When US mum Leandra Nova was pregnant with her second baby, she received a fair few comments on how big her belly was. Many remarked on how they thought it could be twins. *Cue the eye rolls*.
“Lots of people asked me [be]cause my belly was so big, but I thought only one big baby,” Leandra shared on her Facebook page.
As it turns out, it wasn’t just one big baby – there were TWO babies in there. Surprise twins!! And Leandra only discovered this minor detail while giving birth.
Breech twin delivery
To add even more excitement to the mix, Leandra’s twins were both born breech, which is unusual for a single birth and almost unheard of for a twin birth.
Leandra, who is now a mum of three, shares her incredible surprise twins’ freebirth story on Free Birth Society. She opted for a home birth, freebirth* which involves minimal medical intervention. Leandra was surrounded by her partner and friends for support during her labour.
As she explains, she started labouring in the bathtub but eventually moved to her bedroom floor. She sailed through the contractions for a couple of hours when she thought she could feel something below.
It feels like an appendage. Maybe the hand is by the head. A little while later I stood up, lifted my belly, and tucked my pelvis.
This must have repositioned my baby, because a few contractions later, as I was standing, leaning on my friend for support, a foot came out! Then the leg, then butt cheek. Then the other foot, leg, and butt cheek. Then the torso, then the arms flopped out.”
After one final push, Leandra’s son’s head came out and there he was.
He was beautiful and breathing on his own and pink and perfect! I was so ecstatic.”
This wasn’t Leandra’s first rodeo so she knew what comes next – the afterbirth. A friend guided her to her bed and she prepared to push. Except the pain was quite intense.
[I was] thinking, ‘Why are these placenta contractions so strong, this is crazy!’
After a couple contractions, my friend offered traction on the umbilical cord to help me birth my placenta. I said, ‘YESSSSS, get it out! Pull, pull!”
As her friend gently pulled on the umbilical cord, expecting the placenta to come out, Leandra noticed something white.
Another baby just fell out of me, butt first in one contraction. It felt so good! The biggest release of my life! Thankfully my friend who was pulling the cord was right there to catch the second baby as he shot out of me.”
‘Omg, I have 2 babies’
“The second baby was also beautiful and perfect and started breathing on his own. I was in total awe. We all were. It was the most beautiful divine miracle of my life.”
Leandra’s twin boys – named Zion and Zaire – arrived perfectly healthy and the family is now getting used to being a family of five. Big sister Meadow is in absolute awe of her baby brothers.
As Leandra writes,
Zion and Zaire, we couldn’t be more in love with you. Thank you for picking me to be your mom.”
What to read next
- Twins with Different Fathers? Yep It Can Happen!
- VIDEO: Pacific Ocean Birth is Causing Major Waves
- Mum Discovers She’s Not Only Pregnant But in Labour While Partying with Friends
*Every parent has the right to choose their birth plan and, for many parents, this pathway leads them to freebirth. We at Mum Central support every parent’s right to make this decision but we advise that all expecting parents educate themselves on the different birthing options, including homebirth and freebirth to see what is right for your family and safest for you and your baby.
