Meeting Emersyn Jaye & Mckinley Jo

{Emersyn Jaye}

{Mckinley Jo}

I’m writing with an extra full heart today as I think about how excited I am to share the birth story of our sweet twin girls with you. As I’ve been reflecting over the details of the last couple days, my spirit can’t help but cry out to the Lord in gratitude and awe at how He orchestrated it all so perfectly. It really couldn’t have gone any smoother.

Early Tuesday morning at 2:00am I woke up with strong labor pains, and my contractions started happening every 10 minutes. They were much stronger than the ones I had over the weekend. By 2:30 they were only about 5 minutes apart. I woke Jake up and told him we needed to get to the hospital right away, and that this was the real deal. Thankfully, my mom was staying with us, so we could leave in a hurry knowing that Baylen was in great hands.

We got to the hospital around 3:00am, they checked me, and I was 5 – 6 cm dilated. After a few minutes of monitoring, we learned that the girls’ heart rates were perfect and they were doing great. My contractions were coming every 3 minutes by that point, and soon I was dilated to 7 cm.  Then my water broke. After I answered a bunch of questions, got my IV line in, and had a half hour of fluids, I received the beloved epidural and rested for a little while. By 6:00 I was fully dilated and was whisked into the operating room to deliver. All twins at our hospital are delivered in the OR just in case an emergency C-section is required.

We were welcomed into the OR by a large team of people waiting to take care of our girls. There was a team for Emersyn, and another for Mckinley. When I rolled in and saw them all there I couldn’t help but be incredibly thankful that we live in a country where we can completely trust the medical professionals and the care they provide. They were confident, calm, reassuring, and didn’t let me worry about a thing!

After everyone was in their respective positions I was given the go ahead to start pushing. It only took a few pushes and sweet Emersyn Jaye came out crying and perfectly healthy. I got to hold her right away for a few minutes, and then her sister decided it was time to come, so Emersyn’s team took her to get cleaned up. Just seven minutes later after a couple more pushes, Mckinley Jo followed her sister’s path and entered the world, crying just as loud.

I was hoping I’d be able to have a vaginal delivery, and thankfully since the girls were both head down it was an option. I was somewhat nervous that Mckinley would flip to breech after Emersyn came out (which can easily happen with twins) and that would have resulted in a c-section and vaginal delivery, meaning two times the recovery. That would not have been ideal when taking care of three kids under 18 months! Praise the Lord I don’t have to worry about that!

As for their measurements, my girlies are dainty little things! Emersyn weighed 4 lbs. 12 oz. and is 17 inches long, and Mckinley weighed 4 lbs. 5 oz. and is 17 1/4 inches. Even though they’re tiny, they have been holding their own and acting like full term babies so far. Their vitals have been great, and they’ve been nursing well too. They are in the nursery while we’re here to make sure everything stays going strong, and every time we go in to feed them and spend time with them we keep hearing great reports. We are hopeful they’ll be able to come home with us by the end of the week! Please keep praying that they continue to progress so well. We are itching to take them home and have all five family members under the same roof.

A few pictures from the last 36 hours…

There are so many of you who have fervently prayed for us throughout our entire journey thus far. From the day I found out that we were having twins God has constantly provided peace and encouragment exactly when we needed it, and I know it’s because of dear friends like you who have been faithful in prayer. We are humbled by and grateful for the community supporting us. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

May God’s richest blessings abide upon you and yours!

Love,

Amber

P.S. For more reflections on parenthood and life, follow us on Facebook (Hun Let’s Run) and on Instagram: @ambermariekuiper and @jakekuiper! We’d also love for you to subscribe to our Hun, Let’s Run Podcast! For more info about joining our fitness community as a customer or coach, please email us at amber@mommysmetime.com!