17days old!
I can't believe they are almost 3w old and we have yet to hit my official due date of October 9th. Obviously with twins we knew we wouldn't make it that close, but its still crazy to know I could still be very pregnant.
This past week was a busy one with babies, birthdays and appointments. On Weds 9/25 the babies had a follow up weigh in appt. For being 4w early, they both were born with some pretty impressive weights. Lola was 5lbs 5oz & Mila was 6lbs 2oz. Kinda crazy that if I would had made it another week, or two, or three, they could have easily gained a pound a week. Those are some big babies.
When we left the Hospital Lola was 5lbs 2oz (-3oz) & Mila was 5lbs 13oz (-5oz). Its normal for babies to lose weight right after birth. Docs like to see positive weight gain after 5days and then again 2w post partum. At our 5day check up, Lola was 5lbs & Mila was 5lbs 10oz. Our pedi is great... she was ok with the weight loss, but more worried about Lola slipping under 5lbs. Once a baby gets under that its hard to get back up. I supplemented Similac Neosure while waiting for my milk to come. I'm an advocate that "breast is best", but I'm also realistic if your baby isn't getting enough to eat or enough calories to put on weight, you have to do what's necessary... so I've been 100% fine supplementing and giving boob juice combined. You have to do what's best for your baby and as a mother, that's YOUR choice what you decide to do. My milk supply hasn't been an issue, in fact I seem to have a little bit of an over supply like I did with Ava. This will come in handy, in fact, I probably have 30oz+ in my freezer & then 25oz or so of fresh milk in the fridge. Not only is good to have on hand, it helps me out if I need to nap so someone else can help feed the babies and bond with them.
Anyways... so the pedi wanted Lola to gain some weight, so I started giving her a little more Formula. We went back this past weds for a follow up check. Lola was 5lbs 3oz (+3oz from a week ago, -2oz from birth weight) & Mila was 6lbs 6oz (+12oz from a week ago, +4oz from birth weight). Obviously Mila's numbers were great and Lola is at least gaining, but it wasn't much. At this stage babies should gain an ounce a day. It was a nurse only visit, so she said she would tell Dr. C my numbers and if there were an issue she would call me. So I took it upon myself to up Lola's feedings from 2.5hrs to 2hrs with Formula/Breastmilk combined. Weds evening came & went and we never heard from the doc. I thought it was odd, but maybe she thought the 3oz gain was ok.
Thursday morning I had my 2w post op appt with my OB's. Hubs came home from work to take me. My mom was home alone with all 3 girls!!! We fed, changed and got them situated before we left, but that's a lot to handle. Good thing they are well behaved :) I haven't weighed myself since I had the babies and last weigh in I was 216lbs, 3days before I gave birth... I weighed in at 180lbs! Almost lost 40lbs already! I really can't believe how little my stomach looks. Its still a little stretched of course and "loose". Dr. M couldn't believe how tiny I looked and all my swelling was gone. When I laid back on the table he said my stomach "disappeared" woot woot! He said my incision looked amazing since he did it lol. He also showed me my "Bile" blood work... not sure if you remember but I self diagnosed myself with ICP, a very dangerous complication that happens during pregnancy. I actually HAD IT. I couldn't believe it. Unfortunately the results take 7 business days and by the time they got it back, I had already delivered. He said had they checked weeks earlier and got those same results they would have delivered me a lot sooner. Wow... I'm just thankful nothing serious happened to the babies or myself. He also went over the pathology reports for the girls... they are officially Mono/Di Twins aka Identical Twins!!! Of course having one placenta and same blood types usually are an indicator, you have to get labs done to officially confirm. Two placentas can always fuse together as one. Its funny that even though they are identical everyone wants to make sure to point out how different they are. Of course they will have differences, just cracks me up that people want to be the ones to figure it out... its like they can't accept the fact they might be the same lol.
It felt so weird to actually be walking through the hospital. I'd been pushed in a wheelchair for months! But here I am walking hand and hand with Hubs and it felt great! When we got in the car I told Hubs maybe I should go to Medical School and become a doctor since I tend to correctly self diagnosis all the time. He said "either that or you can just be a really good guesser" LMAO... I love that man.
I go back in 4w for my 6w post partum check up. I'm still trying to decide on my birth control... With Ava I took the mini pill (progesterone only) when she was about 3m old. I've thought of an IUD because its good for 5years, but I'm also great at remembering pills, so I'm not sure. I actually have a mini pill rx filled and its upstairs. Maybe I'll just take it today and make a final decision by my appt.
Friday night I was clipping coupons... yeah, coupons on a Friday!!!! My phone started vibrating and it was Dr. C's office... I immediately sighed. She said she got the weight checks and apologized for calling 2 days late. She wasn't thrilled with Lola's weight gain and asked about her feeding habits. I told her she take 2-2.5oz every 2.5hrs but that I had upped it to 2hrs. She said at this age most babies take 2.5-3oz, but since they were 4w early and twins, they are on track. She said it seemed maybe Lola was doing better since Weds and I agreed. I told her she's having wet/dirty diapers at almost every feed. She's a slow eater, but she eats. She's going to push our 1m appt up so monitor Lola a little more. She said to keep up with formula in addition to breastmilk like I've been doing and if I think she's not keeping up food wise with Mila, that I need to bring her in. Mila obviously has no concern because she had such a large increase in weight in 8days. So we feed, we wait and we see what happens! I can tell she's eating more and even starting to fill out her wrinkly old man skin too!
When it was time for bed Friday I asked Hubs how he wanted to do the sleeping arrangements. He said he would take the girls & Ava's monitor and handle the feedings and I can sleep in the other room... ALONE. I immediately felt guilty and said... No, we can sleep together. He said he could handle it and if he needed me he'd come wake me up. Ok... I can do this, I can let him be the care giver so I can sleep. I pumped one more time and I could hear the girls in the other room fussing a little. I cleaned up the parts, put the milk away and went back up. His room was silent. So I went to my bed and laid there... waiting for hell to break loose, the next thing I know... it's 8:30am Saturday Morning! We did the same thing last night... once again, after I finished my last pump session, I didn't wake up until I heard Ava on the monitor shriek out at 6:50am (I insisted on keeping her monitor). I waited a few mins and not another peep so I went in her room and covered her up. I went back to bed until she woke up for good at 8:30am... I feel like a whole new woman.
Men can handle this... you just have to show them what to do. We don't always have to be super mom. Marc does a great job. I helped him get the bottles together and told him what time to feed them. He set his alarm (the babies sleep... well! We have to wake them to feed) and he handled it. The babies were fine, he was fine and I was rested. I take the babies back to "my room" tonight, but I feel so refreshed that I know I can do the next 5 nights alone :)
btw... for anyone reading this that is pregnant. Always listen to your body. Google isn't the best place for advice, but it can educate you on what you're going through. I had the "itchy" stuff from ICP for a few weeks before I mentioned it. I thought it was just dry skin. Had I listened to my body more I would have delivered them sooner and I just thank god that we were all ok. If something doesn't seem right... just tell your doctor. Worse case scenario they explain why you feel like the way you do, either or, you can't lose... also, tell your husbands/ significant others what you need and expect of them. If they think you've got it handled, they'll let you handle it without realizing you need help.
xo
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Home... Alone.... & Hubs Birthday!
Monday was supposed to be my first day Home Alone with the Tweebs & Beebs. Marcellus had gotten a bad cold so he decided he should stay home Monday to let it runs its course before getting thrown back into the Corporate America gig. This helped me establish a plan for the next day to come.
Tuesday 9/24 was also Hub's Birthday... I felt so ambitious. You'll probably think I'm crazy & delusional, but the day really could not have been any more perfect. I knew it would be a good day. I can adjust, I can do this. I don't need to be a sad greasy mess. I can be a clean happy organized person. Its ok I'm tired. I'll find time to take a nap. .
I had to feed the babies around 5:30am and finished a little after 6am. After feeding them both, changing diapers, burping, reswaddling & pumping some milk, I went downstairs, made some coffee, ate a delicious blueberry muffin, washed bottles & pump parts and went upstairs. Hubs was still home so I showered... and WASHED MY HAIR. We put the babies downstairs. At night I sleep in Swiss' room so Hubs can get rest since he's back to work... before you say anything, it was MY IDEA. I can handle this on my own and if I can't, I'll go wake him up. He's the one bringing in the checks so I need him as rested as possible. Plus I look forward to sleeping in on the weekends now ;)
I got situated downstairs and then Ava woke up around 8:30am. It felt great not being awoken from a deep or light sleep. Since the girls were already situated, as well as myself it made for an easy morning. I got her some milk and we snuggled on the couch watching Elmo... the kid won't watch a full episode of Sesame Street, she only wants to see Elmo, which his gig is usually the last 20mins of the show so I usually have to DVR and fast forward to either "Elmo's World" or "Elmo the Musical"... she tends to like the Musical ones more. Lately she hasn't wanted to eat breakfast right away, so she's usually up for a good 30mins before she's ready to eat. I nursed the girls while she ate waffles & fruit. My nips are still a little sensitive and every time Lola latches on its like a tiger on a zebra. I wince in pain until she gets her latch. When Ava was done I held Mila a little longer until I could tell Ava wanted to play and then I put her back in the Rock n Play. Soon after we went and got her dressed.
We sat on the floor and played, wrestled and watched TV. Right before lunch we decided to paint daddy a picture for his birthday. I got all over achiever on myself and made a pinterest inspiration. I put paint on the girls' feet and arranged them into a "heart" shape. It turned out really cute. I'll try and post a pic. Then we made him a card too. Ava had more paint on her body, but she was having a good time so it didn't matter. Plus she loved sitting in her chair "nakey" (sans shirt). While she painted I snuck in a quick feeding for the babies. Ava LOVES helping her sisters. She always wants to stand and help me change their diapers. Even if the supplies are handy to me I ask for her help so she feels involved. She always wants to see their poop. When I show her she says "ewwwww" and laughs so hard. She finds their poop so funny! She also runs empty bottles into the kitchen and drops them in the sink without being asked. She covers her sissies in kisses. Sometimes its a little much, but I'd rather have over affection then her being mean with them.
When I was still pregnant Ava LOVED to kiss my belly & her sissies. We had Mila's name picked out first so Ava always knew that was a name. Then we decided on Lola and I said... what are your sisters names? and she said... "Dorothy"... WHAT?? We started cracking up. Dorothy is Elmo's Pet Fish! Still to this day if you ask her what her sisters names are she will say Mila & Dorothy. She refuses to say Lola!
After our painting project I made us some lunch. We both had PB&J & fruit. She had broccoli (her FAVE) & I had some chips. After lunch I took her up for her nap. She went down easy as usual. I got to spend some extra time hugging and snuggling the girls. Ava slept about 2 hours so I got in some good quality time. It definitely is harder to spread the love, especially with two more babies as opposed to one, but I do what I can. I think right now, Ava gets the most because we're all she's known. I don't want her to feel like these little girls take her mommy & daddy away anymore than they already do.
Ava woke up refreshed. We ate a snack out on the back deck just the two of us. Then we went back in and played in the living room some more. Since it was Hubs Birthday, I made plans for my Aunt Mary to come over and hang with the girls until my Mom got off work. I wanted to take Hubs out for dinner! Mary got there a little after 5. Ava adores her like no other. I got all cute, hair, make up, clothes... it felt great! Hubs got home about 5:30 and had no idea what we were doing. I didn't have anything special planned, just a night alone. After I pumped, we fed the babies and then left. We drove past a House Rental first, but that was short lived bc we weren't thrilled with the area.
I gave Hubs 3 suggestions for dinner, all different cuisines. He chose Bonefish Grill (seafood), a place neither of us have been too before. We both ordered a Margarita... my first real (strong) drink!!!!! OMG it was amazing... it warmed my throat going down. Just as I remember, my favorite type of drink. The first one went down pretty easy and smooth... Hubs ordered another round and the 2nd, just as delicious and strong as the first was a little harder to finish. I think the "warming" sensation was traveling too fast through my body! I was definitely buzzed. The food was great. The company was great. The conversation was great. I missed that so much. Even when I was still pregnant I don't think we had a date night just the two of us since being in Ohio. We talked, laughed and flirted. I love that things picked up right where they left off during all the craziness over the last 5+ months.
We were talking about the girls and about when Ava was born. Soon Hubs had his phone out pulling up old pics of her when she was just born. We laughed and both talked about the pics. Where we were, what we were doing. It was such a great night. A little after 8pm we decided we should head home, plus my boobs were starting to over run my shirt. Only one thing could have added to the night to make it more perfect but we still have quite a bit of time before that's allowed ;)
We had such a great night and much needed one on one time in a quiet atmosphere. The restaurant was so busy that night, but it truly felt like we were just there alone. When we got engaged everyone always said... Things will change when you get married, just wait. They were right, but it changed for the better. Then they said things will change when we have kids... they were right again, but it changed for the better once again... we might have had a rough summer trying to get ourselves situated and on track, but we never lost site of ourselves and the reason we're here, together. Despite my stresses and worries whether it was about the babies or finances, I always felt as if my husband still loved me the same if not more and vice versa. We've been through a lot and things are already looking up. I made out in the Husband lottery... he's not perfect, I'm not perfect, we're not perfect, but we love each other beyond measure and that can get you through anything.
