Riana & Sydney's Birth Story

When I found out I was pregnant, I was very excited to find a birth center and midwives that did waterbirth. I had heard many horror stories about hospital births and wasn't looking forward to having any of them happen to me. Everything was going really well, I was having a great pregnancy.

Then at six months, I went for an ultrasound and found out I was having twins. The news came as a complete shock! My measurements so far had been completely normal and we had only heard one heartbeat. We hadn't even suspected.

It took a while for the news to sink in, but after we thought about it my husband and I became very excited. This changed a lot of things though. We would have to have a hospital birth because my midwives felt it would be safer. I set out looking for the perfect doctor, and found him. He was very laid back, much like a midwife. And he said he would allow my midwives in the delivery room to help me through a natural birth.

By my eighth month I was as big as a house. One night I started having chest pains and couldn't even lay down. I went to the hospital and got millions of tests run on my heart and lungs. Everything appeared to be fine. The babies, at five and six pounds, were so big that they were pushing everything up and causing my chest pains. There wasn't any room left for them to go. I was released from the hospital and my doctor asked to see me the next day. I hadn't slept for 1 1/2 days.

The following day, my doctor gave me the option to induce labor. He left it completely up to me, which I was very thankful for. I agreed to it and went to the hospital at 11:00 pm that night to be induced. I was excited and scared at the same time. I had dreamed about that day but hadn't quite pictured it this way.

I called my midwives to let them know we were at the hospital, and that they could come when they wanted. They kept me company all night. It was a very long night! I was having contractions but not really bad. Around noon, I started having pretty good contractions. But I was relaxed and my husband and midwives were wonderful, helping me with whatever I needed.

My transition period took forever. I was stuck at 8 cm., and the contractions were getting very painful. My doctor finally came in and said that even though I was only 8 cm. dilated, my contractions were strong enough, and my cervix thin enough that I could start pushing right away.

This was what I had been waiting for.

They wheeled me to the surgical room. I couldn't deliver in the regular delivery rooms because I refused to have an epidural. With twins there is more of a chance of complications so they wanted to be in the right place just in case. I pushed for about 10 minutes, and my first daughter was born, Riana Shae, whom we named later after we had seen both girls. They told me the next one would come out fast and easy. They were wrong about that. My second daughter, Sydney Alexis, was born exactly twenty minutes later, about a full pound heavier and with a bigger head. By then I didn't care.

I have two beautiful daughters. They are now seven months old. I stay at home with them every day and love seeing how they develop. They are amazing little beings and I wouldn't trade them for anything.