Birth Story

Hey guys!!! Wow...it feels like I haven't been on here FOREVER...and that's probably because I can count on one hand how many hours of sleep I've had in the past five days! But they have been the best five days of my life! So here's how it all went down... :o)

Monday was my appointment with the specialist. I decided to tell myself the kiddos would be born on Thursday...when I was 36 weeks...because the emotional roller coaster of "Is today the day? Will we be sent home??" was getting to be a bit too much. We even took the car without the carseats and the hospital bags. I didn't really feel like that day was going to be THE day.

I had to do the NST first and both kiddos failed it...that made me start to wonder what the day had in store for me.

We then went back for the sonogram (DH, my mom, my sister and brother-in-law all came o the appointment...nobody wanted to miss anything!) and things looked normal...Caelyn's blood flow was normal...Carter's was not. The specialist came in then to repeat some of the tests the tech had done. The first thing he said to me was "I was thinking about you all weekend." Then he turned to DH and said "I hope you don't mind that I thought about your wife all weekend!" We laughed a little...but it was a nervous laugh...because if the doctor was worried about what might happen in two days...we should be nervous too!! He then looked at the blood flow in both cords and asked about the results of the NST. Then he looked at me and said "I'm going into my office to deliberate. I saw a little reversal in your son's cord and three days isn't going to make that much difference in their development...but...well I'll be right back."

OH BOY.

Yeah...I was sweating...March 22...this might be THE DAY...AND WE BROUGHT THE WRONG CAR!!! :o)

He seriously "deliberated" for 25 minutes....in the end he was calling the hospital to let them know that I'd be heading their way...

He came in and told us his decision...DH was soooo excited!! I was too...a little nervous too!

We headed over to the hospital and I was admitted into triage. I got into a gown and they asked when the last time I ate was...by now it was about 4pm and I'd eaten at 12:30 right before our 1pm appointment. They said I'd probably have to wait a bit so they'd get me a more comfortable room.

We switched rooms and I got all hooked up. I got my IV put in....HA HA...yeah it took three nurses and FOUR sticks to finally get it in. UGH. Then I noticed my stomach kept tightening...and then it started hurting when it was tightening and the nurse said "Do you know you're having contractions? Pretty regular too...about five minutes apart!" I was like WHAT? I've never had them before! I guess that day was really supposed to be birth day!

We were scheduled for a c-section at 8pm...but got bumped to 9pm. We headed to the OR and I was shaking so bad. The room was freezing (not why I was shaking though!) and they explained that the kids would be taken to a back room right after they are born to be looked at and warmed up.

I got my spinal (I was nervous about that too...but it didn't hurt as much as all those IV sticks!) and laid back on the table. They started prepping my belly...and I was like "I can feel everything you are doing...don't start cutting yet!" They explained that I'd feel everything..but shouldn't feel pain. That made me nervous...I'd feel knives going into me??? Yikes...

The OB said that before he started he's going to pinch me and ask me if it hurts. So I figured they were still prepping my belly when I heard a big SPLASH and my OB said "Baby A's fluid is clear!" (WHAT???!! YOU STARTED ALREADY??!! Actually that was probably a good thing...so I didn't worry about what was going on down there!) Then lots of pressure and tugging...and then "Baby A is out". I craned my neck to see her pass by..but couldn't see anything. Then more tugging and "Here's Baby B!". Once again I tried to see as he passed but couldn't see anything. Then I heard crying coming from the other room and DH went back to watch the kids.

I have to say....since I couldn't see them it was really hard on me. I was like "I hear crying...but that could be any baby...are those my babies??" Finally they brought the babies over...I kissed both of them....but still couldn't come to grips with the fact that these were MINE....MY babies. It just seemed too surreal. They sewed me up and I was waiting to see if the babies were coming with me or heading to the NICU. I was so happy when they said both babies were coming with me!

They checked the kids out some more and then headed to our room. All the grandparents came in and everyone was holding the two little ones...it was absolutely the best moment ever.

That first night went allright...DH was so helpful....not that I could do anything! We got maybe an hour of sleep...between nursing one baby at a time...and all the adrenaline! The first day was the same...lots of nursing...(or trying to!) and being checked by nurses.

The kiddos had to be put under the warmers twice, but other than that everything seemed to be okay. Then the next night Carter was really having trouble with his temperature so they admitted him to the NICU. That was the worst moment...I wanted my little boy to stay with me!!

The next few days were spent with Caelyn in the room...with Carter in the NICU...nursing got better and better...mommy felt more and more like herself..but still got little sleep. But I have to say...when they took Carter and I only had one baby to care for I thought "THIS is a piece of CAKE...ONE baby??? Two is sooo hard! None of my singleton mommy friends can complain at all!!" :o)

I think I cried about an hour a day because my little boy wasn't there...DH traveled down to the NICU to feed him as often as he could.

Then on Friday morning we got discharged....but they weren't sure if Caelyn would be going home with us either...(Going home with NO babies??!! I was a MESS) because of her jaundice. Finally we found out she could go with us but had to go in for a blood test for her the next day to make sure its not getting worse.

I stopped by the NICU to nurse Carter and cried the whole way home...we were supposed to have TWO babies in the back...not just one. But I kept telling myself that at least his only real issue is his inability to maintain his temperature (because he's so skinny) I knew that we were truly blessed. They said that with the cord issues his body was like that of a 30 week baby...not almost 36 weeks. Developmentally he is on target so far though...thankfully.

Our first night home was good...still trying to master the breastfeeding...but Caelyn's starting to get the hang of it. (And so is mommy!) Carter thankfully is a natural so when we get him home hopefully I can start tandem feeding.

We went in for Caelyn's blood test today and her jaundice is 2 points away from being high enough for them to start phototherapy...so we go back for another test on Monday...so I'm praying tomorrow is as sunny as today so that I can keep her in the sun!!

Since we were at the hospital I went and nursed little Carter. His isolette (sp??) temp is set to 29.2 C and in order for him to come home it has to be set to 27 C and then he has to be outside of it for 24 hours and show that he can maintain it on his own. So we are praying that is very soon!

Until then I'm pumping for him every day after I feed Caelyn and hoping he'll get really chubby so he can come home!!

Speaking of feeding Caelyn...its about that time.

I really need to get on and read all of your blogs...I feel so out of the loop!

Mommy-hood is...indescribable...I am so happy...and can't stop looking at my kids (I HAVE KIDS??!!)..can't stop taking pictures (which I will have to post later!!)...can't stop thanking God for my two little miracles.