I was stunned when doctors said I was having twins… after they spotted a second head during my hellish 45-hour labour
Nicole Ziesermer, 31, and husband Matthew, 34, from Michigan, USA, had only just been introduced to their daughter Blakeley when, to their amazement, doctors spotted “another head” as they went to stitch her up post-birth.
New mum Nicole, from Grand Haven, Michigan, USA, had opted for a natural pregnancy without scans so had no idea they were expecting two babies.
"It was crazy, we were over the moon but it utter shock!” said Nicole, who worked in insurance before becoming a full-time mum.
"There were really no signs that I was carrying more than one baby, in fact people said how small I was.
"We thought the biggest surprise was going to be the sex of the baby – little did we know!"
Nicole was due to have a natural home birth with just a midwife present but had to go to the nearest hospital – Gerber Memorial, Michigan – when her waters broke at just 36 weeks.
Nicole – who had severe morning sickness throughout the pregnancy – decided on a holistic approach to her labour and opted to forgo painkillers in favour of breathing exercises, a yoga ball and cool showers.
After being in labour for more than 45 hours, the expectant mum asked for an epidural which, alongside a suction device, helped to successfully deliver her daughter at 10.06pm on December 30, 2017, weighing 4lbs 4oz.
But doctors became concerned as, instead of the pain subsiding, Nicole was still in agony.
As medics tried to retrieve her placenta it became clear something wasn't quite right and they decided to do an emergency ultrasound.
Nicole said: "It was really scary when they said that something else was inside me.
"And when they told us that it was another baby I literally asked her if she was lying!
"I just couldn’t take it all in and was still in so much pain that it was almost impossible to process."
Nicole gave birth again 59 minutes later to a baby boy, weighing 5lbs.
Baby Cade, who was having difficulty breathing on his own, was rushed straight off to nearby Spectrum Hospital, in Grand Rapids, while his sister stayed with Nicole.
She said: "Over the next few days my husband was primarily with Cade while my daughter and I stayed in for observations.
"We were still reeling from the shock and just trying to get our heads around it all.
"But primarily all we wanted was for them both to be strong and healthy.
"The craziest thing is that on the day I went into labour I did have a scan, but it only picked up the one baby.
“They think that Cade must have been hiding behind his sister."
When they were allowed home the couple, who met online in 2012, went shopping for duplicates of all the baby equipment that they’d previously purchased.
"I really can’t imagine having just one baby now, it’s like they were meant to be, I love the thought that they’ll always have each other," said Nicole.
Matt, a chiropractor, and Nicole have since been told that twins and triplets run in her side of the family.
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She said: "It was amazing to hear that it’s a bit of a family tradition; my grandma’s cousins apparently had twins and triplets.
"People do ask us if we were to have another baby, ‘would we have scans this time?’ But I honestly don’t think we would.
"Unless there were any clear medical red flags, I’d do it just the same all over again."
Dad Matthew added: ''It was truly was just such a surreal moment. I could not believe that my wife was carrying two children that entire time.
''My wife does an amazing job with the two of them. I really don’t know how she does it all day every day.
''And now that they are a year old, life really is amazing. The way they interact is priceless.”
We previously told how a young mum woke up thinking she needed the toilet… only to discover she was giving birth to twins.
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