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Pandemic twins

3 mothers give birth in twos during COVID-19 outbreak

-Submitted photo
Cheyenne Peck, of Fort Dodge, and her husband David, pose with their newborn twins, Declan and Dawson, born April 3. Their oldest son, Cylas, 5, sits between them.

The idea of having twins is something Cheyenne Peck, of Fort Dodge, has been fond of since she was a little girl.

And on the morning of April 3 that idea became a reality when she gave birth to Declan and Dawson, identical twin boys.

“I’ve always wanted twins ever since I was a little girl and we have a 5-year-old son and had hoped for twins with him,” Peck said. “It was funny that when we decided to expand our family that we ended up with twins this time around.

“I never thought you could just have what you wanted, especially identical. I read somewhere that identical twins are as common as one in 260 births. That’s kind of a big range to end up with identicals.”

Peck and her husband, David, are one of three couples who recently gave birth to twins at UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center.

-Submitted photo
Danielle Pingel, of Fort Dodge, left, holds Maggie, one of her newborn twins. Her husband, Tommy, holds the other twin, Frankie.

Whitney and Nick Ford gave birth to fraternal twins Georgia and Meredith on April 6. Danielle and Tommy Pingel gave birth to fraternal twins Frances (Frankie) and Magdalena (Maggie) on March 31.

The three sets of twins were born in a span of seven days.

Shaun Nimke, nursing supervisor in the Trinity Birth Center, said during the last seven years, Trinity averages six sets of twins per year.

Nimke isn’t sure why, but said “it seems the sets of twins come close together.”

Something none of the parents envisioned was bringing their little ones into the world during a global pandemic caused by COVID-19.

-Submitted photo
Nick Ford, of Fort Dodge, left, holds Meredith, one of his newborn twins. His wife, Whitney, is holding the other twin, Georgia.

“Giving birth during a pandemic was definitely different and something I will never forget,” said Pingel, who ordinarily works as the director of clinic operations at UnityPoint — TRM. “One of the major things was the fact that my husband was able to be there only — no one else. They (family) weren’t able to come in to see the babies after they were born.”

But Pingel appreciated the precautions and restrictions in place.

“We certainly understand the why behind it to ensure everyone stays safe and healthy, but was a challenge emotionally to not have those people present — so thank goodness for FaceTime,” she said. “They (twins) were born during a pandemic and that’s something not too many people can say that they have gone through.”

Ford said having fewer people in the hospital was different.

“The pandemic will be what sticks in our mind, not being able to have visitors,” Ford said. “We couldn’t have our immediate family come visit. Still being home for a few weeks — it feels crummy because you want people to see them but you know their health is most important.”

Becky Yunginger, a registered nurse in Trinity Nursery and Pediatrics, said a lot of families have been doing video calls to stay connected.

“One family had their family members outside, waving to them from four floors down,” Yunginger said.

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Regardless of the special circumstances, the parents all agreed that their care at Trinity was exceptional.

“The doctors and nurses at UnityPoint were fantastic,” said Nick Ford. “We were there for three nights. They took care of us — anything we needed. I can’t say enough about it, especially with this whole pandemic situation. They made us feel safe. From the delivery to the two to three days after.”

Ford felt a sense of relief when he finally got to hold his healthy babies.

“We got there very early in the morning, so there was that anticipation. It was kind of nerve-racking,” Nick Ford said. “Waiting and then when they were born at 7:46 and 7:47 (a.m.), it was sigh of relief and joy seeing them and hearing them cry. That relief that everything was fine and they were healthy when they came out.”

It was a moment Ford said he had waited a long time for.

“Getting to hold them, it’s something for myself wanting to be a father, something you wait for your whole life,” he said. “The best moment of your life and especially with two of them, makes it that much sweeter. For me and my wife it’s something we have really looked forward to — starting our own family. And bonus — we got two.”

David Peck said the experience has been surreal.

“Since the beginning it’s all been pretty unreal,” David Peck said. “We would mention twins but it never stuck what it was going to be until that day came — being able to see them, two babies at once is pretty crazy. It’s pretty life-changing.”

Being locked in the hospital was memorable.

“We were locked in for three days,” David Peck said. “If I went in and left I couldn’t come back for 24 hours.”

He and Cheyenne were packed up and ready for a four-day stay, he said.

At home, it’s been busy, but 5-year-old Cylas likes to help.

“Overall its been great,” David Peck said. “Our 5-year-old is really good with helping out.”

Pingel said she and her husband did not know the sex of their twins until they were born.

“I was thinking the whole time we would have a little girl and a little boy, so we were very surprised when we were blessed with two girls,” she said.

Frankie was born first. Maggie was born about six minutes later.

“Frankie is the smaller of the two girls and has a full head of dark hair,” Pingel said. “Maggie is the bigger of the two girls and has lighter color hair and much less than her sister.”

Tommy Pingel said when the babies were born all of his worries went away.

“Everything else, this whole COVID-19 thing and not being able top see our families, all those thoughts, I forgot about all that,” Tommy Pingel said. “All I was focused on was my wife being healthy.

“All the things I was thinking about before, not being able to have family or friends there or see anyone afterwards, all those thoughts went away and it was actually a really calming, wonderful experience.”

Danielle Pingel is grateful for the care she received.

“The birthing center was amazing,” she said. “I’ve known our provider quite a while. The team we have at UnityPoint Fort Dodge is pretty incredible. I felt really comfortable.”

Whitney Ford said one of her twins, Georgia, looks like her dad.

“Meredith kind of looks like me, but we’re not sure yet,” she said.

Ford said she felt supported by the UnityPoint staff.

“They were really attentive and helped get the ball rolling,” Ford said. “I never felt like I had a stupid question. Being a new mom and with these being our first kids, the nurses were great — very knowledgeable and helpful.”

Peck said she had a good stay at the hospital.

“I had incredible care out at Trinity,” she said. “They were very caring.”

Rebecca Sunken, a registered nurse in the Trinity Birth Center, described the role she plays in sharing the joy of a new life as “an honor.”

“The birth of a new baby, or babies, is a beautiful reminder that with everything going on in the world we do have a light at the end of the tunnel,” Sunken said. “At the end of the day our goal is for a healthy mom and baby, or babies. We are here for our patients and will root for them every step of the way making their experience the best possible.”

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