Nichole Koirala

Nichole and her husband Saroj experienced four miscarriages before getting pregnant with twins.

“We found out at 5 weeks that it was twins,” Nichole says. The Cannon Falls couple chose NH+C’s Birth Center early on: “We fell in love with the place when our son Ethan was born here” nearly eight years ago.   

Nichole chose the Women’s Health Center for her prenatal care. “They took such great care of me,” she says. “They did an ultrasound at each appointment, so we could hear each baby’s heartbeat. That was one of my scariest things: Would we hear the heartbeats or not? They took care of me during all of my miscarriages, so they understood my worries. They were all so encouraging.”

OB/GYN Nicole Dohm-Palmer, MD “answered all my crazy questions,” Nichole adds. “Anytime I was nervous, she encouraged me to get checked. She told me that all my feelings were valid.”

Nichole came to the Birth Center a few times to check on the babies when she felt nervous that they weren’t moving much. Staff used a fetal monitor to check heartbeats and movement. “They were so helpful to ease my mind,” Nichole recalls. “After so many losses, sometimes you just need that reassurance that everything is okay.” Extra appointments and monitoring – standard practice with twins – reassured her, too.

Nichole developed gestational diabetes (slightly more common with twins) – so labor was induced at 38 weeks for the babies’ health, and her own. She was given Pitocin to start labor.

“Everyone was great at every step of the way,” Nichole says. “During labor, they couldn’t catch Owen’s heartbeat. They wanted to do a probe on his head, but they let me decide. They gave us options, let us talk it over, and let us make the decision.” Nurse Chloe Port, RN “let us know that we were in control.”

Then a second complication: Levi was breech. OB/GYN Ngoc Vu, MD was able to turn the baby in utero, avoiding breech delivery or a cesarean section.

Meanwhile, another set of twins was being delivered down the hall. Nichole’s team adjusted her Pitocin to coordinate timing as much as possible. Nichole’s labor progressed naturally, and Owen and Levi were born a half hour apart, “both great, healthy and happy.”

“With twins, you never know what to expect,” Nichole says. “We had a plan going in, but knew it might not happen that way.” In the end, “it couldn’t have gone better.”

And big brother Ethan? “He was over the moon,” Nichole smiles. “When we came home, he was waiting on the front steps to meet his brothers.”  

Nichole’s advice for nervous new parents: “Ask any questions you have. There’s no such thing as a stupid question. Northfield Hospital helps any way they can. They’re always there to answer.”

No matter how long it takes.