“The Voice” Alum Jon Mullins Opens Up About Harrowing Birth of Premature Twins: 'We Were Terrified' (Exclusive)

The musician recently welcomed his twins with wife Whitney

For someone who is known for the strength of his singing voice, The Voice alum Jon Mullins sounds somewhat timid when talking about the birth of his twin babies.

“I felt like it was just a roller coaster that we weren't prepared for,” Mullins, 36, tells PEOPLE in a recent interview.

Certainly, his timidness is almost to be expected, as Mullins and his wife Whitney have found themselves not only in the precarious position of now having three kids under the age of 2 but also coming to terms with the harrowing journey it took to get here.

“They should not be in the world right now,” says Mullins of the twins born prematurely at 32 weeks. “So, for them to snuggle up against your skin and sleep, it just makes me want to cry.”

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Related: 'The Voice' 's Jon Mullins and Wife Whitney Welcome Baby Girl Charlotte — See the Photos!

Whitney’s pregnancy was going along smoothly until January of this year when doctors started to notice decreased fetal movement when it came to the twins. Soon, the couple were making regular trips to the doctor and sometimes the hospital so medical professionals could continue to check that the babies were alright.

But on the morning of January 15, things were not alright with 37-year-old Whitney.

“Whitney woke up with her face swollen, a nosebleed, a headache, swollen ankles, swollen hands, and a blood pressure that got up to 190/105,” recalls Mullins, whose babies were measuring at 32 weeks at the time. “[Whitney] was showing symptoms of preeclampsia.”

Soon, Whitney was admitted to a Nashville hospital, but the relentless headache continued.

“[Whitney] said that she started to see black spots and her vision started getting really blurry,” recalls Mullins, who will release his next single “Time Machine” in the coming weeks. “And that's one of the precursors to a stroke. After talking to our doctor, we decided that the best treatment would be to have the babies as soon as possible.”

Theodore August Mullins and Olivia Laine Mullins were born the very next day via cesarean section. “We were terrified,” Mullins says of the plight of the babies that originally were due on March 10, which now is the date which they hope they will be able to take the babies home for good.

“Theodore came out 3 lbs., 15 oz., and Olivia came out 4 lbs., 9 oz. When Theodore came out, he had very low respiratory drive, and Olivia had zero respiratory drive. She was moving, but she wasn't breathing one bit.”

Thankfully, now having spent the last three weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), both babies are doing exceptionally well. “When you hold them, you have to remind yourself that you're holding them,” Mullins says of the twin’s tiny stature. “But there's so many wires. It's really heartbreaking to see the wires. It's heartbreaking to see the feeding tube. It's all heartbreaking.”

Adding to these emotional days is the fact that Mullins also finds himself worrying about his wife Whitney, who just recently was able to kick that recurring headache for good. “They've got her blood pressure under control with multiple blood pressure medications,” he says. "She is healing well but experiencing more pain than she did when [daughter] Charlotte was born.”

After losing a baby by miscarriage in May 2021, the Mullins' welcomed daughter Charlotte into the world in September 2022. And so far, big sister is adjusting beautifully.

“We are driving every day to see them with Charlotte in tow,” Mullins says.  “Charlotte can't go in, so one of us goes in, sees the babies, holds one of them and then comes back down so the other one can go up again. Charlotte will be doing some waiting, but she loves running around the halls of the hospital.”

And even while the twins continue to grow, Mullins says he is starting to get to know these two new little ones. “Olivia is either sassy or she's sleeping,” he laughs. “And Theo's just the partier.”

To donate to Mullins and his family, visit the GoFundMe here.

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