Tuesday 9/24 was also Hub's Birthday... I felt so ambitious. You'll probably think I'm crazy & delusional, but the day really could not have been any more perfect. I knew it would be a good day. I can adjust, I can do this. I don't need to be a sad greasy mess. I can be a clean happy organized person. Its ok I'm tired. I'll find time to take a nap. .
I had to feed the babies around 5:30am and finished a little after 6am. After feeding them both, changing diapers, burping, reswaddling & pumping some milk, I went downstairs, made some coffee, ate a delicious blueberry muffin, washed bottles & pump parts and went upstairs. Hubs was still home so I showered... and WASHED MY HAIR. We put the babies downstairs. At night I sleep in Swiss' room so Hubs can get rest since he's back to work... before you say anything, it was MY IDEA. I can handle this on my own and if I can't, I'll go wake him up. He's the one bringing in the checks so I need him as rested as possible. Plus I look forward to sleeping in on the weekends now ;)
I got situated downstairs and then Ava woke up around 8:30am. It felt great not being awoken from a deep or light sleep. Since the girls were already situated, as well as myself it made for an easy morning. I got her some milk and we snuggled on the couch watching Elmo... the kid won't watch a full episode of Sesame Street, she only wants to see Elmo, which his gig is usually the last 20mins of the show so I usually have to DVR and fast forward to either "Elmo's World" or "Elmo the Musical"... she tends to like the Musical ones more. Lately she hasn't wanted to eat breakfast right away, so she's usually up for a good 30mins before she's ready to eat. I nursed the girls while she ate waffles & fruit. My nips are still a little sensitive and every time Lola latches on its like a tiger on a zebra. I wince in pain until she gets her latch. When Ava was done I held Mila a little longer until I could tell Ava wanted to play and then I put her back in the Rock n Play. Soon after we went and got her dressed.
We sat on the floor and played, wrestled and watched TV. Right before lunch we decided to paint daddy a picture for his birthday. I got all over achiever on myself and made a pinterest inspiration. I put paint on the girls' feet and arranged them into a "heart" shape. It turned out really cute. I'll try and post a pic. Then we made him a card too. Ava had more paint on her body, but she was having a good time so it didn't matter. Plus she loved sitting in her chair "nakey" (sans shirt). While she painted I snuck in a quick feeding for the babies. Ava LOVES helping her sisters. She always wants to stand and help me change their diapers. Even if the supplies are handy to me I ask for her help so she feels involved. She always wants to see their poop. When I show her she says "ewwwww" and laughs so hard. She finds their poop so funny! She also runs empty bottles into the kitchen and drops them in the sink without being asked. She covers her sissies in kisses. Sometimes its a little much, but I'd rather have over affection then her being mean with them.
When I was still pregnant Ava LOVED to kiss my belly & her sissies. We had Mila's name picked out first so Ava always knew that was a name. Then we decided on Lola and I said... what are your sisters names? and she said... "Dorothy"... WHAT?? We started cracking up. Dorothy is Elmo's Pet Fish! Still to this day if you ask her what her sisters names are she will say Mila & Dorothy. She refuses to say Lola!
After our painting project I made us some lunch. We both had PB&J & fruit. She had broccoli (her FAVE) & I had some chips. After lunch I took her up for her nap. She went down easy as usual. I got to spend some extra time hugging and snuggling the girls. Ava slept about 2 hours so I got in some good quality time. It definitely is harder to spread the love, especially with two more babies as opposed to one, but I do what I can. I think right now, Ava gets the most because we're all she's known. I don't want her to feel like these little girls take her mommy & daddy away anymore than they already do.
Ava woke up refreshed. We ate a snack out on the back deck just the two of us. Then we went back in and played in the living room some more. Since it was Hubs Birthday, I made plans for my Aunt Mary to come over and hang with the girls until my Mom got off work. I wanted to take Hubs out for dinner! Mary got there a little after 5. Ava adores her like no other. I got all cute, hair, make up, clothes... it felt great! Hubs got home about 5:30 and had no idea what we were doing. I didn't have anything special planned, just a night alone. After I pumped, we fed the babies and then left. We drove past a House Rental first, but that was short lived bc we weren't thrilled with the area.
I gave Hubs 3 suggestions for dinner, all different cuisines. He chose Bonefish Grill (seafood), a place neither of us have been too before. We both ordered a Margarita... my first real (strong) drink!!!!! OMG it was amazing... it warmed my throat going down. Just as I remember, my favorite type of drink. The first one went down pretty easy and smooth... Hubs ordered another round and the 2nd, just as delicious and strong as the first was a little harder to finish. I think the "warming" sensation was traveling too fast through my body! I was definitely buzzed. The food was great. The company was great. The conversation was great. I missed that so much. Even when I was still pregnant I don't think we had a date night just the two of us since being in Ohio. We talked, laughed and flirted. I love that things picked up right where they left off during all the craziness over the last 5+ months.
We were talking about the girls and about when Ava was born. Soon Hubs had his phone out pulling up old pics of her when she was just born. We laughed and both talked about the pics. Where we were, what we were doing. It was such a great night. A little after 8pm we decided we should head home, plus my boobs were starting to over run my shirt. Only one thing could have added to the night to make it more perfect but we still have quite a bit of time before that's allowed ;)
We had such a great night and much needed one on one time in a quiet atmosphere. The restaurant was so busy that night, but it truly felt like we were just there alone. When we got engaged everyone always said... Things will change when you get married, just wait. They were right, but it changed for the better. Then they said things will change when we have kids... they were right again, but it changed for the better once again... we might have had a rough summer trying to get ourselves situated and on track, but we never lost site of ourselves and the reason we're here, together. Despite my stresses and worries whether it was about the babies or finances, I always felt as if my husband still loved me the same if not more and vice versa. We've been through a lot and things are already looking up. I made out in the Husband lottery... he's not perfect, I'm not perfect, we're not perfect, but we love each other beyond measure and that can get you through anything.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Recovering from a c-section
Besides NOT wanting to be cut open and my babies yanked out, I was afraid of the recovery of a c-section. The only other major surgery I had was when I was 9yrs old and it was on my ear that left me deaf.
Laughing, coughing & sneezing were my worst enemies... that and trying to bend over and pick something up off the floor. While in the hospital room I dropped quite a few things, pens, nipple cream, important documents, etc. These all stayed on the floor until someone else walked in. I tried a couple time to just spread my legs a part and slowly bend over, only to realize I could get about half way before I was out of breath and in pain. Everytime a cough, sneeze or laugh came on, I had to push against my incision with my hand, that felt awful, but helped with the pressure. A couple times I swore I busted a stitch. Its the most uncomfortable & painful feeling ever.
While in the shower I'm standing all hunched over cleaning my incision, which by the way looks great. I expected to see staples, thread, fishing lures, etc... but it was invisible. I guess its an internal stitch. When I touch it, it feels like its braided like rope on the inside. Its a "smiley face" and I hope I'm able to keep my stomach tight so it doesn't turn into a frown. Its also a lot lower than I expected. The only person who will see it is my husband... or probably my little sister or any of my girl friends who want too lol. I haven't "touched up" that area since pre babies and I'll probably be too afraid to get a razor near there even after its completely healed, which at almost 2weeks I'm sure we're about there.
Anyways... when I was in the hospital showering I just remember thinking I would never be able to recover. I was on Percocet and Motrin every 6hours. Which I could take the Percocet every 4, but I was trying to be a hero. I was afraid to stand up straight, to have anything touch my belly, to even sit or lay. Nothing was comfortable. Its amazing how quickly your body heals. By day 4 I was only taking the Percocet before bed, just to help me relax to sleep. I was completely done with it before a week. I only took the Motrin as needed, if I felt like I over did it for the day. I was going up and down the steps like a champ. Everything was great... until I realized I didn't have a bowel movement since the weds before the birth, 9/11... it had been 8 days and I finally felt one coming on. I'd still been on Colace, but ran out. So Hubs had to make a last minute run for me. I remember I sent a group text to my "crusties" telling them this would be the moment... it was not pretty. I'll just say, I was glad to finally have pooped... even if it did look like week old cheesy hamburger helper. I also got a bad case of the roids to go with it and out went the Hubs again to get me some relief. He came back with quite a few options to help me out. Two days later, I was back to normal.
If I had to choose a c-section or vaginal delivery... I would probably choose a Vaginal. I've now had both and even though something is stretching out your hot box, the recovery for me was a lot quicker and I even had two bad tears with Ava. I also don't like not knowing what's going on behind the curtain or not getting to really see/touch/feel my babies. The thought of surgery and recovering is not pretty, especially looking back at the side effects I had from the meds. Now here I am almost 2 weeks post partum and I do feel really good. I still hold my stomach when I cough, laugh, sneeze, but I don't need too... I'm just paranoid. I wear a binder around my stomach 24/7 and I attribute that to my stomach shrinking fast and feeling support in my stomach. I could probably walk a mile and not feel bad, but I do wonder though why you get so much more time off for a c-section as opposed to a vaginal delivery? If I was working, I wouldn't mind the extra time, but I feel like its not really necessary? Unless they x out two weeks thinking you can't really bond with baby while you're recovering? If that's the case, then it makes sense.
Laughing, coughing & sneezing were my worst enemies... that and trying to bend over and pick something up off the floor. While in the hospital room I dropped quite a few things, pens, nipple cream, important documents, etc. These all stayed on the floor until someone else walked in. I tried a couple time to just spread my legs a part and slowly bend over, only to realize I could get about half way before I was out of breath and in pain. Everytime a cough, sneeze or laugh came on, I had to push against my incision with my hand, that felt awful, but helped with the pressure. A couple times I swore I busted a stitch. Its the most uncomfortable & painful feeling ever.
While in the shower I'm standing all hunched over cleaning my incision, which by the way looks great. I expected to see staples, thread, fishing lures, etc... but it was invisible. I guess its an internal stitch. When I touch it, it feels like its braided like rope on the inside. Its a "smiley face" and I hope I'm able to keep my stomach tight so it doesn't turn into a frown. Its also a lot lower than I expected. The only person who will see it is my husband... or probably my little sister or any of my girl friends who want too lol. I haven't "touched up" that area since pre babies and I'll probably be too afraid to get a razor near there even after its completely healed, which at almost 2weeks I'm sure we're about there.
Anyways... when I was in the hospital showering I just remember thinking I would never be able to recover. I was on Percocet and Motrin every 6hours. Which I could take the Percocet every 4, but I was trying to be a hero. I was afraid to stand up straight, to have anything touch my belly, to even sit or lay. Nothing was comfortable. Its amazing how quickly your body heals. By day 4 I was only taking the Percocet before bed, just to help me relax to sleep. I was completely done with it before a week. I only took the Motrin as needed, if I felt like I over did it for the day. I was going up and down the steps like a champ. Everything was great... until I realized I didn't have a bowel movement since the weds before the birth, 9/11... it had been 8 days and I finally felt one coming on. I'd still been on Colace, but ran out. So Hubs had to make a last minute run for me. I remember I sent a group text to my "crusties" telling them this would be the moment... it was not pretty. I'll just say, I was glad to finally have pooped... even if it did look like week old cheesy hamburger helper. I also got a bad case of the roids to go with it and out went the Hubs again to get me some relief. He came back with quite a few options to help me out. Two days later, I was back to normal.
If I had to choose a c-section or vaginal delivery... I would probably choose a Vaginal. I've now had both and even though something is stretching out your hot box, the recovery for me was a lot quicker and I even had two bad tears with Ava. I also don't like not knowing what's going on behind the curtain or not getting to really see/touch/feel my babies. The thought of surgery and recovering is not pretty, especially looking back at the side effects I had from the meds. Now here I am almost 2 weeks post partum and I do feel really good. I still hold my stomach when I cough, laugh, sneeze, but I don't need too... I'm just paranoid. I wear a binder around my stomach 24/7 and I attribute that to my stomach shrinking fast and feeling support in my stomach. I could probably walk a mile and not feel bad, but I do wonder though why you get so much more time off for a c-section as opposed to a vaginal delivery? If I was working, I wouldn't mind the extra time, but I feel like its not really necessary? Unless they x out two weeks thinking you can't really bond with baby while you're recovering? If that's the case, then it makes sense.
The Hospital Stay: Part 2
I woke up around 6:30am Friday (9/13) ready to see my girls. I called my nurse and she said she would come get me situated and then bring the girls too me. I could get up and walk! Much better than the night before.
At 7am the shift changed and I got a new nurse, who came complete with two little boys. Ok they weren't little boys, they were young men and nursing students. She asked if it was ok they shadowed and helped her. I always say yes... people have to learn somewhere! They might not end up in L&D but they still need to know it all. After talking with them I realized a couple moms didn't want them in their rooms. That sucks. They saw me breastfeed, my stretched belly, incision and checked me for bleeding & removed my catheter. Not my most glorious moments, but owell.
