Emmerdale star Lucy Pargeter has opened up about giving birth to her twin girls, saying it didn't go as planned.
The mum-of-three, who's also revealed she named her twins Missy and Betsy, said she had to have a caesarean planned because the babies were both breech, but she's 'gutted' she didn't get to see any of it.
'It was a planned caesarean as the girls were both breech. I got to 37 weeks, which is when they usually want to take out twins. I wanted to watch the whole thing but they put a screen up when you're having a C-section and it couldn't be lowered quite enough for me to see', Lucy told OK! magazine.
Image: OK! magazine
'In some hospitals there are mirrors on the ceiling so you can see what's going on, but that wasn't the case in mine. I was gutted I didn't get to watch them being born.
'You feel everything with a natural birth and I couldn't with a C-section, so I would've liked to watch it.'
Lucy and partner Rudi announced the arrival of their baby girls last month, with a rep for the couple issuing a statement saying Lucy gave birth on Thursday 13th April, and that they're all 'happy and healthy'.
'Lucy Pargeter and Rudi Coleano are delighted to announce the birth of their twin girls who were born on Thursday April 13', the statement read.
'All are happy and healthy and Lola is delighted to have finally become a big sister.'
The pair, who are already parents to 11-year-old Lola, had been trying to have more children for a while, and turned to IVF for help. They announced they were expecting last October.
Lucy, who plays Chas Dingle in Emmerdale, has been very open about her and her partner's fertility problems, saying it was 'devastating' when the process failed.
'When it failed, it was devastating after all the drugs, preparation and all the mental stress we were put through', Lucy told OK! magazine in December.
'Nothing was physically wrong with us. We had all the tests and Rudi's sperm count was rocking and my egg reserves were fine. We had two [eggs] put in the first time and they didn't stick. We hoped one would stick, but both did!'
The soap actress also admitted to have taken a pregnancy test after the embryo transfer in secret, because she couldn't wait any longer.
'You're supposed to do a pregnancy test two weeks after the embryo transfer, but five days afterwards I was at home and I was like, I'm doing a test!
'Rudi said no, we have to wait the two weeks, but I couldn't so I did a test in secret. I called Rudi straight away and said: 'I've done a test and it's come up positive!'
Lucy and Rudi revealed they were expecting twin girls in January this year, after finding out the gender of their babies just before Christmas.
'We found out at the five-month scan just before Christmas, and we're just over the moon that they're both healthy; it really was the best Christmas present!'
Lucy and Rudi got engaged before the birth of their first child, Lola, but haven't made plans for the big day yet.
'I've still got my wedding file from last time. I had a lot of it planned, the dress, the cake', Lucy said.
'Rudi is desperate to get on with it but there just aren't enough hours in the day.'
