Twin Baby Birth Story

On Saturday morning, I packed up my last few items for my hospital bag and headed to the hospital for a scheduled c-section.

While we drove to the hospital, we continued our tradition of listening to "The Final Countdown," by Europe (we did this on the way to Fox's induction, too) and talking over baby names again.

I was feeling surprisingly calm when we got there and hardly had a jitter when I checked in. They got us to a prep room and I got changed into a hospital gown and they took my vitals and asked me lots of questions about my health history and such. Then my doctor came in to let me know she was on her was to another C-section before mine and that she would be in soon for mine, but that it had been pushed back an hour.

The anesthesiologist also came in to answer any questions, and told me a little bit about his part in my procedure. I was starting to get a little nervous, especially when they came in 5 minutes later and told me the procedure would be half an hour sooner than they had said.

Very soon, we were walking down the hall to the operating room, and I laid down on the very narrow operating table. They got me prepped and the anesthesiologist began to get me numbed with local anesthetic and then placed a spinal in my back. It was pretty uncomfortable, but in a moment it was placed and almost immediately my legs got very warm and within a minute or so, I couldn't feel a thing. They hung up the curtain, my doctor came in, and they got started.

She did an ultrasound one last time to make sure Baby A was still breech, and he was, so they carried on with the procedure.  

As they began cleaning my stomach to prepare for the incision, I started feeling nauseated, lightheaded and started seeing spots. Despite voicing my discomfort, they carried on, telling me that it was not abnormal. In retrospect, what were they going to do?  If I blacked out, it probably would have been easier to deliver, and it wasn't like they could stop at that point.

I was feeling pretty lousy, but within about 5 minutes, they pulled out Baby A.  He was the breech baby, and smaller of the two.  He came out screaming and bloody, and when they held him over the curtain so I could see him, some blood dripped onto my face. My arms weren't working very well because of the anesthetic, so Adam wiped it off for me.  

After some tugging, they got Baby B out, as well, and he also came out screaming.  The doctor said that he was a really big baby (at least by twin standards).  Adam said they held him up, too, but I couldn't see him.

As I laid on the table for the next 30 minutes or so, while they cleaned me back up and put me back together,  I watched them weigh and assess Baby A, but Baby B had been handed to a NICU team through a window in the operating room for assessment, and I couldn't see him at all.  Adam had brought in our camera, and took some photos of each of them, since my interaction with them had been so brief.  I wish that I could say that things got better for me as they stitched me up, but I started dry heaving about 10 minutes before they were done, and felt completely terrible.

Finally they finished up, and had me roll onto a hospital bed. I was feeling slightly better, but overall I was still feeling pretty terrible.  

Baby B was perfectly healthy, and could come with us, but Baby A had a low heart rate (or something... I can't remember exactly what), and they wanted to keep him in the NICU for assessment.  As long as he improved, they said he could join us in a few minutes.

We went back to the labor and delivery room, and I continued to feel terrible, all shaky and freezing.  I think it was shock?  Not sure, but they brought me warm blankets and half an hour or so later, I started feeling a little better, and was finally able to hold Baby B.  Baby A passed his assessment, so he got to join us a few minutes later.  It was so great to have them both with us.  We texted our families and sent some photos and just enjoyed the babies for a few minutes.  

I nursed both babies, and they were terrific at it from the get go, which was a huge relief.  After about two hours in the recovery room on the labor and delivery floor, they took us up to a room upstairs, and we were able to spend some time as a family, holding our babies, and enjoying them.

Later that afternoon, my parents and brother were able to come over and hold them as well, which was really wonderful.  My dad hasn't ever been able to come to the hospital the day any of his grandkids were born, so it was pretty special to have him there. 

Fox had been really sick on Thanksgiving, and Black Friday, so we opted to have him come and visit on Sunday instead, just in case he was still contagious.  His visit was terrific, and he ended up being so sweet and lovely with the babies, and I was so pleased.  I had been really worried about how he would do.

Overall, it was a pretty decent birth. Not the spiritual and magical entrance into life that I was secretly hoping for, but with two healthy babies and a good recovery, I couldn't ask for anything more. So many prayers were answered with this pregnancy and delivery and we feel very blessed and are loving our little boys so much. 

Introducing Bear and Badger:

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36 Weeks Pregnant with Twins

As you are reading this, I am likely getting a c-section.  But yesterday, I hit the 36 weeks milestone!  My twins will still be a week premature, but I am hopeful that they will be healthy despite that!  Many twins born at 36 weeks are just fine and don't need NICU time.  We shall see, but I am thrilled to have made it this far!  Here is a quick recap of my pregnancy in photo form: 

I was obviously inconsistent about both taking photos and posting about the most recent pregnancy details, but I am thrilled I have so many photos along the way!  It is fun to go back and see how much I have grown.

This week, I have been surprisingly comfortable, despite having two quite wiggly babies.  I am gearing up for my c-section and feel pretty good about it.  This past week, I was hoping I would end up with a head down baby on bottom, but sadly, as of Wednesday, we have a bum on bottom, and a head down baby just above that, but that means and automatic c-section.  

