The baby was pissed that his home was being crowded, and began to pummel me in the ribs.  This was enough to make me sick.  I told Jack that I couldn’t go on with the kid moving around so much.  Always one to help, Jack lifted up my shirt, and began to massage my belly, trying to calm the kid down.  I was shocked to see how much bigger my belly looked after all that food.  Jack moved his strong hands from side to side attempting to lull the kid to sleep.  The massage was made easier by the fact that I had begun to sweat while eating the 3^rd slice of cake.    

Half an hour later, Jack had successfully quieted the kid down.  The massage felt great.  I moaned as he moved the baby around, and as his fingers got closer to my swollen pecs, I groaned louder.  My chest was heavy, I had started producing milk, and I could feel the pressure all the time. 

All I could do was lean back, put my hands on my belly, and feel the pressure from within.  The way my skin felt, I was sure I was developing stretch marks at that moment.  The belly felt firm, I could feel the rock of my stomach deep within, past the sleeping child.  Then I felt Jack put a spoon to my mouth.  I had almost forgotten about the ice cream.  I wasn’t sure I could get it all down, but Jack took his other hand and applied it to my stretched gut, and massaged it, trying to make room.  Two hours passed since we started and I took the last bit of ice cream in my mouth.  My belly felt full, stretched and like it could rip in half.  I felt the skin stretch, but also the waist band digging into the underside of my belly. 

Jack helped me up, and showed me to the mirror.  I looked like I put on 10 lbs, which I might have.  My belly stuck straight out in front of me, and made me look like I was 9 months pregnant.   After all that food I was very tired, so Jack let me spend the night at his place.  It was nice lying down in the bed, his hands exploring my overstuffed belly, feeling the baby move every now and then, trying to find room. 

By the time I hit the 8^th month mark, the pros of having the belly I always wanted were being outweighed by the cons of every day life.  I had gained almost 40 lbs at this point, and most of it had gone to my mid section.  It’s true my chest was bigger, and I had gained more muscle because of carrying around the extra weight, but it was getting to the point that people were asking me when I was due, and I had 6 weeks left.  When I told them how much longer I had, they usually made a sympathetic face, and tried to make me feel like it wasn’t that much time.

A typical Sunday, which was normally a great day for me, was now a struggle.  It was the beginning of September, but still the weather was in the high 60’s.  Because of this, I would usually wake up with sweat running down my belly.  The small streams looked like they were crossing a mountain, a very lopsided mountain.  I would have to sleep on my side, and rest my heavy belly on a pillow on the side.  The baby was always taking up some random position in there, so my belly was never rounded; there was always an elbow here, a knee there, and usually a fist in my ribs.  As I woke, from a usually light sleep, I was tired. I'd push my self up to a seated position, and wait for the baby to settle into my lap.  I would have to then push myself up to standing, and get my back ready for the weight it was about to carry. 

One of my hands always immediately went to the small of my back, and began massaging the overworked muscles.  Though I had always been in shape, carrying around an extra 40 lbs every minute of the day was tough on my back.  The baby was inevitably awake as soon as I got up, and began squirming around my bell causing it to shift and shape in bizarre ways.  I could see in my bathroom mirror my belly moving.  My skin was still pretty pale, as I didn’t dare take this belly out into the sun.  I had also continued getting stretch marks all over my belly.  I did have a little bit of hair on my gut originally, so it hid them pretty well, but I still saw them.  They were a testament to the journey my skin had been through.  It was constantly itching as it stretched to the growing size of the baby. 

I went into the kitchen to get some breakfast.  Although the baby was taking up quite a bit of room in my belly, I still was hungry a lot of the time.  The doctor said it was because the baby was growing so much it required the food.  Getting my large bowl of cereal I started pacing around the kitchen.  This pacing usually helped quiet the baby and made it easier to finish my breakfast. 

After breakfast I went to the bathroom to get myself ready for the day.  Today I had to buy more clothes.  Not that what I was wearing was too tight, but the doctor was anticipating quite a bit of growth in the next few weeks. 

