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I think I can’t tell the birth story of our little guys without some back story. So here goes…

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Late November 2023 we found out we were expecting baby #5. It was hard for us to be excited as we felt like our hands were already full and overwhelmed. As the weeks passed our excitement did grow, as did the nausea. I had done this four times before, but it hit so hard there were days I struggled to function, much less take care of the other four kids. My girls just stepped up and really pulled so much more weight than their own. Right after Christmas I had some spotting. It was very scary for me, I thought we might be losing the baby. I had never experienced any kind of bleeding with any of my other pregnancies. The next day I was less worried, but still wanted assurance, so we made an appointment with Dorothy for an ultrasound. Ryan was off that day for the holidays, we steeled ourselves on the way for what we might encounter at that appointment.

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It will be a moment we will never forget. Laying there on the bed trying not to look but not able to look away. I could see Ryan’s face behind Dorothy, so I had the best view in the room! It only took seconds for Dorothy to find the baby…. And gasping she confirmed what I was pretty sure I was seeing. TWO sacs, with TWO heartbeats! I still get tears and chills remembering. Ryan’s look of utter disbelief and shock and Dorothy’s gleaming eyes and smile. Honestly, we were not expecting positive news at all and I think that deepened the surprise for us. We drove away from that appointment and processing we experienced about every emotion a human being can imagine. Speechless really can’t describe it.

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People often ask if we were hoping for or thinking we might have a chance at having twins and that is a hard NO. The thought hadn’t even entered our brains. It was definitely my hardest pregnancy. Physically and mentally. Nausea and exhaustion were doubled for me. I learned it's very common for twin moms to experience exacerbated symptoms. That and caring for my family took everything I had. I was so blessed to not have any serious complications, just discomforts.

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At 20 weeks we learned we were having BOYS!! I laughed. God was certainly showing us He had a plan and knew best. Baby A (Maverick) was head down and Baby B (Lincoln) was breech. That was ideal for birth, it's easiest for the second baby to come breech. The boys were Di-Di twins meaning they had their own placentas and their own sacs. That is also the lowest risk kind of twins. Not much riskier than birthing one baby so very low risk.

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At 32 weeks I had a second ultrasound just to check to make sure the boys were growing well. It was a hot rainy day and I went by myself. We learned then, the boys had both flipped, and Maverick (Baby A) was now breech and Lincoln (Baby B) was head down! That threw us into a tailspin emotionally. Our “plan” was yet again changing. And we couldn't do anything about it. After a week of processing, learning and praying we began to settle and be at peace. Many times we were tempted to give up on a home birth and book a c section. A lot of things about it seemed easier. We could pick a date and just be done. No more waiting. That would continue right up to birth, doubting ourselves and then reaffirming, yes, home birth was the right choice.

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We rejoiced when we made it to 36 weeks! Clear for a home birth. Any day now! Haha! We knew better. All our other kids were overdue by at least a week. God was showing us He had plans that weren’t ours. Those last few weeks about broke me, mentally and physically. Walking was even hard for me. We couldn’t have made it without so much support from family, friends, and our church family.

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At 12am on July 26th, 2024, 39weeks and 6 days, I woke up to use the bathroom and as I stood up from the toilet, my water broke! No trickles here, it was a full gush. I knew it was my water, yet I still examined my clothes closely to make sure it wasn’t an accident. It was go time. I walked into our room and quietly roused Ryan. The man didn’t even roll over, he straight up jumped to his feet! It made me giggle. I texted Dorothy right away that my water had broken and she responded. I went back to our room and back to the bathroom to gather myself. By about 12:45am contractions started lightly and we were discussing what to do with the kids, whether to chance them sleeping through labor or waking them so early. We decided bringing them to Grandma’s around the corner before things got going was important, a decision we were very thankful for later. By 12:57am, I texted Dorothy to come. Earlier than normally we would call her to come, but we wanted plenty of time for extra monitoring. One detail that is crazy is that Callie Jo, our 8 year old, did not go back to sleep until 10pm that night. She’s never been a napper, only sleeps during the day if she’s sick.