A few hours later I noticed that Mila was making these "grunting/whimpering" noises that the Nursery Nurse told me about the day prior. I held her, fed her, did skin to skin and she kept doing it. I told my nurse and she looked over and said she seemed fine, but to do skin to skin for 25+ mins and see if that helped... it didn't. She kept the noises... so she called the Pediatrician and she came and took a look. She thought she sounded a little labored so they took her down to the nursery to examine her. She was brought back shortly after and the pedi said she ordered an xray to look at her lungs. Ugh. Instantly upset... I started having thoughts when Ava had pneumonia last November. I know xrays don't physically hurt you, but its just an overwhelming experience to see your baby so vulnerable. I asked the pedi where we had to go and she said for us to just stay tight, that the x-ray tech would come to us and it would be very soon. No sooner than she left the room did the tech arrived. It was actually less scary than what Ava went through and she just laid on the board inside her isolate. A few snaps and the tech left.
About 20mins later the pedi came back in and said that Mila still had a lot of fluid still in her lungs... she said that if she were only a few hours old this wouldn't be a problem, but since she was over 24hrs old it worried her and she would need to be sent to the NICU for closer monitoring. I kinda felt numb... I was relieved that overall they were pretty healthy despite being 4w early, but I was sad bc I thought we were in the clear. I would have expected this immediately after their birth, but not the next day. I had prepared myself for a NICU stay despite the fact that their ultrasounds were all great, but then once I was told the NICU team left soon after they were born, my "preparedness" went away. This was around 2pm. We were told it would take about an hour for her to get settled into her own room and once she was ready they would allow us to come over. I of course called down to the NICU line at 3pm on the dot... she wasn't ready, they had an emergency and they were still getting her situated. They asked me to call back in 30mins. So I did... still not ready, this time they advised they were having troubles getting the IV into her tiny little veins. The thought of my little baby getting poked numerous times immediately churned my stomach. They asked me to call back around 4:30pm. I did and they told me they were still working on getting the IV's in and that they blew the veins in her arms, hands and foot and they will have to try her scalp. I was warned that meant they would have to shave her hair. That part didn't bother me, but again, the thought of this tiny little one day old baby being poked so many times broke my heart. I never mind having blood taken or getting IV's, but I've had two veins blow before when entering a pic (?) line and that shit HURTS.
They told us they were almost done and that we could head down. I was feeling sad and started to cry a little and went into the bathroom to clean myself up before we went down. Ironically my dad/stepmom showed up at that exact moment. So here I am in the bathroom trying to pull myself together. Between the stomach pain of the csection, effects of the Percocet & news of Mila it was hard to regroup. So they got to meet Lola & spend some time with her. A few mins later, my mom, Beebs & Swiss all came as well. So we left my mom, sis and Ava behind in the room and my Dad & Stepmom (aka Evil Step Mom-- ESM, inside joke with her lol) walked down to the NICU with Marc & I to go see Mila. When we got to the check in, the receptionist said we couldn't go back yet bc Mila wasn't ready... I got snappy. I blame it on the hormones and the thoughts of what Mila was going through... I told her it wasn't acceptable and that I was told an hour, then 30mins, then 30mins and then I was told she was ready and I just want to see my daughter. I know it wasn't her fault, she's just the messenger and I never did get to apologize and I feel bad about that. Now it seems they couldn't get the IV in her scalp either :( So they were now doing a procedure through her belly button... what the heck. I immediately started crying. Marcellus tried to console and I could tell my Dad & ESM felt helpless... here they are wanting to meet their new grandchildren and I'm a mess. Finally a nurse came out and said we could wait in Mila's room.
I love Aultman Hospital... I also love their NICU. It's not just one big room lined with Isolates, it is a bunch of smaller hospital rooms with couches, rockers & TV's inside with your child which is their OWN ROOM. It is beyond comfortable and even though they have the big enclosed isolate that looks like a space ship, you don't feel like you're in a "scary place". We sat in there and talked... for awhile. Finally our nurse came in from Mila's "procedure". She said that they were still trying to get the line into her belly... once they get it in they have to do an x-ray to make sure it didn't enter her Liver. They have to go in 10ml, any further and they are in the liver, any shorter and it could slip out. After waiting awhile we decided to go back to my room so my parents could visit with Lola. After all it would be awhile before Mila would be ready for us and I decided that I only wanted Marc to be in the room with me when we saw her for the first time because I wasn't sure what to expect to see...
We got back to the room and I was so happy to see Ava & Lola but really sad that we were missing a part of our family... even though she was down the hall I felt like Mila was so far away. My gf Lyne is a NICU RN in Austin so of course I was texting her and she was easing my mind. I'm so lucky to have so many brilliant nurses just a text away!
A little before 9pm our guests all left for the night. We soon got the call that Mila was ready. That they were feeding her (through a tube) & we could come down. Hubs pushed me in the wheelchair and pulled Lola in the isolate down to the Nursery. We got to Mila's room and there she was... The word that immediately came to mind was "pathetic"... I mean she LOOKED great and beautiful, but the front of her hair was shaved immaculately straight across (kinda like a Lebron James hairline), a tiny tube, smaller than a strand of spaghetti looped in through her nose, taped to her cheek, 2 little tiny stickers with hearts on them connected to more wires, tiny blood bruises already forming on the tops of her hands, foot, arm creases and scalp where the failed IV's were and then the line into her belly button that was covered in tape. Hubs said... Wow, that's a lot of tape, that's going to hurt coming off. He was so right. On top of everything else, once she gets better they have to take all that stuff off. The bigger picture was that she was in good hands... the Nurse told us that it took two tries to the line into her belly... two times they got it into the Liver, which obviously is not good, so the 2nd time they pulled it back a little and it was fine. They said she was doing really well and was a really easy baby. That they fed her and she adjusted well to the tube feeding.
We sat in there for about an hour and I started getting incredibly exhausted. Hubs was starving so he ran to grab some food. I stayed behind with Mila for a little bit longer talking to her. While I was in there another baby was going through something scary... A loud alarm sounded, his mom ran out into the hall and started to get hysterical screaming for her nurse and crying uncontrollably, all the nurses ran to the babies room and started to work on him/her. As if this isn't scary enough, here is a mom in an obviously bad situation. I felt so horrible for her and I started to stress about Mila. Although we were in a great place, it was still a place for babies that weren't feeling well. I prayed for her and her baby... I don't know their story, their names, or even how they are today, but I pray that baby & mom are both doing well.
I texted Marc that I just couldn't do this... I didn't feel strong enough. Even though our nurse assured me that these measure for Mila were just a "pre caution" you get a different feeling when you're in there. The doc stopped to talk to us and said that they think she possibly had an infection and that she would be there until Sunday at the earliest. They had to wait for the Blood Cultures to come back and that could take 48hrs. I kept wondering if it was bc I was GBS+, but I had a c-section, so that should have helped. I decided I needed to go back to the room. I said some prayers and said good night to Mila. A nurse wheeled me back to the room just as Marc came back. He was staying the night this time, especially bc all that was going on with Mila. We went down to the nursery to say goodnight to Lola. Soon after getting back to the room, I was passed out.
I slept well... I'll thank the Percocet & Motrin. We got up & went to visit Mila. The nurse said she had a great night!! She handled the antibiotics well & ate like a Champ. Her opinion was that she would be 100% fine :) We had them bring Lola back from the Nursery and we spent all morning snuggling with her hoping to bring her sister back. I just kept thinking I hope she goes home with us tomorrow... I can't leave my baby behind! Around lunch time we got great news that Mila would be coming back to our room around 1-2pm!! Everything looked great and she would be fine, the fluid in her lungs was starting to dwindle. This was unexpected yet very welcomed news! Hubs went to grab some lunch while I ate in my room. My stepsister came to visit so she walked down with me to go see Mila. I walked behind my wheelchair and it felt good to be mobile. She looked beautiful! All of her tubes, wires and monitors were already off! The nurse was giving her a bottle also!! She gave me Mila so I could finish feeding her. After 5ml she fell asleep... the nurse said that wasn't good enough and she was too comfortable. She showed me that if I fed her away from my body she wouldn't be as cozy and will wake up to eat. She sat her on my thigh and the only thing touching her was my left hand holding her up, right hand giving her the bottle and her legs/bottom resting on my thigh. I felt like this was so impersonal, but it worked. She downed 15ml more! The things you learn :) We hung out a little longer and then it was time for me to pump and feed Lola (they are on the same schedule). I remembered at this point that a highschool friend of mine Ellen, had sent us a NICU "care package" a few weeks prior in case the girls had a NICU stay. She has founded her own Non-Profit called "Socks for Surgery". It's an amazing charity where you can request NICU items and everything is donated and you receive them for free. I'll post some pics below. When babies/children are in the NICU or go in for surgery usually they only thing they can keep with them are their socks... so she customizes them and makes them something that is "theirs" to keep in the hospital with them.
A nurse walked with me back to my room and about an hour later Mila came!!!! We were so happy to have our family back :) It was just the 4 of us for a little bit and we were so happy, all we needed was Ava. The rest of the stay is starting to be a blur since it's been awhile since we've been back and I thought I could remember the details but its proven to be pretty hard at this point! I will say... if you have a catheter inserted, make sure you remember to unhook it from your bed before you get up and walk around... YIKES. Also, I had no idea that besides "what's your pain number" that "have you passed gas yet" would be a top question by all my nurses. The first time I was asked I said "I'm sure I have..." the nurse said, I need to know for sure and believe me you will know. You need to walk around more to get a fart out. Ummm, ok... I'll work on that immediately! I told her I had a pain up near my right shoulder, kinda like a shooting pain that hurt when I would inhale... she said it was a GAS PAIN!!!! Isn't that crazy?! So far away from my butt. That pain was enough for me to get up and start walking right then and there... I had a couple almost farts. I felt it coming and I didn't want to push or strain but I tried to help ease it out and then it would get lost back inside me. I had no idea that trying to fart post c-section would be so difficult. Finally around 3pm Sat ( I know this is out of order) I passed gas. I was so excited I wrote it on the marked up dry erase board so that all my nurses would know in case I wasn't in the room. I'm so glad they didn't make me have a bowel movement first, because that took about 1 week...
We got to leave Sunday around 2pm... we bundled up our two new daughters and headed back to my Mom's. Hubs didn't drive near as slow as he did with Ava (I'll throw the 2nd/3rd child syndrome out there now, this comes in handy in future blog posts lol). We arrived to my moms and she had 2 cute "its a girl" sign outside waiting for us with pink balloons. They also had our rock n plays setup with pink comfy blankets, decorations and even a glitter "L" & "M" on the rock n plays. We actually still have them up. It helps people determine who is who without having to do physical checks lol.
Ava was asleep when we got back so we were able to get situated. When she woke up, our family was complete and she just kept kissing her sisters... So glad to have our family together again and all I needed to do at this point was be able to walk and stand without pain!
So thankful for healthy children... maybe I over reacted a little with Mila in the NICU, but at the time you have no idea what is going on. You're being told your 1 day old can have an infection that could keep her in the hospital 10days or longer. There are a million and one thoughts racing through your mind especially when you see all the other babies in there that are so tiny. My cousin Grant was a 27w NICU baby and he is now a 2yr old (in july) healthy happy toddler! Prayers work!!!
xo
At 7am the shift changed and I got a new nurse, who came complete with two little boys. Ok they weren't little boys, they were young men and nursing students. She asked if it was ok they shadowed and helped her. I always say yes... people have to learn somewhere! They might not end up in L&D but they still need to know it all. After talking with them I realized a couple moms didn't want them in their rooms. That sucks. They saw me breastfeed, my stretched belly, incision and checked me for bleeding & removed my catheter. Not my most glorious moments, but owell.
A few hours later I noticed that Mila was making these "grunting/whimpering" noises that the Nursery Nurse told me about the day prior. I held her, fed her, did skin to skin and she kept doing it. I told my nurse and she looked over and said she seemed fine, but to do skin to skin for 25+ mins and see if that helped... it didn't. She kept the noises... so she called the Pediatrician and she came and took a look. She thought she sounded a little labored so they took her down to the nursery to examine her. She was brought back shortly after and the pedi said she ordered an xray to look at her lungs. Ugh. Instantly upset... I started having thoughts when Ava had pneumonia last November. I know xrays don't physically hurt you, but its just an overwhelming experience to see your baby so vulnerable. I asked the pedi where we had to go and she said for us to just stay tight, that the x-ray tech would come to us and it would be very soon. No sooner than she left the room did the tech arrived. It was actually less scary than what Ava went through and she just laid on the board inside her isolate. A few snaps and the tech left.
About 20mins later the pedi came back in and said that Mila still had a lot of fluid still in her lungs... she said that if she were only a few hours old this wouldn't be a problem, but since she was over 24hrs old it worried her and she would need to be sent to the NICU for closer monitoring. I kinda felt numb... I was relieved that overall they were pretty healthy despite being 4w early, but I was sad bc I thought we were in the clear. I would have expected this immediately after their birth, but not the next day. I had prepared myself for a NICU stay despite the fact that their ultrasounds were all great, but then once I was told the NICU team left soon after they were born, my "preparedness" went away. This was around 2pm. We were told it would take about an hour for her to get settled into her own room and once she was ready they would allow us to come over. I of course called down to the NICU line at 3pm on the dot... she wasn't ready, they had an emergency and they were still getting her situated. They asked me to call back in 30mins. So I did... still not ready, this time they advised they were having troubles getting the IV into her tiny little veins. The thought of my little baby getting poked numerous times immediately churned my stomach. They asked me to call back around 4:30pm. I did and they told me they were still working on getting the IV's in and that they blew the veins in her arms, hands and foot and they will have to try her scalp. I was warned that meant they would have to shave her hair. That part didn't bother me, but again, the thought of this tiny little one day old baby being poked so many times broke my heart. I never mind having blood taken or getting IV's, but I've had two veins blow before when entering a pic (?) line and that shit HURTS.
