When I was pregnant, we decided to leave the sex of our babies a surprise -- that’s right, I said babies, as in more than one! My husband and I were expecting twins! My birth story was one I will never forget. I found out a couple days before my delivery day that both babies were breech. That meant, that a C-section was a must, so my doctors scheduled one for December 26, 2012.

I was on bed rest for three weeks prior to my delivery. Really, the only time I was allowed to get up each day was to go to the bathroom. Thank goodness it was close to Christmas and lots of holiday movies were on television. On December 18^th, I had an appointment to see how the babies were doing. My doctor checked me out and told me I was dilated 6 cm. She left to call the high-risk doctor we had been seeing for the twins, too.

I was thinking, “I bet we are having a C-section in a day or two.” My doctor walked back in the room and said these words, “We are going to have a birthday party at 7:30 tonight!” I was so shocked -- and excited!

Everything went pretty fast from that point forward. I remember thinking this date was going to be their birthday! Ready or not, this was it; I would be delivering twins tonight! When my husband arrived at the hospital with our bags, I thought, “This is real!” He had such an excited look on his face and I was at ease knowing he was there with me.

Pretty quickly, our family started showing up. The nurses and doctor prepped me and explained what was going to happen, all while monitoring the babies. I kept looking at the monitors, praying that the babies were healthy, strong, and ready to be born four weeks early.

In the operating room, it was freezing and kind of scary, everything was so stark white. However, I loved my doctor and knew I was in good hands. Soon enough, the surgery began, and I just kept looking at my husband wondering what was going on behind the sheet. All of a sudden they said, “Here is the first one…it’s a girl!” Oh my gosh, I thought, a girl! Wow! A minute later, which felt like forever, they said, “It’s another girl!” I was shocked and so was my husband! Not knowing for eight months and then we knew -- two girls! How amazing and blessed we are! Both girls were healthy and beautiful. From that day on, our lives have been the best they could ever be.

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There were a lot of things that people told me to try to help me prepare for my first baby. However, the one thing no one told me was how, in the midst of my most exhausting times, would come some of my favorite moments.

Like any new mom, it took a while for me to get into the swing of things. The exhaustion of nursing multiple times at night threw me off at first, but slowly it dawned on me -- those late-night feedings were actually moments I was coming to treasure with my baby. I would head into his nursery late at night when I heard him start to cry. In the darkness, I would come around the crib from where he couldn’t see me, and when he would finally see me, the biggest smile would come across his face.

Then I’d pick up my baby and nurse him, holding him tightly, just him and me. There are no interruptions, no distractions; it’s just the two of us, together. Something about the quiet of the night (once he stops crying!) is soothing to both of us. In those moments I feel so proud and blessed. I love having that quiet time to bond and reflect on how much he’s grown.

Another one of my favorite moments is sort of a double-edged sword for me. As a working mom, I miss my son so much when I’m not around him, and I look forward to coming home to him every day. The silver lining of my working, though, is that on those days when I’m away from home a long time, when I finally do come home, when I walk into the room and Rory sees me, he gives me the biggest smile. He looks at me as if he doesn’t want to close his eyes because he’s afraid if he does, I’d be gone again. It’s heartwarming to me that my baby is physically showing me how much he missed me. Whenever I come home after being away, I love to experience his reaction. Of course baby bath time and whenever he laughs are always favorite moments of mine, too, but there’s nothing like watching him try to learn something and reach new baby milestones. Recently he’s been grabbing his feet, and before that he learned how to transfer a toy or his pacifier between his hands.

He’s always so proud of himself when he can accomplish these things. Now he’ll grab his feet and look over at me to see if I was watching. I always clap, and he giggles, kicks his legs, and tries again. Those moments, to me, are priceless.

Whatever the moment is, I do my best to recognize and savor it. These are the amazing memories with my baby that I’ll keep with me forever.

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I had always imagined myself working in an office even after I became a father. I could see myself coming home and having the old-fashioned sort of life.

However, after I became a part of my first startup in 2003, I started to look at things differently. I began thinking about staying home, being a father first while maybe running a little business out of the house, spending as much time with my kids and wife as I wanted.

Lucky for me, the job market helped me make my decision. When I graduated from law school, I was already a new dad, as my wife and I already had 8-month-old twin babies at home. We felt isolated where we were living in Akron, and we wanted to move closer to family, so we planned on moving back to St. Louis, MO. I even took the bar there and passed, but with the economy the way it was, it was hard for me to find a job in St. Louis. Plus, my wife already had a good job in Akron, so we ended up staying.

I’ve continued looking for work, but an opportunity has not presented itself for me -- at least not one that can beat my current gig: SAHD. As a stay-at-home dad, I rarely have a day that I would consider average. My babies are my alarm clock. Most days my wife leaves for work before our two girls are up. I get them up, make breakfast, and then try to do a little work on the businesses, all while still entertaining 2-year-olds. We work on our numbers and ABCs, and generally try and have some fun. I’ve started two companies from home as an attempt to find a way to contribute to the household finances, but my priorities are my girls.

