The Birth Story

After we left Dr. Wagner's office, we headed home to pack and take Charlie to my parents' house. The plan was that family would be notified when we were going to the hospital, but in order to keep some level of sanity, we requested that they wait for a second phone call from us before they headed to the hospital. We also requested that they refrain from sharing the news with anyone as we wanted to be the ones to announce the birth of our kids..more on this later..


We went home, grabbed our overnight bag, a few last minute things and the dog and headed to my parents house who live about 10 minutes from us. The plan was to surprise them when we got there, but my brother was the only one home and the first to find out that we were having the babies that evening. We called and texted family on our way to the hospital, all the time, not really in any hurry. We even debated whether or not we should stop and get something to eat, but decided against it because I wasn't supposed to eat anything before surgery.

The phone calls to our parents were pretty funny. My dad's response was full of 4 letter words, Jeremy's mom didn't quite realize what he was telling her and it took a moment to sink in.

We arrived at the hospital around 6:30 PM and were settled in the room by about 7:00. I was hooked up the standard ToCo (contraction) monitor, had an IV and cath put in and was checked by a nurse to see how things were progressing. Much to ALL of our surprise, I was at 7, pushing 8cm and wasn't really in any pain. Again, I was just uncomfortable. She left to speak to a doctor and to call anesthesia to speed things up. Jeremy and I watched a little TV (I don't remember what was on) and we watched the line on the contraction monitor continue to rise and I continued to feel more and more uncomfortable- never in any pain, just uncomfortable. At one point, Jeremy asked if I needed anything and I told him that in about 2 minutes, I was going to send him to find a doctor or a nurse. At that precise moment, my doctor, the anesthesiologist and several nurses walked in in full scrubs. Jeremy took that as his signal to go put on his scrubs.
I was wheeled into the surgical room,which was FREEZING, at 8:00PM. Jeremy was asked to wait outside until I had been prepped. "Prep" consisted of getting a spinal block (didn't feel a thing) and my belly getting scrubbed and cleaned. There were about 14 people in the room, including myself and my doctor- nurses for me, a doctor and a few nurses for each of the babies, the anesthesiologist, the room was full. While I was being prepped, I watched the nurses get the two isolets ready for the babies and realized I went to grade school with one of the nurses. Talk about a small world!

After I had been prepped, I was laying on the table waiting for Jeremy to come in. One of the nurses told me that my mother in law had stopped her and wanted her to tell me that they were there. As if I was waiting on pins and needles and wouldn't start before they arrived.. sigh...

Jeremy was allowed in at about 8:10 and the blue screen was pulled up. The anesthesiologist stood behind me and I laid on the table with my arms out to my sides- think Jesus on the cross. He narrated what my doctor was doing for me and when the time came, he told Jeremy to stand up and look- they were pulling Baby A (Lyla) out (8:19PM) . Even though I couldn't feel anything from the waist down, I felt the weight of her leave my body. She was rushed to one of the isolets and her team began working on her. I remember hearing her 'gurgle', but I wasn't concerned. I knew she was okay. I'd never been worried about her. Something told me that she was going to be fine. Then, I heard the anaesthesiologist tell Jeremy to look over the screen again because they were lifting Baby B (Jack) out (8:20PM). Jeremy peeked over the screen just as Jack was pull butt-first out of my abdomen, screaming and mad as hell. I got a quick peek at him before the nurses started working on him before I heard the anaesthesiologist ask Jeremy if he was okay. I looked up and Jeremy was WHITE. He sat down and had a wet cloth put on his neck. Poor guy almost passed out. Turns out, Lyla was still being worked on- she inhaled a bit of fluid right before they pulled her out and was having some problems breathing. We have a few pictures of her while they were working on her and she was a bit blue. The combination of seeing our blue child and watching Jack be pulled butt-first from my stomach was a bit much for him. After a short break, he was up again snapping pictures of our kiddos.