They told us they were almost done and that we could head down. I was feeling sad and started to cry a little and went into the bathroom to clean myself up before we went down. Ironically my dad/stepmom showed up at that exact moment. So here I am in the bathroom trying to pull myself together. Between the stomach pain of the csection, effects of the Percocet & news of Mila it was hard to regroup. So they got to meet Lola & spend some time with her. A few mins later, my mom, Beebs & Swiss all came as well. So we left my mom, sis and Ava behind in the room and my Dad & Stepmom (aka Evil Step Mom-- ESM, inside joke with her lol) walked down to the NICU with Marc & I to go see Mila. When we got to the check in, the receptionist said we couldn't go back yet bc Mila wasn't ready... I got snappy. I blame it on the hormones and the thoughts of what Mila was going through... I told her it wasn't acceptable and that I was told an hour, then 30mins, then 30mins and then I was told she was ready and I just want to see my daughter. I know it wasn't her fault, she's just the messenger and I never did get to apologize and I feel bad about that. Now it seems they couldn't get the IV in her scalp either :( So they were now doing a procedure through her belly button... what the heck. I immediately started crying. Marcellus tried to console and I could tell my Dad & ESM felt helpless... here they are wanting to meet their new grandchildren and I'm a mess. Finally a nurse came out and said we could wait in Mila's room.
I love Aultman Hospital... I also love their NICU. It's not just one big room lined with Isolates, it is a bunch of smaller hospital rooms with couches, rockers & TV's inside with your child which is their OWN ROOM. It is beyond comfortable and even though they have the big enclosed isolate that looks like a space ship, you don't feel like you're in a "scary place". We sat in there and talked... for awhile. Finally our nurse came in from Mila's "procedure". She said that they were still trying to get the line into her belly... once they get it in they have to do an x-ray to make sure it didn't enter her Liver. They have to go in 10ml, any further and they are in the liver, any shorter and it could slip out. After waiting awhile we decided to go back to my room so my parents could visit with Lola. After all it would be awhile before Mila would be ready for us and I decided that I only wanted Marc to be in the room with me when we saw her for the first time because I wasn't sure what to expect to see...
We got back to the room and I was so happy to see Ava & Lola but really sad that we were missing a part of our family... even though she was down the hall I felt like Mila was so far away. My gf Lyne is a NICU RN in Austin so of course I was texting her and she was easing my mind. I'm so lucky to have so many brilliant nurses just a text away!
A little before 9pm our guests all left for the night. We soon got the call that Mila was ready. That they were feeding her (through a tube) & we could come down. Hubs pushed me in the wheelchair and pulled Lola in the isolate down to the Nursery. We got to Mila's room and there she was... The word that immediately came to mind was "pathetic"... I mean she LOOKED great and beautiful, but the front of her hair was shaved immaculately straight across (kinda like a Lebron James hairline), a tiny tube, smaller than a strand of spaghetti looped in through her nose, taped to her cheek, 2 little tiny stickers with hearts on them connected to more wires, tiny blood bruises already forming on the tops of her hands, foot, arm creases and scalp where the failed IV's were and then the line into her belly button that was covered in tape. Hubs said... Wow, that's a lot of tape, that's going to hurt coming off. He was so right. On top of everything else, once she gets better they have to take all that stuff off. The bigger picture was that she was in good hands... the Nurse told us that it took two tries to the line into her belly... two times they got it into the Liver, which obviously is not good, so the 2nd time they pulled it back a little and it was fine. They said she was doing really well and was a really easy baby. That they fed her and she adjusted well to the tube feeding.
We sat in there for about an hour and I started getting incredibly exhausted. Hubs was starving so he ran to grab some food. I stayed behind with Mila for a little bit longer talking to her. While I was in there another baby was going through something scary... A loud alarm sounded, his mom ran out into the hall and started to get hysterical screaming for her nurse and crying uncontrollably, all the nurses ran to the babies room and started to work on him/her. As if this isn't scary enough, here is a mom in an obviously bad situation. I felt so horrible for her and I started to stress about Mila. Although we were in a great place, it was still a place for babies that weren't feeling well. I prayed for her and her baby... I don't know their story, their names, or even how they are today, but I pray that baby & mom are both doing well.
I texted Marc that I just couldn't do this... I didn't feel strong enough. Even though our nurse assured me that these measure for Mila were just a "pre caution" you get a different feeling when you're in there. The doc stopped to talk to us and said that they think she possibly had an infection and that she would be there until Sunday at the earliest. They had to wait for the Blood Cultures to come back and that could take 48hrs. I kept wondering if it was bc I was GBS+, but I had a c-section, so that should have helped. I decided I needed to go back to the room. I said some prayers and said good night to Mila. A nurse wheeled me back to the room just as Marc came back. He was staying the night this time, especially bc all that was going on with Mila. We went down to the nursery to say goodnight to Lola. Soon after getting back to the room, I was passed out.
I slept well... I'll thank the Percocet & Motrin. We got up & went to visit Mila. The nurse said she had a great night!! She handled the antibiotics well & ate like a Champ. Her opinion was that she would be 100% fine :) We had them bring Lola back from the Nursery and we spent all morning snuggling with her hoping to bring her sister back. I just kept thinking I hope she goes home with us tomorrow... I can't leave my baby behind! Around lunch time we got great news that Mila would be coming back to our room around 1-2pm!! Everything looked great and she would be fine, the fluid in her lungs was starting to dwindle. This was unexpected yet very welcomed news! Hubs went to grab some lunch while I ate in my room. My stepsister came to visit so she walked down with me to go see Mila. I walked behind my wheelchair and it felt good to be mobile. She looked beautiful! All of her tubes, wires and monitors were already off! The nurse was giving her a bottle also!! She gave me Mila so I could finish feeding her. After 5ml she fell asleep... the nurse said that wasn't good enough and she was too comfortable. She showed me that if I fed her away from my body she wouldn't be as cozy and will wake up to eat. She sat her on my thigh and the only thing touching her was my left hand holding her up, right hand giving her the bottle and her legs/bottom resting on my thigh. I felt like this was so impersonal, but it worked. She downed 15ml more! The things you learn :) We hung out a little longer and then it was time for me to pump and feed Lola (they are on the same schedule). I remembered at this point that a highschool friend of mine Ellen, had sent us a NICU "care package" a few weeks prior in case the girls had a NICU stay. She has founded her own Non-Profit called "Socks for Surgery". It's an amazing charity where you can request NICU items and everything is donated and you receive them for free. I'll post some pics below. When babies/children are in the NICU or go in for surgery usually they only thing they can keep with them are their socks... so she customizes them and makes them something that is "theirs" to keep in the hospital with them.
A nurse walked with me back to my room and about an hour later Mila came!!!! We were so happy to have our family back :) It was just the 4 of us for a little bit and we were so happy, all we needed was Ava. The rest of the stay is starting to be a blur since it's been awhile since we've been back and I thought I could remember the details but its proven to be pretty hard at this point! I will say... if you have a catheter inserted, make sure you remember to unhook it from your bed before you get up and walk around... YIKES. Also, I had no idea that besides "what's your pain number" that "have you passed gas yet" would be a top question by all my nurses. The first time I was asked I said "I'm sure I have..." the nurse said, I need to know for sure and believe me you will know. You need to walk around more to get a fart out. Ummm, ok... I'll work on that immediately! I told her I had a pain up near my right shoulder, kinda like a shooting pain that hurt when I would inhale... she said it was a GAS PAIN!!!! Isn't that crazy?! So far away from my butt. That pain was enough for me to get up and start walking right then and there... I had a couple almost farts. I felt it coming and I didn't want to push or strain but I tried to help ease it out and then it would get lost back inside me. I had no idea that trying to fart post c-section would be so difficult. Finally around 3pm Sat ( I know this is out of order) I passed gas. I was so excited I wrote it on the marked up dry erase board so that all my nurses would know in case I wasn't in the room. I'm so glad they didn't make me have a bowel movement first, because that took about 1 week...
We got to leave Sunday around 2pm... we bundled up our two new daughters and headed back to my Mom's. Hubs didn't drive near as slow as he did with Ava (I'll throw the 2nd/3rd child syndrome out there now, this comes in handy in future blog posts lol). We arrived to my moms and she had 2 cute "its a girl" sign outside waiting for us with pink balloons. They also had our rock n plays setup with pink comfy blankets, decorations and even a glitter "L" & "M" on the rock n plays. We actually still have them up. It helps people determine who is who without having to do physical checks lol.
Ava was asleep when we got back so we were able to get situated. When she woke up, our family was complete and she just kept kissing her sisters... So glad to have our family together again and all I needed to do at this point was be able to walk and stand without pain!
So thankful for healthy children... maybe I over reacted a little with Mila in the NICU, but at the time you have no idea what is going on. You're being told your 1 day old can have an infection that could keep her in the hospital 10days or longer. There are a million and one thoughts racing through your mind especially when you see all the other babies in there that are so tiny. My cousin Grant was a 27w NICU baby and he is now a 2yr old (in july) healthy happy toddler! Prayers work!!!
xo
Friday, September 20, 2013
The Hospital Stay: Part 1
I started to figure out how far along I was and write it at the top like every other post... so I guess I'll just start writing how old they are now :)
8 days old...
I didn't get to update anything in the last 8 days... not that we are overwhelmed or too exhausted, but that when the babies needs are met we try to give Ava as much one on one time with each of us as well as collectively as possible.
So... last post ended with the birth. It has been quite the whirlwind! I had some pretty severe reactions to the medication used during the C-section. I guess its pretty common, but during the entire procedure I was shaking uncontrollably. So much so, that I asked Hubs to put the sheet in my mouth because I was so afraid I was going to break a tooth! I didn't feel that loopy during the procedure, just cold, shaky & euphoric. The girls were born at 2:53pm, but I don't think I got to recovery until after 4pm sometime. The easiest part is getting the babies out they said, the long part is putting my body back together. I told the doc if they wanted they could trim a few inches off my belly skin, I wouldn't mind. They gave a little chuckle. I was dead serious. My skin was so stretched to the max that I was afraid of what the after math would look like!
Before I went into recovery one of my nurses said normally they let the babies come in recovery with me, but there was a mom in there who just lost her baby. They asked if it was ok that they didn't bring them in with me. Of course that was ok! My heart broke for that mom... I don't know her situation, story or what happened, but to lose a child you're carrying whether it's 9weeks or 9months has to be devastating... and then here I am, with TWO healthy babies after she just lost ONE. I've said a few prayers for her and I hope she is able to conceive again and have a healthy, happy pregnancy and the baby she desires.
Recovery was a little rough... Over the course of an hour I started to get the feeling back in my body. It started with my mid section and I was pain free, just tingly. I was still shaking uncontrollably and I felt like I haven't had anything to drink in 3months. I asked the Nurse for water... she suggested ice chips. That satisfied me for about 5mins... I NEEDED water. I thought if I could have some water I would never complain about anything again in my life. She said she'll give me water if I want, but that I will most likely throw it up. I didn't even care. No sooner than 10mins after "sipping" some water, it came right back up... I continued to do this 3 more times despite my Husbands protest "you're only going to get more dehydrated if you keep throwing up" and "you're contracting your stomach when you throw up, you're going to be in a lot of pain". Bless his heart for trying. I was like a crack head for water, ice cold water. Perhaps he was just tired of seeing his wife looking pathetic throwing up without control of her body, with bile dribbling down her chin. I'm sure that was a pretty sight. I didn't even care about dehydration or extra pain, besides I was still numb, shaking and just delivered two babies!
After the mom who suffered a loss was recovered and wheeled out, they brought my babies in! They were beautiful! I finally got to see them up close almost 2 hours after they were born. Of course I couldn't hold them or even get the energy to touch them but they looked amazing. They were in the same isolate and so perfect. The Nursery Nurse went over some info with me including signs of distress to look for and general guidelines. I didn't think I was paying attention, but I was...
At 5pm I was finally allowed to go to my room. They sent the babies to the nursery bc I wasn't recovered enough and they wanted me to rest some before they brought them to me. As soon as they wheeled my bed out, I threw up again. When I got to my room my mom, step dad and Beebs were all in there waiting! Ava was so excited to see me, but obviously I was in no condition to give her much physical affection. Luckily there were enough people to keep her occupied. I got sick about 3-4 more times until 9pm and I was instantly better and they brought the babies in! It was just Hubs & I and we finally got to bond with our new girls after 6 hours. We enjoyed our time together, I got to breastfeed and hold them. I started to get extremely worn out and decided I needed to sleep. We sent the babies down to the nursery for the night.
You don't get much sleep when someone walks in every two hours for vitals, to push on your sensitive stomach, check your incision and see how much you're bleeding. Thank GOODNESS for the nursery, catheter & the extended pain meds! The nurse tried to get me to stand up a little and walk... I couldn't walk, I got dizzy so I just stood there and got back into bed. I still think a Vaginal delivery has a better recovery time and would prefer that over a C-section any time.
