Giving birth twice in a year: Mom has twins & baby within a year!
Shirley Lam made headlines back in 2009 when she managed to shed 220 lbs in 9 months. Years later, many may be wondering where this weight loss wonder is. Search no more, theAsianparent.com recently caught up with Shirley and is happy to announce that she is now the mother of 3 beautiful children. To make things even more interesting, Shirley gave birth to twins and another baby within a year! Read on to find out more about Shirley’s journey as a mother…
First, there were two
My husband I met when we were both obese and working out at the gym. We had the same trainer, but it wasn’t love at first sight since we had our own partners at the time. We struck up a friendship though since we were both working out to lose weight, we were undergoing the same things such as body pain and “starvation.”
Time passed and things didn’t work out with our respective partners, and in less than a month, we started dating and became a couple. Even crazier, he proposed to me another month later and I said yes. The engagement lasted for 7 months before we finally said, “I do!”
Surprise #1: Two buns in the oven!
We never really talked about how many kids we planned on having so after 2 months of marriage, I was already pregnant. It came as a surprise because we were still getting used to being a married couple. In hindsight, we should’ve waited 6 months or longer so that we could have had time to enjoy as a couple. As for our family and friends, everyone was happy and excited, especially my husband’s family since he’s an only child. Everyone got even more excited when we found out we were going to have twins, a boy and girl!
With the excitement of my 1st pregnancy, came the trials of having twins. Although I did not experience morning sickness, cravings and etc, my carrying twins was reason enough for my pregnancy to be considered a high risk pregnancy. I was bed ridden all throughout my pregnancy. When taking a bath or brushing my teeth, I had to be seated. I wasn’t allowed to leave the house unless I was going out to see the doctor, I felt like a prisoner in my own house because I couldn’t go out to see my own family and friends. It was very difficult for me to go through.
The Twins: Labor and delivery
My labor and delivery wasn’t any easier. The twins came out early at 7 months because my baby girl’s water bag had ruptured. I had to be confined in the delivery room for 24 hours and had doctors injecting steroids for my baby’s lungs. The twins were delivered via c-section and were severely underweight with my boy weighing 1280 grams and my girl at 980 grams. When the twins were born, I was overwhelmed with emotions. On one hand, I was ecstatic, on the other, I was sad and nervous since they were premature.
They were in the incubator for 3 weeks and spent 45 days in the NICU. I went to the hospital daily from 8 in the morning until 9 pm so that I could take care of them, feed them and hold them close to me (kangaroo hold). It was exhausting since I was still recovering from the c-section, but my pediatrician said that it was necessary so that the twins could recover quickly. I’d spend 45 minutes each breastfeeding, hold them kangaroo for 30 and would burp them 15-20 minutes each, but next thing you know, they’d be hungry again! I didn’t have time to eat lunch, drink water or pee because my preemie babies really needed me. Looking back at it now, it was beyond crazy, but seeing my twins now? Every minute of exhaustion and craziness was worth it.
Surprise #2: Say hello to baby number 3!
With regards to my second pregnancy, once again, my husband and I were caught by surprise because I did not show any pregnancy symptoms: I didn’t suffer from morning sickness, nor was I worried about my period being late since I was always late to begin with. It was only when I had a check-up (due to abdominal pains) that I found out that I was already 9 weeks pregnant! I was beyond disbelief, especially since all I could think about was that I had just given birth 5 months ago!
My husband and I really couldn’t come to terms with the second pregnancy, so we bought an over-the-counter pregnancy kit just to be sure! But sure enough, 2 lines appeared on the pregnancy test and the reality of the situation just dropped down on me. It was shock, disbelief, I don’t know how else I can describe what was going through my mind. In fact, I remember my husband saying, “ANO??? Your pregnant? What the… Sh*t!”
Double-trouble: The Twins and my third delivery
Physically, the second pregnancy wasn’t as challenging as the first, but because my twins were born premature, there was a chance that this baby would be born premature as well. I was, however, asked to stay in bed because I was experiencing contractions. I also had to hide from my twins who at the time weighed 17kg (Robin, my daughter) and 15.8kg (Hunter, my boy). Understandably, they always wanted to cuddle with me or would asked to be carried, but because of their weight, it was too risky for me and for the unborn baby so I had to stay away. It was incredibly painful and heartwrenching for me because I couldn’t comfort my children when they would cry and beg for me. I felt awful, but I knew that it was a sacrifice that was worth it because I had a baby inside of me to protect.
My second pregnancy not only threw me and my husband off, but other people as well. In fact, people would comment “Di rin naman kayo masipag magasawa noh?”. I’d laugh it off and say that it was intentional, but of course, their words hurt me and I really felt like I was being judged.
Thankfully, my second pregnancy reached it’s due date, but because I was on the heavy side, I had to be injected with anesthesia several times. Even then, the anesthesia was ineffective because I could still feel my arms, legs and etc., so my doctor decided to put me to sleep. Although I didn’t feel a thing during the delivery, I didn’t feel a thing when I woke up either! I couldn’t move my legs for 2 days (I was given too much anesthesia) and it terrified me. However, because my baby was going to be discharged on the third day, I really made it a point to push myself up in bed and to try walking around. My hard work paid off and I was able to go home with my baby on the third day.
Life at home: Crazy day, everyday!
Life at home with a newborn and twins was crazy and still is! Since my twins were old enough to know what was going on, they would actually get jealous of Archer (my 3rd baby) and would throw tantrums or pull me away whenever they’d see me carrying him. Until now, the twins still have a problem with me cuddling with Archer and when I asked my pedia about it, she said that it was normal. According to her, the twins felt like Archer was competition when it came to vying for peoples’ attention, love, time, especially mine. I try my best to balance my time between the three so that each feel that I love them as an individual.
Babies, planned or unplanned, are blessings, they’re gifts. Given my situation, it’s difficult, but as a mother, we have to show our kids how much we love and value them. No matter what the situation, we have to learn to adapt because a mother’s love knows no bounds. Despite the difficulties, struggles and sacrifices, go! Go! Go!
If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them in our Comment box below. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Google+ to stay up-to-date on the latest from theAsianparent.com Philippines!