While Jack was on the table, he peed all over one of the nurses. They were able to stabilize Lyla and before we knew it, Jeremy was holding both babies. My arms were still spread out and I was being sewn up, so I couldn't really hold either of them, but I breathed them in as much as I could before they were wisked away to the Special Care nursery.

A few things that I remember about the c-section itself..

1. The spinal block didn't hurt at all- just a small pinch and that was it.

2. I felt the babies being pulled out of me. No pain, but I felt the weight of them leaving me.

3. The room is FREEZING

4. The suction container was right by my head- literally, I just had to turn my head to the right and I could see everything that they were sucking out of me. Good thing I have a strong stomach.. because I got to see all sorts of nastyness.

5. The anaesthesiologist was great. He made sure Jeremy took pictures of the babies and he even took our first family picture.

After I was sewn up, by a resident (ARGHHHHH), I was sat up and got to see an incredibly flat stomach for the first time in months. The nurses even commented on how it didn't even look like I'd just had twins. SO nice to hear :) They scrubbed me down, cleaned my belly and back. Jeremy told me later that it was pretty nasty and bloody. Nice. Then I was moved onto another bed and wheeled back into the room. I remember it was about 9:00 because the anesthesiologist requested that a certain channel be turned on because the new series "Parenthood" was beginning. Looking back, it was very appropriate.

Our parents were allowed back into the room and were incredibly hyped up. They had seen the babies pass by in the isolets and were able to catch a glimpse of them. At one point, Jeremy asked if they wanted to know their names. They were all very happy with our choices. I started to get the shakes, which continues for quite some time, as a result of the surgery. I couldn't move from the waist down, but my whole body was shaking. I was trying to drink some water and finally gave up because I was afraid I was going to pour it all over myself.

Before I was moved into the room I would call home for the next 4 days, I was wheeled into the Special Care nursery so I could see the babies. I was able to see both of them, but I could only hold Lyla. Jack was put on oxygen because his levels had dropped a bit, but Lyla was going strong. When they were born, they got hats with stickers put on them #1, #2.. I'm afraid that Lyla will never let Jack forget that she was #1 from the day they were born.

After spending a few short moments with the babies, I was wheeled into my room, vitals were taken and Jeremy and I had a few quiet moments to ourselves. By that time, it was after midnight and we were pooped. He tried to sleep on the futon in the room, but the constant checking of my vitals throughout the night kept him up. At one point, the nurse noticed that my incision was seeping and called the doctor who was on call that night. I think it was about 3AM and the doctor had to have been 85 years old. There was concern that I was going to have to go back into surgery again to have it resewn.. damn resident! They changed my dressing and watched it more closely and the fear of going into surgery again brought back the shakes. Badly. It was finally decided that it was just a pocket of fluid and surgery was not needed. Whew..

I awoke the next morning to gigantic boobs. They were rock hard and oh-my-goodness big. A nurse wheeled in a pump and I began pumping the precious gold colostrum. Every drop was important and Jeremy used the tiny syringe to get every little bit to take down to the babies. The visitors started arriving and Jeremy would take them to the Special Care nursery to see the babies, but I still hadn't gotten down there. I still had an IV and cath, and moving even the slighted bit hurt so bad. Finally my mom showed up and got me loaded into a wheelchair and she and Jeremy took me down to see my babies. They were so tiny. I breathed them in, loved on them and kissed them as much as I could.

Gone way too long

A lot has happened since my last post. I'll try to summarize my last 6 months as briefly as I can.

-December 11, 2009
I went to a perinatologist to begin fetal monitoring. During that visit, the ultrasound tech noticed that my uterus was contracting and cervix was funneling. Jeremy and I met briefly with a doctor who immediately had me admitted to St. Luke's. I was hooked up to fetal monitors, contraction monitors, given terbutaline to stop the contractions and told to get comfortable- I would be there for awhile. I stayed in the hospital until December 28th.

