Just into the eighth month of her pregnancy, Nancy Grace wasn't feeling so hot. The excitable TV host of her self-titled CNN Headline News program had been suffering cold symptoms for the past month, and now, on Nov. 4, she was doubled over with cramps in her back and stomach. "We didn't know if she was having a bad reaction to food or if the kids were coming," her husband, David Linch, told People. They rushed to an Atlanta hospital, where the doctor gave them troubling news: Grace, 48, was in the beginning stages of pulmonary edema, a dangerous condition in which fluid accumulates in the lungs. The twins, though not due until late December, needed to be delivered immediately. Grace, who had been told twins often arrive prematurely, was actually relieved. "Nancy had been feeling pretty tired," says Linch, 49. "She was ready to have the children."

The doctors prepared Grace for a C-section while Linch called her mother. Outside the delivery room, he could hear his wife yelling, "Where's my husband?" But he was back by her side when she delivered John David and Lucy Elizabeth. The twins are tiny—John is 5 lb. 1 oz., and Lucy is 2 lb. 15 oz.—but in good condition and breathing on their own. "She's long and lean, and he's long and not as lean," says their proud papa. Doctors expect the babies to remain in the hospital about three more weeks. Grace is in good condition and plans to return to her show as soon as possible. In the meantime, Mom and Dad are getting used to their new additions. "We came here suddenly, and two hours later we had two kids," says Linch. "Now we're just looking forward to starting a life with them."