Expecting Twins With Seven Kids at Home, She Got One Baby

Hi, friends! You might remember our blog post “We Have Seven Kids and Are Expecting Twins.” Well, the mom just got in touch with an update. She wrote: “Good evening, we wanted to let you know that our eighth baby has been born. Not twins, as we had thought, but a single baby. We’re so happy about our healthy little princess, who was born at home, just as we had planned.”

Congratulations on baby number eight, my dear! Tell us a little about her. What does she look like, and what’s she like?

Thank you so much for the kind wishes, Lisa. She looks like her siblings, with dark hair, and she’s very petite like our second daughter. She’s calm and easygoing.

How did the birth start? When did you realize this was really it?

This time I had a very long early labor phase that went on for weeks. I thought many times that it was starting. I’d get in the tub and the contractions would stop, we’d go for a walk, we tried everything to get them going again.

It only really started once I had let go, cleared my head, and thought, “Fine, stay in there as long as you want.” Because of all the false alarms, my husband didn’t think it was the real thing. It only hit him in the last few minutes of the birth.

Were your other seven kids there, or how did you handle that with a home birth?

The kids came in after the birth to say hello to the baby while I was still in the tub with her. Ahead of time, we had put together a “birth box” with play dough and craft supplies, and all seven of them got busy with it. Even our oldest happily played babysitter, or rather art teacher, for a while this time. My husband went from the bathroom to the living room, and I didn’t notice the older kids at all during that time.

How long did it take, and what were those first moments with your little girl like?

From the first light pulling sensations to the birth, it took three hours. We spent the first hour cleaning the kitchen. I tried to keep moving, and after an hour I just felt I absolutely had to get in the water. My husband had set up the birthing room, our big bathroom, with candles, an aroma lamp, and the heat turned up, and he filled the tub. It was beautiful how lovingly everything was arranged. There was no midwife there either. It was an unassisted birth.

You were completely convinced you were having twins. What was it like after the little one was born? Was there a waiting period?

Yes, we waited. I was very exhausted afterward, but I felt my belly and tried to figure out if and how a second baby was lying. Only… there was no second one. 

When did you realize there wasn’t a second baby coming, that it wouldn’t be twins after all?

After the baby was born and the placenta came. My belly was easy to feel, and then we were sure: There’s no one else in there. 

Did you ever have doubts during the pregnancy about whether there might be two? Did it feel just like your last pregnancies, and you hadn’t gained that much more weight, right?

I know someone who is also very slim and had twins. My belly was very big for one baby, and I felt so much movement everywhere, so we didn’t have any real doubts.

You didn’t have any ultrasounds during the entire pregnancy?

We did, actually. We rented an ultrasound machine several times, but unfortunately the image quality of a home ultrasound isn’t very good. During the pregnancy we relied completely on our midwife’s care, and she was the one who suspected it might be twins.

Was there a little disappointment that it wasn’t two, for you, your partner, or the older kids?

Not for me. I was just happy that the baby was here. My husband was more surprised, and the kids asked where the second one was, but then they immediately started admiring the little one.

Had you already made preparations for two babies?

Yes, we had pretty much everything times two: bassinets, baby bathtubs, baby loungers, bouncers, Tripp Trapp baby sets (those are Stokke high chairs), a double stroller, car seats. Well, my husband packed up all the extras carefully and stored them in the attic, and we’ll be selling them soon to get our space back. The second bassinet in the bedroom will probably go too, since she sleeps with us in the family bed.

What’s family life like now, with the postpartum weeks and eight kids?

Honestly, it fell into place right away. The first week, my husband went grocery shopping with the older kids and always brought home the most delicious treats, plus flowers, and everyone took really good care of me. 

What are you most looking forward to in this first year with a baby?

We’re looking forward to summer. We’re planning a trip, because the little one is so easygoing that we want to travel even with a small baby. And of course we’re looking forward to every step in her development. With every child, it’s just so lovely to see how well they grow, and we feel so lucky that we get to be there for it. We’re simply looking forward to our family life, which has now been enriched by one more child.