After years of infertility, we were finally pregnant. I knew that I was going to do everything in my power to have the perfect pregnancy and delivery. I quickly developed a birth plan and expectations for this pregnancy, and I could envision my natural unmedicated birth of this precious baby. I just knew everything was going to go to plan… that was until I saw on the first sonogram that this “precious baby” was actually precious BABIES!
Immediately all of the certainty that I had became a lot of questions and “what-ifs”. All of my definites became “maybes”. The truth was that no matter how healthy my pregnancy was, a twin pregnancy is always considered high-risk. Sadly, this meant that there was going to be quite a few things that I would not have control over.
Thankfully I had a healthy and uneventful pregnancy. I was placed on “cautionary bed rest” with the goal being to keep those babies in my body for as long as possible. “Full term” for a twin pregnancy is 36 weeks and I hoped that we would make it until then. At 34 weeks, I went to my regular doctor appointment when we discovered that my twin baby B had not grown since my last appointment a week earlier, and she was a whole pound smaller than her twin sister. The doctors whispered together in the hallway, and I knew something was not right. They told me soon after that they would need to take the twins out due to growth restriction of twin B.
Because the baby was not in immediate danger, I was given a few extra days to prepare for delivery and to get closer to full term. That Friday morning at 4am, we walked through the doors of the hospital for the planned C-section. I felt so far away from that unmedicated birth dream that I once had. I remember feeling like I had somehow failed my baby B (Keona), because she was not able to grow. My new focus was getting them out safely so that she could begin to thrive.
I was hooked up to monitors for me and each baby. Twin A was calm and relaxed, but Twin B was kicking wildly like she was ready to get out of there. As the nurses looked at the monitors they told me that I was actually having contractions. “These babies were going to come today either way,” she said. I remember feeling simultaneously relieved and disappointed at this statement. Though it was very early in the morning, my sweet husband was cracking jokes in an effort to distract me from my worries. I watched Twin B’s monitor diligently looking for any sign of irregularity.
When it was time to go back for my epidural, my husband was not allowed to come with me. It was freezing cold and I remember vigorously shivering until my midwife took me into her arms to pray with me. A feeling of peace washed over me and I was so ready to meet these babies.
As they let my husband enter the room, we were joined by a team of 10 other medical professionals. Each person was in charge of a very specific job. There was a team specifically for me and a separate team for each baby. The C-section went perfectly as planned as my midwife and her assisting doctor delivered the twins. As they raised them to peek over the blue curtain, I could barely see them though my tears of happiness. I laid there listening to the sweet baby sounds, until I realized that I could only hear one baby. WHY CAN I ONLY HEAR ONE BABY?! Keona, Twin B, had very weak and had “sticky” lungs that made it very hard for her to take breaths on her own. After a few minutes of stimulation and ventilators I FINALLY heard the second baby. Thank God. I knew that everything was going to be okay.
They placed them both in my arms for a quick kiss and picture before they rushed them off to the NICU for monitoring. Keona needed a lot of assistance with breathing, and Amari (Twin A) just needed to be evaluated due to general prematurity and size.
We were told later that they were the first babies born in the hospital in 2015, both born at 8:04 AM. Amari Hope Sherwin was 5 pounds, 2 ounces, and
Keona Avery Sherwin was 4 pounds, 3 ounces.
Amari was able to be in the hospital room with us, and she came home three days later. When I was discharged, we had to leave Keona behind in the NICU to grow stronger. She was in the NICU for 13 days before we were all finally together at home.
Though our birth story may not have been according to plan, this is OUR story. I am so proud to have carried and delivered two babies, who are now thriving and healthy toddlers.
If you would like to continue to follow the twin’s journey with their triplet siblings, check out our family Instagram or Youtube channel!
