A Joyful Twin Birth Story

A Double Surprise

This twin birth story is double the surprise on so many levels! You may ask what the odds are of having two sets of naturally occurring twins. This joyful twin birth was truly special for this family who found out!

Be sure to watch their birth film at the end of this post, it is the best!

Surprise: A Second Twin Birth

I met this family two years ago when they contacted me about documenting their first twin birth. From our first meeting (a Zoom call to see if we connected), I was fully invested in these two and their birth story. Jessica and Aaron are incredible humans who instantly draw you into their dynamic personalities and amazing energy. Their excitement about welcoming a set of twins was so fun to witness. Then, we had our face-to-face meeting (included in all birth stories), and I got an even better feel for their connection and personalities. Our conversations felt so easy and authentic that I left their home even more excited to capture this time in their lives. What made it even more fun was they didn’t find out their gender and wanted that to be a fun surprise for their birth.

Unfortunately, they delivered preterm while I was hiking in the northwest, which made it impossible for me to make their delivery. It was such a bummer, but the most joyous part about that birth experience was they had twin girls! Delivering early, they ended up having a NICU stay. There was a lot to process with that birth experience. Still, in classic Winder style, they faced all those emotions and processed and dove straight into being incredible twin parents.

dad taking a picture of his wife in the hospital before a cesarean section

When they reached out about documenting this birth story, I was ecstatic and honored to be again trusted during such an important time in their lives. This time, they planned a scheduled cesarean birth, which added some restrictions on having me present in the operating room. Most hospitals in our Las Vegas Valley only allow one support person in the operating room for C-sections. Although their amazing OB, Dr. Harter advocated for me to be present, Centennial Hospital was adamant about sticking with policy. We talked about how things might look and didn’t give up hope that things might change on delivery day. I presented my code of ethics and knowledge of the OR, hoping things would change.

two nurses admitting a mother on labor and delivery before a scheduled cesarean
black and white image of a woman in a hospital bed on labor and delivery

I planned to document whatever I could before and after the operating room. Aaron would take my backup camera in with him. I gave him a quick tutorial, and he practiced, and everyone stayed optimistic. Because they didn’t know genders, some of the most emotive and joyful moments would be them finding what each baby was, and oh man, how I wanted to capture that on video!

dad leaning over his wife's belly talking to their twin children inside the womb
dad putting on disposable scrubs before their scheduled twin cesarean birth
mother in hospital bed and father in bedside chair patiently waiting for surgery time on labor and delivery

Jessica had done a lot of work before this day, processing any trauma she had from her first birth experience. She came into this space prepared with tools to help her process any anxiety that arose. Although the mood was so light and fun, you could see some of those emotions bubble up occasionally. They leaned into each other, and she used those tools to stay grounded. One of the challenging parts was a bit of a delay in surgery time, which added some extra time spent waiting. One of their main hopes was to avoid a NICU stay with this delivery. With their girls at home and still so young, they knew it would be hard to manage home and the NICU.

image of fetal monitoring screen in the hospital for twin monitoring
husband kissing his wife's cheek while she lies in a hospital bed on labor and delivery
woman closing her eyes and re-grounding herself as she sits in a hospital bed before her scheduled cesarean.
room clock telling the time to track the time periods during a birth story

Finally, their OB was on the unit and once again advocated for me to be present in the OR. We were blessed enough to have the charge nurse (who I worked with for many years on L&D) advocate for me as well. What a blessing to this family! Cesarean families miss out on so many moments other families get to experience around their birth, and I honestly believe having their birth documented helps them not only see the beauty in their birth but also helps them process their experience!

woman in a hospital bed wearing a bonnet for the operating room while on fetal monitor
woman grounding herself with husband's hand on her chest while closing her eyes and deep breathing

This joyful twin birth was filled with love and laughter.

Dr Harter talking with a family before their scheduled cesarean section at Centennial Hills Hospital
husband leaning over his wife for a kiss before they are wheeled back to the operating room for the birth of their twins
husband being supportive at the bedside of his wife while she is awaiting a scheduled cesarean for their twins
Father waiting outside the operating room as they prepare his wife for a c-section

Finally, they were in the OR and it was really happening. The excitement was palpable and the mood so joyous.

The Joyful Surprise: Finding Out Gender

woman lying on the operating room table making eye contact with her partner as she waits for surgery to start for their twin delivery
black and white image of a twin cesarean delivery with twin A being held up for his parents to see

The delivery of twin A and the gender announced by dad…. a BOY!

image of a second twin being delivered via c-section at a Las Vegas hospital

Then twin B, again announced by dad… a BOY! How perfect is that?

black and white image of a twin delivery at Centennial Hills hospital in Las Vegas
Father standing beside his son in the operating room as the newborn exam is performed

Both boys were healthy and vigorous, but as their assessments continued, they required oxygen, so the tough decision was made to transfer to the nursery and possibly the NICU if needed. Dad followed along, and I returned to their room to wait for mom to leave the operating room.

father following the nursery team as twins are transferred from the operating room to the nursery

By the time Jessica came out of the operating room, Aaron had come out of the nursery with an update on both babies. Her parents had been anxiously waiting in the lobby to see how things went and to find out her gender. They really drug it out, and oh man, the excitement was the best. Another beautiful moment is captured in their birth video below.

parents at the bedside of their daughter after she delivered twins in the hospital
father kissing his daughter on the forehead after he visits her in the hospital following the delivery of her twin sons

Of course, when the boys were released from the NICU, I offered to come capture big sisters meeting their new baby brothers. Birth goes beyond the moment babies are delivered; it is a family experience. As families grow and change together, there is so much beautiful story to capture. I’m happy they were up for it, and although these moments were a bit chaotic, they were so incredibly perfect. Both big sisters took turns taking in the little details and were curious. And just like that.. Winder family of 6!

twin girls meeting their new twin brothers at home

The joy of a joyful twin birth is captured beautifully in their story!

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DOCUMENTARY BIRTH PHOTOS & FILM

DOCUMENTARY BIRTH PHOTOS & FILM