Birth Blog: The Twins Have Arrived!

The newest members of Alyx Jones Photography have officially joined the team.

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Two weeks ago at a Non-Stress Test, the nurse wrapped two heart monitors, and four stretchy bands around my belly measuring 45 weeks and asked “Is that comfortable?” I chuckled and replied, “I haven’t been comfortable since Halloween 2025.” 

I have felt so pregnant for so long that the idea of having them on the outside was just unfathomable. We did so much preparation for the logistics of our life: a new car, a new bed, a new guest bed for grandparents, etc. But, I left things like baby clothes and carseats for the end because it just didn’t seem real. 

At our 34-week ultrasound we could tell that both babies were not cooperating in their positioning, so it was pretty clear that we would be scheduling a c-section for their birth, and becauseI had preeclampsia, it was best for all three of us that they come out during week 37. It felt so odd to choose your children’s birthday and have a countdown to complete tasks. 

In those days leading up to their birth, I did my best to come to terms with my “last” times to pick up my daughter from preschool, go to the grocery store alone, walk the dog, watch a movie on the couch with my husband, etc. It felt like the end of an era…a very uncomfortable era. But still, in the end, I couldn’t imagine holding two new babies in my arms. 

With a scheduled C-section, I told my husband that I wanted to give my kids a full summer day the day before as our last big hoorah as a family of four. So, we drove up to Marin for the day and spent some much-needed time in the sunshine at the public pool. Our kids had the time of their lives swimming and eating popsicles. It was such a beautiful time of connection and making memories. Plus, they loved telling the entire pool about their twins coming the very next day! With lunch at Chick-fil-A and dinner at In-N-Out, we lived our best suburban summer lives that day. So much laughter and fun – I truly hope my girls remember that day into their adulthoods. 

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That night, my husband and I tried to complete all of the hospital packing that we had avoided for so many months. Not knowing what to expect in the hospital, we stayed up way too late and got very little sleep. In the morning we took it slow, I washed my hair, and tried to wrap my mind around meeting my babies in just a few short hours. 

I remember as I got ready I told my four year old: “Make sure you pick out what you want to wear to meet the babies.” She looked at me in shock and said, “Wait, that’s today!?” It was such a sweet reminder of her reality: a positive, carefree outlook being present in the moment. I couldn’t wrap  my mind around the future, but I was reminded to just slow down and be present. 

When we arrived at the hospital, there was a sense of angst that I couldn’t quite pinpoint: excitement, fear, and just a feeling of the unknown. We sat in the waiting room of the Labor and Delivery Department in silence until the doctors called us back. The team was upbeat, full of energy, and were ready to chat about everything that was going to happen. I remember thinking, “Okay, this is happening.” They calmly answered all of my questions and just seemed so confident. I still didn’t understand how quickly I was about to go from a very pregnant [and very intact]  woman, to having major abdominal surgery and two additional humans on the outside. 

They walked me through all of the things that might happen during the surgery and how I might feel during and after. Then, I hugged and kissed my husband goodbye while he got his scrubs on, and they wheeled me into the operating room. Those 15 minutes without him were full of anticipation both positive and negative. It went from “things are about to happen” to “things are happening” very quickly. 

My body struggled through that surgery with each medication giving me its own unique side effect. So much so that I couldn’t hold my sweet baby girl until the end. It was sort of an out of body experience watching them lift them out of me, take them away, and then see my husband with a baby girl in his arms. After a few minutes, the pediatrician came over to let me know our son’s oxygen wasn’t quite where they wanted it so he headed to the NICU. I remember they laid him on my chest with his sister for me to meet him and say hello as well as goodby before they took him. I was so confused, but had no choice but to let the controlled chaos around me continue to move on. 

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Fast forward to the recovery room where I got to sit with sweet Mabel and a nurse while my husband was with William in the NICU. After sending selfies to one another with each baby, we decided to call each other with updates. I was letting him know Mabel’s height and weight and he was filling me in on William’s progress in the NICU. Turns out that he just needed to walk to the NICU and then be monitored. No oxygen even needed while he was there! After one hour, we were all reunited in the recovery room where I got to hold William for the first time and nurse them both. Surreal is an understatement. After so long in the womb, to finally have them out felt so so foreign. 

Within a few hours my mom brought our older daughters up to meet their new siblings and life felt so at peace. Watching our big girls take on their big sister roles – each with a baby in arms – gave me a sense of inexplicable pride. 

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While healing from my c-section, I then began to have severe features of preeclampsia and had to stay six nights in the hospital. Although the unlimited nurse attention and food delivery was nice, we were so ready to be home. 

As I continue to soak in these newborn days at home with my family, I cannot help but reflect on all of the memories we’ve captured in the form of photos and videos. The professional photos which are clear and crisp and the blurry iPhone photos of my sleeping babies at night: they’re all perfect. So, I continue to take the photos! And I hope you will too.

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