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 people 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 genders 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.
When they reached out about documenting this birth story, I was ecstatic and honored to be trusted again with 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 that would help.
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, 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!
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.
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!
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
The delivery of twin A and the gender announced by dad…. a BOY!
Then twin B, again announced by dad… a BOY! How perfect is that?
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.
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 out sharing genders with them, and oh man, the excitement was the best. Another beautiful moment captured in their birth video below.
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!
The joy of a joyful twin birth is captured beautifully in their story!
