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I HATE JANE SEYMOUR PARODY

WebMD Online Chat in the Student Lounge
Tuesday, February 12, 2002 (transcribed by WebMD)

Host: Actress and author Jane Seymour has played many roles in her acting career, but playing the part of mom to twins is her current real-life role. Thank you for joining us in the Student Lounge to ask about the special concerns and joys of multiple births when Jane Seymour is our guest on WebMD Live.

The opinions expressed herein are the guest's alone. If you have questions about your health, you should consult your personal physician. This event is meant for informational purposes only and is sponsored by Enfamil.

Moderator: Welcome to WebMD University: "9 Months to Motherhood." This event is sponsored by Enfamil. Today, actress, artist, and author Jane Seymour joins us to talk about the joys and challenges of twins.

Moderator: Hello, Jane. Thank you for joining us today. How are you?

Seymour: Very well, thank you.

Moderator: How far along in your pregnancy where you when you found out you were going to have twins?

Seymour: Very early on. I had had in vitro fertilization, and I was scanned and watched from day one. In fact, originally we were having triplets, but one egg was much smaller than the other two and the doctor believed it would never survive, and indeed it disappeared all by itself a few weeks into the pregnancy.

Member: Do twins run in your family, Jane?

Seymour: No. My mother said there was one set of twins, but that was not the reason we had twins.

Moderator: You were an older mom and had already suffered two miscarriages when you became pregnant with the twins. How did this affect your pregnancy?

Seymour: Yes. I began to believe that it might be impossible. But we gave it one last chance, and I was very careful to be as quiet and sedate as I could be while continuing my job. In the baseball Dr. Quinn episode I did not slide into third base. My stunt double did!

Moderator: That must have been difficult for someone as busy as you -- being "sedate"!

Seymour: Yes.

Member: What special precautions -- eating, weight gain, exercise, etc. -- did you have to undergo once you learned you were having twins?

Seymour: I wrote the book Two at a Time to specifically answer those questions. I did exercise very carefully under doctor supervision. I ate very healthy, high protein and lots of fresh vegetables and fruit and tried to eat organically when possible. I stayed away from coffee and alcohol.

Moderator: This was not your first pregnancy.

Seymour: I gave birth to two others, Katie (20) and Sean (16), and I have two stepchildren, Kalen (24) and Jenny (21). So I had the experience of pregnancy, but twin pregnancy is completely different, and I was very sick in the beginning. And I was also very uncomfortable for quite a long time, from the middle to the end. It was difficult to carry so much extra weight, and in my case, gaining weight was a problem. I could not keep much food down and the babies ate everything I ate! So I actually probably lost weight on some parts of my body as the babies ate anything that was available. I could not waste food or calories on junk food, just nutritious food to feed the unborn babies.

Member: What did you do to ease the intensity of the symptoms?

Seymour: I drank chicken noodle soup with matzo balls, and ate crackers for the nausea, and finally tried to combine a series of pillows to wedge myself into a comfortable position. Ultimately there was no comfortable position, but I had a great collection of pillows!

Moderator: You looked wonderful so soon after you gave birth.

Seymour: Wherever I go people still talk about the day I was on TV for the Golden Globes in the red Chinese dress. And some women say they hate me for it. But I point out that I never intended to lose so much weight. It happened partially because of having preeclampsia, a medical condition I don't recommend.

Moderator: You developed high blood pressure and had to have a C-section. Did your doctors give an indication as to why they thought you had the problem with your blood pressure -- was it due to carrying twins?

Seymour: I was warned from the get-go that this was a possibility, and I would be monitored very closely for it. I believe it was a combination of my age and a twin pregnancy. It's common in twin pregnancy. Historically, the real queen Jane Seymour died from preeclampsia, originally called "dying in childbirth." In the back of my mind, I had often wondered about that, but I was never afraid and I didn't realize I had preeclampsia or had been so dangerously ill until three days after I gave birth. My doctor had chosen to allow me to feel nothing but joy, and when she had with drugs controlled my condition, she wanted me to realize how close we had gotten to something very dangerous.

Member: Was it more difficult having twins over 40?

Seymour: I never had twins under 40! But all the women I meet having twins speak of similar symptoms. However, anything over 40 is harder, but we don't like to admit it.

Member: How long into your pregnancy did you work?

Member: I heard that you worked as long as you possibly could while carrying your twins and you had high blood pressure. How did you manage to continue working?

