pregnant with twins

Photo by wnt1grl

35 weeks...four days before the big day

We're joining Kim (aka wntg1grl), a stay-at-home mom of three who's expecting twins, on her exciting journey from bump-to-babies. Check back every week for the latest developments.

The Birth
The Monday of week 36, I go to my NST appointment. Things look good, the girls are still head down, with a nice amount of fluid around them. However, my blood pressure is up so the doctor orders a blood test for pregnancy-induced hypertension.

The contractions start coming every two minutes. The doctor checks my cervix...I'm 3 cm. They decide to not wait for the blood results and send me off to L and D. After about six hours, I'm about 5 cm. At this point, it's midnight. The labor has slowed and the doctor wants to break my water. This scares me, so he said he'd come in at 4am and see if it's picked up. So, in he comes at 4am, and I am still 5cm. I agree to break my water, and of course, the pain sets in within the hour. I ask for my epi and it got to me in perfect time.

The nurses have a hard time keeping both babies on the monitor the whole time. They do an ultrasound to find Baby B and dog-gone it, if she didn't turn breech! Now I am terrified.

A new doctor has come on at this point. I tell her my birth plan and thankfully she agrees to allow me to try a vag delivery with an aversion.

At 7:30am, I'm ready for delivery. I have to deliver in the OR just in case, so they prepare a double set-up and wheel me in.

The anesthesiologist starts numbing me more and more for the possible C-section. The doctor says "push!" and out comes Baby A...one push and she is out! She is perfect, but so tiny.

The darn anesthesiologist continues to numb me as the doctor performs the aversion. It's successful! I'm so happy....and now so numb! I take a long time to start contracting again, so they give me Pitocin...then again...and again. Finally I start contracting but I have no control over my body and am not pushing worth a darn.

I ask the doctor to help with the vacuum but she says no, not yet. She says the baby is great and so am I, so to be patient. After nearly an hour of pushing (and not feeling), the doctor said that she will give me one push with the vacuum, and that was all I needed. Baby Shae was born (finally!).

By the time Shae was born, Sadie had already been taken to the NICU because of her size. Sadie weighed 4lbs. 8oz. and Shae was 5lbs. 7oz. Shae came to our room for a few minutes but she was grunting a lot, so after about 30 minutes she was off to the NICU also. Her lungs weren't as mature as her sister's. Both were given IV fluids and a gavage tube for feedings. Shae was given a c-pap, which she hated so they switched it to a nasal cannula. Then she was given an umbilical venous catheter where they could draw blood and give meds through her belly button. It helped her not to get too many needle pricks.

They were born on December 29, 2009 and are still in the NICU doing well. I have been able to nurse them both with success once or twice. All of the tubes are gone except for the nasal food tube.  They get every other feeding with that for now so they can conserve their energy and gain weight.  Hopefully in the next week or so they will be at home.

Welcome to the world Sadie and Shae!

 

newborn

Photo by wnt1grl

Sadie Gene (Baby A) just after birth

newborn

Photo by wnt1grl

Shae Marie (Baby B) just after birth