Taking a shower wasn’t the easiest of tasks.  Squatting down to adjust the water temperature was not fun.  When I was in there, it took me quite long time to lather up my body.  I'd spend some time on my belly.  As I worked the soap in I could feel the tightness to my skin, but there was still some give.  That made me agree that the baby still had room to grow.  As I lathered the underside of my belly, that’s where I could feel the real weight of it.  Gravity had started pulling the baby down in my hips and as I pulled up on my belly I could feel how much weight was really there.  How could I have gained 40 lbs?  The baby was probably 9 lbs, maybe the amniotic fluid was a few, but I couldn’t figure out how I was 40 lbs heavier, with more to come. 

After drying off, which itself was a chore, I put on a pair of shorts and a tee shirt.  The tee shirt was already stretching across my mid section, and was an indicator that it was time to go shopping.

The closest paternity store was a few blocks away.  Deciding I needed the exercise, I pulled on my Crocs and went out the door.  Because of how heavy I was feeling, I started wearing Crocs.  These had always been my least favorite shoes, but the fact that I could slip them on and they were comfortable outweighed my fashion sense.  I moved slower than I ever had in my life.  With each step I could feel the weight of the belly on my back, the belly on my knees, and the weight of my whole body on my feet. 

As I walked the few blocks to the store, I endured the stares from people.  Male pregnancy was still not very common, and neither was a pregnant guy as big as me.  I was tall and built, yes, but I had a belly that suggested I was due any day.  Ugh, 6 more weeks!  A walk that would have normally taken me 15 minutes was turning out to be half an hour.  I was grateful for each cross walk that I had to stop at.  I was able to catch my breath, and adjust my shirt.  With each step I took, the fabric on my stretched out tee shirt rode up.  By the time I finished a block, a good portion of the under side of my belly was hanging out for all to see.  I actually enjoyed feeling the breeze as the walk caused my belly to become slick with sweat. 

I got to the store and was greeted by a sales girl immediately.  Her first question was if I was shopping for post-paternity cloths.  When I told her I still had 6 weeks left, I could see her eyes widen.  “Twins?” was the immediate question, unfortunately not.

We spent an hour looking around the store, picking out clothes, and trying to find something in my size.  I was already wearing a large in 9 months, so she suggested a 2X in 9 months.  We picked out some jeans, a few pairs of shorts, underwear, and some tee shirts.  What I was most excited about were new lounge pants.  I had been wearing some pants from my 4^th months still and they were dangerously tight.  With 2 bags full of clothes, I headed out of the store and decided a cab was my best bet. 

The next week was my 36 week appointment. We had been trying to tell what the sex of the baby was for a few weeks, but due to its positioning, we could never tell.  I was running a little late, so when I walked into the office, the adoptive parents were already there.  The wife’s hands immediately went to my belly.  Because of the cab ride and the walk to the office, the baby was pretty still.  I could see the disappointment on her face and obliged by pestering the baby I my gut.  I pressed on the underside of my belly in an effort to get it irritated so it would move around.  After a few tries, I was pummeled by kicks and punches, and movement.  The pain was worth it, as I saw the joy in her eyes. 

We were called back and they started the usually tests.  First I got on the scale.  42 lbs gained, that was 2 lbs in a week, with 5 more weeks I would have gained almost 52 lbs!  The nurse could tell I was a bit anxious about the weight, and she said it was on the high side, and she would make a note to talk to the doctor about it.  I moved to the exam room alone and got prepared as the couple waited outside for me to get ready. 

The nurse asked it I needed help, but I declined.  I got in, and kicked off my Crocs.  The linoleum floor felt cool against my feet.  I then peeled the tee shirt off my body and threw it on the chair.  Next off came the shorts and underwear.  I used the small stool and got myself seated on the exam table and laid myself down.  I then took the sheet and placed it over my groin for some privacy.

Laying down I looked at the ceiling and took a second to relax.  The baby shifted into its new position, which made it hard to breathe.  I never lay down on my back because I could feel all the weight on my internal organs.  I tried to look at my feet, which were obscure by the pecs and belly in my line of sight.  For the first time my belly looked really rounded. 

The doctor knocked and I let them know I was ready.

The doctor came in immediately followed by the parents.  “Wow, looking quite ripe there,” the doctor said.

I let him know I was a little concerned about the weight gain, and he admitted that it was a little high.  He began his exam.  He started pushing here, prodding there, ‘hums’ and ‘uh huhs’, but no real sentences.  He took my blood pressure and listened around my belly with a stethoscope. 