Hubs left to go back to my Mom's. It had been such a crazy day and since the babies were in the nursery he wanted to cash in on some good sleep too and spend a little time with Ava in the morning before coming back.
We hugged long and he kissed me goodnight. It was such an unexpected, yet amazing day and our family went from 3 to 5... absolutely crazy!
8 days old...
I didn't get to update anything in the last 8 days... not that we are overwhelmed or too exhausted, but that when the babies needs are met we try to give Ava as much one on one time with each of us as well as collectively as possible.
So... last post ended with the birth. It has been quite the whirlwind! I had some pretty severe reactions to the medication used during the C-section. I guess its pretty common, but during the entire procedure I was shaking uncontrollably. So much so, that I asked Hubs to put the sheet in my mouth because I was so afraid I was going to break a tooth! I didn't feel that loopy during the procedure, just cold, shaky & euphoric. The girls were born at 2:53pm, but I don't think I got to recovery until after 4pm sometime. The easiest part is getting the babies out they said, the long part is putting my body back together. I told the doc if they wanted they could trim a few inches off my belly skin, I wouldn't mind. They gave a little chuckle. I was dead serious. My skin was so stretched to the max that I was afraid of what the after math would look like!
Before I went into recovery one of my nurses said normally they let the babies come in recovery with me, but there was a mom in there who just lost her baby. They asked if it was ok that they didn't bring them in with me. Of course that was ok! My heart broke for that mom... I don't know her situation, story or what happened, but to lose a child you're carrying whether it's 9weeks or 9months has to be devastating... and then here I am, with TWO healthy babies after she just lost ONE. I've said a few prayers for her and I hope she is able to conceive again and have a healthy, happy pregnancy and the baby she desires.
Recovery was a little rough... Over the course of an hour I started to get the feeling back in my body. It started with my mid section and I was pain free, just tingly. I was still shaking uncontrollably and I felt like I haven't had anything to drink in 3months. I asked the Nurse for water... she suggested ice chips. That satisfied me for about 5mins... I NEEDED water. I thought if I could have some water I would never complain about anything again in my life. She said she'll give me water if I want, but that I will most likely throw it up. I didn't even care. No sooner than 10mins after "sipping" some water, it came right back up... I continued to do this 3 more times despite my Husbands protest "you're only going to get more dehydrated if you keep throwing up" and "you're contracting your stomach when you throw up, you're going to be in a lot of pain". Bless his heart for trying. I was like a crack head for water, ice cold water. Perhaps he was just tired of seeing his wife looking pathetic throwing up without control of her body, with bile dribbling down her chin. I'm sure that was a pretty sight. I didn't even care about dehydration or extra pain, besides I was still numb, shaking and just delivered two babies!
After the mom who suffered a loss was recovered and wheeled out, they brought my babies in! They were beautiful! I finally got to see them up close almost 2 hours after they were born. Of course I couldn't hold them or even get the energy to touch them but they looked amazing. They were in the same isolate and so perfect. The Nursery Nurse went over some info with me including signs of distress to look for and general guidelines. I didn't think I was paying attention, but I was...
At 5pm I was finally allowed to go to my room. They sent the babies to the nursery bc I wasn't recovered enough and they wanted me to rest some before they brought them to me. As soon as they wheeled my bed out, I threw up again. When I got to my room my mom, step dad and Beebs were all in there waiting! Ava was so excited to see me, but obviously I was in no condition to give her much physical affection. Luckily there were enough people to keep her occupied. I got sick about 3-4 more times until 9pm and I was instantly better and they brought the babies in! It was just Hubs & I and we finally got to bond with our new girls after 6 hours. We enjoyed our time together, I got to breastfeed and hold them. I started to get extremely worn out and decided I needed to sleep. We sent the babies down to the nursery for the night.
You don't get much sleep when someone walks in every two hours for vitals, to push on your sensitive stomach, check your incision and see how much you're bleeding. Thank GOODNESS for the nursery, catheter & the extended pain meds! The nurse tried to get me to stand up a little and walk... I couldn't walk, I got dizzy so I just stood there and got back into bed. I still think a Vaginal delivery has a better recovery time and would prefer that over a C-section any time.
Hubs left to go back to my Mom's. It had been such a crazy day and since the babies were in the nursery he wanted to cash in on some good sleep too and spend a little time with Ava in the morning before coming back.
We hugged long and he kissed me goodnight. It was such an unexpected, yet amazing day and our family went from 3 to 5... absolutely crazy!
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Lola & Mila's Birth Story :) :)
Wow!!! So instead of a countdown to babies, I finally have a Birth Story to write. This post will just be about the birth and I'll follow up with the rest of the hospital stay and updates on the babies as soon as I have the energy :)
So... where were we?! Thursday, Thursday, Thursday... my favorite day of the week. I had a 7:30am BPP scheduled with full measurements, but no Doc appt. I'd been feeling kinda crummy the past two days so I thought since we would be at the Hospital I might as well go up and talk with the doctor's. After this appt I wouldn't be going back until Monday. I always wait in the lobby area in a wheelchair while Hubs parks. Today so many people stopped and asked if I needed to be wheeled somewhere. Nurses, patients, visitors... maybe they knew something I didn't?
The BPP went great! Both babies looked good and passed their tests fast. The only problem presented was Baby B was still transverse. This really broke my heart. She had been head down like her sister for WEEKS and then all of a sudden she decided to lay diagonal across me. I figured I still had a few more days to get her flipped. I was feeling really exhausted at the appt. I hadn't slept well again the night before so I was struggling. The measurements on the babies went really well. Baby A was pretty far down and she was estimated at 5lbs 10oz and Baby B was estimated at 6lbs 7oz, wow that's a lot of baby!! I told the tech how I was feeling so when she called up to Dr. M he said to come on up.
We went upstairs and went through the typical appt stuff. He also wanted to see if I was progressing. I wasn't... I was still only 3cm dilated (same as 10days prior). I was definitely disappointed. I had been feeling so much pressure. Owell I thought, 6days left!
Hubs, Beebs & I left and went to Bob Evans for breakfast. We haven't eaten there in quite awhile, so I was really excited to go. I ordered my usual "rise & shine". Beebs was cracking us up, she kept crunching up her menu and stuffing it down her shirt. The whole time sitting there I felt yucky. I didn't even eat half my breakfast. If you know me, then you know its crazy if I don't eat my food. We packed up our leftovers and went home. As we were leaving a lady stopped Marcellus & offered him their "buy one breakfast, get one free" coupon. How nice was that? Maybe she felt bad for us. Had I known this was probably a sign for "buy one get one free" in a couple hours, ha! Hubs said he would just stay home with us and I insisted he go into work. After all, my appt wasn't any different than Mondays or the week before. Plus by the time we got home it was 11am. Ava & I played a little and went up for a nap in my bed at 12pm........
A little before 1pm I woke up to this sudden bladder pain, like I needed to pee REALLY bad. Ava was still asleep and I was mad I was awake bc we usually nap for 2 hours. I rolled myself out of the bed and felt so much pressure. I waddled into the bathroom, sat down and started to pee. While peeing I felt my stomach "jolt". Almost like someone gave my belly a quick little shake like a snow globe. Then I felt and heard a "POP". I screamed bc it scared the shit out of me. Then I felt it... lots of warm liquid running out. I stopped peeing, but the liquid kept coming. I finished peeing and was in disbelief. I stood up and it just kept gushing out. Clear, warm liquid. I rolled up a hand towel, stuffed it between my legs and got my phone from my room and went back and sat on the toilet. I called Hubs and told him my water broke... he said he was on his way. We hung up and I called Carol the RN. She asked me to describe it and immediately she was like... come in now, I'll call L&D to tell them to get you a room ready and I'll tell Dr. M. We hung up, so I called my mom. The receptionist asked who was calling and I told her I was Kim's Daughter. My mom must of warned her about me and she said "OMG, are you ok?!??!" I told her I was but that my water broke... she ran down the hall looking for my mom. My mom immediately wanted me to call 911 lol... I told her I was fine and wasn't contracting yet and that we would meet her at the hospital. This was about 1pm
I just sat on the upstairs toilet while the water just kept running out steadily, with a million and one things going on through my mind. I was going to wait for Hubs until I realized Ava was still asleep and neither one of us had pants on. The hospital bag was ready, but I needed to add a few things and we needed Ava's diaper bag and I felt like being upstairs felt SOOO far away from where any vehicle would be. I figured we would waste too much time if I waited for Marc to get there. I know some women's water breaks and they have HOURS before delivery or even no progression, but I just knew this wouldn't be the case. So I put the rolled up hand towel back between my legs and woke up Ava. I told her we needed to go back to the doctors so we had to get dressed. Thank goodness she wasn't mad I woke her up. I slipped on a maxi skirt and waddled into her room and put her pants on her and grabbed her shoes. I grabbed two more towels before heading downstairs. I called my Aunt Kristin, but had to hang up with her bc my mom kept calling me asking if I called 911 yet or if she should call for me lol. I finally convinced her I didn't need too and that I would call her when Marc got to the house. Ava & I got downstairs and I organized everything and then sat on the downstairs toilet (next to garage door) until Marc pulled up. I kept checking for blood or signs of meconium (baby poop)- totally clear, Ava even touched the "water" towel bc I had it sitting on the sink and she said "hot". That's right Ava, it really is a hot box! It had only been about 12mins, but it felt like forever when Marc pulled up. He ran in grabbed everything in one hand including Ava and loaded the car. I waddled up, put a towel down and hoisted myself into the seat. We held hands for about two mins and then got on our phones.
We started calling people on the way to the hospital... I felt good until about 10mins into the drive. Then the first contraction hit. HOLY SHIT... That hurt. I remember now... I remember the pain I had with Ava when all hell broke loose. I breathed through it well and then I started to get nervous about what was about to go down. My mom met us at the front of the hospital, she made sure the valet guys had a wheelchair waiting on me. Even one woman whom I see almost at every appt was standing outside. She was so happy for us as she knew a little of my journey- it was about 1:30p. I got wheeled up to L&D and by this time I had 3 contractions in 15mins. They took me straight back to a room and stripped me down. A lot of people came in and out to get my situated. The contractions were probably 5mins a part and furious. I told my RN I would take my epidural at any moment lol. Then in walks two resident docs with students. They wanted to do an u/s to confirm placement of the babies. Since I just had the u/s earlier in the day I tried to tell them the placement but they weren't really believing me. The contractions kept coming... Beebs & Deda were in the room and one was pretty bad and I was being vocal. I heard Beebs yell "mama?!?!" and surprisingly that calmed me down bc I didn't want to worry her... it really made me concentrate on breathing and relaxing. Dr. M comes into the room and we joked about something, but I can't remember. Then I had another contraction. He took over on the u/s and said ok... its obvious, Baby B is transverse, why are we wasting so much time here?! He looked at me and I started to cry... I knew this meant I needed a csection. He explained he does breech deliveries, but they have to be presenting well. Baby B's spine was facing the way that is unfavorable for a breech delivery. I know that a csection is what was best for the babies and myself but I was worried. He then asked how dilated I was... The other docs didn't know bc NO ONE HAD CHECKED ME... he got pissed. He said "Her water is all over the place, she's in pain, laboring with mono/di twins, one is breech and no one knows how far along she is?!" The resident doc ran over to check me quick... Ugh... another painful moment. I felt like his hands were the size of a little kid or something. He pulled his hand out and said she's a 5. Dr. M said... She's 5cm?! She needs to be in the OR in 10mins". He tried to console me one more time and left to get set up.
More people came in, giving me fluids, asking me to sign ridiculous paper work while I've been contracting so my signature was basically a scribble. I gave lots of kisses to Beebs, I knew her life was about to change forever and at 2:31pm I arrived into the OR. They make you move yourself onto the bed. This was insane... I was in SO MUCH PAIN yet I had to use most of my strength to get myself to the surgery table. UGH... I finally did and the anesthesiologist went to work on getting the spinal block into my back. She got it in and my legs immediately went numb. They rolled me onto my back, strapped my arms down, inserted a cathetar, draped a sheet in front of my face, put oxygen in my nose and then my husband walked in.
Dr. M asked if I could "feel this"... which I could, I could feel him pushing my belly. I said Yes, I feel that and he said ok, let's start. I said, NO! I can feel it!! He said... "I just poked you extremely hard with something sharp 10times and all you said was you can feel it, we're good to go" Ooooo.. LOL I guess that stuff works well! I looked to my left at the clock, It was 2:47p. I could feel pushing and pulling in my belly, but no pain. It was the weirdest sensation EVER. My body was even moving a little from side to side from all the pulling.
At 2:53p I heard the first cry... :) One of our daughters was born! A doctor rushed her over to me for a peak, but it was way to fast. Then seconds later another cry! A doctor then rushed her over to me as well. I started to cry again. They were both out and were born in the same minute. I couldn't believe it!! I wanted to see them, to touch them, to hold them but I couldn't. I just saw some slimy babies go past my eyes in a flash. Marc kissed me and told me I did such a great job and he had the biggest smile on his face. Once they were cleaned up and assessed he was allowed to go take pictures. I was by myself, but happy. I was so so so happy! Our girls were finally here. After MONTHS of bed rest, prayers, tears and uncertainty they were finally here and healthy! I asked the anesthesiologist if they were going to the NICU and he said... "the NICU team already left, your babies aren't going to the NICU" Do you know how amazing that sounded?! I started to cry again... our family has been joined by two more beautiful, healthy, happy girls. We are blessed beyond measure.
