12/19/2025
‼️Trigger ‼️
….birth complication and transport… but also a wonderful outcome by the grace of God and everyone doing their part.
Emily came to me early on the pregnancy. I had helped take care of some of hers and her husband’s family and they decided they felt comfortable with me too after we interviewed.
About 17 weeks in it seemed like there was a bit more growth than usual and we decided to do an ultrasound.
Lo and behold a set of mono/di identical twins! Emily’s mother had passed away a couple of years ago, and had always wanted twin grandbabies. It felt like a gift from Heaven.
The rest of the pregnancy went so well! She ate and supplemented as needed and her body did fabulous!
Usually by 40 weeks twin babies are ready to be here, but her mother had longer pregnancies. So although Emily tried some gentle things to nudge babies out it didn’t work. But, at 40 weeks 5 days. She was awakened with contractions. She had had some contractions that went away before and these didn’t seem that different, so she went back to bed. These were different though...
At 2 AM Emily called to tell me her water broke and the water was clear. I told her I would get dressed and come check on them.
5 minutes later her husband called and spoke words that shook me. “The cord is hanging out of her vagina”
Emily had gone to the bathroom and when she did, she noticed it. She told me later “it was pulsing strongly and full of life!” What a good sign!
In that moment I had to search for words to a second, and then told Lindel exactly what we have to do in this situation. “I need her to get in knee chest position…”
Once that was done I said, “who’s calling 911 you or me.”. After some discussion he took that job. I told him this was going to be a C section, and these little hospitals need time to get a team. So I was going to hang up so I could make sure they could be ready.
I called the closest one and they were so understaffed they asked if I could call elsewhere! 🫣
I called the next closest one and got a nurse who took the information. I repeated the information G1, P0, twins, first baby breech, cord prolaps. We need an OR!”
She said, “If we are doing this I need to start calling the team!”. I told her I would see her soon.
I called Lindel back and asked him if I should come to them or meet them at the hospital. Somehow I was already to the turn off for their house and he said come there. I ran in and took over holding baby upwards and stimulating him to keep his heart rate up, and the crew loaded her into the ambulance with me continuing support.
At one point Lindel asked if he could ride with and as the paramedic tried to tell him to meet them there, a voice you don’t argue with rose from Emily “My husband IS coming with me.” And that was the end of that.
We tried to listen to heart tones but couldn’t find them with her in that position and holding baby upwards was what the focus had to be.
We arrived at the hospital, met outside by nurses ready for us. 13 people had rushed to help in the middle of the night. They took over and checked heart tones. Baby was at 70, baby B was 150. They were going to put her under general anesthesia and do the C section, and told us babies would be out in 4 minutes.
I told Lindel and the EMT who was with us 70 wasn’t what I had feared in this situation and I thought he could recover. That it had likely been higher before they changed her position.
Lindel hugged me and told me thank you for coming and helping them and I started praying aloud and let tears slip down my cheeks now that my part was done and we were where they could help.
They had let us stand where we could see through small windows in the OR doors. Baby B came out first, and he was pink and crying! We all held our breaths waiting for the baby whose cord brought us all together.
He came out pink! He had some tone! And then the seconds went ticking by…. But it wasn’t very long until we heard that cry!!! He would be ok! He was Ok!
It had been an hour and 14 minutes since the cord pr*****ed. This felt like a pure miracle.
By 40 minutes later both babies were doing well and the second baby out no longer needed help with breathing. They brought them out did a quick weight 7 lb 4 ounces and 7 lb 1 ounce. Then straight into Daddy’s arms. His parents had arrived and Grandma and Grandpa were there to gaze in awe at their little miracle grandsons.
Then the doctor let us know the cord had also been velamentous. Which is where the veins that make the cord go through the bag of water before forming the cord, which is much more fragile. Not seen in all 5 ultrasounds… Another miracle he was ok.
Emily woke from surgery a bit groggy as expected. Lindel’s mother and Lindel brought her her babies and put one on each side of her their cheeks to hers… she cooed at them and calmed them with her voice and then all of the sudden said in an emotional confuse voice, “wait… am I dreaming?” When we assured her she wasn’t, and then she wept…”but there are two! They’re both alive!”
The rest is a blur of getting to a postpartum room, and all of the normal things.
The next day I went to visit them and heard how one of the elders from their church had texted Lindel that morning and asked if they were ok because the Lord had woken him up at 2 am and impressed on him to pray for them specifically. Her water broke at 2:15. Since then 3 other people have come forward saying they also were awake and praying at that time.
Even in the biggest of emergencies God was there. This outcome meant that everyone had to do their part and well… Dad had to be able to hear my instructions, the response team had to support and get us there quickly, the OB and OR team had to work quickly and precisely. (They also had an IPAD with the NICU at the bigger hospital watching baby B and guiding the doctors and nurses in how to help him more efficiently)
…but even with all of that… it would have been nothing without true protection and provision from God for it to turn out this well.
It’s one of those moments I will relive and give thanks for, for the rest of my life!
…And here we are over a month later with babies and mama thriving!
I am so grateful that they allowed me to share their birth story with you, and also the grace of God. Even when the unexpected happens, He is in the midst of it.
