Hope Henderson, a 31-year-old midwife from Evanston, Wyoming, has given birth to twins weighing nearly 19 pounds, a record for the state. Her son, Clay, weighed 9 pounds, 4 ounces, and her daughter, Leah, weighed 9 pounds, 6 ounces.

A Family History of Big Babies

Henderson has a history of having big babies. Her older daughters, Joy and Ann, weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces and 9 pounds, 13 ounces at birth, respectively. Henderson’s husband, Raleigh, is 6 feet, 4 inches tall, which may have contributed to the size of their babies.

Henderson remained active throughout her pregnancy, attending births as part of her midwifery practice and paying close attention to her nutrition. She said she was hitting her protein goals every day and taking care of herself. As a result, her blood pressure remained healthy, and her blood sugar levels were normal.

The twins were born on March 3, about a week after Henderson’s due date. The labor was quick, and Henderson delivered Clay within a contraction or two after her water was broken. Eleven minutes later, Leah was born.

Henderson said what stands out most about the birth is how closely the twins matched in size. Normally, one twin is significantly bigger than the other, but Clay and Leah grew evenly.

Today, the twins are thriving. They are exclusively breastfed and have already surpassed 14 pounds each. Henderson said one of the biggest surprises after the birth was that she didn’t tear at all and had no vaginal lacerations, which made her healing process much easier.

Original reporting: NBC6 Miami — read the source article.