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Twin Birth

Hi, My name is Emilia Michaud and I have twin boys, 2 years old. This is their birth story. It's a little long, but a very happy story.

My husband and I decided to get pregnant in the summer of 95. I went off the pill and we did not wait the specified three months like we were told. I found out I was pregnant in September and we were very happy. I made an appointment with an OB, since my GP did not do deliveries.

My first appointment was at 13 weeeks and, while checking me out, the doctor asked if I am sure about the dates. I was pretty sure and he said OK but I am a little big for 13 weeks. I did not give this much thought and he scheduled an ultrasound for two days later. I did not have nausea or anything like that, I felt great though very tired all the time.

Off we go for the ultrasound. The doctor who did it, slapped the goo on my belly and his first words were "Did you know you're having two??". Well, I almost passed out. I was not sure at first what did he mean by "two" but once it sunk in, I was completely terrified. What was I going to do with two babies????? My husband was very happy and had ultrasound pictures all over his office.

Well, now the pregnancy was considered a little more risky. I am only 5ft 2 inches and not big at all so the question was can I carry two babies to term.

Everything went great. I stopped work at 24 weeks, under the doctor's advice. That was fine with me since I had started having BH contractions since about 20 weeks. I enjoyed my time at home and I rested lots and lots. I kept growing and growing, and growing. I was huge.

At 33 weeks, during my weekly checkup, the OB said that I was 2cm dilated and partially effaced. Panic.... It's a little early for the babies. I was having some BH contractions, but they were not regular and definetly not painful. They hooked me up to a monitor and declared that I was in pre-term labour (I wonder now....). I got an IV put it and they just gaveme lots and lots of fluids. The hospital I was at did not have the NICU capabilities that were needed for such preemies so they moved me to the large hospital down the road.

Once I got there, they gave me some steroid shots to help mature the lungs for the babes and we waited. An OB specialist came and and checked me again but I was still at 2 cm. I stayed in the hospital for a couple of days. However, even though I was still having BH contractions, nothing was progressing.

I was in and out of the hospital for the next three weeks. Every time I would get regular BH contractions, they called me in. By the time the 36th week rolled by, I was ready to have the babies. Their BPP showed them to be over 5 pounds a piece and I was Huge. I was surprised I could still walk or eat....

On the morning of April 4th, 96, I felt a trickle inside and I was sure it was my water breaking. I waited a little while though. It was 1am in the morning, and my hubby was sleeping in the other room (no room in our bed for both of us!!!). By about 2am I was sure that my water had broken. I was soo happy and could not sleep. I stayed in bed and tried to read for a while but by 3am , I was having BH contractions again (i.e. not painful) so I woke up hubby and we got ready to go to the hospital.

Once I got there, they checked me... still 2cm. They were not sure at first that my water had broken and they had to do a swab of the cervix to be convinced. They kept me in and we just hung around to see what was happening.

At 8am, I felt like someone punched my cervix and whoosh.... my water really broke. That's when the pain started. Now, baby A was head first but baby B was breech. I wanted to deliver both of them and the doctor on call was the right doctor to have since she was the only one who would deliver a breech baby. I was pretty happy.

By about 9:30am, I was in great pain. The nurses suggested I take the epidural because if there was a need for an emergency C-section, it would make things easier. I got the epi and got relief right away. By 10:30 I was at 10 cm and wanted to push (I could still feel to push). They did add pitocin to the IV to help me along, but I was ready. I pushed, not successfully, for a while. Then I rested since the doctor was not there anyways.

By about 12:30, I really needed to push. So we started pushing. It took a while and I was very tired, but at 2:14pm, Decebal Emil was born. The OB had given me an episiotomy in anticipation of delivering the breech baby, baby nubmer 2.

Decebal was wisked off quickly because he was not clearing the fluid in his lungs.

They asked I start to push again for the next baby. I did not feel like pushing. They brought Decebal over to me to see and then they took him to the nursery. He had to be put in an isolette with oxygen.

Back to baby #2. He did not want to come out. He was way up in my uterus, he was not pushing on my cervix and my cervix started to close. Now, that was not good. Baby #2 went under stress and since he was not down in the birth canal, I could not try to push him out.

My episiotomy was sowed up quickly and they rushed me for an emergency C section. That part was quite scary. There were 15 people in the room but they took Pascal out quite quickly. Since I had already had an epidural, they just topped it up and were ready to open me up in just minutes. 44 minutes after his brother, Pascal Bernard was born via C-section.

They also took him away because he also had some trouble clearing the fluid in his lungs. Decebal was 5lb 13oz and Pascal was 5lb 12oz.

I went to recovery and after an hour I got to see my boys. My hubby and I were crying.... but very happy. They stayed in isolettes for one night, Decebal with oxygen and Pascal just got heat. Next day, they were in the normal nursery with the other, larger babies.

I recovered pretty quickly, even though I lost a lot of blood and had a low hemoglobin count. I nursed both of them until 15 months (they weaned themselves off) and I would do it all again in a second.

I am now expecting another baby, in September, and I hope this birth will be a little easier. I am really greatful for the hospital staff who were very supportive and for the technology which allowed Pascal to be taken out of my body so quickly.

They are now 2 years old, over 30lbs each and a handfull. They are the light of our lives and we hope they'll treat their brother or sister well.

Emilia mom to Decebal and Pascal