Looking back over all of our interactions, conversations, prayers, pleadings, texts, meetings & plans with Morgan it feels like we’ve known her for years but in reality we only got to know each other for about two weeks before the girls were born.  One thing was consistent and clear upfront, her reverence for God, especially in pregnancy and birth.  She led with her faith and maintained that intentionality all the way through.  Hearing Morgan’s story with her first pregnancy was surreal when we first met her and Ben towards the end of July.  It was understandable where the respect was coming from.  God’s fingerprints were evident in every detail of building their family.  Naturally occurring twins, not once, but twice!  First brothers, now sisters!  Carrying the boys nearly 37 weeks without complications or interventions!  Labor started with her waters breaking (only 15% of births)!  Delivering them vaginally AND successfully breastfed!  Miracles abounded in Morgan’s body.  

We dove in feet first.  Making plans of some things we could do upstream to ward off the typical complications for twins.   She already had been given a gift being that the girls, just like their brothers, were di-di which was the lowest risk category for twins. Morgan had a routine in place consisting of many helpful things for her mind and her body.  Second only to prayer was receiving regular chiropractic care and adjustments for optimal alignment and positioning.  She was so closely connected to her girls she knew their positions and habits early on and could tell easily when one of them was not where they should be.  Particularly Baby A.  She did not like to be head down and was growing slower than her sister, so she was being closely monitored.  Every appointment was met with petitions and full of hope for a positive outcome.  The girls passed each and every test and mom was permitted another week to carry them!  Morgan concentrated on God’s promises in scripture for pregnancy and birth, though she did not want a c-section she saw her vulnerability in not being able to control that outcome and didn’t let it take her peace.  

With a due date of 9/12, we did not have labor on our minds when Morgan started having some early labor signs on 8/5.  With hindsight it’s pretty clear to see active labor was closer than we thought!  Morgan recognized Baby A was breech during some intense ‘Braxton Hicks’ episodes.  Despite all the time mom was spending in inversions, the girls would not cooperate.  We referred her to someone in our birth network that specialized in intuitive bodywork to create more space in Morgan and nudge the girls into optimal birthing positions.  While she waited for an opening in April’s schedule they had another round of non-stress tests and ultrasounds to pass on 8/8, which they did exceptionally!  Even though the growth gap was slowly closing, concerns lingered and doctors were ready to schedule a c-section between 36-37 weeks.  Morgan was discouraged thinking about this birth not going how she envisioned.  She straddled the line, moving forward with scheduling but hopeful Baby A would move head down before then. It helped her to find out at that appointment she was already 4cm dilated.  She was right where she had been when she was admitted in active labor with the boys!  On  8/10 she had a successful session with April where Baby A fell into a comfortable head down position.  We praised God and thanked Him for answering our prayers.  She relished in how different the girls’ movements felt, perfectly fit together like a puzzle.  Later on that night she suspected she lost her mucous plug which was a new experience for her.  She was excited to think  her body was getting even closer to birth!  On the 13th Morgan’s intuition nudged her, she just knew Baby A had turned breech, again.  God had given her such a strong connection to her body and the girls, she could read their movements so well.  We met for coffee that morning and her concerns were verified at her scan later that afternoon.  She never stopped being hopeful the baby would turn and looked forward to birthing vaginally when the time came.  We all celebrated when we heard the news that her cervix was ‘paper thin’ that day during her exam.  The plan was to see April again and to pray labor would start soon after.  

 Wednesday the 14th, Morgan patiently waited for April to wrap up with other clients before getting on her schedule to help the girls find their perfect positions again.  Finally at 3:13 pm she got an appointment scheduled for later that night at 6.  We celebrated.  Only two minutes later Morgan texted us back that her waters had just broken! She called her providers and headed into the hospital for an emergency c-section at their request.  We did not stop praying for God to turn her around our entire drive to the hospital.  Morgan planned to request an ultrasound so they could verify position before taking her back to the operating room. By 3:52 Morgan was experiencing contractions about every ten minutes.  Soon after she arrived the nurse felt a hand during her cervical check at 4:09. We all celebrated thinking it belonged to Baby A, proving she had turned!  During the ultrasound at 4:26 they confirmed she was positioned with her head up high and her butt presenting first. Only then did we realize the hands must have been Baby B’s!  By 4:35 Morgan had left triage and was en route to the operating room, so Ben took over texting us. We were not allowed on the unit and had to set up a prayer camp in the waiting room.  Ben waited in the hallway at 4:42 for them to get lab results back which would confirm Morgan’s platelet levels. This final step would determine if Morgan was going to need general anesthesia or just an epidural.  We prayed that an epidural would be sufficient.  This way  Morgan could stay awake, Ben could go into the operating room with her for support, and both would be present for their  daughters’ birth.  

Finally at 5:55 pm we heard the sweet lullaby chimes over the speaker and knew deep down the girls were earthside.  By 6:18 Morgan texted us that she’s out of surgery and into recovery already!  She caught us up on all the juicy birth details.  She  was already 7cm by the time they started the surgery and Grace Lynn was coming down fast, feet first. Morgan had done everything she possibly could and rested in that peace that surpasses all understanding when things didn’t go the way she had hoped.  Morgan trusted that this was how the girls were meant to be born and was grateful for other details that God had orchestrated.  She was given the opportunity to stay awake for the procedure and have beautiful skin to skin time immediately after the birth. This was a big one she didn’t get with the boys.  Iris Beth (Baby B) needed a tiny bit of respiratory support, but by 6:20 both sisters had successfully latched. Miracles abounded! She had confidence not just in her body, that safely carried and birthed twins twice, but in her God.  It’s He who carried her all along and birthed in her a deeper faith and a grander perspective ❤