Twin Birth Story: Caroline

If you'd like to contribute your own twin birth story, CLICK HERE to fill out the questionnaire!

Name: Caroline

Where do you currently live?  Edmond, OK



How far along were you when you found out you were expecting twins? My first ultrasound was early-5 weeks. I had been joking to my husband that I thought it was twins since I was already so sick. Sure enough there were two gestational sacs on the screen but it was too early to see the heartbeats. We came back two weeks later for confirmation and got the best news! Twins!

Any issues during your pregnancy?  Oh.Yes. I'm a pretty small woman (5'2", 110lbs) so carrying two little ones was quite challenging. But, we made it through! I had severe nausea for the first 16 weeks and had to be hospitalized once for dehydration. I had lots of contractions starting around 28 weeks. I was put on modified bed rest and had to quit my job. One of the twins was diagnosed with a heart defect at 25 weeks. Eventually I developed high blood pressure and was so swollen, I could barely walk. That night I went to the hospital to be monitored and they discovered that I was also in labor. The babies were born at 36 weeks to the day but did not need to go to the NICU.

Memorable/funny moment when you were pregnant: A lot of moments are memorable from my pregnancy. My favorite was probably feeling the boys move for the first time. Our little girl was stillborn a few months before I became pregnant with the twins. Feeling them move was the sweetest relief. I'll never forget that gift.

Looking back, what is one thing you would tell your pregnant self?  I think I would do it all the same way. Having already lost a child, I had learned to appreciate and treasure every detail-even the uncomfortable things like morning sickness. When we found out Baby B would need heart surgery after he was born, I worked even more at taking it all one day at a time and being thankful for the little things. It was really hard but so worth it.

How many weeks/days were you when your twins were born? 36 weeks exactly

Baby A's Information:  Elijah Jay 
January 19, 2013
3:58 pm
5 lbs, 0 oz
19.5 in

Baby B's Information:  Everett Blake
January 19, 2013
4:00 pm
5 lbs, 4 oz 
18.5 in

Are your twins identical? No

Did you have a c-section or natural delivery?  I had a natural delivery. I was admitted the night before with high blood pressure and was dilated to 2cm. The next am, my dr broke my water and after that my labor was only 6 hrs long. I only pushed for 20 minutes. Both babies were head down...until Baby A was born. Baby B flipped and my dr had to pull him out as I pushed (thank the Lord for my epidural!). He came out bottom first-folded in half! It was really fast-only 2 min in between. I was expecting a break between their births, but I didn't get any time to rest. Overall, the labor and delivery went very smoothly.

Any NICU time?  If yes, for what reason and how long?  No. The babies went to observation for 8 hours but passed every test and spent the rest of the time in the hospital with us or in the newborn nursery.
  
Did you have any complications after delivery? While my labor and delivery went well, my recovery was pretty bad. After my delivery, I had a post-partum hemorrhage that went undetected for several hours. It was the most excruciating pain (much worse than labor) and very scary. When they finally realized what was wrong, my dr did emergency surgery. I had retained placenta where part of the placenta doesn't detach properly. I lost a lot of blood and needed 2 blood transfusions. Even though I wish I'd had a better experience, it was all worth getting to hold those sweet little babies. They are worth any amount of pain.

How long did you (the parents) stay in the hospital? 3 nights

Did your twins stay with you or the hospital nursery at night? Nursery-I was very weak after delivery and couldn't care for the babies.

What are three things you are so glad you had (or wish you would have had) at the hospital? 
My own pillow made me feel so much more comfortable. Hospital beds are awful, but just a good quality pillow made a difference. I was glad to have stuff for a shower too. I wish I would have brought extra attachments for the breast pump. My husband had to hand-wash the one set each time.

Describe one of your favorite moments while you were at the hospital:  I loved seeing my husband fall into the roll of fatherhood. Before our boys were born, he hadn't really changed a diaper or anything. Since I was so sick and weak after the delivery, he really had to do everything for our boys. It was very sweet. I loved watching him swaddle them and talk to them. He was such a natural!

If you had one piece of advice you could give an expecting mom of twins, what would it be?  The best advice I could give is to learn as you go. You can't really predict anything about pregnancy or parenting twins. You and your babies will get to know each other over time. I had a lot of experience with babies and was even a labor and delivery nurse. But I was no expert when my turn came! You won't have it all figured out, but that's okay. Trust your instincts-not what some book says or some other mom. These are your babies and you are the one God chose to raise them. Oh yeah- and you WILL sleep again...some day :)