I’ve had a lot of babies.
I am a mother of six, after all.
If there’s one thing I’m familiar with, it’s pregnancy!
My children span in age from 23 years to seven months old.
Let’s just say, I’ve learned a lot about motherhood over the years.
Truthfully, we were all surprised that I was already back for prenatal care.
My son was only 16 weeks old and I had been on birth control.
We wondered if, maybe, I just still had some pregnancy hormones left in my body.
So, we did an impromptu ultrasound with one of those grainy in-office machines.
The two little bubbles on the screen could not be denied.
My midwife gathered herself, turning to us long enough to say, “Get your camera out.
The moment was exhilarating, if I’m honest.
We couldn’t stop giggling.
What had begun as a shocking pregnancy turned into something that just felt like destiny.
We had two babies on the way and a four-month-old at home.
We should have been terrified but the news gave us a sense of peace.
Of course, that was before we realized just how crazy things were about to become.
Suddenly, we weren’t giggling about baby names or wondering if they were identical or fraternal.
Instead, we were learning about how closely this pregnancy was going to be monitored.
Every appointment would be twice as long because they had to do every measurement and test on both babies.
Still, it was a lot to digest!
Let’s just get this out of the way twins areconceivedin the same way as any other baby.
You would be shocked by how many people freely ask intimate questions on this topic.
So, for once and for all, twin pregnancies occur through the same mechanics as any other pregnancy!
Imagine, therefore, how much bigger a woman can become if she’s carrying more than one baby.
It’s normal and expected.
“Twins,” I finally replied with a forced smile.
She nodded and then literally looked past me down the aisle and yelled, “Pay up!
I told you there was at least two in there!”
It was a wonderful and amazing experience but it was also lonely sometimes.
Try doing that when you don’t know whose feet are moving!
and I was able tomostlykeep track of who was who.
It definitely wasn’t easy, though!
Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned.
This is especially true in the case of twins (and all multiples!).
In the end, both can die if the issue isn’t addressed quickly and effectively.
While many women feel excited going to ultrasounds, we maintained subdued optimism.
We wanted to be prepared for the worst, while hoping for the best.
The pregnancy was horrible, but I was willing to suffer as long as they were growing!
You really can’t make a birth plan
I was the queen of birth plans.
I had all sorts of rules for maintaining a calm, positive birthing environment.
When the twins arrived?
It was utter chaos.
My goal was to make it to 36 weeks and I succeeded.
I took my time since I wasn’t having contractions.
Imagine my surprise when I realized that a foot just a single foot was hanging out of my body!
I started to panic.
Ms. I-Was-Born-to-Birth-in-Tranquilty was trembling from head-to-toe and my partner took a moment to digest what I was saying.
Then, he wanted to verify what I was telling him.
Ultimately, he convinced me to let him drive us to the hospital.
I didn’t know how to walk down the stairs to our driveway.
I didn’t know how to sit in the van without hurting this little baby foot!
By the time we got there, a team was assembled and waiting.
With the babies in distress, they prepped me for an emergency c-section.
I didn’t protest.
I could only whimper.
Gone were my dreams of holding one as I pushed out the other.
I would not be having the immediate skin-to-skin bonding that I had imagined for so many months.
And I didn’t care.
I just wanted them to be born and I wanted them to be safe.
When I heard Baby A cry, all I could muster was, “His foot?
Is his foot okay?
Are his legs okay?”
Screw lava lamps and birth plans.
First of all, your body worked twice as hard to grow more than one baby.
Of course, it’s going to take some time to get back to feeling normal!
So, you might have to accept that you won’t see your pre-pregnancy clothes for a little while.
Since twin pregnancies havehigher chanceof resulting in a c-section, that will also affect recovery time.
It’s also not uncommon to have some emotional baggage from the stress of carrying more than one baby.
For this reason, it’s especially important to be on the lookout forsigns of postpartum depression.
The majority, though, say that it was a pretty difficult time.
