Twin Home Birth Story
Twin Home Birth Story
Baby A breech and Baby B head down
written by Stephanie Berger (mother)
After the traumatic birth and postpartum recovery I had with my first baby, it was very important to me to have a physiological birth this time around. I had everything planned in order to make that possible with a home birth. When I found out I was pregnant with twins, the plan of having a homebirth became even more important to me because I knew laboring in the operating room as hospitals require with twins would stress me out and lead to a c-section.
I also knew this is what my babies wanted. I communicated with them frequently and just had such a sense of “knowing” during this pregnancy. I knew a month before it was confirmed via ultrasound that it was twins. I knew once it was confirmed I was having twins that it was one of each. And even though most people thought I was nuts for wanting a home birth with twins, I knew that if I went to a hospital, I would have a c-section and if I stayed home everything would be ok.
At 12 weeks pregnant, I stood up after dinner and felt a huge warm and wet gush. I was bleeding and should have been scared but wasn’t. I stayed surprisingly calm, and called my midwife who wanted me to go get an ultrasound at the hospital. But when I connected with the twins and asked them if they were ok or if I should go in, I received the message that they did not want another ultrasound and they were ok. I went home and rested and there was no more bleeding after that.
Even though my first birth and postpartum recovery didn’t go as I had hoped, I decided to stay with the birth center and one of the midwives because she knew my medical trauma history and I felt comfortable with her. At my 34 week home visit appointment (Friday, May 12) I was measuring 47 weeks/centimeters and feeling very uncomfortable but determined to keep the twins in until 36 weeks when I would be cleared to have a homebirth. Anything before then, the birth center midwives would not be allowed to deliver and I would have to go to the hospital. My appointment went well, just like all the others. No cause for concern and the midwife said the next time she would be seeing me would be when I was in labor. But later that night, I received a text message from her saying after talking to the other midwife, she was mistaken and I needed to start going in for weekly biophysical profiles, another ultrasound at 37 weeks, if they weren’t born by then and more appointments and bloodwork done at the birth center. After researching what a biophysical profile was, I knew that would stress both me and the babies out and not something I wanted to expose them too. It went against our plan of relaxing and remaining as stress free as possible before they were born. Also, I was so big and uncomfortable, I could hardly move. So the thought of traveling the hour to the birth center for weekly appointments also worried me when I knew the babies were okay. I worried about it all weekend but knew I had to do what they suggested so they didn’t decide against assisting me in my homebirth.
Four days later (Tuesday, May 16), I received a phone call from the midwife who said she talked to the other midwife again and they decided it was too risky to deliver the twins at home and I should just pick a hospital. She said she could accompany me to the hospital and I told her I’d let her know what I decided by Friday. I was extremely upset as this came out of nowhere and through tears, texted my friend and chiropractor (Jenna) as I was still on the phone with the midwife and told her what was happening. She called three midwives for me who all said they were full and gave me the contact information for a fourth. She didn’t know this midwife personally, but had some patients who had said good things about their experience with her.
I looked up her website and arranged a free zoom consultation with her for the following morning. Luckily, she had an opening right away so I could put my mind at ease. I kept thinking this has to be happening for a reason and it will turn out better than I could imagine and I felt the babies agree. After I submitted the form, I received a text message from her asking if I could push our appointment back an hour because her daughter had piano lessons. I took this as a good sign that she would be available for me because if she wasn’t she could have just told me in that text message. So I agreed and we were set to talk the next day.
That morning, (Wednesday, May 17) I talked to Alisha and as soon as I heard her voice I instantly felt better. She sounded so peaceful and calm and before I told her any pregnancy details I asked if there was any way she was available to deliver twins on such short notice. She said yes and I cried tears of relief. We set up for her to come to my house on Friday, May 19 to meet Alex and I and go over my health and pregnancy history. When I told her what I had been doing to prepare my body and mind for a successful homebirth, she said I was a midwife’s dream and she felt confident in helping me achieve the physiological birth I desired.
Later that night as I was getting ready for bed, I ran into the end of the bed, stumbled and fell forward. Luckily Alex was there to catch me before I fell to the floor. I banged my shin and thought the worst that would happen was I would get a bruise. I went to bed and didn’t think anything more of it. When I woke up two hours later to use the bathroom, I felt a sharp stab and a pop. I thought, “oh no,” and then gush! My water broke. I yelled for Alex but felt really calm even though it was way earlier than I thought it would be. 40 weeks would have been June 27th and the 36 weeks required by the birth center was May 30th. The midwife, Alisha, and her team were comfortable attending a twin birth at 35 weeks with my informed choice to stay home. Thankfully, when Alisha had texted me about pushing the zoom meeting an hour later, I had her phone number. Otherwise, I would have had to call the other midwife and go to a hospital.
I called her around midnight and told her my water broke. She arrived a couple hours later and another midwife (Rebecca) and two birth assistants arrived after that. I texted Jenna and told her my water broke and asked if she would come. She came around 8am that morning (Thursday, May 18) and was an amazing asset. She brought her portable table and gave me an adjustment and then gave counter pressure for every contraction she was there for. She reminded me to breathe, drop my shoulders and to open.