I feel a little bad about this week, because Fox was quite sick on Thanksgiving and Friday, so his last days as an only child were a little depressing, I think, as he laid on the floor a lot, and threw up some.  No fun times with Dad and Mom to cherish.  

I am actually pretty worried about how the transition from one to three kids will go.  I know every parent worries about this with their second child, and I feel this doubly, because we are having two kids instead of just one.  I don't want Fox to be an only child, and I am thrilled we have two new buddies joining our family, but gosh, it is stressful adding new babies to the family.  

Hopefully the adjustment period won't be too bad for Fox, and that he will get over his sickness before they get home, and will be his normal happy self before they come home from the hospital.  

Despite my worries, I really am SO excited to meet them, and can't wait to introduce them to you!  

Thanks for your kind and helpful thoughts!  You are all so wonderful!  

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35 Weeks Pregnancy with Twins

I made it, you guys!  I don't actually deliver until next week, but one of the big goals was to get to 35 weeks.  According to a friend who has been a NICU nurse for about 40 years, twin boys (particularly identical), do much better if they have hit that milestone.  36 weeks is even better (and 37 is best, but scheduling wise didn't end up being an option for me), so I am hopeful I will make it to this weekend when I am scheduled for a c-section.

If you watched my insta-stories last Saturday, you would have seen that I went to the hospital for observation.  Here is a little more on that, in case you missed it and for my own documentation purposes.

Adam and I had been sitting on the couch working, and I kept having contractions.  They didn't hurt, but they were tight and pretty obvious.  After half an hour or so, I started timing them, and they were close enough together that I was nervous enough to call my doctor's office.  It was 8:00PM or so, so it was just the doctor on call, whom I had never met.  She told me it might be a good idea to go in, because I am having twins, but if I wanted to, I could just go to bed, and see if they subsided.

Well, by the time I had brushed my teeth, they were 3-5 minutes apart (not painful, but definitely present), and I decided to go in.  So I put shoes on, kissed Adam goodbye and drove to the hospital.

They admitted me, got me on a fluid IV, and told me they would monitor me for an hour.  If the contractions subsided, they would send me home around midnight.  They monitored me, and about 15 minutes before my time limit was up, I started having big, regular contractions.

So then they had the resident doctor come in, and do an ultrasound for position of babies and stuff, and because they were both breech (and still are), he told me that they would have me sign the waiver for a c-section.

There I was, alone, sleeping family at home, hoping just to get monitored, being told I might have twins the next morning.  I was kind of freaking out.  Also, I hate IV's and really wanted them to take it out and send me home so I could go sleep (it was about midnight at this point, and I had been up since six or so that morning, so I was totally exhausted).

They gave me more fluids, some medication to stop the contractions and monitored me for the next two or so hours.  Finally, after what seemed like hours, the nurse came back in and told me that if I hadn't dilated further, and the contractions weren't hurting, that I could go home. I hadn't dilated from the contractions, so I was discharged.  Hooray!

When I arrived home, I immediately climbed into bed, and then about 3 minutes later, heard Fox crying.  Adam went into check on him, and he had thrown up all over his bed.  So at 3AM, we changed sheets, PJs and wiped him off.  Then about 30 minutes later, he threw up again, so we got to do it again.  Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep.  It was insane, and felt a little like an initiation into parenthood with three children...

I told my mom about my hospital visit, and she decided to come up here two weeks early to keep me off my feet, and help take care of Fox.  It has been so wonderful.

This past week was pretty uneventful, with a few good doctor's appointments, and a lot of couch sitting.   It has been so fun to have my mom around to talk with, and to take Fox on outings.  I had a few contractions over the weekend, but I am taking great measures to try not to go into labor.  Hopefully I can make it to the end of next week when I am schedule to deliver.

Also, if you are wondering why they are delivering me so early, the risk of still-birth goes up significantly once you hit 37 weeks with identical twins (because many identical twins share a placenta, and the placenta can only support two large babies for so long), so to minimize the risk, they gave me the 36-37 week window, and the way the schedule worked out for getting a c-section, they are doing it at the beginning of my 36th week of pregnancy.

Hopefully we can still avoid NICU time with this delivery date, and maybe Baby A will flip in the next week so I can avoid the c-section... Guess we will see!  Thanks for all your good wishes, thoughts and prayers this pregnancy!  They have been much appreciated!

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34 Weeks Pregnant with Twins

sweater: thredup ($10 off your first order through this link)// skirt: h&m (it is actually on sale for $8)    

(I totally thought this sweater would fit to the very end of this pregnancy.  It still fits, but just barely!)

I say this every week, but I can't believe how close I am!  In a regular pregnancy, this is close, but not that close, but in this case, I am only two weeks away from delivering (but it really could be any day, because twins).

I scheduled my c-section last week so now it is for real going to be during my 36th week.  That sounds really early, but with twins, that is pretty normal, and like I mentioned in my last pregnancy update, getting them past 35 weeks is great, and anytime after that is usually okay.  My doctor is recommending between the 36th and 37th week, to lower the chances of a still-birth (which goes up drastically after 37 weeks, because your placenta can start to break down and not support two babies anymore).