Seymour: I worked until I think around 32 weeks, and at 34 weeks I had the babies. I was filming Dr. Quinn and had promised me being pregnant would not affect their schedule. However, I hadn't thought I would have twins. I retrospect, I worked too long and too hard for my health; but I finished the series and no one had to lose their jobs. And everyone on the crew and in the cast was extraordinarily helpful and made it not only possible but very pleasurable to work.

Moderator: I think that many people don't realize how incredibly physically difficult acting can be.

Seymour: Dr. Quinn was very physical. But I had to pretend not to be pregnant for the first 4 months, maybe 5, which with twin pregnancy is almost impossible. And traditionally you shoot winter scenes in summer and summer in winter, so the heat in the clothes was very hard to handle. Plus my waist size changed rapidly and dramatically, so costuming was also a challenge. We hired a stunt double to do all my horseback riding and climbing on and off the wagon, which was always my biggest challenge, especially with long skirts and slightly unstable knees.

Member: Was it hard to keep food down because of morning sickness or the babies taking up so much room?

Seymour: Morning sickness lasted all day for many, many weeks; I don't remember exactly how many, but after that subsided, soon after, it was a question of space in my stomach with the pressure of the twins taking up so much room. Nothing has, though, ever stopped me from eating heartily, and I knew how important it was to feed the babies. I made myself eat, always choosing protein and quality food over junk wherever possible. Small nibbles very frequently seemed best, rather than a huge meal. I ate a lot of tamari pumpkin seeds, nuts, and dried fruits.

Member: I am also over 40 and am having my third child -- the first two were in my 20s. I am extraordinarily tired! Did you have the same problem?

Seymour: Yes! Very tired, but I take great catnaps, and I couldn't choose to rest since I was working. But I believe in catnaps, and that's how I managed.

Member: I'm worried about carrying TWO babies that could weigh 6 pounds each. How much did your twins weigh at birth?

Seymour: As I recall, 4 1/2 and 5 pounds, but they were still really heavy! Clearly they were not large enough to be completely safe, though.

Member: How did delivery and labor go for you? I am scared as can be!

Seymour: The delivery (C-section) was easy and 100% pain free, and trauma free as I recall. I have a video of it. I have replayed it and I see nothing but joy and happiness on my face. Unbeknownst to me, the doctors were saving three lives. I highly recommend the epidural. With the epidural, there is no need for martyrdom in motherhood, a phrase my father (a gynecologist) coined. He claimed women didn't have to prove anything in childbirth. All that mattered was the safety of mother and baby and the joy of giving birth. And people's threshold of pain is quite different, so in all my births, I learned Lamaze (breathing technique) just in case, which I have always found handy when dealing with pain (birth or otherwise). But what a brilliant invention the epidural is. Don't discount this as an option. And when I needed an emergency C-section, there was no sense of emergency for me. I was already hooked up to the good drugs needed and was able to enjoy surgery instead of feeling panic or pain.

Moderator: Why did your doctors decide to deliver the babies by emergency C-section? Your blood pressure?

Seymour: Yes. I had preeclampsia, high blood pressure (toxemia). The babies were killing me, and the only way to save my life was to take them out.

Moderator: Were your previous deliveries by C-section also?

Seymour: No. Both were vaginal births.

Member: That's my other worry, having too small of babies also. Were your twins in ICU at all?

Seymour: My twins were in ICU the first week, and then they came home with me. But John, the smaller twin, had two episodes of turning blue at home. It was apnea. And they had not yet developed the final stage of being able to suck, swallow, and breathe. They sucked and swallowed, and forgot to breathe. So we returned to ICU for a couple of days until they were able to handle that. After which I was terrified and the doctor insisted they be attached to heart monitors at all times. So not only was I carrying twins in my arms but also 2 heart monitors whose connections would give false positives and scare us! In retrospect, I was thrilled to have a machine that could tell me if my child's heart was not beating appropriately. All you have to do is slightly nudge the baby, and they start to breathe again. I would be lying if I didn't say it was exhausting and at times, a little nerve wracking. Now I call them the chunky monkeys. They suck, swallow, and breathe. But they scream, fight, and climb trees.

Member: How old are your twins now?

Seymour: The twins are 6.

Member: How long did it take you to recover after C-section?

