Imagine going through the ʟᴀʙᴏᴜʀ and birth of your long-awaited baby and finally making it to the finish line, only to find that you actually have to do it all over again! Mom Lyndsey got the sʜᴏᴄᴋ of her life when just two minutes after giving birth to Ada Maze, her sister Billie June arrived. But throughout the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ, there were ɴᴏ sɪɢɴs Lyndsey was ᴄᴀʀʀʏɪɴɢ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴏɴᴇ ʙᴀʙʏ.
These ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟᴇ ᴘɪᴄᴛᴜʀᴇs, taken by her sister, captured the exact moment she is handed her second baby – who hadn’t shown up on any ultrasounds. The 30-year-old can be seen sitting in ᴀ ʙɪʀᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴘᴏᴏʟ looking at husband Wesley in complete sʜᴏᴄᴋ. Lyndsey said: “I was immediately suspicious when Ada came out sᴏ sᴍᴀʟʟ, I had put on ᴅᴏᴜʙʟᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ I did with my last birth so I didn’t understand how she could be so tiny. When I had my son Django a few years previous, he was 9lbs and I put on ʟᴇss ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ with him so it was really odd. There are no words to describe what I was thinking when I realised I was about to have another baby right there and then. The next ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ was almost instant – I knew before the ɴᴜʀsᴇs started saying what they thought it was, I could feel the baby coming but could not communicate it through the ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. The ɴᴜʀsᴇ thought it was the ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ sᴀᴄ, which she hadn’t seen happen before, so we were all a bit confused. Then I felt it happening but I couldn’t get the words out. I knew a second baby was coming and then two minutes later there she was.”
Lyndsey Altice from Wisconsin, throughout her 38 weeks of ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ, the 30-year-old mom ᴍᴇᴀsᴜʀᴇᴅ her own weight to make sure she was healthy. Most ᴇxᴘᴇʀᴛs sᴜɢɢᴇsᴛ mothers-to-be have at least two ultrasounds, one in the first trimester and another in the last. However, some parents who prefer a ‘natural’ approach opt to have only one towards the end of their ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ, having checked that the fetus is growing at a healthy rate themselves. Throughout her ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ, she showed ɴᴏ sɪɢɴs that she had a second baby growing inside her at any point.
Lyndsey gave birth to her twins last July and her ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ showed ɴᴏ sɪɢɴs that she had a second baby growing inside her at any point. She said: “I found a midwife when we knew I was pregnant and through the whole ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ everything was just like when I had my son. I ᴍᴇᴀsᴜʀᴇᴅ my fundal height which always matched what it would be for having one baby for each week I ᴍᴇᴀsᴜʀᴇᴅ. I wasn’t doing extra ultrasounds because I wasn’t ᴀ ʜɪɢʜ ʀɪsᴋ, unless I needed to, if I felt something was wrong for example. I did have an ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅ with ᴀ sᴏɴᴏɢʀᴀᴘʜᴇʀ, who did an extensive ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅ of all four quadrants but it still didn’t show Billie-June.”
She even got a recording of her ultrasound, and after having her babies she checked back and still couldn’t see a second baby when she knew both babies were there. The mother-of-three admitted that her only regret was that she didn’t have a picture of her husband’s face when he saw a second baby being born. She said :” The whole room went ᴄʀᴀᴢʏ, everyone was having conversations with each other, my husband was in sʜᴏᴄᴋ, my sister was taking ᴘɪᴄᴛᴜʀᴇs and I don’t think any of us had a clue how to feel. I was in pure sʜᴏᴄᴋ too, I had a million thoughts that I couldn’t process because I was completely overwhelmed so I just submitted to the moment, I think my face says it all. I must have sᴇᴛ ᴀ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ʀᴇᴄᴏʀᴅ for how many times someone can sᴄʀᴇᴀᴍ ‘ᴏʜ ᴍʏ ɢᴏᴅ’ in 10 minutes. Now we have settled in we are so happy and I would not change a thing.”
Now, with the twins coming up to their first birthday, Lyndsey feels ready to share what happened and explains it was one of the biggest, and best surprises she has ever had. She said: ” When it first happened we were just having a total ‘ᴏʜ ᴄʀᴀᴘ’ moment, but now that we have settled and we know how to look after twins we just love it. It’s a total blessing in disguise, and the kids themselves are great, my son Django adores them and they all get on so well. I love looking back at the photographs because I think they show exactly how I was feeling, there’s no hiding how I felt. I was ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ about sharing the ᴘɪᴄᴛᴜʀᴇs because it’s such ᴀɴ ɪɴᴛɪᴍᴀᴛᴇ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ, but I’m thrilled we have them, I look at them all the time. I’ll show them to the kids when they’re older, but maybe not all of the ᴘɪᴄᴛᴜʀᴇs.”
She added :” Now, I have two baby girls and a 3-year-old son! Too ᴄʀᴀᴢʏ! It was just beautiful. I will never forget the indescribable feelings behind those ᴘɪᴄᴛᴜʀᴇs. I was beyond happy. We were both so happy, and I think everything happens for a reason. The likelihood of ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʙᴀʙʏ ʜɪᴅɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴍʙ is ᴇxᴛʀᴇᴍᴇʟʏ ᴍɪɴᴜsᴄᴜʟᴇ, but it happened.”
