PART I: Raising Identical Twins: The Celebration
Do you believe in miracles? Though I was brought up and schooled in a Christian School, I was never a religious fanatic and I was skeptic about things, that there is always an explanation for whatever occurrences. Never did I imagine that, in my own biological make up, a miracle would happen.
I had tubal-ligation (the old surgical procedure where the fallopian tube is cut), after my third baby. According to my gynecologist successive pregnancies and subsequent successive caesarian sections thinned the linings of my ovary. Another pregnancy is detrimental to my health.
One day after almost nine years from that surgical procedure, I passed off. I felt an unusual tiredness and had fainting spells. I was brought to the hospital and had several laboratory tests on my blood and urine samples. It took rather slower in the 80’s, we waited for an hour or two.
Finally, the doctor summoned us to her clinic. There she broke the news, explained to me that my fallopian tube re-canalized or just plainly joined and healed. So I got pregnant! In that out of a hundred thousand tubal-ligations, the probability of re-canalization is almost impossible. Her explanation mattered less at that point in time. I was stunned, worried but happy. Who wouldn’t be? After a long while and getting pregnant again, I’m worried for my baby. It’s like getting pregnant for the first time. But, I felt so happy and blessed. It’s a miracle and I am “wonder-woman!”
So, I followed doctor’s advice, religiously took my prenatal medications, ate proper diet, exercise and rest. However, unlike my previous pregnancies, I had very amusing dreams in the first two month. I dreamt that an octopus with eight tentacles was moving inside my womb in different directions. During my prenatal check-up, I told my obstetrician about my weird dreams and she too was amused. She heard two heart beats but was not clinically sure that I had multiple fetuses because fetal heartbeats does not accurately tell whether its only one or two fetuses in the early stage of pregnancy. At that time, there were no ultra-sound devices or medical equipments available in our area that could detect what is inside the human body.
The following month, my third month of pregnancy, the doctor listened to my tummy’s heartbeat again. This time she is sure there were two distinct heartbeats. I have twins! I can not explain why I cried. It was not something new to a family. Both my paternal and maternal ancestry has a history of multiple births. My father had a fraternal twin sister who died of high-fever when she was eight. My mom had triplet sons but they unfortunately didn’t survive. She lost them when the hospital where the babies were confined was bomb and totally burned down by the Japanese during World War II. She had to leave the babies under the care of an American doctor stationed in that hospital. She had to flee the area with my father who was a USAFE soldier and the triplets were too fragile to travel. My mom never missed visiting the place where my triplet brothers died every “All soul’s Day”.
I belong to a prolific family being the youngest among seventeen siblings. My twins daughters are the 21st pair and many multiple births came before and after them. We are no longer surprise when one of our female family members has twins or triplets. What amuses us is having identical twins because they are more interesting than fraternal twins.
In the 7th month of my pregnancy, I was overweight. I had difficulty walking because I couldn’t see my toes. I couldn’t sit properly without pillows behind my back. I couldn’t lie down comfortably without enough pillows to put me in an incline position. I couldn’t sleep well because the two creatures inside me were super active. They were playing and enjoying their time. I always pant. The babies were too heavy for my small 5 feet 1 inch and 109lbs frame. This was how I weighed prior to my pregnancy.
When the final moment came, on April 28th of 1986 dawn, I had one special request before my caesarian section. I want the doctors to play a classical music of their choice during the procedure. Bethoven’s symphony completed the aura of the greatest celebration of my life. The operating room was transformed into a cathedral…
I was conscious in the entire surgical procedure. It would have been different if it were done today, complete with all the modern medical facilities. Without these, surgeons rely on their training to determine what the position of the fetuses, and they were very good at it. Dra. Brenda Reyes Taborasa, one of the best obstetrician-surgeon in Silliman University Medical Center, Dumaguete City noticed that the fetus were embracing and clinging at each other. She was at first worried if they were conjoint in the stomach. However, she was relieved when she gentle loosens both and got them at barely two minutes interval.
No amount of tears of joy could be expressed when the world welcomed my lovely cherubim’s Rose and Pearl… healthy baby girls at 6lbs and 8 ounces and 6lbs and 3ounces. (To be continued… Part II)
