My Surprise Twin Home Birth

THE BIRTH STORY

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Well it was my husband and I’s first date night where both of us would be away from our toddler, we booked an overnight stay at crown casino and a gold class movie to see ‘A star is born’. We spent the day lounging around the pool drinking mocktails and then planned to treat ourselves to dinner at Nobu but after walking though the amazing smells at the food court we decided on a multi cuisine degustation in the food court. We had plates of Chinese, Indian, Japanese and Italian and totally pigged out. For some reason I ate two tubs of chilli paste... perhaps helping an early baby eviction, whoops. We then went to the movies. On the walk there I was feeling really heavy and found myself slowing down because I was uncomfortable. Once seated at the movies I noticed some random tightening feelings, not painful at all, just like a muscle tensing then relaxing. I thought that was a bit strange and decided I would time them to see if they were increasing in occurrence and intensity. After a few more I text Martina and told her what I was experiencing but told her not to worry about it unless I contacted her again. As I continued timing them they did start to increase so once I knew it was the real thing, right in the middle of the beautiful song 'Shallow' I lent over to my husband and said “I’m in labour,  I’m having contractions, we are going have a baby tonight”. His eyes shot out of his head and he almost choked on his mouthful of popcorn. Half out of his seat, in the direction of the exit, he was like “WHAT! oh my god, what do we do?????!!!!!” I smiled and whispered “just watch the movie”. I knew it was just early labour so I was in no rush, and for the remainder of the movie we just kept looking at each other and smiling with anticipation and excitement, dreaming longingly of holding our new baby. After the movie we went back to the hotel room and slept for a few hours but at 2am we decided it was time to check out. The girl in reception wouldn’t even replace our prepaid breakfast voucher that I had left in the room, despite knowing why we were leaving at 2am and watching me go through contractions at her desk. My frustration at her was a clear sign I was truly in labor and my husband kept putting his hand on my back saying “it’s OK babe, I’ll take you out for breakfast” I was adamant it was the principal of it! I mean really crown casino, are you serious!! I’m clearly still fuming about it lol.

 

We met Martina at home, set up the birth pool and felt the baby's head engaged. The second twin still totally incognito. I needed to clear my birthing sanctuary so we sent Martina home with the promise I would call when it was time. I spent 2 hours alone preparing myself emotionally and connecting with my birth visions and inner strength that I knew I would need. I focused on visualisations of birthing my baby and getting my breathing and mind in order with some hypnobirthing techniques. After I felt emotionally and spiritually ready, I knew I needed to get the physical aspect in order and that meant sleep. I decided to have a hot shower and get into bed. When I was in the shower willing labour to stop so I could sleep before the task ahead, it did just that…. totally and utterly stopped. It was perfect, I got into bed and slept for a solid few hours.

 

When I woke up I played with my toddler in bed for a while then got up around 7.15am. Once I stood up and started moving the contractions started again and I got that familiar ‘I need to go to the toilet’ feeling where your body flushes itself out. When I was there my waters exploded and I knew it was game on. At 7.20 I called my mother in law to come and mind our son and then Martina, she left straight away given my first labor was super quick with only 45 minutes from 3cm to delivery. As I dressed and prepared a bag for our son the contractions grew stronger and stronger. I rocked my hips back and forth while bending over his bed and my vocalising and breathing grew louder and heavier. By 7.40 the biggest contraction hit me and I fell to my knees at the top of the stair case knowing I couldn’t make it down to the birth pool. The next contraction was just as big and ended in the familiar involuntary pushing that I knew meant I was just minutes off meeting our little one. I remember thinking “hmmm on the carpet at the top of the stairs isn’t ideal”. My husband who had been yelling out to me periodically in between my whaling contractions heard the familiar pushing sound and ran to my side. He was juggling checking in on me and our 20-month-old toddler who wanted his breakfast. I told him we were close and he needed to run our bath in the ensuite because I couldn’t make it down stairs. Once it was filling, he helped me walk into the room, undress and get in. I composed myself, and in all my glorious birthing pain, right at the point when I didn’t know how I could go on, I reminded myself, ‘yes labor is hard, yes it hurts, and yes I can do it’. I reassured myself of my strength and called upon my feminine warrior to get me through, then I knew, “I’ve got this”. The next 4/5 contractions were excruciating and exhilarating all at the same time, I vocalised with long “ahhhhhhhhhhs” and breathed deeply through them and allowed my body to push, I didn’t assist, I just let it do it at its own pace. And then with an almighty contraction out came my baby boy (now known as Ari), into the bath and I scooped him up and held him on my chest, kissing him and saying “we did it, we did it” over and over. He let out his first cries and then settled into my arms. Within a few minutes Nathan, our son and the two midwives were at my side smiling, congratulating me and checking him over. Amongst my dreamy state I did think “gee he’s small, he must be preterm?” But just continued doting over him between more hugely painful contractions. After a few of them I just knew the baby birthing feeling, I looked at the midwives and said "there is another baby coming", one of them responded lovingly “it’s just the placenta darling there’s no bones in there” but I knew... with the next contraction I had the urge to push so I leaned forward still cradling my little boy and pushed. Out came our little identical twin (Bodhi)... the midwife scooped him up from the water and placed him into my arms with his brother. Martina grabbed her phone and snapped the precious photo of our first seconds together, which you have no doubt seen. We were all literally mind blow! I was so happy, so in awe of them and the “what has just happened” laughs that my husband and I shared as we smiled lovingly at each other I will never forget. I can’t even describe it, we were all just smiling and laughing in disbelief. I had always said I wanted twins so for me it was literally a dream come true! Especially when Nathan had said that after this baby our family was done, and I was adamant I wanted to have a third. So right after they were both born and we were hugging in disbelief he looked at me and said “you always get what you want” I just laughed and said “good manifester huh”.

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Although both babies were clearly breathing and alert the midwives could see that Bodhi was working harder with his breathing. They administer oxygen and told us they wanted to transfer us to hospital because they wanted to have him checked for immature lungs as he might require ongoing oxygen assistance. While we waited for the ambulance to arrive my husband and I did skin on skin with the boys and just laid on our bed in complete love and disbelief. How precious those first moments were. Once the ambulance officers had checked the twins and agreed on the transfer, I got myself dressed and walked down the stairs, outside and into the ambulance. No rips, tears or any sign that I had just given birth, let alone birthed twins.

 

Nature at its finest!