Boy Oh Boy!

Akout came to the clinic on Monday in labor. She was 7-8 cm dilated but her contractions were mild and ineffective. I wasn’t there but Margaret told me that Akout labored for a few hours at the clinic, then just up and went home without an explanation. Margaret assumed that she’d decided to deliver at home.  

However, on Wednesday Akout was back... and still very much pregnant.

As I reviewed her book and asked her about the last few days, she explained that her contractions never really got any stronger. She couldn’t figure out why.

When I did another vaginal exam I laughed to learn she was still only 7-8 cms dilated!

Since she had never come for prenatals, I check her out thoroughly. Her belly was much larger than most of my prenatal girls, and there were tons of little parts when I palpated. I could feel one normal sized head engaged in her pelvis, but the heart tones were found in two separate places. 

This could only mean twins.

When I told Akout my suspicions, she didn’t seem too surprised. She did raise an eyebrow however and chuckle. Then she informed me that her husband had a strong family history of twins. 

Since both babies were doing great, I opted to augment with oxytocin. And boy was it effective!

She didn’t need much of the medicine before dilating to fully. In fact, she was ready to push in just 30 minutes.

Her first baby came out head first with a happy cry. He was term but small.

I barely had time to dry him off when she pushed again and the second bag of waters burst open, splattering me in hot, sticky fluid.

-- “Wait, Akout. Wait! Du chol! (Don’t push!),” I ordered.

She didn’t hear or didn’t care, and kept pushing.

-- “Please, Du chol Akout. Du chol! I need to get your first baby out of the way,” I explained.

She wasn’t listening.

Since she refused to wait even one minute, I double clamped his cord and cut it. Handing his pint-sized frame over to Margaret, I turned back in just enough time to help the second baby as he crowned.

He was born 3 minutes after his brother!

Both boys came out head first. They appeared to be identical (shared a placenta, and a chorion) and weighed almost the same weight.



Baby boy #1: Born 10:30 am, weighing 2.5 kg.
Baby boy #2: Born 10:33 am, weighing 2.8 kg.

Their father didn’t realize he could come inside the birth-room and therefore watched eagerly from the window. When I realized he was out there, I excitedly called him in.

The grin on his face was intense as he held his sons in his arms!

None of them suspected twins! And when I woke that morning... I certainly didn’t either!

Thank you Jesus!