Has Anyone Seen My Husband – I Think I Just Had Twins

by Gina Parris

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”  -Albert Einstein

 Has it ever struck you as amazing the way that you can wake up in the morning with a specific set of circumstances and go to bed that night in a whole different world?  Sometimes the difference can be downright shocking, shaking our status quo to the point of dismay.  I know; this happened to me the day I gave birth to our third baby, or was it two babies, or was it a squirrel? The whole day started with a dream…

There I was, very busy with life, marriage, two kids, and a career as a youth minister. I was also expecting our third child, but he wasn’t due for almost two more months. I was on the top of the world. All was as it should be. Life was good. Until…

 I found myself prematurely on the delivery table. How I got there, I didn’t know. I remembered nothing at all except the final push and the doctor holding up the “baby.” 

“Aaaaagh!” I screeched in shock.

That was no baby!  As he held up the tiny thing all I could see was that I’d just given birth to a squirrel.  A squirrel!  My mind was racing. How does this happen?  I remembered the overly active baby I had felt in my tummy, the very strange sensations I had throughout my pregnancy and then I opened my eyes.

I happened to still be in my own bed, still pregnant, with my heart racing over the dream.  Good heavens! I had been dreaming?  I rolled over and woke up my husband.

“Paul, wake up! I just dreamed that I delivered a rodent!”

He looked at me with a sleepy smile,

“It’s ‘cause you ate that nutty ice cream before bed.”

Very funny. Well, thank heavens. It’s just a dream. 

“Hey Paul, tomorrow’s your birthday, but I’m taking you to lunch today,” I said.  “I can’t wait!”

We had lunch at a very upscale restaurant. The petite young hostess looked at my pregnant navel sticking way out of my enormous belly and asked,

“Wow, when are you due?”

“Six more weeks,” I replied. 

She looked dubious, as if she would rather be celibate for life, than risk such enormity herself. “Good luck,” she wished, holding her own tiny midsection.

After a delightful and overpriced lunch, Paul kissed me farewell, and said he was going to try out a new gym. He didn’t mention which one out of a dozen in the area.  I simply went home, and promptly went into labor! This could not be good. What was in that ratatouille anyway? I called the hospital and described my symptoms, and they ordered me to come in right away. Oh great. Where the heck was Paul?

My neighbor Tracey came over and hurriedly got me to the hospital. Right before we left, she scribbled Paul a note and taped it to the door, not knowing that it fell off, face down. If he ever showed up at the hospital, it would be a miracle.

When Tracey and I got to the hospital there were no doctors to be found.  So, just my luck, they had a sweet young medical student reside over my delivery. He looked fourteen.  His lovely assistant spoke broken English. This was a military hospital which will remain nameless.

Sensing my nervousness the attending teenager leaned over my bed to encourage me.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he whispered.

“You do?”

“Yes. And I really am a doctor.”

“That’s a relief,” I sighed.

“Yes,” he nodded. “I’m a student at Saint Louis U.”

I gazed at his youthful face and wondered how such a bright boy could honestly think that “doctor” and “student” were synonymous.  Still, he was my doc, even if he was in over his head.   As he and his assistant finally performed a much overdue ultrasound, the panic on their faces became undeniable.  They exchanged nervous glances, and finally the white-faced lad yelled out, to whatever nurse might be listening,

 “We need to monitor TWIN heartbeats! We need TWIN MONITORS!”

I found that very odd. Why would they use “twin monitors” on me?

The next thing I knew a nurse on my right strapped something onto the right side of my stomach and hollered out,

“Baby A’s heartbeat is strong!”

Then another nurse stood by my left shoulder, strapped something near my left rib and yelled,

“Baby B’s heartbeat is strong!”

And in that moment, my heartbeat felt anything but strong.

My head started spinning. Twins?  This can’t be. Tell me this is another dream.  “Has any one seen my husband? I think I’m having twins!”  

About forty minutes later, miraculously, Paul was by my side just as “Baby A” was born. He was adorable but tiny.

“Wow! My husband marveled, “Your stomach just totally deflated!” 

“There’s another baby in there.” I replied.  He thought I was joking. 

 “Push, Gina!” The student-doc yelled.  And then, Déjà-vu!  As he held up the preemie infant, my dream made sense.  It wasn’t a squirrel at all. It was “Baby B”  four pounds of flesh that only resembled a small tree-creature.  Of course! Then my heart filled with panic.  Was he all right?  Were they both all right?  How in the world would we care for twins?  The flood of emotions was more than I could bear.  I cried tears of overwhelm. I looked at Paul.  He also cried with overwhelm. I looked at my friend Tracey. She cried for joy.  What a gal.

The twins were put into an incubator, and I got to see them for a just a moment before they were rushed off to a children’s hospital. I had no idea if they would be okay, or if their little lungs were just too unprepared for this big new world.

Paul went home to take care of our young son and daughter, Tracey went back to her family, and I was left utterly, completely alone-except that I had Nurse Helga, whose physique resembled that of Popeye the Sailor Guy. She looked ready to beat up any man in the Armed Forces. Nurse Helga came in every hour, all night long, to check my vitals, adjust my I.V, and repeatedly slam unbelievable amounts of pressure onto my abdomen -something about making sure she “got it all.”

 I had never felt such grueling pain, isolation, or uncertainty.  I was all alone in a freezing cold, noisy hospital.  What was next?  I had no idea.  I cried some more.

The twins spent a just a week in the Intensive Care Unit, and they finally ended up with names besides “Baby A and Baby B.” (We weren’t allowed to bring them home without names.) We call them “Nathan and Matthew,” as both names mean “gift,” or “blessing from God.”

This was surely the most shocking experience of my life.  I ended up quitting the ministry to stay home and raise all four children.  This proved to be more difficult than I had anticipated. The money was really tight, and I desperately missed speaking and being around other people.  To be frank, I often fell victim to self-pity. As if that wasn’t a draining emotion in itself, I was full of self-condemnation for not being more joyful over the whole set of circumstances. The pity and guilt were my biggest mistakes. 

Today, the twins are thriving in middle school, and our shock has obviously worn off. They bring tons of joy to our household. My life and livelihood are more fulfilling than ever, and for the most part, we have a home that is filled with love and laughter. At least this is true during momentary “cease-fires” among the four  children, who swear that they love each other.

 Looking back, there are three lessons I learned for sure. I’d like to share them with you now, whatever your story:

  1.    Learn to enjoy the surprises, since things have a way of working out.  It would be a bummer to look back ten years from now and regret that you wasted these wonderful years worrying.

  2.     Never give in to self-pity, as it seriously postpones your joy, and… 

  3.    Savor each moment. Life is short and the precious present is the only moment we really have. Focus on what is perfect right now.  If you have someone to love, you are blessed indeed.

So, if you ever dream that you are giving birth to a squirrel…or anything else that’s shocking and disturbing, rejoice!  You may be unleashing the very best idea you never had!  If it comes with a tear or two, you can be encouraged.  Nothing worthwhile ever came into being without some struggle.  Call it a gift when it still feels like a question, and you’ll be amazed at the joy that you reap.  Laughter really does come in the morning.

 And now I must go raid the freezer. I have a hankering for some very nutty ice cream.

Please share you thoughts below!

Tagged as: overcoming adversity, overcoming defeat, overcoming obstacles