In an exclusive interview with
Us Weekly, The Killing's Jamie Anne Allman reveals she had a
"horrible" pregnancy that resulted in the premature birth of twin
boys. Eighty-one days before her due date, the actress welcomed sons Asher
James and Oliver Charles on Thursday, Jan. 31.
Jamie, who wed True Blood's
Marshall Allman in 2006, didn't get to take her boys home until late April.
"Oliver was 2 lbs., 11 oz., and he was discharged at 7 lbs., 7 oz,"
she says of her son. "Asher was 3 lbs., but he was discharged from the
hospital at 8 lbs., 1 oz."
The star's pregnancy was far
from ideal. "I puked seven to 12 times a day, and then I peed my pants
every time I puked," Jamie recalls. "I popped blood vessels all
around my eyes from every time I vomited, and if I moved slightly I would puke,
so I couldn't really walk to the bathroom."
Jamie lost her appetite
("I ate toast and apples," she says) but continued to eat for her
twins' sake. "My husband gave me snacks all day long, and I ate horribly
because I couldn't eat anything else," she admits. "Pop-Tarts and Toaster
Strudel really helped me!"
Because the Kansas native had
a shortened cervix, she was put on bed rest for most of her pregnancy. Calling
her second trimester "horrible," Jamie -- who was also diagnosed with
gestational diabetes -- says she used a wheelchair before being admitted to the
hospital in January. "They wanted me in the hospital for three months
because the shortened cervix was slowly disappearing," she explains.
"Then I got a bladder infection and delivered that day."
Though she'd hoped to give birth
vaginally, Jamie heeded her doctor's advice and decided to get a C-section.
"They opened me up and Asher came out, then Oliver. I heard them cry and I
looked over at Marshall to see what he was thinking. He looked at me and said,
'It's amazing.'"
New father Marshall was so
awestruck that he fainted and fell off his chair. When he awoke, he began
vomiting. "I was so nervous because I wanted to help him and I couldn't do
anything. So I just said, 'You gotta get out of here!'" Jamie recalls. "He
started crawling out of the operating room on all fours." Once Marshall
sat down and collected himself, his wife says, "He was fine. We'll never
forget that one because he videotaped the babies coming out, and right when
they came out, boom! The camera stops."
Jamie was on bed rest in the
hospital for five days before she was allowed to return home. She visited her
twins in NICU daily, though their interactions were limited. "The first
month, I only got to hold them for two hours total," she says. "They
went through a lot. In the second month, thank God, I got to hold them a little
bit more."
During that time, Jamie worked
to regain her strength. "My muscles had atrophied quite a bit because I
hadn't used them for sixth months," she tells Us. These days, the actress
says she feels "totally" great" and has her "body
back." Though Asher "is dealing with acid reflux" and Oliver
"is allergic to milk and soy," Jamie says she's the proud mom of
"two normal, healthy babies."
Despite her difficult
pregnancy and delivery, Jamie Anne hopes to add to her brood in the years to
come. "I kind of want maybe four more," she tells Us. "I think
it's really amazing to have a big family. I've always wanted one." She
isn't yet sure if she'll carry any future children or use a surrogate, but she
hopes her story gives other women who've been through similar experiences a
sense of comraderie.
"It was not fun,"
she explains. "I just like to be open and honest and transparent about
stuff like that." (
Source)