They both scored 8/9 on their Apgar tests!!!
Lola Bell: 5lbs 5oz, 19in long (Baby A)
Mila Marie: 6lbs 2oz, 19.5 in long (Baby B)
Thanks for reading such a long story!! In my next post, I'll pick up right where I left off. I'm a little loopy as I type this!
Daddy next to his brand new daughters!
So... where were we?! Thursday, Thursday, Thursday... my favorite day of the week. I had a 7:30am BPP scheduled with full measurements, but no Doc appt. I'd been feeling kinda crummy the past two days so I thought since we would be at the Hospital I might as well go up and talk with the doctor's. After this appt I wouldn't be going back until Monday. I always wait in the lobby area in a wheelchair while Hubs parks. Today so many people stopped and asked if I needed to be wheeled somewhere. Nurses, patients, visitors... maybe they knew something I didn't?
The BPP went great! Both babies looked good and passed their tests fast. The only problem presented was Baby B was still transverse. This really broke my heart. She had been head down like her sister for WEEKS and then all of a sudden she decided to lay diagonal across me. I figured I still had a few more days to get her flipped. I was feeling really exhausted at the appt. I hadn't slept well again the night before so I was struggling. The measurements on the babies went really well. Baby A was pretty far down and she was estimated at 5lbs 10oz and Baby B was estimated at 6lbs 7oz, wow that's a lot of baby!! I told the tech how I was feeling so when she called up to Dr. M he said to come on up.
We went upstairs and went through the typical appt stuff. He also wanted to see if I was progressing. I wasn't... I was still only 3cm dilated (same as 10days prior). I was definitely disappointed. I had been feeling so much pressure. Owell I thought, 6days left!
Hubs, Beebs & I left and went to Bob Evans for breakfast. We haven't eaten there in quite awhile, so I was really excited to go. I ordered my usual "rise & shine". Beebs was cracking us up, she kept crunching up her menu and stuffing it down her shirt. The whole time sitting there I felt yucky. I didn't even eat half my breakfast. If you know me, then you know its crazy if I don't eat my food. We packed up our leftovers and went home. As we were leaving a lady stopped Marcellus & offered him their "buy one breakfast, get one free" coupon. How nice was that? Maybe she felt bad for us. Had I known this was probably a sign for "buy one get one free" in a couple hours, ha! Hubs said he would just stay home with us and I insisted he go into work. After all, my appt wasn't any different than Mondays or the week before. Plus by the time we got home it was 11am. Ava & I played a little and went up for a nap in my bed at 12pm........
A little before 1pm I woke up to this sudden bladder pain, like I needed to pee REALLY bad. Ava was still asleep and I was mad I was awake bc we usually nap for 2 hours. I rolled myself out of the bed and felt so much pressure. I waddled into the bathroom, sat down and started to pee. While peeing I felt my stomach "jolt". Almost like someone gave my belly a quick little shake like a snow globe. Then I felt and heard a "POP". I screamed bc it scared the shit out of me. Then I felt it... lots of warm liquid running out. I stopped peeing, but the liquid kept coming. I finished peeing and was in disbelief. I stood up and it just kept gushing out. Clear, warm liquid. I rolled up a hand towel, stuffed it between my legs and got my phone from my room and went back and sat on the toilet. I called Hubs and told him my water broke... he said he was on his way. We hung up and I called Carol the RN. She asked me to describe it and immediately she was like... come in now, I'll call L&D to tell them to get you a room ready and I'll tell Dr. M. We hung up, so I called my mom. The receptionist asked who was calling and I told her I was Kim's Daughter. My mom must of warned her about me and she said "OMG, are you ok?!??!" I told her I was but that my water broke... she ran down the hall looking for my mom. My mom immediately wanted me to call 911 lol... I told her I was fine and wasn't contracting yet and that we would meet her at the hospital. This was about 1pm
I just sat on the upstairs toilet while the water just kept running out steadily, with a million and one things going on through my mind. I was going to wait for Hubs until I realized Ava was still asleep and neither one of us had pants on. The hospital bag was ready, but I needed to add a few things and we needed Ava's diaper bag and I felt like being upstairs felt SOOO far away from where any vehicle would be. I figured we would waste too much time if I waited for Marc to get there. I know some women's water breaks and they have HOURS before delivery or even no progression, but I just knew this wouldn't be the case. So I put the rolled up hand towel back between my legs and woke up Ava. I told her we needed to go back to the doctors so we had to get dressed. Thank goodness she wasn't mad I woke her up. I slipped on a maxi skirt and waddled into her room and put her pants on her and grabbed her shoes. I grabbed two more towels before heading downstairs. I called my Aunt Kristin, but had to hang up with her bc my mom kept calling me asking if I called 911 yet or if she should call for me lol. I finally convinced her I didn't need too and that I would call her when Marc got to the house. Ava & I got downstairs and I organized everything and then sat on the downstairs toilet (next to garage door) until Marc pulled up. I kept checking for blood or signs of meconium (baby poop)- totally clear, Ava even touched the "water" towel bc I had it sitting on the sink and she said "hot". That's right Ava, it really is a hot box! It had only been about 12mins, but it felt like forever when Marc pulled up. He ran in grabbed everything in one hand including Ava and loaded the car. I waddled up, put a towel down and hoisted myself into the seat. We held hands for about two mins and then got on our phones.
We started calling people on the way to the hospital... I felt good until about 10mins into the drive. Then the first contraction hit. HOLY SHIT... That hurt. I remember now... I remember the pain I had with Ava when all hell broke loose. I breathed through it well and then I started to get nervous about what was about to go down. My mom met us at the front of the hospital, she made sure the valet guys had a wheelchair waiting on me. Even one woman whom I see almost at every appt was standing outside. She was so happy for us as she knew a little of my journey- it was about 1:30p. I got wheeled up to L&D and by this time I had 3 contractions in 15mins. They took me straight back to a room and stripped me down. A lot of people came in and out to get my situated. The contractions were probably 5mins a part and furious. I told my RN I would take my epidural at any moment lol. Then in walks two resident docs with students. They wanted to do an u/s to confirm placement of the babies. Since I just had the u/s earlier in the day I tried to tell them the placement but they weren't really believing me. The contractions kept coming... Beebs & Deda were in the room and one was pretty bad and I was being vocal. I heard Beebs yell "mama?!?!" and surprisingly that calmed me down bc I didn't want to worry her... it really made me concentrate on breathing and relaxing. Dr. M comes into the room and we joked about something, but I can't remember. Then I had another contraction. He took over on the u/s and said ok... its obvious, Baby B is transverse, why are we wasting so much time here?! He looked at me and I started to cry... I knew this meant I needed a csection. He explained he does breech deliveries, but they have to be presenting well. Baby B's spine was facing the way that is unfavorable for a breech delivery. I know that a csection is what was best for the babies and myself but I was worried. He then asked how dilated I was... The other docs didn't know bc NO ONE HAD CHECKED ME... he got pissed. He said "Her water is all over the place, she's in pain, laboring with mono/di twins, one is breech and no one knows how far along she is?!" The resident doc ran over to check me quick... Ugh... another painful moment. I felt like his hands were the size of a little kid or something. He pulled his hand out and said she's a 5. Dr. M said... She's 5cm?! She needs to be in the OR in 10mins". He tried to console me one more time and left to get set up.
More people came in, giving me fluids, asking me to sign ridiculous paper work while I've been contracting so my signature was basically a scribble. I gave lots of kisses to Beebs, I knew her life was about to change forever and at 2:31pm I arrived into the OR. They make you move yourself onto the bed. This was insane... I was in SO MUCH PAIN yet I had to use most of my strength to get myself to the surgery table. UGH... I finally did and the anesthesiologist went to work on getting the spinal block into my back. She got it in and my legs immediately went numb. They rolled me onto my back, strapped my arms down, inserted a cathetar, draped a sheet in front of my face, put oxygen in my nose and then my husband walked in.
Dr. M asked if I could "feel this"... which I could, I could feel him pushing my belly. I said Yes, I feel that and he said ok, let's start. I said, NO! I can feel it!! He said... "I just poked you extremely hard with something sharp 10times and all you said was you can feel it, we're good to go" Ooooo.. LOL I guess that stuff works well! I looked to my left at the clock, It was 2:47p. I could feel pushing and pulling in my belly, but no pain. It was the weirdest sensation EVER. My body was even moving a little from side to side from all the pulling.
At 2:53p I heard the first cry... :) One of our daughters was born! A doctor rushed her over to me for a peak, but it was way to fast. Then seconds later another cry! A doctor then rushed her over to me as well. I started to cry again. They were both out and were born in the same minute. I couldn't believe it!! I wanted to see them, to touch them, to hold them but I couldn't. I just saw some slimy babies go past my eyes in a flash. Marc kissed me and told me I did such a great job and he had the biggest smile on his face. Once they were cleaned up and assessed he was allowed to go take pictures. I was by myself, but happy. I was so so so happy! Our girls were finally here. After MONTHS of bed rest, prayers, tears and uncertainty they were finally here and healthy! I asked the anesthesiologist if they were going to the NICU and he said... "the NICU team already left, your babies aren't going to the NICU" Do you know how amazing that sounded?! I started to cry again... our family has been joined by two more beautiful, healthy, happy girls. We are blessed beyond measure.
They both scored 8/9 on their Apgar tests!!!
Lola Bell: 5lbs 5oz, 19in long (Baby A)
Mila Marie: 6lbs 2oz, 19.5 in long (Baby B)
Thanks for reading such a long story!! In my next post, I'll pick up right where I left off. I'm a little loopy as I type this!
Daddy next to his brand new daughters!
36weeks! (written 9/11)
36w!! DISCLAIMER!! This was written Weds 9/11 and I got sidetracked and didn't finish the post, so here it is...
I cannot even begin to describe how amazing it feels to be one week away from "full term" and also my induction date!
As exciting as all this is... I am so ready to not be pregnant. I'm sure these last few posts are probably all the same, just different words, but its crazy how different I feel at 36w with two babies inside as I did when I was pregnant with Ava at 36w. I try not to play the "well I'm pregnant with twins" card... actually I don't think I really do. I think others do for me ;)
I didn't get the official Cholestasis blood work back yet. I did however get back my liver enzyme results and they were normal! So that's a great sign and most likely I won't have ICP. My blood count also came back normal. I have pregnancy anemia like I did with Ava so I take iron pills 2x a day. Even though they turn my poop stark black, they haven't managed to "back me up" too much. Actually my stools have been pretty soft lately which is amazing and that's the last thing I needed to add to my list of discomforts!
I've been feeling kind of different the past couple of days. Sleeping at night is hit or miss. I'm starting to trend 2 sleepless nights in a row and then I think I'm so exhausted that I finally just pass out on night 3. I usually end up in Brooke's bed. I can't really spread out to sleep, but there is something refreshing about being in a nice cool room and bed by myself. A lot of times I worry that I'm disturbing Hubs bc he tends to wake when I'm moving around a lot. He of course doesn't care, but I feel bad bc he still works all day and could use the rest before the babies come as well!
Today I woke up with some crazy vagina pain. When I attempt "kegels" it almost feels uncomfortable. I was crampy off and on all morning and I feel like something is hanging out inside my vagina! I thought about checking myself to see if maybe it was my bag bulging... so I washed my hands up like I was scrubbing in for surgery. I even used an alcohol wipe to clean my finger and then rinse it off. Last thing I want is to give myself an infection... I started to check and then I chickened out. What if I did feel something? I would probably faint! What would I do? What if I broke my own water checking myself?!?!??!? I panicked and stopped and decided I should just take a shower.
----This is where the post ends... sorry its so random....
I cannot even begin to describe how amazing it feels to be one week away from "full term" and also my induction date!
As exciting as all this is... I am so ready to not be pregnant. I'm sure these last few posts are probably all the same, just different words, but its crazy how different I feel at 36w with two babies inside as I did when I was pregnant with Ava at 36w. I try not to play the "well I'm pregnant with twins" card... actually I don't think I really do. I think others do for me ;)
I didn't get the official Cholestasis blood work back yet. I did however get back my liver enzyme results and they were normal! So that's a great sign and most likely I won't have ICP. My blood count also came back normal. I have pregnancy anemia like I did with Ava so I take iron pills 2x a day. Even though they turn my poop stark black, they haven't managed to "back me up" too much. Actually my stools have been pretty soft lately which is amazing and that's the last thing I needed to add to my list of discomforts!
I've been feeling kind of different the past couple of days. Sleeping at night is hit or miss. I'm starting to trend 2 sleepless nights in a row and then I think I'm so exhausted that I finally just pass out on night 3. I usually end up in Brooke's bed. I can't really spread out to sleep, but there is something refreshing about being in a nice cool room and bed by myself. A lot of times I worry that I'm disturbing Hubs bc he tends to wake when I'm moving around a lot. He of course doesn't care, but I feel bad bc he still works all day and could use the rest before the babies come as well!
