In this episode of The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I had my friend (and doula!) Stephanie come on the show to share her unique twin birth story!
A lot of people don’t realize that twins do NOT have to be born via C-section. Tons of mamas are able to birth their twins vaginally. Your ability to do this depends mostly on the way the presenting baby is positioned. If they are head down, you’ll often get the green light for a vaginal birth.
What’s interesting is that in some cases one baby can be born vaginally, and then the second baby needs a C-section. And well, that’s exactly how this twin birth story played out!
Here’s a little overview of how things went down…tune in for the FULL story!
- A bit about Stephanie’s first birth to set the stage (5:21)
- Three years later she went through fertility treatments again (18:37)
- She went to 38 weeks (22:30)
- Twin A was born, but where is Twin B? (28:58)
- Three very different births!
- Want to erase anxiety and actually feel excited about birth?
- Have an even better birth!
- About Stephanie Sinclair
A bit about Stephanie’s first birth to set the stage (5:21)
Stephanie shares that she and her husband were ready to have a baby very shortly after they got married, but she struggled with infertility for a long time. After still not getting pregnant through many medications and injections she felt like she was reaching a breaking point. She no longer felt optimistic and things got really dark and heavy.
But after that, she did get pregnant! And gave birth to a healthy baby girl who is now 6 years old! What was really interesting about Stephanie’s first birth was what they discovered when her placenta came out.
Basically, her placenta and the umbilical cord had a few different atypical characteristics that hint at the fact that it was prepared to care for more than one baby in there. You’ll here Stephanie talk more about these details and share her theory on how she thinks there may have been twins at the start of this pregnancy, too.
Three years later she went through fertility treatments again (18:37)
When her first was three years old, Stephanie and her husband decided that they were ready to expand their family! So, they went through IUI again, and this time it was totally different. Everything went really smoothly and she had a positive pregnancy test after the first round!
Stephanie said that she had a hunch from the minute of implantation that she was pregnant with twins, and her first ultrasound confirmed her suspicion. She shares how she felt during the actual ultrasound and that immediately some thoughts of shock started spiraling in her head.
She goes on to talk about the fact that she had a super healthy pregnancy with no complications. She talks about how at 34 weeks Baby A was head down which meant she could try for a vaginal birth! At this point they knew Baby B was breech, but her provider was still okay with her birthing vaginally which she was very happy about!
She went to 38 weeks (22:30)
At 38 weeks, they decided to start her on a very low dose of Pitocin to try to get things going. In addition to a low amount of Pitocin, she was doing other techniques to try to get her body to takeover and start the labor process.
She shares about how her parents brought her daughter to the hospital to see her during her induction and that after she got to see her daughter, full blown labor started! The power of oxytocin in labor is real, you guys!
Tune in to hear about how her labor progressed, how she managed the pain, and her reasoning behind her goal of an unmedicated twin birth!
Twin A was born, but where is Twin B? (28:58)
Well, Stephanie achieved her goal of no epidural, and birthed Baby A! In her words,
“Like this perfect, beautiful little boy. And I remember seeing these moments of just getting to know him and looking at him and just falling in love. And then all of a sudden remembering that, like, I still have another baby to have!
I could tell she was not anywhere near my pelvis. She was very high, and she was in this little ball on my right side. I remember looking at my husband, and I was like, this isn’t good. I just kind of knew right away like something’s not right. Why is she so high?”
Stephanie describes how her labor shifted and changed when she was only laboring Baby B. She had insane back labor, and she wasn’t able to get up and move around. When you listen in you will hear all of these vivid details!
So, it turned out that Stephanie was going to need a C-Section to get Baby B out safely, and when she finally arrived she was the biggest baby Stephanie had birthed – including her singleton! Twin B arrived at 7lbs 10oz! (37:00)
What’s more, it was a different day at this point! Stephanie’s twins actually have different birthdays.
Three very different births!
In two pregnancies, Stephanie had the incredibly unique experience of having THREE totally different births. And her doctor, who knew she was a doula, said to her,
“Think about how many more women you are going to be able to support because of having three very different birth experiences.”
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About Stephanie Sinclair
Stephanie is from Minnesota. She is a wife of 8 years to her husband, Brian, who is a Golf Professional. She is also a mom of three, including twins. She loves to spend her days home with her six year old daughter and boy/girl two year old twins. She lives for nights out with her husband and scrapbooking getaways with her girlfriends. She is also pretty much obsessed with motherhood and thinks the world of other moms, babies, birth, and all things positive!
Because of her love for women, especially moms, Stephanie founded How 2 Mom in 2015. How 2 Mom is a community and support group for all moms. They also offer birth services for prenatal, birth, and postpartum care and have a team of birth professionals. They share tips, tricks, products, and stories through How 2 Mom’s blog.
Stephanie strives to be the type of influencer through How 2 Mom that showcases all sides of motherhood; the good and the hard! After becoming a new mom she noticed that this type of community was missing in her own circle of influence, so she created it. She has a vision of a one-stop-shop since motherhood is already so overwhelming. She’s even created a Resource Directory on the website featuring a loyal list of professionals for their mom community.
Since creating this dynamic and authentic community, they’ve gained a strong and loyal community who voted How 2 Mom as Parent Blogger of the Year in 2018. How 2 Mom has also been featured on podcasts and hosts monthly events and support groups to connect, support, and educate women on all things motherhood. Be on the lookout for her upcoming online program for moms and The Mom 2 Mom Podcast!
Connect with Stephanie:
- On her website: https://www.how2mom.com/
- Over on Instagram: @how2mom
- Or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/how2mom
