Two babies, one comprehensive birth plan
While adjusting nicely to a daily routine now, twins Aurora and Vincent had a plan of their own when coming into this world.
At just eight weeks pregnant, Angela Weber had an ultrasound that showed she was pregnant with twins. Although twins do run in both families, it still was a shock to the couple.
“Nobody ever plans for twins,” says Weber.
The helpful birth plan
With all of the excitement — and sometimes chaos — in planning for the birth of the babies, Weber looked forward to her appointments with her obstetrics (OB) care team, which gave her a sense of calmness. These appointments allowed time with her provider to discuss anything from prenatal nutrition to after-birth baby care and everything in-between. It was the in-between that helped shape Weber’s experience to be such a positive one.
“From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I had a birth plan laid out in my head,” says Weber. “And even after we discovered I was pregnant with twins, which is considered to be a high-risk pregnancy, my providers were still supportive of my original birth plan to deliver the babies vaginally and without any pain medicine intervention.”
A birth plan helps providers support and guide moms on the birthing journey. It gives moms confidence, control and autonomy. While creating a birth plan is a proactive way of preparing moms for labor and delivery, things may not always progress according to the original plan. During birth plan discussions, providers encourage moms to have a back-up plan in case of unexpected events.
The delivery
Weber was induced on a Friday morning in May 2015. The OB staff was briefed on Weber’s situation and her plan to deliver naturally. After 32 hours of labor, Weber's physician had a long discussion about with Weber about the birthing plan and how she wanted to proceed. Even though she felt pressure from her family to have a cesarean delivery, Weber decided to stick to her original plan for a natural delivery.
As a precaution, Weber was wheeled down to the operating room to try to deliver her babies vaginally. After a successful first delivery, Weber was examined, and it was discovered that the feet of the second baby were presenting and he would need to be delivered immediately. The physician made the quick, but mindful, decision to deliver the second baby without performing surgery.
The goal is a healthy mom and baby, but the journey of getting there can be quite an adventure.
“If I’ve learned anything that I’m able to apply to parenting from my labor and delivery experience, it is to be prepared for the unexpected,” says Weber. “If it wasn’t for the support and encouragement from the OB team, my birthing experience would have been completely different.”