Seymour: I was sore for quite a while. But compared to other people I've met, I recovered pretty quickly. They made me walk within a day or two, and I just recall it was hard to get in and out of bed. But my muscles for some reason recovered immediately, and I never had a pouchy tummy. My doctor said I had very good muscle tone and skin tone, and I assume she did exceptional work with her surgery. But when you have vaginal birth, that's pretty uncomfortable, too. The C-section was not as bad as anticipated, and as with all pain, the human brain forgets very quickly.

Member: I recently found out I'm carrying twins. Is it really overwhelming at first having two newborns?

Seymour: It's overwhelming at all times, having two. But the upside is they have friends for life. And the love between them is extraordinary to watch. You don't have to fret over play dates; you don't have to amuse them. And to watch them snuggle up together, be tactile and loving and care about each other makes up for the double work when you have them.

Member: I have 2 identical boys who both weighed 7 lb. each. I had a lot of swelling and stretch marks. Did you have stretch marks?

Seymour: Surprisingly, I have very few stretch marks. I can though still wear a bikini, but not if I bend over forward! However, I was not as clever as you to have two seven pound babies.

Member: My guys are almost 6 months old. When did your twins 'recognize' each other? And did they wake each other up?

Seymour: They still wake each other up! They always know and recognize one another. On their 6th birthday they were asleep with each other in bed in the fetal position hugging one another; and I thought it was a priceless vision. We call it "twinning" but it sometimes turns into wrestling. They don't like being apart too much. And they are complete opposites, which makes you wonder about astrology!

Member: So since your twins were a result of IVF, I assume they are not identical. Do you dress them alike and all that other twin stuff?

Seymour: They are fraternal twins. I received a number of outfits that were identical, so we used to dress the boys in one from one outfit and one from another. However, sometimes they want to wear the same thing. In fact their best friend, Luke, will also wear something similar. Kids like to look alike. We buy two of everything, but they don't always wear the same outfit at the same time.

Member: Did you nurse your twins?

Seymour: Yes, I nursed them and supplemented with soy. I returned to work after one month (rather soon), and although on the set with me everyday, pumping, feeding, and acting at the same time was quite a challenge. My husband referred to me as the dairy queen. My hairdresser was appalled. My makeup girl, Lisa, had a child at the same time, and our makeup trailer constantly had sounds of breast milk pumps!

Member: I am 6 months pregnant with twins. What would you say is the most important thing to do to get through the first weeks with newborn twins?

Seymour: Get some help! Try to relax so your milk can come in, and if possible, find a second pair of hands to help you until you get into the rhythm of things. Be ready for sleepless days and nights.

Member: Did you have help from a nanny or someone else beside your husband when the twins were babies?

Seymour: I had to have help because of my medical condition. And my husband felt that for the safety of the babies we needed someone to be awake at night, a night shift to watch them to avoid apnea episodes. However, I still nursed them and changed them and cuddled them, and loved them, but I could not have done it without the extra help. I had other the children who needed my attention, and a TV series to return to.

Member: I have twin nephews. I am expecting twins. My sister tells me I will need to separate them as they get older! Do you separate your twins?

Seymour: Some schools insist that twins are separated, especially identical twins, but recently my twins have been in the same class and I am considering changing schools so they will be in separate classrooms. The problem is they either compete with friendships or they are constantly compared or in my case, one makes the other laugh and he gets into a lot of trouble, which at this age I find cute, but the school doesn't! Both boys are completely different; have different strengths and weaknesses. But we encourage them to participate in the same sports and arts projects. When they play basketball, tennis, baseball, and soccer, one will always pass the ball to the other, knowing he can score. And the other will help his brother to spell and do school work. It's very cute.

Member: Wait a minute ... your kids are actually FRIENDS?! My 7- and 5-year-olds antagonize each other all the time. How do you get them to get a long?

Seymour: They love each other and fight. It's a twin thing. I speak to many mothers of twins, and we all have the same experiences. For example, when twins go to school or preschool, they already know about sharing. But they also know about grabbing and pushing. And before they learn to communicate, many twins bite, which was appalling to me, but apparently very common in twins. I considered giving them T shirts saying, "Twins Bite. Beware!" Also, twins have a built-in friend. So they feel secure about sleepovers, visits to other peoples' homes, etc., because they are never alone.

Member: What is the one best piece of advice you can give us all who are expecting twins?

Seymour: Get as much rest as you can before they come. Try not to have them premature. And try to eat as nutritiously as you can. And remember, you are in for the greatest gift EVER.

Member: You've raised four other children; how does raising twins compare to your prior experience?

