Lyndsey Altice had just birthed her baby and thought she could finally relax – until she felt another ‘ring of fire’, and along came another baby.
The US mum had no idea she was pregnant with twins – several ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅs had only picked up one baby, and dopplers had only heard one heartbeat. And the incredible surprise birth. Mum-of-one Lyndsey thought it was a bit off that she’d put on a little more weight with her second pregnancy, especially given her son Django was a nine-pound baby. This pregnancy had been trying – ᴛᴇʀʀɪʙʟᴇ morning sɪᴄᴋɴᴇss and a month of ᴅᴇʙɪʟɪᴛᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴍɪɢʀᴀɪɴᴇs.
Lyndsey was planning for a home birth after already having one with her son, and hadn’t intended on having any ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅs, but towards the end of her pregnancy ᴍɪᴅᴡɪᴠᴇs sᴜsᴘᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ her baby may be ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ, and so recommended an ultrasound. After 2 times Uʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅs , doctors only saw 1 heartbeat.
On July 12th with a ʀᴜᴘᴛᴜʀᴇᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ. Lindsey had the support of her sister as she went to hospital to get ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋᴇᴅ ɪɴ, ᴀɴᴅ ɢᴏᴛ sᴇᴛᴛʟᴇᴅ in for her birth.
“My ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs didn’t take long to get strong. By 2:20pm I was having the ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs. Got in the tub, I wasn’t supposed to birth in the tub but by the time I felt like I needed to push was already already crowning and there was no getting out. So I had my first with two pushes, I remember my first words were, ‘IT’S SO TINY!!’.
“Then I had another huge contraction, one nurse said, ‘Oh it’s probably the placenta already coming’. Another said, ‘Oh it’s a water bag! I’ve never seen that before’. And in my head I’m screaming, ‘It’s ANOTHER ring of fire!!!’. My second came less than two minutes after my first with another two pushes and she was born encaul. I was just in sʜᴏᴄᴋ, the staff was sʜᴏᴄᴋed and I wish I had someone taking pictures of my husband because I’m ʙʟɪɴᴅ and couldn’t see his expression.”
Ada Maze and Billie June arrived within two minutes of each other, and incredibly they weighed and ᴍᴇᴀsᴜʀᴇᴅ ᴇxᴀᴄᴛʟʏ the same. Both were 6lb 11oz and 50cm.
“They had the same ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴛʏᴘᴇ and each had exactly three hairs that were about three inches longer than the rest of their hair (STILL have them too!) They restarted the machine three times to weigh them because they couldn’t believe they were exactly the same weight and height!
“It was beautiful, I’m not even upset about not having a home birth again. Everything couldn’t have been more perfectly sᴇʀᴇɴᴅɪᴘɪᴛᴏᴜs. They both ᴘᴀssᴇᴅ their APGAR with a 10/10 which they said they hardly ever give any babies let alone twins! We were free to go after 24 hours, no NICU time. I happily took an extra day because my insurance covered it and I wanted the lactation support and room service. I think I got a visit from every staff member during my stay, I don’t think people believed it actually happened and had to see for themselves.
“I did have a dream while I was pregnant with them that I gave birth to two really tiny baby girls and one extremely big boy. Now I have two baby girls and a three-year-old son! Too ᴄʀᴀᴢʏ” she said
