Cheryl's Birth Story: I Gave Birth to Twins!

Labor is where the rubber meets the road, and certainly the aspect of twin pregnancy about which I was most curious. Here's my tale.

Dateline: September 4th, 2001. At 36 weeks and 4 days, we were scheduled for our by then weekly check-in with my ob-gyn, Dr. Rinehardt, and an ultrasound with perinatologist (high-risk pregnancy specialist), Dr. Troyer.

Both babies (A & B) at this point had been head down for a couple of weeks. Ultrasound weight estimations betwixt the two had always been fairly close, within a few ounces...until that Tuesday. On this fateful day, all skilled surveyors of the images were guesstimating approximately a one-pound difference between Baby A/Boy Child & Baby B/Girl Child. Whereas I thought, "How sweet! He's a bulky boy and she's a delicate flower of a girl," Dr. Rinehardt was less amused.

Although not too serious, a broadening weight discrepancy between twins can indicate a beginning trend toward one twin siphoning off more nutrition than is his fair share. Forty weeks is considered full-term for a single birth, 37 weeks for twins. We were pretty dang close. As a matter of fact, we were told labor should begin on its own after 34 weeks; nothing would be done to stop or slow the process.

Dr. Rinehardt said, "It's time for us to start thinking about inducing these babies soon," and he left the examining room briefly for a tete-a-tete with Dr. Troyer. My husband, Scott, and I, heady with the reality of pending births, were discussing which birth date sounded better, when Dr. Rinehardt returned. Apparently "soon" is a very subjective term; he came in and chirped, "I'm on duty tonight. Go on home, get your bag, and let's bring those babies!"

Holy smokes! We must have staggered out of the medical building and gotten to our car somehow, but I barely remember it. What I do remember vividly is getting home, the two of us grinning like idiots, and making key calls to a few family and friends. As we walked out of the house to head back to the hospital, it hit me. The next time we crossed that threshold; we'd be a family of four.

What an indescribable feeling.