Twin birth stories are always a good read, so I thought I'd pop on and share mine. We're so excited the twins are finally here. The memories in this post are ones I will cherish forever.

Let’s start back on Tues, Feb 18. I’m 34 weeks 3 days, and was up all night tracking contractions. They weren’t super strong, but more consistent than usual. I debated going to L&D but decided to wait and just get checked by my doc in the morning. They squeezed me in for an apt, and I showed up haggard and sleep-derived.

She checked me, I was dilated to 3.5 and 80% effaced. Not knowing how quickly my body would deliver with twins, my doc advised me to “just DON’T labor at home. It’s safer for you to just come in every day if you have to.”

That day I enjoyed a lunch with my twin mama friends. That night around 10pm we gave the baby monitor to my Bro & SIL who live in our basement apartment & decided to head to L&D after having consistent contractions again. (…after first, hurrying to pack our bags and do a few last minute things in the nursery JUST in case.)

Around 11:15 they got me a robe and checked me. The nurse said “oh boy – you’re a 5.5, 90% effaced, and that is a SUPER bulgy water sac. There’s no way we are sending you home!” My heart leapt with joy – BABIES ARE COMING!

TWIN BIRTH STORIES CONTINUED…

Keep reading to finish this twin baby rollercoaster and watch our birth video! It's stunning! I'm so grateful to @Lizzyography and Krissi Cook for capturing these beautiful memories for us.

Alright! Back to the story! And picture overload!!

I got my epidural, catheter, and IV’s and things were moving along. Since I was only 34wks, I had gotten 1 of 2 steroid shots at my apt and couldn’t get my next until 6am. I also needed Penicillin since I hadn’t been tested for GroupB strep yet. So they pumped me full of fluids and did everything they could to slow down my labor. I made it to 6am, got the 2nd steroid shot, and my doc stopped by. She checked me, declared me a 5 and only 80% effaced. Her response was exact opposite of the nurse. Basically, “it’s too early for these babies, we will keep you in the hospital for 3 weeks if we have to, but these babies need to cook longer.”

Not going to lie, that crushed me. 

I could NOT fathom going home at a 5/5.5, after getting an EPIDURAL, even! I knew it was best for the babies but–Ugh! I hurt! They wouldn’t even let me go to the bathroom; NOTHING to encourage labor. By about 5 or 6pm my contractions had petered off enough that they let me discharge and go home (thank goodness), with the promise that I’d take it easy.

THE WAITING GAME

Over the next few weeks I walked around, miserable as ever. I got checked weekly by my doctor, and though my contractions continued (especially at night), I never progressed past 5/5.5. My body was WRECKED from going into labor at 34 weeks. I have never experienced anything quite like it. I felt like I had been hit by a truck. It made those last few weeks difficult, to say the least. I mean, those babies dropped SO. DANG. LOW. 😳

On Saturday March 7 I turned 37 weeks. That night my Utah family went out to dinner to celebrate mine and my moms' birthdays. At dinner I was extremely uncomfortable. Which was nothing new, but it definitely was getting worse day by day. I was having a hard time enjoying myself because I was exceptionally uncomfortable thanks to steady contractions and other symptoms.

I started tracking my contractions as I was getting ready for bed that night. I never ended up sleeping. By about 1am I decided to head to the hospital to get checked. My contractions weren’t necessarily painful, but they were fairly strong and between 3-5 mins apart. My biggest fear was dilating to a six or seven and not making it to the hospital in time. Since my doctors appointment wasn’t for several days I figured it would be important for me to get checked so I could have peace of mind through the weekend.

TO THE HOSPITAL – TAKE 2!!

I woke Bubba up, told him that I was going to head to the hospital and would let him know what they say, and that he should stay with the kids in the meantime until we know for sure what’s going on, and then drove myself to Labor & Delivery. #ThePageTwins✌🏻

I arrived at the hospital around 1:30am on Sunday March 8…my birthday! To my surprise, I was the ONLY one on the floor! That has never happened! It felt like a ghost town.

Another fun surprise was seeing my friend Darcey from our old neighborhood! She’s a L&D nurse, and somehow, even though I’ve delivered at this hospital 5 times, she’s never been on shift when I’ve delivered. So it was so fun to be with her all night!

I explained to the nurses at the desk that I just wanted to get checked to make sure I wasn’t dilating further; I didn’t want to get fully admitted, because the walk of shame would basically kill me at this point 😜

Darcey and another nurse checked me and both concurred with certainty that I was dilated to a 7/7.5 and there’s absolutely no way I could be sent home. And since I was 37 weeks…
BABIES WERE OFFICIALLY COMING!!

I honestly wanted to cry, I was so relieved and excited!

I called Bubba, then called my mom. Bubba went to our basement apartment to wake up my brother Nate & SIL Shelby and ask them to watch the kids for us until my mom could get there in the morning. 
While I waited for Bubba to arrive, they called the anesthesiologist who zipped over in record time from his house. I told them I was fine to get the epidural so long as they could swear on their lives that there was absolutely no chance that they could send me home. #PTSD 🤪

Around 3am Bubba arrived with our bags and such. The rest of the night was spent laboring, chatting with the nurses, and updating our family & employees. Bubba got a little shut-eye, but I had too much going on to sleep. 