The ability to spend time with my girls this way is something I never thought I would have the chance to do as a new dad, and it is the most rewarding experience of my life. As with anything new, though, there are trade-offs. The reversed roles of my family, and the fact that I had more of a traditional upbringing, have taken a lot of getting used to, and a lot of pride swallowing. It is not always easy, but I have always told myself that nothing worth having comes easy.

While trying to balance and redefine my role as a stay-at-home dad, I’ve had the opportunity to watch my girls grow and develop into little people. I love playing with them, and I enjoy their company. As a young physician, my father worked 36 hours straight, had a short time off, and then went right back to work. I saw him for fleeting moments when I was little, and never really had the chance to spend any time with him; something both he and I wish had been different. The fact that I get to spend almost every waking moment with my daughters is an amazing opportunity. Regardless of the frustrations, time constraints, and other events, it’s something I relish every day.

Photo by Andriyko Podilnyk on Unsplash

The pride and joy I felt at the birth of my daughter, Isabel, was enormous. She was dark-haired and lovely, a wiggly 8 pounds and 9 ounces, with off-the-charts Apgar scores (an assessment of newborn well-being) -- already so brilliant! Yet once we arrived home from the hospital, insecurity replaced these positive feelings on newfound fatherhood.

I wanted to know how to be a good father, but I really had no idea what I was doing. Fortunately, with some trial and error, I was able to take care of my new baby, be of use to my wife, and even become the go-to guy for many tasks.

I was a massage pro when my wife was expecting, rubbing her neck, shoulders, and feet whenever she was achy. So transferring this small talent over to Isabel was the natural next step. Baby massage has been shown to help tots eat and sleep better and reduce stress; it's also an excellent way for new dads to become closer to their babies. I’d give Isabel a massage using baby-safe oil whenever she was fussy, or before bedtime, or just when I wanted to bond with her (which was often!).

After endless breastfeeding sessions, my wife was often too tired to coax a burp or two out of Isabel. I became the "Burp Whisperer," jiggling, patting, and rocking her until the air came up. While I may have been a pro burper, I’m no professional crooner, but Isabel didn’t seem to mind. In fact, I found that when I sang, the vibration of my Adam’s apple on her head helped lull her to sleep. Jazz, top 40 tunes, even songs I made up on the spot seemed to be music to her ears, and singing to her became a nice bedtime ritual for the two of us.

I quickly discovered that changing a baby’s diaper on a high table is pretty scary -- and potentially unsafe. Whether we were at home or out and about, I found it was much easier for me to set up a station on the floor using a diaper pad. If I needed to take my hand off Isabel to wrestle with the wipes or cream, she was secure on the carpet.

One other thing I learned as a new dad: Your baby will grow up fast and you’ll miss these bonding experiences later on. My biggest tip on early fatherhood: Don’t look at baby care as a chore, but instead as something sweet and exciting. You’ll remember these times fondly for years to come.

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No matter how many baby books you read or doctors you talk to, there’s no such thing as being completely prepared for a pregnancy of multiples -- or any pregnancy, for that matter! As I found out, there are many variables and it’s important to be flexible with your birth plan. When I was expecting twins, I never could have imagined how my labor would pan out. Here’s what I learned from my multiples pregnancy:

I was feeling pretty good when I went to the hospital during my 38^th week to deliver my full-term infant sons. I knew that many multiples are born prematurely (or before the 37^th week of pregnancy), so I was relieved that my new babies had made it past that date. Ironically, after I had spent a month on bed rest and taken medication to fend off contractions, my little ones seemed to change their minds about coming out, and my labor had to be induced. Because both babies were in the head-down birthing position, my doctor and I agreed that there was no reason I shouldn’t try a vaginal delivery.

As a first-time mom, I didn’t know what to expect during childbirth. Eight hours, one epidural, and countless contractions later, my first son made his appearance. At 5 pounds and 3 ounces, he was small but otherwise healthy. As the nurses and my husband looked him over, my ob-gyn prepared for baby number two. I was exhausted from the first delivery and certainly wasn’t prepared for what came next. My second son’s umbilical cord had slipped through the birth canal ahead of him, a complication called umbilical cord prolapse. A vaginal delivery was no longer an option because it would have pressed the baby against the umbilical cord and cut off his oxygen.

Umbilical cord prolapse happens in about one out of every 300 births and is more likely to occur with multiple babies. Due to the high-risk nature of delivering twins, I was already in a surgical room. Quickly, the doctors and nurses prepped me for an emergency C-section and our second baby was born. Thankfully, he was healthy and didn’t suffer any ill effects from the prolapsed cord.

While I was preparing for the babies’ arrival, I never imagined that I would experience both forms of childbirth. But if you plan to deliver twins vaginally, you should know that a combined delivery (when the first twin is delivered vaginally and the second by C-section) is always a possibility.

Of course, my labor experience with multiples is unique to me. Work with your doctor to prepare as much as possible for your own situation. And if the delivery seems daunting, focus on the positive: You’ll soon get to meet your adorable new babies!

Photo by Amy Humphries on Unsplash