Today I woke up with some crazy vagina pain. When I attempt "kegels" it almost feels uncomfortable. I was crampy off and on all morning and I feel like something is hanging out inside my vagina! I thought about checking myself to see if maybe it was my bag bulging... so I washed my hands up like I was scrubbing in for surgery. I even used an alcohol wipe to clean my finger and then rinse it off. Last thing I want is to give myself an infection... I started to check and then I chickened out. What if I did feel something? I would probably faint! What would I do? What if I broke my own water checking myself?!?!??!? I panicked and stopped and decided I should just take a shower.
----This is where the post ends... sorry its so random....
Sunday, September 8, 2013
10 days... and counting... or less!
35w 4d!!
Yikes, 10 days until my Induction!!! Just when I started thinking I was getting to a good place mentally (not so emotional) I have a few set backs this weekend. Of course we are still in an AMAZING place, but I feel like there are some factors coming up I wasn't planning on...
I had my BPP on Friday and it went ridiculously fast... both babies were awake, moving and cooperating. We had a 7:30a appt, got called back 20mins late, but were in our car headed home about 8:30a. Both babies are still head down and now (I'm not sure if I mentioned this) but they are one in front of the other... make sense? Baby A's head is so low still that we can't really see her face or anything on the u/s. Her head is kinda looking to the side and Baby B is facing BA. BB is pretty much in BA's belly/chest area. They are no longer "side by side". I guess both options are good, which is fine by me! Everything else checked out ok so we headed the 18miles back to my Mom's.
My mom is off on Friday's so she was home with Beebs while we were at our appt. When we got home they were eating breakfast. Hubs gave his kisses and headed off to work. About an hour after being home I was upstairs and I "felt" something fall out of my Hotbox. I went to the bathroom and a big smeared chunk of what looked like clear/slightly yellow snot was smashed in my undies... I never lost my mucous plug with Ava (that I know of) so I was pretty sure it was part of my plug but not 100%. I called my Mom up to look. I feel like I always need a witness to my weirdness... one time my panties were soaked and I made Hubs come in and tell me if he thought they looked "damp, wet or soaked". My mom seemed a little grossed out, but intrigued at the same time. She thought it was my plug too. Since I was due to take my next Heparin Injection I called RN Carol. I'm not supposed to give myself the shot if I could be in Labor. She said it sounded like my Plug and to hold off on the meds and she would talk to Dr. M and call me back. She also said it was ironic I was calling bc she was getting ready to call me... I tested positive for the Group B Strep Test (GBS+) I had done on Tuesday. This immediately bummed me out... I know meds have come a long way since 20+ years ago, but I still worry. Given what's going on with me, short cervix, dilated, twins, etc and a VERY FAST labor with Ava I wonder if I can get the antibiotics in enough time. GBS is not an STD or anything normally harmful to you... its a bacteria that lives in most healthy women and presents itself (sometimes) during pregnancy. If you deliver without meds you could pass it on to your child and they can either be 100% fine, get a little sick or even worse... Carol told me not to worry, that it would be ok. Ale (my personal RN NP) also made me feel better about it :)
Carol called back and asked about my level of activity. I was finally honest with her and told her everything I've been doing the past week (or two ;)) She said it seemed like I was handling it well and Dr. M said I can stop the injections... AMEN!!! That was the best news! After that I laid down for a little while, wondering if I would go into Labor soon. Its crazy how "ready" I pretend to be... I sit here all day saying... Water, BREAK!! or Come on girls, time to come out!! But the minute something happens, like me thinking I'm having back labor, that my water broke or I lost my plug I start to freak and apologize to the girls that they can stay in as long as they want... let's face it, I want them out until I realize that means I have to go into Labor!!! My friend Sara texted that she had a feeling Friday would be the day, I thought it could have been too!
I haven't been sleeping well for the past two weeks... but that's completely normal. My belly has been itching like crazy so I've had to lube it up extra with lotion. Also, something odd I noticed last weekend. The soles of my feet have been itching to the point that I want to rip my skin off. I was outside barefoot a little that weekend so I thought maybe it was the grass or something, but it stayed. Then I've noticed my palms itch a lot too... I just chalked that up to the old wives tale that I'll be coming into a lot of money soon (ha! wouldn't that be amazing!?!?). The itchiness gets worse at night... not only is it my palms, soles and belly, but my legs and sometimes chest. Its hard to get sleep when you think you are a crack head going through crack withdrawal. I've been going to Brooke's bed again in the middle of the night bc all I do is toss and turn and scratch myself. Last night I'm laying on my bed covered in Lotion that I just let absorb into my skin... I'm searching for home remedies and things I can do to help, when the phrase...
Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP) comes up... http://www.icpcare.org/overview.html
I've never heard of it... and like I've mentioned before, I take Google with a grain of salt, but when the first symptoms listed are "excessive itching that begins in the palms and soles and increases at night..." is mentioned, I'm all ears... Or maybe I'm all "ear" bc I'm deaf in my Left one. So now I have something new to freak out about... No I haven't called my doc, bc I was just there Friday, everything was GREAT with the babies and I can feel them both moving as I type and my next appt is in 15.5 hours. So we'll talk about it at my appt tomorrow and I'm sure my MFM will recommend blood work (how its diagnosed). So we may not know for sure until Weds. It sounds like I could have it, but the good part is we know the babies have been doing well and I already have my induction set and I'll be 36w on Weds... so as much as I'm worried about this, I'm still in a positive place that even if I do have it... I'm far enough along that they can take these babies tomorrow and they will be fine :)
Its getting more real! and scary... and exciting! At least the NFL season officially started Thursday and I'm snuggled up on the couch with Hubs watching the games... although it stinks we couldn't watch the Steelers play today bc they are only on the NFL Sunday Ticket. I'm sitting here in one of Hub's 2XXL steelers shirts and I'm kinda happy it fits and kinda laughing it fits... nice! We also have a couple leads on some places to move to once the babies are born. We're thinking October 1st and we'll be in our place again. I'm grateful for all the support and help from my mom, we are just so ready to be back in our own house so we can walk around naked... ok we don't do that, but I think I might just because!
Today's post was all over the place with no real ending... sorry, I have to pee and finish dinner! That's right... I make dinner these days ;) So happy to be getting back to normal! 10 days... at most... and counting
xoxo
Yikes, 10 days until my Induction!!! Just when I started thinking I was getting to a good place mentally (not so emotional) I have a few set backs this weekend. Of course we are still in an AMAZING place, but I feel like there are some factors coming up I wasn't planning on...
I had my BPP on Friday and it went ridiculously fast... both babies were awake, moving and cooperating. We had a 7:30a appt, got called back 20mins late, but were in our car headed home about 8:30a. Both babies are still head down and now (I'm not sure if I mentioned this) but they are one in front of the other... make sense? Baby A's head is so low still that we can't really see her face or anything on the u/s. Her head is kinda looking to the side and Baby B is facing BA. BB is pretty much in BA's belly/chest area. They are no longer "side by side". I guess both options are good, which is fine by me! Everything else checked out ok so we headed the 18miles back to my Mom's.
My mom is off on Friday's so she was home with Beebs while we were at our appt. When we got home they were eating breakfast. Hubs gave his kisses and headed off to work. About an hour after being home I was upstairs and I "felt" something fall out of my Hotbox. I went to the bathroom and a big smeared chunk of what looked like clear/slightly yellow snot was smashed in my undies... I never lost my mucous plug with Ava (that I know of) so I was pretty sure it was part of my plug but not 100%. I called my Mom up to look. I feel like I always need a witness to my weirdness... one time my panties were soaked and I made Hubs come in and tell me if he thought they looked "damp, wet or soaked". My mom seemed a little grossed out, but intrigued at the same time. She thought it was my plug too. Since I was due to take my next Heparin Injection I called RN Carol. I'm not supposed to give myself the shot if I could be in Labor. She said it sounded like my Plug and to hold off on the meds and she would talk to Dr. M and call me back. She also said it was ironic I was calling bc she was getting ready to call me... I tested positive for the Group B Strep Test (GBS+) I had done on Tuesday. This immediately bummed me out... I know meds have come a long way since 20+ years ago, but I still worry. Given what's going on with me, short cervix, dilated, twins, etc and a VERY FAST labor with Ava I wonder if I can get the antibiotics in enough time. GBS is not an STD or anything normally harmful to you... its a bacteria that lives in most healthy women and presents itself (sometimes) during pregnancy. If you deliver without meds you could pass it on to your child and they can either be 100% fine, get a little sick or even worse... Carol told me not to worry, that it would be ok. Ale (my personal RN NP) also made me feel better about it :)
Carol called back and asked about my level of activity. I was finally honest with her and told her everything I've been doing the past week (or two ;)) She said it seemed like I was handling it well and Dr. M said I can stop the injections... AMEN!!! That was the best news! After that I laid down for a little while, wondering if I would go into Labor soon. Its crazy how "ready" I pretend to be... I sit here all day saying... Water, BREAK!! or Come on girls, time to come out!! But the minute something happens, like me thinking I'm having back labor, that my water broke or I lost my plug I start to freak and apologize to the girls that they can stay in as long as they want... let's face it, I want them out until I realize that means I have to go into Labor!!! My friend Sara texted that she had a feeling Friday would be the day, I thought it could have been too!
I haven't been sleeping well for the past two weeks... but that's completely normal. My belly has been itching like crazy so I've had to lube it up extra with lotion. Also, something odd I noticed last weekend. The soles of my feet have been itching to the point that I want to rip my skin off. I was outside barefoot a little that weekend so I thought maybe it was the grass or something, but it stayed. Then I've noticed my palms itch a lot too... I just chalked that up to the old wives tale that I'll be coming into a lot of money soon (ha! wouldn't that be amazing!?!?). The itchiness gets worse at night... not only is it my palms, soles and belly, but my legs and sometimes chest. Its hard to get sleep when you think you are a crack head going through crack withdrawal. I've been going to Brooke's bed again in the middle of the night bc all I do is toss and turn and scratch myself. Last night I'm laying on my bed covered in Lotion that I just let absorb into my skin... I'm searching for home remedies and things I can do to help, when the phrase...
Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP) comes up... http://www.icpcare.org/overview.html
I've never heard of it... and like I've mentioned before, I take Google with a grain of salt, but when the first symptoms listed are "excessive itching that begins in the palms and soles and increases at night..." is mentioned, I'm all ears... Or maybe I'm all "ear" bc I'm deaf in my Left one. So now I have something new to freak out about... No I haven't called my doc, bc I was just there Friday, everything was GREAT with the babies and I can feel them both moving as I type and my next appt is in 15.5 hours. So we'll talk about it at my appt tomorrow and I'm sure my MFM will recommend blood work (how its diagnosed). So we may not know for sure until Weds. It sounds like I could have it, but the good part is we know the babies have been doing well and I already have my induction set and I'll be 36w on Weds... so as much as I'm worried about this, I'm still in a positive place that even if I do have it... I'm far enough along that they can take these babies tomorrow and they will be fine :)
Its getting more real! and scary... and exciting! At least the NFL season officially started Thursday and I'm snuggled up on the couch with Hubs watching the games... although it stinks we couldn't watch the Steelers play today bc they are only on the NFL Sunday Ticket. I'm sitting here in one of Hub's 2XXL steelers shirts and I'm kinda happy it fits and kinda laughing it fits... nice! We also have a couple leads on some places to move to once the babies are born. We're thinking October 1st and we'll be in our place again. I'm grateful for all the support and help from my mom, we are just so ready to be back in our own house so we can walk around naked... ok we don't do that, but I think I might just because!
Today's post was all over the place with no real ending... sorry, I have to pee and finish dinner! That's right... I make dinner these days ;) So happy to be getting back to normal! 10 days... at most... and counting
xoxo
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Everything has a number...
0... # of times Hubs & have gotten it on since the Bed Rest news in May :-/
1... # of pedicures I've had since JUNE. UGH
1... # of false alarms we had where we had to go to L&D
2... the age Ava will be October 31st
2... # of kisses Ava gives my belly before bed
2,1... # of babies Ava says I have in my belly
3... the years Marc & I will be married this October
3... # of cm I was dilated at my last appt
4... # of painful shots in the ass I've had
5... # of times I've called the On Call Doc or Nurse Line with a question
6... # of contractions I've had in an hour that didn't lead to Labor
7... years we lived in Austin TX
7.5... # of pushes I plan to do to get these babies out
8... years Marc & I have been together
9... October 9th, my Due Date
10... # of inches long my belly hair is (ok, maybe like half that)
12... average # of pills I take on a daily basis
13... # of glasses of wine I plan to drink in one sitting after the girls are born
16... and counting, the # of weeks I've been on Bed Rest
18... Sept 18th, day my Induction is scheduled!
19... weeks pregnant I was when I was put on Bed Rest
25... and counting, the # of doctors appointments I've had since end of April
28... weeks pregnant I was when my Cervical Length hit its all time low
30... the age I am now
37... weeks pregnant I will be when we induce! If they don't come sooner...
37.6... # of miles round trip from my mom's to Aultman & back and we do this twice weekly!