- December 13, 2009
Jeremy got to attend his first baby shower, because I was in the hospital. He learned the dos and don'ts of showers and did a great job opening gifts, showing them off and passing them around.

-December 25, 2009
Spent Christmas in the hospital. While this sounds horrible, it actually wasn't all that bad. Christmas came to me. My mom brought a small tree and decorated it. I did a lot of my shopping on-line and Jeremy did most of the wrapping. Jeremy attended both of our families' Christmases and brought presents to the hospital.

-January & February
were fairly uneventful. I went back into the hospital a few times. My longest visit was 3 days, shortest was 5 hours. We watched my belly grow and I continued to work from home, laying on my side, typing and editing pictures with one hand. My sister played nurse and stayed with me while she was home on break. She made my lunch, filled my water and entertained Charlie while I stayed in bed. She was a HUGE help and I was sad to see her go back to school. Although, I'm sure she was ready to get back to a much more exciting lifestyle. My brother and sister in law came over and helped Jeremy paint the nursery. My mom and sister painted a border and my extremely talented cousin painted the border to match the babies bedding. Jeremy installed a closet system and organized the closet for the babies. The nursery was finished!

Jeremy was able to take me to my weekly doctors appointments. Around week 32, my cervix really started to thin and I was 2cm dilated. My doctor said the babies could come any day, so we prepared. The following weeks' doctor visits showed pretty much no change. At each appointment, my doctor would say "Any day now" and the days ticked on.. still no babies. Once I hit 35 weeks, I started to venture out of bed a little more and made a trip to Costco and Target. Jeremy shot video footage of me attempting to steer through Target safely. We also toured MOBAP. Jeremy learned he's not the best wheelchair driver and I'm not the best passenger. We ended up denting a few walls and I managed to drop my scarf into the path of the wheel just as we were getting on an elevator with our tour group. Untangling scarfs while trying to exit an elevator is not an easy thing to do.

-February 28, 2010
I made it to 35 weeks and was allowed to go to the shower my sister and aunt threw me. Dr. Wagner told me to finish my procardia prescription and not refill it, so the morning of the shower, I took my last Procardia. It took me all morning to get ready for the shower. I took a shower, then a nap, did my hair, then took another nap, did my make-up and got dressed. At 35 weeks and 3 days pregnant with twins, I was tired. I felt huge (having gained a whooping 30lbs), and was just plain worn out. The shower was wonderful. Tons of great food, lots of good friends who I hadn't seen a while and I was finally out of bed! I was convinced that the babies were going to arrive the following day and was totally fine with that.

-March 1 2010
No babies. I was super tired, really uncomfortable and not sleeping well at night.

-March 2, 2010
My last day of being able to 'work from home'. HR had only approved 90 days of telecommuting and this was my last day. I would begin maternity leave the following day, regardless if there were babies or not. I had my daily conversation with my boss, filled him on on where things stood on several projects and called it a day around 4PM.
I had my weekly check-up at 4:30 and on the way, Jeremy and I joked about how there was probably still no change in things and that I was going to end up carrying these kids to term. During my appointment, we discussed scheduling a c-section around St. Patrick's Day- about 2 weeks away. Dr. Wagner asked how I was feeling and while I felt uncomfortable, I wasn't in any pain . The thought of waiting another two weeks wasn't entirely something that I wanted to do, but it was attainable. I'd already spent the last 14 weeks on bed rest, what was another 2? He checked my cervix and said that maybe we wouldn't have to schedule it after all.. I was FINALLY at 5cm. I remember him asking if we wanted to have some babies that night. Jeremy had to ask him if he was serious- our doctor is pretty sarcastic and quite possibly could have been joking. He called MOBAP and scheduled me for a 9:00PM surgery, told us to go home, get our stuff and he'd meet us at the hospital.