By 7:30am I hadn’t progressed much past 7/7.5cm. We were essentially waiting for my 🤬water to break to get the party started, or for my doctor to arrive and break my water, give Pitocin, or whatever else. She arrived a while later and decided to break my water. She had the nurses get pitocin ready but didn’t end up needing it.

ONCE MY WATER BROKE IT. WAS. ON!

Oh hot mama, those contractions started coming in with a vengeance! I was feeling them very strongly, even through the epidural. I can handle the pain (I have a crazy-high pain tolerance) but I had back surgery in high school and because of the scar tissue, my epidural usually takes affect much stronger on one side, and hardly at all on the other. What scared me is that if I ended up needing an emergency c-section and could feel too much sensation or pain, Bubba would have to leave the room, they’d have to put me under full anesthesia, and we’d both have to miss the birth of the babies. I was DETERMINED not to let that happen! So the anesthesiologist came back with some stronger ammo, thank goodness!

By about 9:30am we were all scrubbed up, dressed, and ready to deliver in the OR! (Required with twins in case of emergency). By some miracle, baby B had flipped and was head-down like his sister, so the plan was to attempt to deliver both and keep our fingers crossed that a C-section wouldn’t be needed.

We quickly FaceTimed our kids as the nurses and docs got prepped. This was such a special moment. It was as if time stood still. Looking into my sweet babies’ faces, realizing that it was the last time we’d ever be a family of 8 again. My tears flowed as they told me happy birthday with their sweet little voices. I told them how much I loved them, and how excited I was for them to get a new baby brother and sister.

Wiping my tears I hung up the phone and asked Bubba to say a special blessing (prayer) over me before they wheeled me out. The staff respectfully fell quiet as Bubba said the sweetest prayer and tears fell down both our faces. We finished, and my doctor looked at me.

“Well mama, lets go have some babies!”

It was finally time!

…IT’S BABY TIME!

I started shaking as they wheeled me to the O.R. Mostly from the meds, but also from excitement, adrenaline, hormones, and nerves. Though I had given birth SIX TIMES before this, there were still a lot of risks and unknowns, a lot that could go wrong, and frankly, it was so different than all my singleton births!

The O.R. was HOPPIN' since each baby gets their own medical team. It was a surreal feeling–staring up at the stark, bland ceiling, all the machines, stainless steel, and sterile tools around me. So much bustling and preparation going on, and yet, none of it was really ABOUT me. This entire army of hardworking angels were there to make sure these precious babies of mine arrived safe and sound–no matter what. It makes me emotional even now, just thinking about it.

Thank you medical prof’s! We love you! ❤️

My shaking became pretty intense, and I threw up from the meds, as I always do (which I’d like to note is very difficult to do while flat on your back in stirrups 🤣

Bubba’s a great barf bag holder 😉

Aside from that, my O.R. experience was pretty boring—THANK HEAVEN FOR THAT. I started to feel a lot of pressure and low and behold, baby girl was crowning and not waiting for any of us! With 2 big pushes Joss was here! And so big! 6.14! I got to hold her on my chest as Bubba cut the cord and they cleaned her up. Before I knew it, they swept her away and 4mins & a few pushes later, Devereux was here! 6.4, a cute little peanut.

Dev came out extremely gray/purple and didn’t cry for what felt like 190 years. It took him a long time to get nice and pink, and though the team didn’t seem worried in the slightest, Bubba ended up almost fainting twice from the stress of it all! (Yes, he’s a fainter, bless his heart!)

The medical team rubbed and massaged Dev, and (lovingly, lol) bugged him enough for him to get some good, deep cries in him. He pinked up in no time, and I was able to snuggle both babies. Boy, it felt good for them to be on the outside! (Note: 3rd trimester of twin pregnancy is R O U G H.)

HAPPY & HEALTHY TWINS

Before we knew it we were in the recovery room. Holding those two beautiful babies is a feeling I’ll never be able to describe. They are absolute miracles and I can’t believe God has trusted our family with them. The kids came and met them, oh the joy on their faces! 😭

I’m so grateful for a safe delivery, & the miracle that babies are. My heart is full! ❤️#BestBdayEver

Officially my favorite #PageSundaySelfie of all time ❤️

Call us crazy for having so many kids, but I can’t imagine sitting at the dinner table without any of them. I can’t believe they are all mine, my heart could just burst!

For more sneak peeks into our life with twins, here are a few of my most recent shares:

• Check out how we're handling life with 8 kids, including these beautiful twins during all the CrAzY—here's our current block schedule.
• Updating our 72 Hour Kits, plus more emergency preparedness tips!
• Tons of Indoor Activities for Kids!! I know how badly these are needed right now. Be sure to check out this post for lots of ideas!

Are you obsessed with babies?? Here are some awesome baby posts full of tips and all the fun baby stuff!

• Got a baby on the way? Check out my Baby Must-Haves to make life a little easier.
• How to Prepare for a Baby—before they come. Tips and tricks to make the transition smooth like butter.
• What to Pack in Your Hospital Bag! Here's a little peek into what we took to the hospital!
• Hospital Bag Checklist – grab this free printable to help you pack up before baby comes.

Thanks for the love, Freebs!