When it was time for the sonogram, he wheeled it over and put the gel on the lower part of my belly.  The couple came over and you could feel the anticipation of knowing the sex of the baby. 

“It’s being difficult again today,” the doctor said.

He put down the wand and began pushing on my belly in an attempt to get the baby to move.  It wasn’t the best feeling, the kid moving around in there, pushing on vital organs.  I moaned a little but allowed him to continue in order to find out the sex.  He picked up the wand and looked again. 

“Well, would you look at that,” he said.

We all held our breath for the announcement.

“Twins!”

I could have passed out right then and there.  Twins?  Really?

The parents were thrilled, I wasn’t, and the doctor could finally explain why I had gained so much weight.

I was carrying 2 babies, a boy and a girl, both around 8 lbs.  The only thing that made me feel better was that I wasn’t going to have to deliver a monster 13 lb baby.  Twins were usually a bit smaller, but 8 lbs right now could equate to 10 lbs at delivery.

For the next few weeks I tried to get adjusted to the idea of having twins.  I’m sure it would have been a lot more traumatic if I knew I was keeping the babies.  Still, the idea of giving birth 2 times was terrifying.  I started looking into different birthing options, and one that really resonated with me was a water birth.  The hospital that my doctor was affiliated with did not have water birth facilities, but they worked with a lot of midwives that could do a home water birth.  The idea of doing a birth at home was not my ideal, but I could see how much more calming it could be. 

I started getting in contact with a facility and they send over a few midwives for me to meet with.  One that I really hit it off with was Tony.  First, he was a man, so that helped, second, he had given birth 3 times before, and third, he was hot.  Tony was my height, built and had a bit of a belly, which I loved.  When he came over to my place for the initial interview we really got along, and I could feel trust with him. 

When I finally decided on Tony, he and I met a few times a week in order to prep for the birth and get better acquainted.  The birth plan was pretty simple.  He lived a few blocks away, so I would call him when my contractions were either 15 minutes apart, or strong enough that I wanted him there.  He had a pool that we could set up in my apartment, and I insisted the adoptive parents were not there.  They were initially disappointment, but I think they understood what a personal thing this was.  Also, it was good that the hospital was only 8 blocks away if anything were to go wrong. 

In the times Tony and I met, he would show me exercises that would help with the birth.  One of the ones he had me do regularly was to get on all fours and using my ab muscles, pull my belly up.  This was a difficult one for me, because of all the weight carried in my belly.  But I continued to practice and got stronger.  Tony would also give me massages.  These massages would help my back and feet to feel a little bit normal. 

About 2 days before my due date at about 11pm I got my first contraction.  I had spent most of the day hanging around my house.  I felt off.  My back was obviously hurting, and the kids had descended lower and lower into my hips.  I also felt nauseous, I thought it was just the results of the huge changes my body was going through. 

I was watching TV, trying to fall asleep when I felt the first contraction.  I could feel the muscles tightening in my back.  I had been getting back spasms the last few weeks with the added weight I was carrying; almost 55 lbs right now, with 11 lbs babies.  This felt different.  I texted Tony to let him know, and he told me to try to get some sleep; we had a lot of work to do in the few hours.

I tried to calm my nerves, but couldn’t sleep.  At about 1am, I decided to take a little walk around the block to tire myself out.  Being that it was 1am, I didn’t really care what I was wearing.  I pulled on some mesh shorts that fit just under my low belly, and a tee shirt that was probably still too tight.  As I walked about of my building, my doorman gave that all too familiar look ‘You’re still pregnant?!’

I made it once around the block before I was exhausted.  My contractions at this point were about an hour apart, so I knew I had a while before showtime.  Going back up to bed, I looked forward to resting.  I got into bed and was immediately out.  I was able to sleep pretty well that night, just waking up occasionally for a contraction, but they were still pretty far apart.

The next morning I got up and fixed myself a light breakfast.  At this point the contractions were about 25 minutes apart and were getting stronger.  I walked into the bathroom and took a look at my pregnant body for one last time.  My belly continued to drop lower and lower, and I could tell how it made people uncomfortable.  I looked like I could pop at any minute. 

Around noon the contractions were 15 minutes apart and I called Tony.  He told me to calm down and he would be right over.  He got there with his bag of supplies, and immediately came over to me to calm me down.

