Birth Story

Well, I guess I should have packed that hospital bag.

I am, of course, rushed for time so this is going to be a lot of information as quickly as I can type it…but I really wanted to share, so here goes:

Last Thursday I went to my gyno for my regular check up and he checked me to see if I was dilated. We could both tell that my cervix had thinned quite a bit, but he didn’t seem concerned about it so I wasn’t either. I just figured that I would go into labor in two to four weeks as I was expecting. After the exam, however, my contractions got a lot stronger, I had bright red spotting for two days, and the contractions became rhythmic…I think it was on Thursday evening. I had contractions 5 minutes apart for several hours and finally decided to get up and go to the hospital – as a last ditch effort I drank two bottles of water and upped my Turbuteline to every four hours rather than every two. What do ya know…it worked. The contractions never did go away…but they were no longer rhythmic.

Throughout the weekend the contractions would come back every 5 minutes whenever I got within an hour of the next 4 hour dose of Terb (Hubby and I went out to finish the baby shopping on Saturday and Sunday and I was so uncomfortable at times that I seriously considered a wheelchair on more than one occasion, I was breathing through contractions…but they were still irregular).

Finally, on Monday, I was at work and on a whim I decided to call the OB and let him know that I had had to up the meds and that I had not been able to get the dose back down. Nothing was getting any better, nor was it getting any worse, I was simply concerned about taking the Terb at that high of a dose long term. They told me to go to L & D immediately.

I was pissed.

How many times have I gone in only to be sent right home? I was SURE I was not in labor…the contractions weren’t even rhythmic!

I finished most of my work day, ran a few errands and then strolled into L & D later than evening…totally annoyed.

I waited in the waiting room for an hour, griping to Hubby on the phone the whole time and telling him not to bother to come down because I would be home soon anyway. He came anyway because he had nothing better to do.

Finally they got me into a room and hooked me up. Just as I suspected, I was having contractions every once in a while. No biggie. Then it came time for my next dose of meds. And they started coming every 5 minutes. I was happy that the Dr was going to be able to see what I was talking about, and I figured that they would pull me off work at this point. Never did I think I was actually in labor. Until they called in an ultrasound, checked my cervix and saw that I was dilated to 1.5. That was the moment when I knew that Evy and Len would be here soon and I burst into tears. They gave me my first steroid shot (which, by the way, is NOTHING compared to progesterone injections) and started me on a Terbultiline protocol (two shots and then a pill every few hours)…this actually seemed to make the contractions worse!

Finally, after several hours, the Terb finally seemed to be working. They admitted me and I had a fairly quiet night. Everyone figured that we had several days, maybe even a week or two until the girls came and the doctors were even optimistic about me being able to do some time at home on bed rest. Early Tuesday evening the Terb stopped working and the contractions came back with a vengeance (becoming quite painful at this point). They checked me again and I was dilated to just past two. They put in a Foley cath and started mag sulfate. It never worked and the contractions progressed to three minutes apart.

At some point I had a huge gush of clear fluid and we thought my water had broken. As it turns out it was probably just my catheter leaking (yuck!) but they called in a doctor to do a pelvic exam just in case and it is a miracle that they did because when he checked me I was hemorrhaging. They told me that they would have to take my babies out by emergency C-section right that moment and someone shoved a phone in my hand to call my husband (he had just gone down to the cafeteria to get some food and still BARELY made it back before the babies were out). It was literally just minutes before I was prepped, shaved and being rushed down the hallway to the OR. I never had time to process what was happening or even get upset.

I want to mention that I have the BEST OB in the whole world…it was his day off and he came in to do my section. He told me later that he had had a feeling that the girls would be coming very soon and that he had been hanging around just in case. I am so grateful that I had a supportive, familiar face…someone I really trusted.

Anyhow, they put in my epidural (OWW! By the way…) and let Hubby in. A few minutes later the doctor told Hubby to stand up and get some pictures because as soon as he cut into her sac Ms. Evelynn Janette stuck her hands out and started waving! Little Lennon Diane was one minute behind her and both came out kicking and screaming. It was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard in my whole life! I was so afraid that because I didn’t really get the steroids on board (I got two shots, 12 hours apart and gave birth about 20 hours after the first shot) that they wouldn’t be able to cry…or at least not well.

Once he got a look inside the doctor was able to see that Evelynn (baby A)’s sac was abrupting…hence the blood.

Both girls did great at first but eventually got tired and had to be intubated for one day. They are both on cannula now (breathing on their own). Lennon had a significant heart murmur at first and we discussed the likely hood of having to send her to another hospital for heart surgery BUT (thank GOD) the medication seems to have worked on the first round and she is now thriving. Evy has a slight mummer but the doctors said that it will resolve itself within the first year of her life. Both girls are on and off of breast milk at the moment…tolerating it at times and not at others. Lots of As and Bs but otherwise doing wonderful!!

I was able to hold Lennon for the first time last night (kangaroo care) and it was the single most amazing thing I have ever done in my entire life. It took everything I had to not cry and drip snot all over her the entire time…my precious girl! She is so tiny and so perfect…she just snuggled into my chest, buried her nose into me and put her tiny little hands on my skin. I can’t even describe how it was to hold my little angel for the first time…my precious miracles that I never thought I was going to have! She screamed bloody murder when they took her from me.

I am having a lot of guilt because I feel so much more connected to Lennon at this point than I do Evelynn. Lennon is doing a bit better right now and so we get to be more “hands on” with. Theyuncover her face for us a lot more often (theyboth had masks on most of the time because they are under Billy lights for jaundice) and she is the only one I have gotten to really hold. Lennon is much more interactive and even opens her eyes and looks at you when you call her name! Evy, on the other hand, sleeps a lot and has a lot more As and Bsso we have to keep things calmer around her. I feel so bad because I can close my eyes and picture exactly what Lennon looks like and I am really getting a feel for her personality. With Evelynn all I see when I close my eyes is a little tiny nose and tons of tubes. Hopefully she will perk up soon and all of this will change.

I need to get going so I can pump and go see them…but I wanted to share this and some pictures first (I’m going to put the pics in another post so I can PWP them and not this one).

Thank you all for the well wishes!!