Surprised mother gives birth to twins seven days apart

CLEVELAND - Jennifer Renz left University Hospitals, headed home from what was a big adventure.

She and her husband, Dennis, are celebrating life -- especially the lives of their two newborn twins who, surprisingly, were born a week apart.

"The whole time I wanted them to have separate identities and be separate people and now they have their own separate and special days," said Jennifer Renz, 26, of North Canton, Ohio.

Her first child, Grace, was born March 22.  Renz was in her doctor's office when she went into labor. She had not been due to deliver the children for another 12 weeks.

Rushed into the delivery room, she gave birth to a girl, one pound and 13 ounces. But suddenly, everything stopped with the second baby still in the womb and not ready to be delivered.

"When the first twin delivered, the uterus just stopped," said University Hospital's Dr. Michael Gyves, an obstretrician and gynocologist.  "Her cervix started to close."

Doctors weighed the situation, declining to induce labor to bring out the second child in the womb. They decided he seemed healthy in the womb and needed more growth.  Doctors thought it would be a couple of days before the second birth.

But it was not two days. Seven days later, Noah was born at a weight of two pounds, 15 ounces. 

The children's father, Dennis Renz, said of his wife:  "The worst part is she had to go through two pregnancies at once."

The children are the first for Jennifer and Dennis Renz, who have been married for two years. 

In the neo-natal intensive care unit of Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, the Renzes check on their children throughout the day. Although Jennifer was able to go home from the hospital stay Wednesday, the children will have to remain for a while.

"I just hope they just continue doing good and passing the milestones," said Jennifer.

"I pray for them every day," said Dennis.

The Renzes said they would celebrate the separe birthdays of the two children.  When asked about Grace playing the role of the older sister to her little brother, Noah, the Renzes laughed and said that would probably be the case.

Usually, when twins are born, their births are separated by just a few minutes.  In the case of the Renzes twins, the births are separated by about 9,700 minutes. 

Right now, the twins are in separate suites in Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital.  However, the two suites are really adjoining rooms, each with its own nurse.  You could say Grace and Noah are in twin suites. 

Just say it twice.