For the next few hours Tony helped me labor around my apartment.  I took many different positions, I’d walk around, and as the contractions came, I bent over a bit and gripped my knees.  I also labored on the bed, moving from side to side trying to dissipate the pain.  It was a weird pain.  I could feel the tightness in my back and as the muscles began to tighten around my belly I could actually feel the first baby’s head grinding into my pelvis, trying to stretch me out. 

By the time my contractions were 5 minutes apart, I was 7 cm dilated.  I felt this incredible pressure that was only released when my water finally broke.  My water breaking didn’t alleviate all the pressure because the twins were in separate amniotic sacks.  The water that did break was so minimal, Tony thought that it was only the first that broke. 

At 7pm I was in the pool.  I have to say it did alleviate some of the pain I was feeling.  Most of the pain in my back was gone when I got in, and I finally felt like I could move around freely.  I felt heavier and heavier as the labor progressed.  I had been in labor for almost 20 hours, so I was getting tired and ready for the babies to be born.  My favorite position in the pool was to be on all fours and have my head resting on the side.  It felt the most natural.  Tony would check me from behind to see how far dilated I was, and at about 10pm he gave me the OK to start pushing. 

Initially pushing was a relief, my body had felt like pushing for a while, but I needed to stretch more before I could.  As I started pushing I was hit with the reality of the situation.  With each push I could feel the bowling ball sized baby moving millimeters deeper into me.  I could feel it pushing against my opening, but it wasn’t making the progress I wanted to.  I pushed and pushed for about 2 hours before Tony said, “I think I can see something”.

I immediately put my hand down there and felt something; it didn’t feel like a head.  Tony could see the concern on my face and he investigated.  The first baby was breach; feet first.

I could see the concern on Tony’s face, but he told me everything was going o be fine, and he got me focused back on pushing.  I was on my back now with my legs spread wide.  With each push, I gripped the back on my knees and pulled them closer to me.  I was amazed that my neighbors didn’t hear the groaning coming from my apartment.  Twenty more minutes of pushing and the shoulders had passed.  It was a huge relief when I got to this point, and then I remembered, the head was the biggest part.  I mustered the biggest push that I could and the first baby was born.

It had been 25 hours of labor, and I still had one more baby to go.  Tony checked out the first one, the girl, and gave her a clean bill of health.  I sat in the tub and delivered the first placenta.

Fifteen minutes passed and nothing.  I didn’t experience any contractions.  I just sat there holding the first born and dreading having to go thru it again.  Another 20 minutes passes and still nothing.  Tony suggested I breast feed to start contractions.  He helped me out of the tub and got me to the couch.  I sat there with the baby girl latched to my chest and felt my belly.  It was still pretty big, and you could tell I was obviously still pregnant.

When I didn’t experience any contractions, Tony got worried and called his boss.  She explained that there had been reports of twins being born hours apart, and that unless I started to bleed, we should just wait it out.

Tony helped me to the bed and I started to rest.  Before I knew it, I woke up with the sun on me.  It was 8am.  I had given birth almost 8 hours ago and I still had another inside of me.

Tony and I both agreed that we needed to go to the hospital and see if medicine could help.  He called the hospital that sent an ambulance.  The paramedics were amazed that I still hadn’t given birth yet.  I was dilated now to about 5 cm, but still the second baby had made no progress down.  They felt around my belly, the baby was still kicking, but I couldn’t get my body to start contracting.

We got to the hospital and they admitted me and my doctor came in.  He felt around my still pretty pregnant belly and decided to use drugs to jump start the labor. 

Before I knew it I was going thru labor again.

This second labor lasted for about 6 hours and I was taken to the delivery room.  Now I was getting the hospital experience.  I was laying naked on the while bed, legs up in stirrups, lights shining bright, and a mirror behind the doctor so I could see the progress.  With each contraction I gripped the sides of the bed and arched my belly into the air.  I yelled that I needed to start pushing, and the doctor let me know I needed to wait a little bit longer. 

A little while longer I was given the OK to start pushing, this time I made slower progress, probably because this baby was bigger, and head down, so the biggest part was coming first.  I pushed and pushed as I felt the head hang against my stretched hole.  I could feel little progress being made as the head would emerge and then retreat back when I was done pushing.  After 45 more minutes of exhausting labor, the second baby was finally born.

I was tired!