Seymour: It's quite different because you have to split yourself in two all the time and you feel you are constantly trying to give special attention, but one will always feel left out. So doing everything exactly equally is incredibly important. Also, lifting two at a time is tough on your back. And getting two to go through public places was a challenge -- especially airports. Our challenge was to have them hold onto the back pockets of my jeans so I could carry the bags and they could keep up with me.

Member: I am also going to be an older mom of twins due to IVF treatments. Any special advice for us "older moms"?

Seymour: Surprisingly, I discovered that the schools my children have gone to are full of older moms. I thought I would be the oldest. I certainly wasn't. I think older moms wanted this so much and went through so much to have children, and you've had more life experience. You are really ready to devote more of your time and attention to the babies than you might in your early 20s. You realize what a precious gift this is and you don't take it for granted. And most important, look after your own health because you want to live as healthy as possible to be there for these children, and to have the energy to keep up with them.

Member: Twins really aren't harder, at least at first; you feed them at the same time change them at the same time. It's when they get older and run in different directions when it gets hard!

Member: Jane, I have tears in my eyes and you have given me a better outlook. I was scared to pieces, and now I am overjoyed! Thanks.

Member: Hi. I am pregnant with twins and read your book. It was wonderful!

Member: We just did a benefit last week in NYC with 1,000 twins in honor of the twin families that lost their lives on Sept 11, and we are giving the victims' families your wonderful book.

Seymour: I have received a lot of positive feedback from people having twins who read the book, and people who had twins years ago and were curious and enjoyed the personal journey I described. It reminded them of their own. I never imagined it would be such a wide audience for this subject, but everywhere you go these days, someone is having twins. And I am glad I wrote about it quite selfishly because now I have documented this miracle for my children.

Moderator: The title of the book again is Two at a Time: Having Twins, the Journey Through Pregnancy and Birth.

Seymour: I asked my doctor, Cheryl Ross, to verify the medical information, and she contributed enormously to the book ,so there are side notes you can jump to if you just want reference points at different stages. The beauty of the book is it's solid medical advice, but very easy to read, easy to find, and the biggest part of twin pregnancy is the emotional roller coaster, which I tried my best to describe from a personal perspective.

Member: Your book was the only book on multiple pregnancy that didn't scare me to death. Thank you for thinking of all of us twin moms-to-be and putting it together. Any plans of writing a sequel -- a raising twins book?

Seymour: Well, not just now because I'm writing another book called Remarkable Changes. It's about how people discover themselves after traumatic experiences. But maybe I'll write a sequel if I am asked. And if I have time! I am certainly chronicling my twin's life and trying to remember all of the stories.

Moderator: You are so busy! What other projects are you involved with now?

Seymour: Dr. Quinn returning -- I have no idea. There has been no word from CBS. I just finished a wonderful movie called Touching Wild Horses, which I hope will be shown later this year. I have just launched a clothing line with Crossing Pointe, a catalogue and dot-com company. I showed 12 pages for spring and I have done 14 for summer and 16 for fall. So I am very busy designing and painting, and I will be showing a new collection of fine art at Art Expo in New York at the beginning of March. I am beyond busy, but I'm having the time of my life. It's a dream come true to be able to be creative in more than one arena, and to provide clothing in silks and beautiful fabrics and embroideries that everyone can afford and are made from size 4 petite to 2X excites me because we all deserve to look good without breaking the bank. Visit their web site at www.crossingpointe.com or call (877) 392-7099. Be patient. The web site crashed from huge demand, but I think it's working now. If not, please visit my site www.friendsofjane.com or try the phone number for Crossing Pointe.

Moderator: Jane, we are almost out of time. Before we wrap up for today, do you have any final comments for us?

Seymour: Thank you. I was thrilled to spend time with you. And welcome to the Twin Club for parenting in general. Don't be scared. It's a wonderful journey, and the double snuggles make up for any sleepless nights.

Moderator: We are out of time. Thank you, Jane Seymour, and thank you, members, for joining us today. For more information, read Two at a Time by Jane Seymour, The Unofficial Guide to Having a Baby, by John Sussman, MD, and Ann Douglas, and Ann Douglas' new book, The Mother of All Pregnancy Books. You can also visit with Ann and Dr. Sussman on the message board. Be sure to register for WebMD University to get the most information. Check out our news stories, features, and archived interviews with experts on pregnancy -- visit the WebMD Pregnancy Center.