Twin Baby Birth Story

On Saturday morning, I packed up my last few items for my hospital bag and headed to the hospital for a scheduled c-section.

While we drove to the hospital, we continued our tradition of listening to "The Final Countdown," by Europe (we did this on the way to Fox's induction, too) and talking over baby names again.

I was feeling surprisingly calm when we got there and hardly had a jitter when I checked in. They got us to a prep room and I got changed into a hospital gown and they took my vitals and asked me lots of questions about my health history and such. Then my doctor came in to let me know she was on her was to another C-section before mine and that she would be in soon for mine, but that it had been pushed back an hour.

The anesthesiologist also came in to answer any questions, and told me a little bit about his part in my procedure. I was starting to get a little nervous, especially when they came in 5 minutes later and told me the procedure would be half an hour sooner than they had said.

Very soon, we were walking down the hall to the operating room, and I laid down on the very narrow operating table. They got me prepped and the anesthesiologist began to get me numbed with local anesthetic and then placed a spinal in my back. It was pretty uncomfortable, but in a moment it was placed and almost immediately my legs got very warm and within a minute or so, I couldn't feel a thing. They hung up the curtain, my doctor came in, and they got started.

She did an ultrasound one last time to make sure Baby A was still breech, and he was, so they carried on with the procedure.  

As they began cleaning my stomach to prepare for the incision, I started feeling nauseated, lightheaded and started seeing spots. Despite voicing my discomfort, they carried on, telling me that it was not abnormal. In retrospect, what were they going to do?  If I blacked out, it probably would have been easier to deliver, and it wasn't like they could stop at that point.

I was feeling pretty lousy, but within about 5 minutes, they pulled out Baby A.  He was the breech baby, and smaller of the two.  He came out screaming and bloody, and when they held him over the curtain so I could see him, some blood dripped onto my face. My arms weren't working very well because of the anesthetic, so Adam wiped it off for me.  

After some tugging, they got Baby B out, as well, and he also came out screaming.  The doctor said that he was a really big baby (at least by twin standards).  Adam said they held him up, too, but I couldn't see him.

As I laid on the table for the next 30 minutes or so, while they cleaned me back up and put me back together,  I watched them weigh and assess Baby A, but Baby B had been handed to a NICU team through a window in the operating room for assessment, and I couldn't see him at all.  Adam had brought in our camera, and took some photos of each of them, since my interaction with them had been so brief.  I wish that I could say that things got better for me as they stitched me up, but I started dry heaving about 10 minutes before they were done, and felt completely terrible.

Finally they finished up, and had me roll onto a hospital bed. I was feeling slightly better, but overall I was still feeling pretty terrible.  

Baby B was perfectly healthy, and could come with us, but Baby A had a low heart rate (or something... I can't remember exactly what), and they wanted to keep him in the NICU for assessment.  As long as he improved, they said he could join us in a few minutes.

We went back to the labor and delivery room, and I continued to feel terrible, all shaky and freezing.  I think it was shock?  Not sure, but they brought me warm blankets and half an hour or so later, I started feeling a little better, and was finally able to hold Baby B.  Baby A passed his assessment, so he got to join us a few minutes later.  It was so great to have them both with us.  We texted our families and sent some photos and just enjoyed the babies for a few minutes.  

I nursed both babies, and they were terrific at it from the get go, which was a huge relief.  After about two hours in the recovery room on the labor and delivery floor, they took us up to a room upstairs, and we were able to spend some time as a family, holding our babies, and enjoying them.

Later that afternoon, my parents and brother were able to come over and hold them as well, which was really wonderful.  My dad hasn't ever been able to come to the hospital the day any of his grandkids were born, so it was pretty special to have him there. 

Fox had been really sick on Thanksgiving, and Black Friday, so we opted to have him come and visit on Sunday instead, just in case he was still contagious.  His visit was terrific, and he ended up being so sweet and lovely with the babies, and I was so pleased.  I had been really worried about how he would do.

Overall, it was a pretty decent birth. Not the spiritual and magical entrance into life that I was secretly hoping for, but with two healthy babies and a good recovery, I couldn't ask for anything more. So many prayers were answered with this pregnancy and delivery and we feel very blessed and are loving our little boys so much. 

Introducing Bear and Badger: