The Novel of Their Birth!

 WARNING: Reader discretion advised.  This is my labor & delivery story.  I want to record it... everything about it.  Even the unpleasant.  Please don't feel like you have to read it... it's long!

My fraternal twins were born at 36 weeks...

Easter Sunday - I could tell something was a bit different.  I was extra tired, extra grumpy, and I had extra contractions.  I spent the day lying around as much as I could.

Wednesday morning - I had my doctors appointment.  I was dilated at 2cm but I wasn't effaced at all.

Thursday morning around 2:00 AM - Contractions woke me up.  I was uncomfortable.  I took a bath and downloaded a new application onto my itouch... a "contraction counter".  The contractions were averaging 7 minutes a part.  It stayed this way for a couple of hours.  I woke up Boyfriend and started bossing him around.  He helped me pack for the hospital and got things together for the babies.  I had thought about doing this a couple of days ago... but hadn't.

I called and woke up my mom in Las Vegas.  I told her these babies weren't going to wait for her to fly out next week as was planned.  She found a ticket that very day to arrive at midnight.

Around 8:00 AM - My contractions slowed down to 12 minutes apart.  We decided to wait it out at home and see what happens.  We did, though, make a bunch of phone calls to friends who could help out if we decided to go to the hospital.  "Thanks friends!"

That afternoon, the contractions picked up again and I decided we better just go.  If they send us home, so be it, but at least we would know.

 Here I am at 36 weeks to the day... about to leave for the hospital.

5:30pm - We were at the hospital being checked out.  I was dilated at 3cm and 60% effaced.  They said that was a big enough change, I was in labor and needed to be admitted.  "Holy Smokes!  We were going to have our babies!"

As soon as I was in a labor room, I was given Pitocin to get my contractions moving along.

9:30pm - The doctor on call that day came in to check me.  Baby A's head was still high.  The doctor got out her "hook" and broke that baby's water.  That gush feeling is just kind of gross to me and continues to be gross long after.

Luckily I still was comfortable enough to not have an epidural yet.  This meant I could get up and stand by the side of my bed.  I liked to rock from side to side.  I also could use the restroom unassisted too.

Thursday around 1:00 AM I decided I wanted that epidural.  I couldn't just breath through my contractions anymore... 

By 1:15 AM my mother stopped by on her way from the airport to my house.  I had just finished getting the epidural and it was starting to kick in.  I had a "hot spot" on my left side (which means there was a certain spot where I could still feel everything).  They had to do some tweaking to fix that.  I usually like it when I can feel a little bit through the labor, but after this ordeal... I was extremely numbed up.  It felt like the bottom half of my body was disconnected from my top half.   I couldn't feel anything.  My mother gave me a big kiss and told me to be brave, I could do this.

I fell asleep.

Thursday @ 2:15 AM - My nurse comes in.  My contractions (which I couldn't feel) were only one minute apart.  She decided to turn down my pitocin.  As she was doing this, I was thinking... "wait, can I actually feel the baby's head ready to come?"  "No", I thought, "I can't feel anything down there, and I am so tired.  I'll just sleep some more.     ...But I felt VERY IMPRESSED to just let my nurse know that I thought I could feel baby A down very low.  She checked...

WOW,  there was baby!!!

I was wanting more than anything to deliver these babies with out a c-section, but because I was having twins, I had to at least deliver in the OR just in case things turned towards a c-section.  Nothing was prepared.  My nurse tried to calmly (but not really) walk (but run) out of my room to sound the alarm.  I told Boyfriend to wake up because the babies were coming.  I also started shaking uncontrollably.  Boyfriend didn't wake up, so I was yelling at him to wake up.  He woke up.  I said we are going to have the babies now so get ready.  He said okay and lied back down to sleep!  I yelled at him again to get himself up and ready.  The nurse came in with caps for us and a gown along with booties for Boyfriend.  And I continued to shake uncontrollably.

Off we raced to the OR.  I was scared.  My nurse was pushing my bed.  She was trying to be so calm and tell me that the doctor wasn't there yet, but if the babies came, she could deliver them, even in the hallway.  As she was telling me this, she was also banging my bed into walls and doors!  She was just as nervous as I was, I think.

I have never been to the OR.  It was sterile with lots of bright lights.  There were so many nurses there telling each other what to do and no one seemed to fully know what to do.  What was going on?  They put me on the bed.  I was a beached whale by then.  I couldn't move anything to help them.  They got me on the bed, then realized they needed to pull me down further.   They heaved my body down.  Oh, then they realized they needed to heave me up again.  I was getting sick.  I exclaimed that I was going to throw up.   Boyfriend and a nurse held the top half of my body up-right with a wonderful clear cup in front of my mouth.  I threw up.  Boyfriend was impressed with the color.  Florescent Yellow... for the world to see.  The nurse helping couldn't get someone to take it away fast enough for her!

The doctor arrived.  Wow, she was fast!  She told them to get my legs up in the stirrups.  The nurses hoisted up a couple of chubby wobbly legs.  I thought, "who's big ol' legs are those?"  I couldn't feel a thing.  So it was almost surreal, I felt disconnected with my body.  It was weird realizing those were my legs!

The doctor said to me that on my next contraction, I was having baby A!  It took 1.5 pushes for Aspen to arrive.  April 9th 2:26am.

  Aspen Kathleen.  6lbs 6oz.

Baby B was still too far up.  They gave me more pitocin.   The contractions helped push her down.  10 minutes later and 2 pushes... Emory arrived.  April 9th 2:36am.

Hope you aren't grossed out.  I think this picture is awesome!

Emory Susan.  6lbs 6oz.

So there they were.  Our two new little girls!  Their apgar scores were perfect.  We thought everything was wonderful, but once we had them in our arms, we realized they were having a hard time breathing.  It sounded like they were humming or grunting.  Their lungs weren't expanding enough and had some fluid in them.   Off they went to the NICU.

Here is Aspen.  She looks like a Waite to me with her longer face.

Emory had to have a feeding tube put in.  She looks more like her big sister, Eden.

 Aspen

 Emory

The babies improved dramatically everyday they were in the NICU.  Emory had her tube taken out on the second day.  I was released on Sunday and the babies came home Tuesday.  So four days in the NICU.  They were the healthiest babies there.  We have been counting our blessings!!!

Life now has been exciting and good and exhausting and overwhelming!  We couldn't ask for it to be better!!!