42... the age Hubs will be Sept 24th!
154... # of Heparin injections I have given myself in the stomach
215... lbs that I weighed at my last appt
5,910... the # of page views my Blog has had to date (WOW!!!)
1,000,000... number of dreams I've had about sex
Dorothy... the name Ava think belongs to one of the babies, which ironically is also Elmo's pet fish's name
1... # of pedicures I've had since JUNE. UGH
1... # of false alarms we had where we had to go to L&D
2... the age Ava will be October 31st
2... # of kisses Ava gives my belly before bed
2,1... # of babies Ava says I have in my belly
3... the years Marc & I will be married this October
3... # of cm I was dilated at my last appt
4... # of painful shots in the ass I've had
5... # of times I've called the On Call Doc or Nurse Line with a question
6... # of contractions I've had in an hour that didn't lead to Labor
7... years we lived in Austin TX
7.5... # of pushes I plan to do to get these babies out
8... years Marc & I have been together
9... October 9th, my Due Date
10... # of inches long my belly hair is (ok, maybe like half that)
12... average # of pills I take on a daily basis
13... # of glasses of wine I plan to drink in one sitting after the girls are born
16... and counting, the # of weeks I've been on Bed Rest
18... Sept 18th, day my Induction is scheduled!
19... weeks pregnant I was when I was put on Bed Rest
25... and counting, the # of doctors appointments I've had since end of April
28... weeks pregnant I was when my Cervical Length hit its all time low
30... the age I am now
37... weeks pregnant I will be when we induce! If they don't come sooner...
37.6... # of miles round trip from my mom's to Aultman & back and we do this twice weekly!
42... the age Hubs will be Sept 24th!
154... # of Heparin injections I have given myself in the stomach
215... lbs that I weighed at my last appt
5,910... the # of page views my Blog has had to date (WOW!!!)
1,000,000... number of dreams I've had about sex
Dorothy... the name Ava think belongs to one of the babies, which ironically is also Elmo's pet fish's name
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
2 weeks to go... Is this real life?!
35weeks.... Ermagherd!!!!!!
Here I go again... I can't believe it! Really? 35w??? No babies? Still cooking in my belly? Crazy!
We had a nice Labor Day weekend. Pretty quiet as we expected, but it was nice that Hubs didn't have to work on Monday. My mom took Beebs down to Columbus with my stepdad to visit Swiss at College. I really wanted to go, but obviously its not the best idea for me to get in a car for 2hours. Ava was so excited to go "bye bye". They had a good time with Brooke & her bf Spencer. She got home around 10pm that same day and she was beyond exhausted. She was falling asleep while we were putting her pj's on. I rocked her for a little when she was ready for bed. I have to straddle her little legs on either side of my belly and use my arms to keep her off my belly... it's quite the workout! I contracted a lot sitting there, but I know its bc of my "irritable uterus" and there was pressure on my stomach. While they were gone Hubs & I relaxed all day. He cooked some deliciousness on the grill for us.
I woke up Monday morning at 5am convinced I was in Labor. I had the worst back pain I have ever experienced. I kept saying... "I'm sorry for wanting my water to break, I don't want this... I'm sorry!!!" I limped myself into the bathroom just thinking my bladder was too full. I peed, stood up and peed again and the pain stayed. I leaned over the sink to try and relieve the pressure, no luck. I went back into the bedroom and woke Hubs up and told him what was going on. He was rubbing my back trying to help, but nothing was relieving the pain. I told him I needed to lay in Brooke's bed so I could spread out. He helped me get in there, got me two Tylenol and rubbed my back some more. I told him if this keeps up we have to go to the Hospital bc I thought it was back labor. I've posted before about my Labor with Ava (I think?) it was fast & furious, but it was all at the hospital... so being at home in this pain was really worrying me. Finally the pain subsided enough where I was able to fall asleep. I started to realize maybe it wasn't back labor bc it was only on my right side and didn't "wrap" around to the front like I've been told.
I woke up for the day a few hours later and the pain was still there. I texted Ale and she thought it could either be Kidneys or Muscle... we decided it had to be muscle pain. I pulled my knee to my chest and could feel it pull and cause more pain. Who am I kidding, I just bent my knee a little, there is no pulling up to my chest. My mom got my situated with a heating pad and the pain didn't subside until 2pm that day... 7hours straight of back pain? Never heard of it. I'm fine now, but was pretty terrified.
After the pain went away I showered and we went to my Grandma G's for a cook out. Its always so great to be around family! I didn't have any more issues besides the typical contractions and heaviness that I have all the time. Ava ran around with all the little kids, that's probably my favorite part. So many friends to play with all the time!
Yesterday (34w 6d) was my appt bc of the Holiday. The BPP went well, but Baby A wasn't moving as much so it took a little longer. She is so far down that the tech could only get a view of the back of her neck! Baby B passed in 5mins and she kept pushing on her sister to wake her up for us. Finally Baby A gave some really strong movements and we were good to go. Both babies are still head down and inside of being "side by side" they are more like stacked... Baby A is more towards my back and Baby B is on top of her and more towards the front of my belly... does that make sense? They are really crammed in there although it seems based on my fluid levels that Baby B still has more room to move around. Before my u/s I went to the bathroom and my underwear were soaked. I normally wear a panty liner and of course forgot yesterday.
We went up to our appt and Dr. M was the one seeing us. I weighed in at 215lbs, I still can't believe I am hardly gaining any weight these last few weeks! That's only a pound up from last week. I told him about the wetness I had and since it was time for my Group B Strep Test- a routine test done around this time on all pregnant women (http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/groupbstrepinfection.html) . He also wanted to make sure I didn't have any yeast or other bacterial infections so he took a couple swabs. Since he was "down there" he also wanted to do a cervical check. At any time a woman can refuse, but I like to be prepared so he checked. I was 3cm dilated! Which normally isn't much to get excited about, but considering I'm 100% effaced it means a lot more. I was 2cm dilated at 28w and 32w, so it is obviously a gradual process (usually). My cultures all came back Negative which is always a relief... The Group B test has to be sent to a lab so I won't know the outcome of that until tomorrow probably. If I am positive, I have to get a round of antibiotics before I give birth. After he pulled the plastic speculum out of my hotbox he showed me the discharge on it... It was covered in the white milky stuff (leucorrhea) and a little mucous. He said this was probably what I was seeing in my undies... I looked at Hubs and he just stared at it lol.
When it was time to scoot back up, Hubs had to help me. I swear it is so difficult getting back into place after being on my back. They setup my Induction Date for Weds Sept 18th at 6:30am (37weeks)... when they gave me the news I felt like throwing up. Of course I knew there was an end in sight, but to actually have a date is creepy. Although, Dr. M said based on being dilated to a 3 now and all the discharge and the way I'm presenting, he imagines I won't make it a week! So we shall see... :)
He didn't 100% lift me from restrictions... he said I can start to do more activities, but to take it slow since I've been down for so long. I have to keep up with the Heparin Injections as well :( He said that when I come in next week to let them know what I've been able to do so they can see how I react. I'm normally 100% honest with doctors, but I just couldn't bring myself to say that I've already been doing stuff. So I just said "ok" and I guess I'll keep doing what I was doing! At this point... its kind of like "whatever" and I'm just going with the flow! I want to start getting some energy back BEFORE the girls are born... I couldn't imagine my slush butt trying to take care of two newborns and a toddler, no way!
Tonight Hubs, Beebs & I went for ice cream and my bestie Jenmay and her sister Sara met us out there. It was soooooo good to see Jenny, it felt like its been forever. We stayed and chatted awhile. I'm so excited to meet these girls and get things somewhat back to normal. Well its getting late & I'm exhausted despite my nice 2 hour nap today!
Here I go again... I can't believe it! Really? 35w??? No babies? Still cooking in my belly? Crazy!
We had a nice Labor Day weekend. Pretty quiet as we expected, but it was nice that Hubs didn't have to work on Monday. My mom took Beebs down to Columbus with my stepdad to visit Swiss at College. I really wanted to go, but obviously its not the best idea for me to get in a car for 2hours. Ava was so excited to go "bye bye". They had a good time with Brooke & her bf Spencer. She got home around 10pm that same day and she was beyond exhausted. She was falling asleep while we were putting her pj's on. I rocked her for a little when she was ready for bed. I have to straddle her little legs on either side of my belly and use my arms to keep her off my belly... it's quite the workout! I contracted a lot sitting there, but I know its bc of my "irritable uterus" and there was pressure on my stomach. While they were gone Hubs & I relaxed all day. He cooked some deliciousness on the grill for us.
I woke up Monday morning at 5am convinced I was in Labor. I had the worst back pain I have ever experienced. I kept saying... "I'm sorry for wanting my water to break, I don't want this... I'm sorry!!!" I limped myself into the bathroom just thinking my bladder was too full. I peed, stood up and peed again and the pain stayed. I leaned over the sink to try and relieve the pressure, no luck. I went back into the bedroom and woke Hubs up and told him what was going on. He was rubbing my back trying to help, but nothing was relieving the pain. I told him I needed to lay in Brooke's bed so I could spread out. He helped me get in there, got me two Tylenol and rubbed my back some more. I told him if this keeps up we have to go to the Hospital bc I thought it was back labor. I've posted before about my Labor with Ava (I think?) it was fast & furious, but it was all at the hospital... so being at home in this pain was really worrying me. Finally the pain subsided enough where I was able to fall asleep. I started to realize maybe it wasn't back labor bc it was only on my right side and didn't "wrap" around to the front like I've been told.
I woke up for the day a few hours later and the pain was still there. I texted Ale and she thought it could either be Kidneys or Muscle... we decided it had to be muscle pain. I pulled my knee to my chest and could feel it pull and cause more pain. Who am I kidding, I just bent my knee a little, there is no pulling up to my chest. My mom got my situated with a heating pad and the pain didn't subside until 2pm that day... 7hours straight of back pain? Never heard of it. I'm fine now, but was pretty terrified.
After the pain went away I showered and we went to my Grandma G's for a cook out. Its always so great to be around family! I didn't have any more issues besides the typical contractions and heaviness that I have all the time. Ava ran around with all the little kids, that's probably my favorite part. So many friends to play with all the time!
Yesterday (34w 6d) was my appt bc of the Holiday. The BPP went well, but Baby A wasn't moving as much so it took a little longer. She is so far down that the tech could only get a view of the back of her neck! Baby B passed in 5mins and she kept pushing on her sister to wake her up for us. Finally Baby A gave some really strong movements and we were good to go. Both babies are still head down and inside of being "side by side" they are more like stacked... Baby A is more towards my back and Baby B is on top of her and more towards the front of my belly... does that make sense? They are really crammed in there although it seems based on my fluid levels that Baby B still has more room to move around. Before my u/s I went to the bathroom and my underwear were soaked. I normally wear a panty liner and of course forgot yesterday.
We went up to our appt and Dr. M was the one seeing us. I weighed in at 215lbs, I still can't believe I am hardly gaining any weight these last few weeks! That's only a pound up from last week. I told him about the wetness I had and since it was time for my Group B Strep Test- a routine test done around this time on all pregnant women (http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/groupbstrepinfection.html) . He also wanted to make sure I didn't have any yeast or other bacterial infections so he took a couple swabs. Since he was "down there" he also wanted to do a cervical check. At any time a woman can refuse, but I like to be prepared so he checked. I was 3cm dilated! Which normally isn't much to get excited about, but considering I'm 100% effaced it means a lot more. I was 2cm dilated at 28w and 32w, so it is obviously a gradual process (usually). My cultures all came back Negative which is always a relief... The Group B test has to be sent to a lab so I won't know the outcome of that until tomorrow probably. If I am positive, I have to get a round of antibiotics before I give birth. After he pulled the plastic speculum out of my hotbox he showed me the discharge on it... It was covered in the white milky stuff (leucorrhea) and a little mucous. He said this was probably what I was seeing in my undies... I looked at Hubs and he just stared at it lol.
When it was time to scoot back up, Hubs had to help me. I swear it is so difficult getting back into place after being on my back. They setup my Induction Date for Weds Sept 18th at 6:30am (37weeks)... when they gave me the news I felt like throwing up. Of course I knew there was an end in sight, but to actually have a date is creepy. Although, Dr. M said based on being dilated to a 3 now and all the discharge and the way I'm presenting, he imagines I won't make it a week! So we shall see... :)
He didn't 100% lift me from restrictions... he said I can start to do more activities, but to take it slow since I've been down for so long. I have to keep up with the Heparin Injections as well :( He said that when I come in next week to let them know what I've been able to do so they can see how I react. I'm normally 100% honest with doctors, but I just couldn't bring myself to say that I've already been doing stuff. So I just said "ok" and I guess I'll keep doing what I was doing! At this point... its kind of like "whatever" and I'm just going with the flow! I want to start getting some energy back BEFORE the girls are born... I couldn't imagine my slush butt trying to take care of two newborns and a toddler, no way!
Tonight Hubs, Beebs & I went for ice cream and my bestie Jenmay and her sister Sara met us out there. It was soooooo good to see Jenny, it felt like its been forever. We stayed and chatted awhile. I'm so excited to meet these girls and get things somewhat back to normal. Well its getting late & I'm exhausted despite my nice 2 hour nap today!
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