One month before the due date of my twins…

My water broke at 2am on a Saturday in August, 2018.

It wasn’t the way it happens in the movies, with a sudden gush like a water balloon bursting. It was more of a trickle, but I knew I hadn’t just peed myself (although that wouldn’t have surprised me all that much in the third trimester – my bladder had abandoned all self control by now).

I was surprisingly calm, having just realized that this was the start of labour: the girls were coming.

I shook my husband awake and told him that my water had broken. Groggily, he asked if I was sure. When I said I was, he sat up in bed, now wide awake and said with such seriousness,

“Let’s do this.”

Contractions didn’t start right away; they eased their way in. At first, they were so mild that I thought to myself (with the naivity of a first-time-mom), “Oh this isn’t so bad.” They got worse. So much worse.

Hours later…but what felt like days…

It was actually my husband who asked if I needed an epidural; at that point I was crying from the pain and I could barely speak (it felt like someone was kicking me in the ribs over and over again). All I could do was nod.

The epidural was magical; it made the pain go away just like that.

To the mamas who give birth without an epidural – I applaud you, you’re one badass mama.

Even more hours later…

Since I was having twins, I was taken to the operating room as a precaution in case anything went wrong with one or both babies.

In the OR, I was surrounded by a team of women, chanting “push, push, push” (the doctor lost her voice after the delivery!) The whole experience in that room was surreal. My husband recalls that he had never seen that much strength and girl power in one room, that it left him awestruck.

What I remember most, was pushing for what seemed like forever. And then, Isabella arrived.

We saw Bella’s beautiful face briefly, before she was whisked away to the special care unit. She initially had trouble breathing, along with low blood sugar levels and sporadic core temperature. But she was going to be OK.

Liliana arrived an hour later, and was placed on my husband’s chest for skin-to-skin bonding. She looked really fragile, but also surprisingly big (how did two of them even fit in my belly?!)

As soon as I gave birth to Lili, my body tanked.

I had a pretty serious hemorrhage that the doctor and her team had to find the cause of and plug before I lost too much blood. My blood pressure soared, I couldn’t stop shaking and vomiting. It took my body a few days to rebound, but it did. Our bodies are amazing, aren’t they?

A few days later…

My girls and I were discharged and arrived home four days later. Bella had stayed in the special care unit during that time for monitoring, but overall, both girls were deemed as healthy babies.

To the mamas who have/had babies in NICU, Special Care unit – my heart goes out to you, you’re one strong mama.

Seeing my baby girl in an incubator was one of the hardest things I’ve had to deal with, but she’s a fighter and made it out fine.

Every birth story is different and with its own challenges.

Giving birth to twins was, and will always be, the hardest and most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life. I wouldn’t take that experience back for anything.

To you mama, whether you gave birth to one, two, or multiple babies; whether it was a c-section or vaginal birth; whether you delivered in a hospital or at home – I give you the biggest of high fives, you’re one inspirational mama.

You brought life into this world; you can do anything.

You got this, mama.

Let’s connect – I’d love to hear your birth story!