I labored in the bath and shower for a while. By this point in my pregnancy, sitting and laying down comfortably was basically impossible so trying to do that while in labor was even worse. I basically just stood by the side of the bed and hung on to Alex during each contraction.
I was trying to trust my body to do what it needed to do but my feet were getting so sore from standing for so long. Alisha asked my permission to check and see what was happening with Baby A (she later told me it was because a full, pulsing cord was presenting first - which is only safe if in combination with baby being in the complete breech position and the cord being between the baby’s legs, not compressed, and baby’s heart tones doing well). I agreed because I was so ready to have a baby by this point! After she felt the baby inside it was confirmed that Baby A was coming out breech-butt first! I really started bearing down and pushing and screaming through each contraction to push that baby out. When her butt and foot popped out, I felt so much relief. It felt like I had just delivered a baby and I heard everyone say, “Good job! You did it!” So I totally thought they meant that I had just had a baby. Then another contraction and I felt the urge to push again and when I did, it felt like I had the other baby! I was so happy to be done. But then I looked down and only saw one baby! I said, “There’s only one! I thought I was done!” And then realized the relief I felt was the butt and then the second gush and relief was her head. Ten hours had already passed since my water broke and I had to do it all over again for the second baby.
I got to hold baby Sedona for a little bit before I had to give her up because the contractions started again and were too much for me to hold her through them. Luckily, she had a long cord and I was able to lay her down on the bed so she could get as much cord blood in her as possible before it was cut as there was no way I could get on the bed with her. It was so hard to have to keep standing there and pushing instead of resting and holding my new baby. Alex got to hold her after he cut her cord and that was an odd feeling to have the rest of the cord hanging out of me for the next two hours as I tried to get her brother out. It would hit my legs as I walked back and forth from the bedroom to the shower and bathtub.
I had written my birth announcement before they were born and predicted fifteen minutes between the two. I was wrong. It was going on two hours of constant contractions trying to get Baby B out. I didn’t feel any progress and my feet were so sore and tired. I tried to get some relief in the tub and then ended up laying on my side in bed to get off my feet. I finally started to feel some progress and movement like the baby was descending. But as I was laying on my side, his heart rate was dropping and they urged me to do what I had to do to get him out and get him out fast. I jumped up and stood by the side of the bed and pushed and screamed even harder. Rebecca (the second midwife) asked if she could check and said he was coming out en caul but was also collapsing my cervix down into my vagina. My cervix had started to close up before he was through. She assisted by pushing my cervix up over his head and breaking his water to help him out. As I felt him gush out and heard his cries, I heard one of the birth assistants on the phone say to cancel the ambulance as the baby was breathing and doing well. I had no idea 911 was called and that there was any sense of emergency as the birth team stayed so calm during the process. Had I known, I’m not sure I would have been able to get him out like I did. I would have panicked and the outcome could have been much different.
Instead, I finally got to sit on the bed and relax and hold my new babies in the safety and comfort of my own home. My babies weren’t taken from me and placed in the NICU and I didn’t have to recover from a c-section. Sedona weighed 4 pounds 11 ounces and Gordon was 4 pounds 10 ounces. Even with delivering her butt first, I didn’t tear or feel traumatized as I did after my first who came out head first. Even when it was time to deliver their placentas, Alisha didn’t make me get up. It just slid out when it was ready which was also better than last time.
Everything was so worth it and really did turn out better than I could have hoped for. I trusted my babies, I trusted my body, I trusted my choices and I was fortunate enough to last minute find a birth team who trusted me.
Midwife Notes:
I am so blessed and thankful to have met Stephanie and her family! When I mentioned her being a “midwife’s dream” - I meant it. Stephanie and her babies’ outcome at home had so much to do with God’s plan (having not met her yet in person! Her calm, poise, and knowledge for a home birth was all part of God’s goodness!), and Stephanie caring and nourishing her body so well during her pregnancy! Our phone call the day before her water broke was tearful, joyful, and exciting - we all felt God was working and in control of it all. Her response to my question when asked, “what role do you want your midwife to fill?” was “helping me do what my body IS made to do.” That is my mission as a midwife - helping women do what your body IS made to do. I may not have known all the details regarding the babies’ and Stephanie’s extensive health history, but in this situation I knew God was leading me there.
Things Stephanie did and worked for that prepared her body, mind and soul are:
The spiritual/soul connection, communication, and intuition with her and her babies’
Brewer’s Diet x2 ! Also note - Stephanie did not bleed more than she could handle because of how well she nourished her body with the right nutrients to labor/birth two babies and prepare for blood loss with two placentas. It was incredible to witness! She also is still exclusively breastfeeding both babies.
Her very own herbal garden tea infusions daily
Reducing stress (including trusting God had a plan even when her original birth team left the situation - I believe partly why labor started when it did was because Stephanie had reached peace)
Regular chiropractor, craniosacral, and pelvic floor therapy - all encompassing bodywork and exercise at home
Natural remedies and support options throughout pregnancy including homeopathics and herbs
““I hope by Stephanie sharing her story that other twin mama’s are blessed and informed about what your body IS made to do.”
”
