Name of Babies: Annabelle Virginia and Benjamin Michael
Original Due Date: July 10
Date of Birth: June 7
How Far along you were when delivered: 35 weeks, 3 days
Weight: A- 6lbs4oz, B- 5lbs4oz
I had been having horrible back pain the past few nights, and on Sunday evening, I started having contractions. There were more than 6 in an hour, but my OB said, don’t do anything until you hit a contraction every 5 minutes that lasts for 60 seconds. I decided to try to sleep, which was NOT happening, thanks to that back pain, and I continued to have contractions anywhere from 5-11 times an hour, but never at a steady 5 minutes and never lasting 60 seconds. I also had a few instances of “bloody show”. 7:30am and I call the OB again and he agrees with me that 12 hours of pretty constant contractions is worth getting checked out for.
Got our toddler to daycare, pack our bag, and work our way to L&D. I wasn’t able to take my BP meds that morning because I couldn’t make myself eat and if I take it on an empty stomach I throw up. So they take my BP and freak out because it was 191/102, which is the highest it’s ever been! Once they rolled me on my side, though, it went down to 142/76. They finally check to see if I’m dilated and I’m at 6cm! So, at this point, it became pretty clear we were having our babies that day!
I was handling the contractions pretty well, but they were definitely getting stronger, and I was ready for my epi. Had to wait an hour for labs to come back first, though, because of my blood pressure. When I finally got the go ahead, the epidural was MAGICAL! OMG, the pain was gone! The instant relief from that terrible back pain was the best part. I wasn’t feeling a single contraction, so when the doc came back to check my dilation, he asked if I was having a contraction, to which I said I felt fine, and he ended up breaking my water a little earlier than he intended to, because I WAS having a contraction. He had me do some test pushes. This was the hardest part because I couldn’t feel what I was pushing, thanks to being numb from the epidural. When he found out I had pushed Eleanor out with three sets of pushes, he decided it was time to move into the OR.
For those who don’t know, you usually deliver twins in the OR, just in case they need to do an emergency C-section. So we settle in there (at this point, I think maybe 20-30 minutes have passed since I got my epidural and I’m already at 10cm) and start pushing. Annabelle came out a few minutes later without tearing me up or anything. There was a team of people in the OR and it was like having a cheering squad. They’re all hollering and encouraging me to push and telling me I’m doing great. It was kinda funny. So she came right out and was whisked away to be checked before I could see her.
The doctor then proceeded to stick his entire arm up inside of me to find Benjamin and convince him to start working his way out. Something happened in the midst of all this and Benjie tried to come out face first, which isn’t good. Some other things started to go wrong, and before I knew it, they were calling for a C-section. Our nurse had warned us that our doc was a little too “pro” C-section and that we might have to fight for a vaginal birth, but she also said she would support him if she knew he wasn’t full of hot air. So when we looked at her and she said “yes, this is for the best” we went with it. I was sobbing at this point, and scared, because we were in such a time crunch that they couldn’t use the epidural, they needed to knock me out completely. This, more than anything else, told me that this really was a necessary emergency. The anesthesiologist was very sweet and comforting as I started to fall asleep. I found out later that Benjamin had the cord wrapped around his neck twice and Mike overheard one of the docs say it was the thinnest umbilical cord he had ever seen. So we’re really lucky he came through it with no bigger problems!
Next thing I knew, I woke up in a recovery room, baby-less, and feeling no pain. I didn’t get to see my babies for several hours as they ran various tests on them, but everyone told me they were doing great. Annabelle was 6lbs 4oz, and Benjamin was a bit smaller at 5lbs 4oz. He is pretty tiny! They both are. I had forgotten how small they are at this stage. And at the same time, I think to myself, I had BOTH of them inside of me? That’s over 11lbs of baby!
It’s Wednesday now and we’re getting settled into a routine of feeding, changing, snuggling, and sleeping. The babies are on formula, due to being so early. But I put them to the breast before each feeding and they’re starting to get the hang of it. My milk should come in any day now, and I imagine they will be more interested when they can actually get something for all their efforts. Their sugars have been good and they both passed their car seat tests, so we can safely drive them home. Annabelle had a little bit of bilirubin, so she was in a fancy light up space suit all day, but she seems to be over that and doing well! There is no reason to think they won’t be coming home with us!
Eleanor came to the hospital for the first time yesterday to meet her little brother and sister. She was so incredibly cute with them. She loves to hold their bottle and she was pointing out Annabelle’s face parts today (nose, cheek, etc) before insisting on seeing her “little, tiny toes.” Mike took her to school this morning and was armed with pictures on his phone. Apparently, he ended up with a crowd of toddlers around him wanting to see the pictures! The teachers were all very happy for us.
As for me? Well, C-sections suck. It hurt so much to get up and out of bed yesterday! But today has been better, and I imagine tomorrow will be even more so. And I am thankful that Annabelle, at least, went gently on me, so I really only feel like I’m dealing with the aftermath of one type of birth. My dressings came off today and I was able to take a shower! Nice! The nurse keeps asking me if I need any more drugs, and I do take them occasionally, but really, I feel pretty good. I did have a bout of coughing earlier today that hurt like the dickens, but what can you do?
I really want to go home tomorrow, but my official discharge date is Friday. I miss being home with Eleanor and I’m ready to start settling into our new life. Everyone says I’m doing great and the babies are doing great, so we’ll see what we can arrange.
Anyway, I’ll keep you all posted as this grand adventure continues. You can see pictures at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=180074&id=747019629&l=d3ba21a8e1
I love this story! Thank you for sharing!