The woman who made a harrowing trip to the hospital from Marshalltown to Des Moines through the winter storm in March takes her blizzard babies home today. State officials used a convoy that included a D-O-T snowplow, two Iowa National Guard Humvees, a Humvee ambulance and a state trooper to bring Sarah McDaniels through the storm on March 2nd.
McDaniels was pregnant with twins and says she started going into premature labor. Doctors in Des Moines stopped the labor– and Monday, exactly one month later — McDaniels gave birth to a five-pound-15-ounce boy named Dylan, and a five-pound-14-ounce girl named Dakota. McDaniels says she wasn’t really worried about her health of that of the unborn babies at the time, but says the trip through one of the worst winter storms in years, was long and scary.
The babies slept quietly as their mother spoke with reporters, and she says they’re in good health after being born just a little early at 36-and-a-half weeks. She says, "they’re perfect, nothing’s wrong with them."
McDaniels says many Iowans responded to her story She says people sent cards wishing her good luck, and saying they were thinking of her. McDaniels expects the ride home to be a little less eventful — even after hearing the forecast that calls for snow flurries.
McDaniels says she’ll tell the twins about their wild pre-birth ride when they get old enough. McDaniels says she’s gonna have a D-V-D that I can show them. McDaniels already has six other children and says they’re looking forward to having mom and the new siblings come home. McDaniels says she’s also looking forward to getting back to work at the Swift plant in Marshalltown.