5 Random Posts - Part 3

TWINS






Twins run in our family. Whether or not you are a candidate for twins depends on the family history of the mother. The father has NO influence. That means, it's ALL my fault that we have twins, Darrel had NOTHING to do with it :) On my side of the family, there are twins from my dad's side as well as my mom's side. Our boys are the 16th set of twins in three generations. My paternal grandmother had two sets of twins, 11 months apart.

When I was young it was always a dream to have twins. "Wouldn't it be fun, to have twins!?" Interesting enough adults and teenagers use the words, "fun" and "twins" together in the same sentence quite often. At times, it is but, It's not always "fun" it's a lot of W-O-R-K.

When we married and started our family, having twins was far from my mind. We had Daryl and because my sister and I are six years apart, I knew I wanted my first two children close in age. So, when Daryl was six-months old, I became pregnant for the second time.

I was extremely tired and HUNGRY! I always felt like something was wildly different with the second pregnancy but with a baby still to care for, there wasn't much time or thought given to the situation. Despite my repeated pleadings to my OB doctor, he assured me that all I was gaining, eating, craving and feeling was normal (for a single birth).

Finally, one of my tests returned with abnormal levels. The doctor called and with his excellent bed side manners, informed me over the phone, that I needed further testing because our baby may have Spina Bifida. I was stunned.

I quickly read everything I could about the subject and threw myself in to an emotional fit. What a tragedy! I was so upset and mostly scared. When the day came to have the further testing we were in the hospital speaking with the genetic counselor. She was very caring. As she was carefully explaining the situation to us, the tears began to fall. I couldn't hold it together. She then left the room to arrange for an ultrasound. Up until this point (16 weeks) I had never had a ultrasound with this pregnancy. She was able to work us in that afternoon.

We returned to the hospital and the Sono tech started to do her thing. She lubed me up and placed the wand on my bulging belly... "How many babies are you having?" she asked. My first thought was, I don't know, YOU tell me!" She quickly left the room and in came the doctor. We all stared at the monitor and once again for all to see... TWO HEADS! Clearly there were TWO HEADS!!! This was the best day of my life. Darrel and I laughed and cried all at the same time. What a miracle, a wonder and a relief! The boys were healthy and everything was developing on schedule as they should. All my fears were erased. I was filled with nothing more than pure joy and relief.

So, to fast forward, D-Day came at 35 weeks. it was 7 pm and I was picking up packing boxes for our anticipated move in three months. I loaded the boxes into the car, unloaded the boxes and carried them up three flights of stairs to our apartment. About 8 pm I realized I was contracting and we headed to the hospital. When I arrived at the hospital I was 6 cm dialated. Corey was head down but Nicolas was breech. This meant C-section. I was NOT prepared.

It still hearts my heart to think about it. The doctor, who I only saw twice during my entire prenatal visits, delivered our boys. She had trouble getting Nic out and made a second incision then, announced to me, while in the OR laying flat on my back, that every delivery following would have to be a C -section. I was devasted. It was already a bad experience and because I knew I wanted to have more children, the thought of going through that procedure each time, was beyond what I could imagine. In the end, Corey and Nicolas were and are healthy. I am healthy. I just have to accept the reality.

Would I do it again? Yes. Everything. Why? Have you seen my kids? I love them. As a mother, there isn't much you wouldn't do for your kids. I still wish for another set of twins. Call me crazy. It is a special and unique experience. Having one healthy child is a miracle. Having healthy multiples is pretty miraculous too.

Whenever we are out, people look at ALL our children, and they ask,
"Are they ALL yours?"
"Yes." I reply.
"Are those twins?"
"Yes." I reply
"God Bless You!" they exclaim.

Yes, God has blessed us.