It’s a shock for most mothers to hear they are expecting twins. So imagine how Ipswich midwife Carly Welham felt when she found out she was pregnant with her second set of twins.
“There is no history of twins in my family so I was surprised,” the 35-year-old said.
It was 11 years ago when she gave birth to her first set of twins Declan and Harrison Kitchen with her ex-husband.
Last November, Mrs Welham and her husband James, 38, celebrated the healthy and happy arrival of Jude and Florence Welham at Ipswich Hospital, where she has worked for over a decade.
Mrs Welham, now a mother-of-seven, said: “People would joke that I’d have twins again but I never thought it would happen, so I was in shock when we had a scan and they told me it was a ‘buy one, get one free’.”
The odds of having twins twice range from 3,000/1 to 700,000/1.
She described herself as “overwhelmed” when Jude (five pounds, eight ounces) and Florence (six pounds) were born at 37 weeks. It was an induced labour, lasting 90 minutes.
“I didn’t know the genders, and I was really happy to have one of each,” she said.
The twins were welcomed home by their siblings Keaton Kitchen, 15, Cerys Kitchen, seven, two-year-old Harriet Welham, as well as Declan and Harrison, both 11.
Mrs Welham added: “We were absolutely thrilled. The girls kept asking ‘can we hold them, can we hold them? Then it was ‘can we kiss them, can we kiss them?’
“We have to be very organised and regimental at home, especially as both my husband (a taxi driver) and I work full time. It can be hard at times but it works for us, and the babies are very laid back and sleep brilliantly.”
She joined Ipswich Hospital as a maternity care assistant in 2006 and worked in various roles before qualifying as a midwife last February.
Although she has cared for women who have had twins, none of the babies – around 70 – she has delivered herself have been twins.
She said: “That’s it for me now. I will enjoy everybody else’s babies at work but won’t have any more myself and will take some time enjoying my children and watching them grow.
“I love my job and the people I work with. I had all of my babies at Ipswich and really feel like I’ve been through a journey at the hospital as I’ve grown, got my degree and finished having my family while working there.”
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