Mary has given birth to a prince and a princess! Frederik: "two healthy children"

Crown Prince Frederik has appeared at the traditional post birth press conference with the same elation we witnessed when Prince Christian and Princess Isabella were born, but 'times two'. Chief Obstetrician Dr Morten Hedegaard said the birth started spontaneously, it was around 5 hours long and Crown Princess Mary did very very well to give birth without complications. He said it was a ”dreambirth” and both babies had full apgar points. Frederik said that the "narrow circle" in the family - including Queen Margrethe - had previously been informed of the sexes of the two children. "The names we are still talking about, and I've just been told that he was born on Elvis's birthday. Then one of them we'll call Elvis so far," said the Crown Prince with a smile.

Frederik said that it "was not" as nail-biting as the birth of the couple's first child, but he described it as "fantastic" and talked about how along the way during the birth "there were two small hearts to keep an eye on". "It is close to being unreal because, while standing half an hour with the first born, the mother begins fighting again to give birth again before the girl arrived, said the Crown Prince, who talked about the double worry, but also that it is "a double miracle".

• Frederik shed a tear or two, says Billed Bladet

• Countess Alexandra, mother of Princes Nikolai and Felix, congratulates the Crown Prince Couple

• B.T. Prince Henrik is the first visitor to see the twins

• The birth team, Morten Hedegaard, Birgitte Hillerup are in the front:

Photos © DR.dk Jeppe Michael Jensen © Scanpix, B.T. Jeppe Michael Jensen, B.T. Keld Navntoft

• The Crown Prince Couple's website

• Berlingske Tidende

It is close to being unreal
Denmark is a Prince and a Princess richer. The Crown Prince calls it a great and rich experience.
By Anders Hvass, Jens Ejsing
Saturday the 8. January 2011, 11: 40
It was a happy and cheerful Crown Prince Frederik who just after at 11.30 told the Danish people that he and the Crown Princess are parents of two healthy children.
"My wife has given birth to two healthy children. A boy first and a girl afterwards," said Frederik to the large and enthusiastic media pack at Rigshospitalet.
The newborns were born with just under a half hour interval, the first at 10.30, and the next at 10:56. According to the Crown Prince they both have dark hair, and the family are all doing well, "like the father"," as he said with a smile.
The boy is 47 cm long and weighs 2674 grams. The girl is 46 cm and weighs 2554.
Crown Prince Frederik praised his wife and at the same time said that the two older siblings have not yet been told about the births.
"I am very impressed by women and what you do. We are now taking one day at a time, now that there will be a newborn period."
He added that the Queen "gave a sigh of relief and is totally pleased" that both births went well.
He said that it "was not" as nail-biting as the birth of the couple's first child, but he described it as "fantastic" and talked about how along the way during the birth "there were two small hearts to keep an eye on".
"It is close to being unreal because, while standing half an hour with the first born, the mother begins fighting again to give birth to the next before the girl arrived, said the Crown Prince, who talked about the double worry, but also that it is "a double miracle".
He could not say anything about what the twins will be called, but noted, however, with a gleam in the eye, that they are born on the same date as The King, Elvis Presley, and said: "so that we can all start to call him Elvis."
Congratulations are already beginning to flow in. The Prime Minister was among the first to send a congratulations [with flowers and toys for the babies], and Prince Henrik was the first to visit.

• Billed Bladet At the hospital right now: Frederik could not hold back the tears

The proud new father admitted honestly he was not able to hold back the tears.
08 January 2011 | Preben Petersen
Crown Prince Frederik followed his own tradition and shed a tear or two over the birth of the twins at Rigshospitalet.
When he stood before the many press officers in the lobby at Rigshospitalet, he admitted with a smile to Billed Bladet's Anna Johannesen, that he wept.
"Yes, I don't think we should hold back," said the Crown Prince with a big smile to Billed Bladet's questions.
The pace of birth came on fairly quickly, but the Crown Prince was clear: "We have felt reassured through the entire process, said Frederik on own and Crown Princess Mary's behalf."

The Sydney Morning Herald A boy and girl for Mary
The Daily Telegraph Princess Mary gives birth to twins in Copenhagen hospital
TV2 article Prins Elvis? - in the press conference Frederik made a joke about calling the boy Prince Elvis because it is Elvis' birthday (see
News.com.au - Thousands of Elvis fans flock to Parkes)
News.com.au Princess Mary has given birth to twins in a Copenhagen hospital
The Australian Princess Mary gives birth to twins

• B.T. Frederik: Mother is totally happy

NICOLAI HOLLE | SUSANNE JOHANSSON-Saturday the 8. January 2011, 12: 15
The Crown Prince has a huge smile and good news after a successful birth
Bathed in camera flashes Crown Prince Frederik today conveyed the good news at Rigshospitalet.
"Their mother is totally happy," was the message from the happy father who has just been blessed with twins.
"It is a miracle times two (...) It is, of course, double trouble, until they are born. But now we have peace of mind. We are confident and extremely satisfied. We feel very safe now," said the fledgling father of twins to the world press.
He characterises the birth as a 'dream birth'.
The first birth took place at 10.30 when the boy was born. Approximately half an hour afterwards the girl arrived.
And so it was the culmination of the twin pregnancy which has occupied Danish and foreign media in the last little while. And as has been well:
"The birth has been tremendous. First comes the one and a half hour later the next came out. It is unreal for a father and a husband," the happy Crown Prince said.