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Over the next hour the midwives and assistants arrived. Quietly appearing and gathering in whispers. Coming in to check on me and gathering in the hall. Setting up supplies with gentle rustles by flashlight. Stopping to murmur encouraging words or listen for our babies. My friend and doula, Rebekah, also attended. She was so helpful and intuitive on what I might need and snuck amazing pictures and gave encouragement and suggestions. One thing that was just so special was that Dorothy asked to pray over us. We said absolutely. It was really what we needed to ground us and put us on the path of moving forward with purpose. Having twins just felt so different, twice as many variables and unknowns, so we had been feeling less peaceful and settled starting in on this labor. After she finished, I don’t think there were many dry eyes during that moment.

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Contractions continued to grow stronger but still manageable. There came a point when a switch flipped and things got intense. I had been nervous about pain management. I usually opt for a birth pool but was not going to use one this time so there was better visibility during birth. I asked Ryan to put counter pressure on my lower back and hips and that was just what I needed. It took the worst of the intensity off. I labored leaning over the bed, Ryan pushing on my back and midwives at my feet watching upward.

At the peak of labor, my legs were getting tired and shaky and I knew I needed to change positions. Reluctantly I climbed onto the bed on my hands and knees and another contraction blazed in immediately. Right after that I could feel Maverick entering the birth canal and pushing simultaneously. The stretching burned a bit and I realized if I pushed I didn’t feel it as much so push I did! I had starting pushing at 2:58, but 3:05 was when I moved on the bed.

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At 3:07am, Maverick Lane entered the world buns first, spontaneously born, no maneuvers needed. The midwives said if I moved my leg they could pass baby up to me, still on hands and knees. I thought to myself I can’t even move, still feeling the intensity of a quick birth. I slowly eased down to my side, supported and surrounded by comforting hands and murmured encouragements. Maverick was laid on my belly and he was quietly voicing his opinions on matters at hand. They were trying to find Lincoln’s heartbeat and the tension rose quickly in the room. I realized what was going on and declared I could feel him moving. The air instantly fell with relief. I should mention that the boy's heartbeats had been notoriously hard to find my whole pregnancy. The little stinkers!

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I had a break of almost 10 minutes before contractions started up again. Strong, but not nearly as hard as Maverick’s were. Just strong enough to know it was time to push! Dorothy checked to see what was coming first and yes, it was still Lincoln’s head coming. I was so ready to have both my babies earthside and in my arms. I had one hand on Maverick and the other on the bump of my stomach that was Lincoln.

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It didn’t take long for Lincoln to move down and be on his way. About 15 minutes after contractions started again, 25 min total after Maverick was born, at 3:32am, Lincoln Alen was born. No words could ever describe the relief I (and I’m sure Ryan too) felt knowing the hardest was over. Our babies were here. Strong and healthy. I was ready for the cords to be cut; Maverick was still fussing and I just wanted to snuggle and kiss him!

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A few minutes after Lincoln was born, the placentas were out! They were fused together as one which was cool to see. A common thing for twins with their own placentas is for them to be fused I think. Ryan checked his phone and his mom had asked for an update for the girls. I think he texted they were here as soon as they were and now they wanted to know names!! They were surprised to hear my voice but I was so excited to share with them the details of their brothers.

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We were excited to weigh and examine our little guys. Ryan had the honors of weighing, starting with Maverick. When he lifted the scale, he exclaimed “this has got to be wrong, are you sure I did this right?” Dorothy weighed him a second time and there were collective giggles and gasps. Maverick Lane Carson weighed in at a whopping 9#6oz. 19.75”. Lincoln Alen Carson weighed 9#8oz, 20.75”. We were shocked. We expected big babies for twins, like 7 or 8 pounds!

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Both boys latched at the same time for a while, that was great. I felt so good after birth. Weak and tired but not in much discomfort. We are so grateful to God for carrying us through it all, Dorothy and her team for walking with us during all the ups and downs. Those friends and family who stepped up and into our chaos to do whatever we needed. We’re now 6 weeks postpartum and the twins are amazing babies and I’m feeling pretty much normal. It feels so good to live normal life again. That’s not to say our new normal isn’t crazy or chaotic but we definitely feel like it’s ours and it’s where we are supposed to be. God is faithful.