Yes, this post-partum post is a little delayed. In these past 7 months, free time has been extremely hard to come by. So I'll skip the apologies and excuses and get to the point. Here is my summary of the birth:
Tuesday, June 24: 36 weeks, 2 days gestation. I dutifully reported to work at 8am. I had recently returned to work, 24 hours per week, after staying home for 2 weeks due to high blood pressure. At about 1:00pm, I left work, making sure to leave everything on my desk organized and neat, 'just in case'. I picked up Karl and drove to Dr. C's office for a check-up. The nurse and Dr. C each took my blood pressure about 4 times before I was ordered to report directly to Winnie Palmer Hospital. We were permitted to stop at home for a few necessities: the bag I had yet to pack, a snack, and of course, the trusty video camera. Karl seemed somewhat frantic but surprisingly, I didn’t feel very nervous. We weren’t even certain I'd be delivering right away..maybe we'd be back home in a few hours-who knew? I had an induction scheduled for the next Monday and darn it, I was determined to make it to then.
I called my mom on the way to the hospital and she met us there after we checked in (about 3:00pm) and were shown to a room on the ante-partum floor. I put on the hospital-issued gown and sat on the bed, not sure quite what to do with myself. The nurse said she needed to draw some blood- that was fine, I'd had gallons drawn over the past 8 or so months. But-why was she drawing it from my inner forearm?! Before I realized what was happening, I had an IV in my arm. How could she trick me like that? Oh well, what's done is done, I thought. My blood pressure was monitored every hour and heartbeat monitors were taped on for Baby A and Baby B. I started to feel a lot of pain and pressure and the nurses confirmed that I was having contractions. That was when I realized I wasn’t leaving the hospital until after the babies were born. So the contractions continued to intensify and become closer together. At around 9:00pm, I asked for pain medication but the nurses said that my doctor wanted them to wait until I got to the Labor & Delivery floor and then I could get an epidural. Ok, what?! So when do I go to L&D?, I asked. 'As soon as a bed opens up', I was told. So for the next 3 hours, I alternatively asked for the medication and asked when my bed might be open. I got neither until after 12am. In retrospect, I think I'd have asked, even at that late date, to switch obstetricians. Hand me a phone book or Google directory and I'd be on my way to relief. Our Lamaze instructor had assured us nervous pregnant women that we'd get pain relief as early as we asked for it but I guess I was misinformed!
Wednesday, June 25: The Twins' Arrival. Finally, after I was moved to L&D and got my epidural (hey, I never said I was brave) all in the world was OK again. Dr. C came to check on me at about 4:00am and again at 12:00pm and little to no progress had been made. In between, I vacillated between continuing with labor or giving in and going for the C-section. Even with the epidural, I was rather uncomfortable, plus exhausted and hungry. But what made the decision for me was that I could no longer deal with the unknown. Already, after about 20 hours of labor, I was only dilated to 3cm. Would it be another 20 hours before the final stage where, finally, all the Lamaze practice would pay off? What if, even then, the twins refused to budge and I ended up with a C-Section anyway? Or worse, if one budged and one didn’t, I'd have double trouble- 2 recovery areas and 2 babies!?
So, in the end, it was my intolerance for the unknown that made the decision for me. One thing I didn’t expect was just how anxious I'd get over that decision and then, the realization that someone would be cutting into my abdomen. I honestly didn’t think about the reality of this until I was right there in the moment.
I was prepped for the surgery while Karl & Mom gowned up. I have to say, I just wanted it to be over as quickly as possible. And it did-before I knew it, the doctor was lifting up Noelle, Baby A, and announcing that she weighed 6 lbs, 4 oz. Then Lucas, Baby B, came out screaming, his hands on either side of his face (he still does that when he is crying). I have pictures of the babies being held up by my face, and pictures of Karl and I with the babies. Mom even videotaped the birth. Still, it seemed strangely like a dream. All I was thinking at the moment was, could these babies really be mine? Is this really happening?
The babies were whisked away to the nursery, while I was whisked to a recovery room. That darn blood pressure was up again, and so I was kept there for a few hours, hooked up to IV medication. As the nurses bustled in and out of the room and down the halls, I grew more and more upset and frustrated. I'd barely even seen my babies and hadn’t held them at all. I needed to get out of here. Once again, the permission from my doctor could not come soon enough. Jeff and Liz came to visit, and headed up to my room. I was actually crying in despair by the time I was wheeled up to the mother-baby unit, and to my room. The babies were there, along with Karl, Jeff, and Liz. My mom had gone home to rest. I was still in disbelief that these beautiful tiny creatures were ours. Noelle & Lucas looked so much alike at first that I worried I'd never be able to tell them apart. Jeff proclaimed that Lucas was the tiniest human being he has ever seen.
Thursday & Friday- June 26 & 27. Over the next 3 nights, I recovered, nursed, and began learning about baby care. The nurses showed us how to hold, burp, and swaddle the twins, brought them to and from the nursery, and helped me stand, walk, etc. The babies were taken to the nursery for daily weigh-ins. After a rough, painful, first day, by the second day I was up and walking around, even outside the hospital. The babies received several visitors: first came my boss Brenda and co-worker friend Cheryl. Next was my good friend April and her mom (her twin girls were born 10 days later). Denise & Shyam and Steffani came later that day. Mom, of course, visited daily.
Saturday, June 28: Homecoming…and the Life Beyond. Discharge day was here at last…at last?? What would I do without the 24 hour assistance from the nurses? Who'd handle the dreaded 2am feeding and take care of the babies when I was tired? And most of all, what in the world was I to do with 2 newborn babies? Once again- realization. I didn’t know the first thing about babies and now I had 2 of them. Thank goodness for my Mom. A voice of reason, someone experienced and remarkably patient with 2 tiny crying infants. I don’t think Mom left at all for the first month, and then gradually after that. And yes, Karl- who knew even less than I did about baby care but who was always willing to pitch in and help out when told what to do. The first few weeks were difficult, as predicted. How do you do it? You just do-you don’t have a choice! Listen to the advice of experts and twin moms alike-sleep when the babies sleep, accept help, let the housework slide. Eventually, we got into a routine and the babies began sleeping through the night (yea!) at around 4 months. Nursing, while at challenge at first, gradually became easier for all of us and now is like second nature. Solid foods have gradually entered the mix since about 5 months and now, at 7 1/2, the twins have tasted about 10 different types of veggies, fruits, and grains in addition to milk. They are into a regular nap routine and, in fact, are about to wake up from one anytime now. So, I will use my remaining last few minutes to do some laundry and cleaning. I am hopeful that it will not be another 7.5 months until my next blog entry. I'll be optimistic and try for next week.
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