Bad Blogger..and the B-word

I know, I know.. I've been a bad blogger. To recap our last few weeks:

1. I survived my marathon Halloween weekend- 100 undergrads visiting..all left entertained and well-fed.
2. We went to Sanibel Island with Superman's family to celebrate his mom's 50th. The weather was great, the food was good. I didn't come back with a tan, but I did sport a bikini for a little bit. It was a well-needed vacation!
3. Superman has felt BOTH babies move. For the longest time, they would kick and bounce and as soon as Superman would put his hand on my belly, they would stop.. darn kids! Then, one night, baby girl was bouncing like crazy. I told Superman to get comfortable because he was going to sit there until he felt her- after about 3 minutes, she gave a real good kick and his face lit up like a Christmas tree. He felt baby boy the next night. Ahh, I loved it!
4. We have been slowly working on getting the babies room ready- SLOWLY- the furniture has finally been moved out, the closet is cleaned.. we're moving in the right direction.

Okay, now for the real news.. I had my big 21 week ultrasound last Monday. Both babies look fantastic- measuring ahead of schedule and looking perfect in every way. A huge relief! My fluid levels looked great- the tech was very chatty and explained everything as she checked each baby. We had a minor scare with baby boy's heart rate. At first check, it was really high, but she got a second reading a moment later that was just a little off from his sister's. At the end of our appt., I remembered that my doctor had requested a cervix check as well, so I asked her how my cervix looked. She said that she had forgotten to check it and sent me off to empty my bladder (again). She broke out the wand (hello again, my old friend) and got down to business. She asked what I did for a living- I was adamant that I sat at a desk all day.. no heavy lifting, etc.. I could see where this was going.. Any bleeding? No, none- not a drop. Cramping? No.. My cervix was measuring at 2.3, which is a LOT thinner than they would have liked, so off she went to consult a doctor. I told Superman she was going to come back and I was going to be put on bedrest. He told me not to jump to conclusions and wait and see what she said.
A few moments later she came in and sat down.. not a good sign, right? And so she began- no work, no driving, no laundry, no cooking.. bedrest. UGH. I hated bedrest the 24 hours I was on it after my transfer.. and this time, it's INDEFINITE.
So, here's what we know so far:

• Bedrest at least until my follow-up on Tuesday afternoon
• Weekly ultrasounds to check my cervix (and hopefully a baby or two :)
• A shot in the behind (can't remember what it is called, I'll have to ask again tomorrow) once a week
• Working from home- THANKFULLY my boss looked into what we need to do should this happen- a simple note from my dr saying I can't drive in to work, but I can work from home and my FMLA time is safe. I am learning it's really hard to type laying on your left side (best for blood flow to the uterus..) but I'm getting things done.
• The dog is happy that someone is home all day, but he spends most of it staring at me. I think he's bored and I wish there was more I could to than let him out into the back yard every few hours.. he's staring at me as I type this (from my left side)..
• The babies are safe. I'm willing to lay on my side as long as I have to- these two have a lot more cooking to do.. and if I have to deal with a few cramps in my side.. I'll do it. Bring it on.

Superman hit LazyBoy on our way home from the doctor last week. He picked out an over-stuffed rocker, recliner that will move into the babies' room once they arrive. It's comfy and has been my spot since it's arrival. He has been wonderful and is very quick to end any pity parties I may be throwing for myself.. Today, he has been feeding me lines about how he can't wait to decorate the house for Christmas- something I usually have to BEG him to help me with.. He thinks it'll help brighten my days spent at home- I am so blessed.

Spoiled..

Working a long and late next few days..I'm tired. I'm uncomfortable. I'd rather be at home with Superman and the dog.. watching ANYTHING on TV.. but my weekend will be spent working.
I just received the following email from Superman:

"I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have a woman like you be the mother of my children… I am the luckiest man of the planet!"

I'm incredibly spoiled and so lucky to have such a great guy to call my husband! I can't wait to get home and give him a hug and a kiss!

Survey Says...