They may need a little NICU time, being born this early, but hopefully not too much.  Twins tend to develop more quickly than singles, too, so they are usually more able to handle being out of the womb early.

I am currently scheduled for a c-section, because both babies were breech at my last appointment with my OB, but we had a little miracle and he is now head down, as of yesterday, so if he will stay there, I can most likely do a vaginal delivery.  They are both pretty wiggly, so there is a chance he could flip a few more times before I deliver.  So sadly, no guarantees.

Last week, when I went in for a growth ultrasound, they said that the twins are weighing about 4 lbs and 5 lbs, respectively (although the tech followed that up by saying that it could be up to a pound and a half off)!  I am thrilled to hear they are so big.  I am trying to do my best to eat a lot these last few weeks to help fatten them up a little before birth.

I am feeling surprisingly good.  Not too many contractions, thankfully, and overall able to eat most anything.  I do have to be careful not to eat anything a few hours before bed, because the heartburn is still an issue sometimes, but medication has made it SO much better.

My clothing selections are shrinking in an incredible way, and I lose a few shirts every week, because they no longer cover my belly, but with only a few weeks left, I don't actually care that much.  I have a pretty dress that Merrick bought for me for my birthday that will last to the end (it is a maxi dress), so if all else fails, I have that.

I also have packed most of my hospital bag, which is a relief to have done.  A few last things that need to go in there, but those are things I use everyday and can't pack until we actually leave (my hairbrush, deodorant, etc).

Funny story from this week.  I think I drank too much water too close to bed, and I couldn't get comfortable because of the heartburn.  So I propped up my pillows and must have fallen asleep soon thereafter.  What felt like seconds later, Adam was climbing out of bed, asking me if I was okay.  He isn't the type to have weird dreams or talk in his sleep, so I was pretty confused.

Then he told me his side of the bed was all wet, and was asking if my water broke.  After a few seconds of assessment, I didn't feel anything to indicate that, but once he dug around on the bed a little, he found my water bottle, open and apparently dumping water all the bedspread, sheets and his legs.  I guess I had grabbed it right before I fell asleep, and then didn't put it back on the nightstand.  It has been slowly draining over his legs for almost 2 hours before it woke him up.  Whoops!

So we did a quick sheet change (thankfully our mattress protector is great and the mattress wasn't wet at all), and were back to bed in about 5 minutes.  A sort of funny story, but I think we were both relieved that my water had not broken.  Stay in there for another two weeks, dudes!

I am a little terrified that we are so close, but also really excited to be in the final stretch!  We can't wait to meet these babies in just a few short weeks!

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32 Weeks Pregnant with Twins

* as a quick note, I have written a bunch of these, and then didn't have the energy to go and take a photo to go along, so they never got posted.  This was a lame selfie, and I hope to do better at the end of this week... but I thought it would be fun to share an update whether the photo is lousy or not.  

This mark felt like a big milestone.  Every week that I am still pregnant is a good thing with these babies.  Premature labor is pretty common for twin pregnancies, and comes with a lot of risks.  Each week that I get to check off is less time they will hopefully have to spend in the NICU (we, like all parents, are hoping for no time at all), more time they have to develop on their own, and gain weight (which means better eating, better sleeping, and healthier, typically).

A friend from church is a retired NICU nurse, and she said if I can make it to 35 weeks, I should be okay to deliver at any point.  There are no guarantees, of course, which is becoming the norm for this pregnancy, but I have a much better chance of taking my babies home with me if they make it to that point.  That is in 3 weeks, which is super hard for me to believe.  And I am getting super excited.

When I first found out that we were having twins, I felt super overwhelmed.  I try to roll with the punches as they come, in life, but it felt like way more than I could handle.  Especially since we just moved, Adam started a new job, and we are now living in a large house, vs a small apartment with way more cleaning and responsibilities inside and out.  Also, Adam works quite far away from where we are currently living, so that is a concern that we will continue to look into as these babies are born and grow.

I have finished most of the important stuff that needed to get done like sponsored projects, grocery essentials run, Fox's room projects and washing baby clothes, so I am hoping to take it pretty easy the next couple weeks, to try to delay delivery as long as possible.

As for how I am feeling currently, emotions are running a little higher than usual, as I am trying to balance the stress of knowing they might come early if I do too much, but feeling the pressure to get stuff done before they come.  It is a tricky balance.  Thankfully, I haven't cried too much.  The occasional breakdown, but feeling relatively sane for how pregnant I am.

When I went in for my last growth ultrasound (3 weeks ago), the tech said that the babies were measuring around 3 pounds each, which felt so big, but we are hoping they will be around 5 or 6 pounds when they are born, so I feel like we are already doing pretty well!

And one last thing, it is amazing how my clothes are fitting.  Clothes that were fine a week or so ago are suddenly way too small!  My belly is just getting huge, and pretty soon, I will be wearing tunics and dresses exclusively, because none of my shirts will be long enough!  I kid you not.  I will make sure to document the hugeness, so we can all be astonished together!

Happy Wednesday!

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