While the birth of any child is a time of tremendous excitement for a family, the birth of twins or triplets amplifies that excitement. But with multiple gestations come potential problems as well, the most significant being the risk of premature delivery. If, however, the boy or boys from a multiple delivery are healthy by their eighth day of life, then they too should undergo a brit milah ceremony.
Communities—and mohels—differ as to whether each baby should have his own brit milah ceremony or whether one service followed by the two circumcisions suffices. If the birth is of boy/girl twins, the girl’s naming ceremony can take place at the same time as the brit milah ceremony —even though it is more traditional to announce the name of a baby girl during the Shabbat service following her birth when her father is given the honor of reading a portion from the Torah.
A side benefit of a twin bris is that it affords the opportunity to give more people honors associated with the ceremony (see subsequent chapter “Honors at a bris”). For instance, there can be two sandeks and two sets of kvatters.
As with any premature babies that are not thought by their pediatrician to be healthy enough for circumcision on the eighth day of life, the brit milah for boys from premature twin or triplet deliveries is postponed until seven days after the doctor says that the babies are healthy. At that point the bris can be scheduled on any day except Shabbat or Jewish holidays.