• Jyllands Posten

By Sarah Kott | ELSE Boelskifte | KAARE SØRENSEN Published 8:01:11 pm. 11:33 the article is updated Crown Princess Mary has given birth to two beautiful children. "A miracle times two," says an enthusiastic Crown Prince. "I'm here to tell something wonderful. Mary has given birth to two beautiful children ... a boy first ... and a girl afterwards," said the Crown Prince to reporters at the University Hospital before he was applauded enthusiastically.

A miracle times two 

The prince weighs 2674 grams and is 47 centimeters long, while the princess is 2554 grams and 46 centimeters. They were born with a half-hour interval - the prince at 10:30 and the princess at as 10:56. The children have dark hair." "Their mother is doing well," said the Crown Prince, who called the birth "a miracle times two." He described himself as relieved and overjoyed. "We could not be more happy than we were this time." "There is two lots of care and two lots of attention. There are two hearts to keep an eye on. I've been really close to it. You [I - is using royal you] stand in the first half hour period while the mother must fight on. And then came the next - a girl," said Crown Prince Frederik. He said that the "narrow circle" in the family - including Queen Margrethe - had previously been informed of the sexes in the two children. "We are still talking about the names, and I've just been told that the boy was born on Elvis's birthday. Then one of them we'll call Elvis so far," said the Crown Prince with a smile. The 38-year-old Crown Princess Mary and 42-year-old Crown Prince Frederik already have children Prince Christian, five years, and Princess Isabella, three years, who are respectively number two and three in succession to the throne. 

Maybe more kids? 

He would not directly deny that there could be more children. "I will not stand here and say without my better half. The Crown Princess has done it extremely well," said the Crown Prince.

Medical team behind the birth was also satisfied. 

"It was almost a dream birth. The Crown Princess has given birth little before her due date, which was in late January...," said the Crown Princess's obstetrician, clinical chief Morten Hedegaard. 

First twins in succession 

It is the first time that twins are in the line of succession. They are at number four or five. So far, the only twins in the Glücksburg family that descended from the royal family, was Countess Camilla Josephine of Rosenborg, but [her twins] are not in the line of succession. Mary has both prince and princess 

...Three midwives and two doctors delivered the newborns. Chief Clinician Morten Hedegaard, who in recent weeks has remained ready to assist the Crown Princess together with Professor Peter Damm. Moreover department midwife Birgitte Hillerup, now has a record of helping all Frederik's and Mary's flock into to the world. Also chief midwife Mette Simonsen is experienced in royal births, while deputy chief midwife Agnes Nørrelund was new. After the birth the royal couple and the newborns are in the "pink room" in the maternity ward, where there is plenty of room to welcome all the guests who are expected in the next days. Like other expectant twin parents they are expected to stay between four and seven days in hospital. Just as the doctors and midwives are well known, the same goes for "pink room", for it was here that the Crown Princess gave birth to Christian and Isabella. It was of academic interest which room the birth took place out of the 13 rooms at the maternity ward, where there is the equipment which may be required by a twin birth. 

• Politiken 

Happy Frederik: 'a miracle' times two * Mary has born two healthy children. A boy first and a girl afterwards, says a happy Crown Prince Frederik. * Boy weighs 2674 grams. The girl 2554 grams. The boy is 47 cm and the girl 46 cm, they were born with a half an hour interval. The first was born 10.30am, says the Crown Prince, and confirmed that the Crown Prince Couple have known the children's sex for a while... "We are very relieved and overjoyed. We could not be more happy once again than we have been this time". 
Both the newborn has dark hair. "It is such a big moment. Both twins have dark hair and they both made some noise on their own. I am very impressed by women, and what they can do," says Crown Prince Frederik, also confirming that the Crown Prince Couple have already spoken about possible names for the two babies. "It was almost unreal because we were faced with the first, and the mother must continue to work to bring the second and then there's a girl. It was quite amazing" Crown Prince Frederik says about the labour. Prince Christian and Princess Isabella have not yet spoken with their parents, says Crown Prince Frederik. On the other hand, the Queen and the Prince Consort received the a call about the arrival. "The Queen welcomed the fact that both births went well," says Crown Prince Frederik, confirming that there are two small beds ready for the new little ones. He welcomes the fact that the birth has gone so well. "The time and the speed is not so important here," said the Crown Prince to the question about how he had gone with the quick birth. "As I have thought most of the time, it has been whether things are going well. There are two small hearts, we must keep an eye on all the time," he said. The Crown Prince explained that throughout the entire process he and the Crown Princess had felt to be in the safe hands of the birth team, who had cared for them through the twin pregnancy through to the very birth. There is still no plan for how long the Crown Princess is to remain at the University Hospital, says Crown Prince Frederik. The waiting press had many questions for the proud father, and one of the journalists wanted to know whether the couple had the courage to have even more children. "We are now taking one day at a time, now there will be a period of little babies," said Frederik, it was not the time to think about whether there were more children in their family. "I will not stand here and say anything. I must speak with my better half," he said."

• DFGarden YouTube - Mary gives birth to a boy and a girl (12:00) - Frederik's full press conference

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After some sleep downunder, I'll be back with more. There is a deluge still to come :))