b/g twins were born about two weeks later and are very healthy, they were supposed to remain in the NICU until their due date but they actually got to come home almost a full month early

Gail - posted on 05/27/2011

I had the steroid shots at 24 weeks because I was going into surgery for TTTS, I had PROM at 29 weeks and delivered at 33w5d and the girls came home 13 days later, never needed to be on oxygen. About 4 days after we brought them home, one of the twins stopped breathing and had to be hospitalized for monitoring but other than that they were healthy babies!

Crysta - posted on 05/25/2011

I had to have the shots while I was pregnant. I went in for an ultrasound at 28 weeks and then found out that my cervix was very short and I was starting to funnel. I was put on bed rest and given the shots incase they came early. my girls were born at 33 weeks and spent 4 weeks in the hospital because they weren't taking a bottle to start. Tthey are doing amazing and have no health issues. They are 14 months old

Pip - posted on 05/24/2011

I had the shots at 26 weeks to help their lungs develop as I was having a few complications. I was on bed rest from 18 weeks, so was already on bed rest. I had my twins at 30 weeks, they are fine now and nearly 3 :)

Michelle - posted on 05/23/2011

I had a steroid shot with my twins. But then again I had a preplanned early pregnancy at 32 weeks. Actually, I ws supposed to have them at 28 weeks, but was able to delay it. It is normal to have a steroid shot if your doctor is thinking you might have babies early. It helps their lungs develop.

Here is a link that talks a little more about it.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/prematu...

I had a momo pregnancy and any problems my babies had was do to that and not the steroid shot.