Abdominal muscles and the bladder are pushed aside, and a second incision is made in the uterus. Doctors remove the babies in the order they're encountered, said Mandsager said. The umbilical cord of each is clamped and cut and, one at a time, the babies are handed to the waiting teams from the neonatal intensive care unit. If all goes well, the babies are delivered every one or two minutes. If the extended uterus is slow in contracting, bleeding can occur at the sites where placentas attach to the uterus, he said.
Medication can help speed that process.
Iowa mothers of quadruplets and a Texas fertility specialist who has handled many multiple pregnancies say births by Caesarean section of multiple babies are relatively quick. And, compared with the risks of the pregnancy itself and the complications of caring for seven newborns, the births are uncomplicated. Deanna Enderson of Redfield, who had quadruplets last year, said her C-section took 45 minutes. The birth of Mary Gustofson's four babies was equally as quick. Keeping track of umbilical cords and controlling bleeding and infection in the mother are two considerations, he said.