How far along? 17 Weeks
Total Weight Gain/Loss? +8lbs total
Maternity Clothes? Wearing maternity pants (why don't we wear them ALL the time?!) Still in my own tops.
Stretch Marks? Nada
Sleep? Not the best these days.. I'm sleeping more lightly and wake up a few times at night.
Best Moment This Week? Feeling both munchkins moving!
Food Cravings? Not really. I'm kinda over food these days. Nothing gets me excited anymore.
Genders? Pink and Blue
Labor Signs? Started having Braxton Hicks contractions last week. I'm not a fan. But I did get to call the after hours emergency exchange this weekend.. which was fun.
Belly Button? It's getting less and less 'deep' if that makes any sense.. I'm seeing parts of it I've never seen before and am taking advantage to clean all those little crevasses.. Also, I think I'll have an outtie in the next month or so..
What I miss? besides wearing my old clothes.. nothing. I really like being pregnant! Maybe sushi ...?
What am I looking forward to? Next week's trip to Ft. Meyers.. the beach!
Weekly Wisdom? Comfy shoes are a must! I haven't taken my Uggs off all week.
Milestones? MIGHT have nursery bedding picked out... unless I find something else I like.

Week 15 Glamour Shots

On Tuesday, Superman and I went to the doctor for my week 15 visit. We had an ultrasound scheduled at 1:30 and an appt to meet with Dr. W at 2:00. Have I said how much I LOVE ultrasounds!?!? I LOVE them. I wish Superman would pull a Tom Cruise and buy an U/S machine.. probably not going to happen, but I love the few minutes I get to peek in on them.

The first question the U/S tech asked us was if we wanted to know the sex of the babies. I had read that it is possible to tell at week 15, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. She said that we shouldn't go out and buy pink or blue based on what she found because 15 weeks is still really too early to tell. We agreed that we wouldn't hold her to whatever she said and she started the exam. Superman broke out the iphone video camera :) She checked placenta placement (all was well), heartbeats (two.. strong ones!), and started with Baby A, which is the lower of the two. (Side note: She also confirmed that the little bubbles I had been feeling in that area are, in fact, the baby and not gas as I thought it might be!!) She did her scan on the baby, measuring head, belly and femur (all perfect).. then asked if we wanted the sex of the baby to be on camera (superman was filming) because she was TYPING the sex of baby A on the screen. We said yes, thinking it'll be a great way to share with our families. She performed the same scans on Baby B, who is on my upper left side- all was well and almost identical to Baby A's measurements. They are both 5oz and measuring at 16 weeks, 2 days.. ahead of schedule :) Baby B was in a funny position, so it took her a few moments to find the right 'parts', but we know what Baby B is now too. As I was cleaning my belly, she told us that she was 90% sure that she was correct in sexing the babes and the only reason that she couldn't say 100% was that I was only 15 weeks. She said that the quality of the image couldn't have been better so we could go shopping if we wanted :)

FULLY satisfied with the u/s visit, we left knowing what we're having and several pictures to show off. My appt with Dr. W was pretty uneventful- I'm measuring at 20 weeks. My weight is right where is should be and he said that I should eat as much/often as I need to keep myself from getting nauseous- what a guy!!

Here are the lastest baby pics- again, Baby B wasn't very cooperative, so we didn't get a good profile shot, just a great tootsie pic!

Baby A is a GIRL!!

Baby B is a BOY!!

14 Weeks

This week's big developments: Your babies can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck their thumbs! Thanks to brain impulses, their facial muscles are getting a workout as their tiny features form one expression after another. Their kidneys are producing urine, which they release into the amniotic fluid around them — a process they'll keep up until birth. They can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch them sucking their thumbs.
In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, they measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and weigh 1 1/2 ounces. Their body's growing faster than their head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, their arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of their bodies. (Their legs still have some lengthening to do.) They are starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over their bodies. Your babies' livers starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and their spleens starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.