Twins — View All

135 | The Impact of Village: Rebirth of the Mother - Dr. Vernette Kountz

With many stories to share, Dr. Vernette reflected with us on her most recent birth, her seven-month-old son Hudson. Understanding her birth experience with him began way before now. At sixteen, she got pregnant; however, her family was adamant that the choice to be made was termination. This decision would include a deep grieving process but set the stage for the subsequent important choices in her life. When she got pregnant again at 20, her mindset was clear; she was keeping this baby, the beginning process of finding her voice, especially in her womb.

Dr. Vernette had always known she had a calling to surrogacy, even before the birth of her first son - because she had "took life from her womb," she "wanted to give life." Working with a surrogacy agency, she was clear about the parameters of her surrogacy journey; staying clear about them allowed her to build an authentic relationship with the fathers of the twins. Upon meeting each other, they all immediately aligned, and in building a relationship that felt true for the three of them, she is still involved in the girl's life, with periodic calls and check-ins. Most notably, her surrogacy journey was the turning point for her about being intentional in setting intentions for the journey of carrying and birthing life. So in September 2020, when she became pregnant with her son Hudson she had a solid template to work from in building her birth team and navigating her pregnancy and birth.

Her birth team included her doula, birth photographer, three black midwives, and a friend serving as a maternal figure (filling the space of her mother and godmother who had passed). She shared the sentiment with all of them that she needed "to be mothered" for this journey. Throughout the birth, they did this, a moment that she recalls vividly is laboring in the birth pool, and whenever she reached out for support or comfort, there was always someone there. That support gave her the freedom to listen to her body - laboring on the toilet, utilizing movement, and when she felt the need to push, doing it without hesitation. Following the guidance of her midwife, she took a deep breath and pushed Hudson out. The final push to a birthing journey free of limitations!

110 | The Sacred Bodies - Katya Suh

Katya Suh and her husband, Ndamunkong Suh felt uneasy in the early weeks of her pregnancy as she had early spotting that would significantly reduce physical activity. This proved challenging for Katya, a former collegiate basketball player, as she was accustomed to living an active lifestyle. The spotting was anxiety-producing, and she grew concerned about her ability to carry her pregnancy to term, especially since they were expecting twins. Katya described her prenatal care as excellent as she felt respected and heard during her prenatal visits. The spotting eventually subsided, but she needed to continue maintaining low physical activity. She felt fully supported by her husband during the whole pregnancy but especially in the first trimester. He assured her that "they" were good no matter what the outcome was. Katya viewed the third trimester as "crazy" as her husband and his team won the Super Bowl, moved into their new home, and began to prepare that space for the babies.

At 38 weeks, Katya consented to a scheduled induction. She was able to have both her husband and her mother present for the births, despite having been unsure if her mom would be allowed to attend due to the hospital's restrictions during the pandemic. Labor was intense, and she chose an epidural for additional comfort. Part of their birth plan was for Ndamunkong to stay with the babies if there were any issues. The first baby, Kingston, was healthy, and there were no complications for him. However, their second baby, Khari, had fluid in his lungs and needed additional medical support with a CPAP. Katya's husband went with Khari to be present during his treatment. After her deliveries, Katya experienced a postpartum hemorrhage - which resulted in her needing to receive two blood transfusions, and she has had a healthy recovery.

Katya has intentionally expressed her needs and emotions with her family and friends as she is still in the fourth trimester. She has learned to lean in for support and credits her village for how they are managing newborn twins — embracing her evolution in becoming a mother, both mentally and physically.

57 | The Body Holds the Score - Alicia & Solomon Tetteh

When they went in for the birth of their twins, Alicia and Solomon did not expect it to be three days - three days filled with all the emotions. As they worked through multiple induction methods, a failed epidural, and a lengthy pushing time, Solomon could feel in his spirit that something was off. In discussions with the doctor on the third day, Solomon's suspicions were confirmed as the doctor indicated the trajectory they were on was unsafe. A surgical birth would be the best option for Alicia and the twins.

Healing from their experience didn't happen immediately and took community support. Alicia and Solomon tapped into their families, supported each other through individual and couples therapy. And maintaining the foundation, they had created of always checking in with each other and speaking on their feelings. As we learned during Black Maternal Health Week, statistics show that up to 20 percent of birthing parents develop a perinatal mental health illness, such as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or psychosis, either during pregnancy or the year after giving birth and sometimes beyond. For black birthing parents, that risk is doubled. With Alicia and Solomon's story, we also hear the impact and ways mental health can have on partners. As we prepare to grow our families, we must also remember that it's not just about the physical shifts but also the mental.

40 | Paving a New Way: Against the Grain - Codie Elaine Oliver

Codie describes her pregnancies and births as a full-circle experience. With their first child Codie and Tommy had planned to birth in a birth center, a turn of events would have them shifting to have a home birth, supported by midwife Heather Schwartz and student midwife Kim Durdin. As we know, birth plans change, and Codie went from a homebirth to a transfer to a hospital with an epidural and a c-section.

While she was ecstatic to have a healthy baby and be a mother, a thought that did linger in the back of her mind was that those who said this would be her story were right. When she found out, she was pregnant the second time, and with twins, there was a mix of excitement but also fear that she wouldn't be able to have a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). From the beginning, she was intentional about her support and ultimately built an empowering birth team, with care providers who supported her in trusting and believing herself to do that.

26 & 27 | I Am a Parent ~ HunterDae Little-Goodridge

HunterDae describes themselves as a black, queer, non-binary, fat proud parent. This is who they are, and these identities are important to their existence and interactions with the world around them.

When HunterDae became pregnant with their twins, it was a spiritual awakening. They realized they had received double the blessing and were now carrying three hearts. What their care provide saw was an individual that was checking off all the boxes for a high-risk pregnancy. This narrative continued into HunterDae's birth story.

As you listen to their story, you realize how imperative it is that when we are caring for individuals through their parenthood journeys that we acknowledge their lived experience. Care cannot be a one size fits all, and it has to come from a place of understanding the whole person.

Cesarean Birth, Twins, PostpartumLaurel GourrierJune 23, 2019Doula, LGBTQIA+, Body Positive, Doula of ColorComment

SUBSCRIBE On your Favorite Podcast Platform

Spotify - Apple Podcasts - Google Podcasts - Stitcher - Amazon Music

© Birthstories in Color 2017

Powered by Squarespace