Our Story

So, I'm cheating. I started this blog when the girls were about 5 months old. After so much had happened; the pregnancy, the delivery, the nanny, and the daycare.

While the girls were in the NICU, one of the nurses suggested keeping a journal of my thoughts, feeling, and events for the girls. I decided to back date the blog and transfer those journal entries to this blog.

Just some back ground. My pregnancy was pretty uneventful until about the last month or two. I was diagnosed with placenta previa, one of the girl's (Twin A, Lizzie) placenta was over my cervix. Because you can't deliver the placenta before the baby, I was guaranteed a c-section and it's very dangerouse because the mother and baby (or in my case babies) can bleed out. This usually goes away in most people and my OB told me she was almost sure it would move. The perinatalogist wasn't so sure. He kept telling me it may not.

Anyway, around week 24 the placenta hadn't moved and I was put on modified bed rest. The perinatalogist told me that one night I would wake up in a puddle of blood and I would have 30 minutes to get to the hospital. I was going to the ob or peri every other week for sonos and checkups. Each time my bed rest became closer and closer to hospital bed rest. I was guaranteed hospital bedrest at 32 weeks (if I could make it until then) until I delivered or 36 weeks whichever came first. During all this, my OB went on maternity leave. She kept telling me she would be back to deliver, but I would see one of her partners in the meantime. I guess she needs a new crystal ball.

At 30 weeks and 5 days (a Friday), the dog woke Wes and I up at 11:50. I got up and went to the rest room while Wes put the dog out. I was doing my business when I felt something different. I looked in the toilet and saw blood. I calmly told Wes I needed to go to the hospital and ran to find clothes. We jumped in the car, I called my parents, and Wes drove 100 mph to the hospital. I was worried about the girls, but I felt them both kicking me so I knew they were ok. Three things worked for us, prayer, no cops and no traffic on I-635.

We got to the hospital and I pushed the after hours button, told them I was bleeding, 30 weeks pregnant with twins. They buzzed me in and we got in the elevator to go upstairs. When we got to the nurses station, they didn't have any rooms so I stayed in triage for most the night. They had to call the on call nurse to take care of me. They gave me turbutiline to help stop the contractions. This drug would make my heart race and me shake. It was awful. The next thing that happened was my blood pressure dropped. They put me in what they call trendelenburg position (pretty much me standing on my head in the bed). I was on heart monitors for the girls and a monitor for the contractions. Gracie really hated the monitor, she would kick it and then move as soon as they placed it.

They called the on call OB to see me. I think they were trying to decide if I would stop bleeding, stop contracting, or should they take the girls. They gave me my first of two steroid shots anyway. I didn't get any pain meds because they hadn't decided what they were going to do. Either I was at peace or too stupid to know to be scared. Wes of course was scared for both of us. The nurse had to ask him to sit down because he was making her nervous. Somewhere in the middle of all this my parents arrive. They are the best parents and are always there for us.

After about 7 hours of contracting, shaking, and pain. I was finally moved to an antepartum room where I was suppose to stay until 36 weeks. They put me on magnesium sulfate which is a terrible drug. It makes you feel like you have the flu. Sweaty, dry mouth, feverish, and yucky all over. I was so hot that the room was set at 50 degrees and I was still sweating with a fan on me. I was on this for 36 hours and I was on a liquid diet for the entire time.

As soon as I was off the mag, we found ants in my room so I was moved to another room. This room had the construction elevator right outside the window. So every morning at 7:00 am I heard the workers start their day. From the mag, I went to a pump that gave me the turbutiline constantly. It was like I was on speed for 2 days before I got use to it. The lady had to come twice to show me how to work the pump because I was so heavily medicated.

I couldn't sleep at night while I was in the hospital and slept during the day. I remember being worried about my hair and wanting to get it cut. I had lined out my stylist to come to the hospital to cut it later in the week. By Wednesday (32 weeks and 3 days), I was tired of the hospital TV and bored. I was very weepy that day and cried almost all day. I also had weird contraction all that day. I had been contracting since I had arrived at the hospital off and on. I sent my mom and dad to eat dinner outside of the hospital because my mom hadn't left my side for any length of time. I ate my dinner and went to the rest room. Again, I started bleeding. Wes hit the nurse call and within seconds I had about 5 nurses in my room. They called the OB on call. I remember hearing one of the nurses, "tell her to get here right away". It turns out the same doctor on call was the one that was on call the night I came in. I could tell she was thinking about her options, but was going to take the girls.

As soon as she made her decision, the nurses got to work. They tried to get an IV in me but my veins were not cooperating. It took about 10 minutes to get it in and finally the anesthesialogist had to put it in. They got me in the OR, put the spinal in, and laid me on the table. It was very hot in the room because the girls were so premature (usually for c-sections it's very cold). Wes was dying in his "bunny suit" (surgical scrubs). They told me I was going to feel pressure and within minutes, they said Twin A was out. It was Lizzie, she was only making gurgling noise and had to be intubated. They then said that Gracie was going to be more difficult and then a minute later I heard her cry. Because they were working on Lizzie I only got to see Gracie briefly. They were both rushed to the NICU and I was sent to recovery.

Of course I don't remember much because they gave me the "happy juice" and I was out. I woke up hours later watching one of our good friend from church helping Wes move me to a postpartum room. I didn't get to see the girls that night because I was so heavily medicated and anemic. I saw them at 8:00 the next morning. They were so beautiful to me.

Wes and I spent the next 4 days wandering the halls of the hospital. Seeing the girls for feedings and then taking walks around to pass the time. We weren't able to hold the girls for about 72 hours because of their prematurity. It was a very difficult time. My hormones were raging and I was crying all the time. We went home after 4 days but it would be another 5 weeks before the girls joined us. It's very sad to watch all the other mothers go home with a baby and to walk out knowing you had to come back worried about your tiny babies.

Anyway, the following post are about the NICU time. I didn't start right way. I started writing after the girls were there 17 days. They ended up staying 40 days in the NICU. I was up at the hospital about 3 times a day and trying to recover from the c-section. It was really rough.