The Birth Story

The twins are now 2 weeks old so it's about time I write down their birth story. Because we were having a C-section, their story is somewhat hum-drum but it did start out pretty interesting and there are definitely things that I'd like to remember in the future. So here it goes...

September 6, 2010 was Labor Day. All day long I sat around the house, wishing I would go into labor. My doctor wanted me to carry the babies as long as possible and I had an appointment to see him the next day at 9 am. We were supposed to "set the date" at that appointment. So although I was miserable, I knew that the end would be in sight soon. At some point during the day, both Spencer and Callie asked me if I was ever going to have the twins. They could tell that my body was finished just by the way I walked, sat, laid on the couch, etc. I was trying to have a good attitude but it was getting super difficult. I went to bed at a normal time but couldn't get comfortable and ended up in front of the computer. After watching a DVD about how to tie a Mei Tai, blog-hopping, and playing on facebook, I finally ended up on the couch, watching TV until about 2 am. Finally exhausted beyond measure, I drug my body upstairs and got in bed.

I woke up at 4 am, needing to use the bathroom for the umpteenth time but as I maneuvered out of bed I could tell something wasn't quite right and as I stood up, my water broke! I said, "Spencer, wake up...we need to go to the hospital. My water just broke." And I stumbled into the bathroom. (Here's where it gets a little gory.) Both Spence and I turned on a light at the same time and noticed that there was quite a bit of blood as well. I immediately started panicking, I was a bit in shock, I guess. Spencer kept a level head and just kept asking what else needed to be packed so we could get to the hospital quickly. He called his parents and asked them to come to our house around 8 to be with the boys since Callie had to go to work that morning. Then Spence walked down to Callie's room and knocked on her door, explained that we were going to the hospital, etc. (We are so lucky Callie lives with us because as soon as she knew what was going on, we were able to leave instead of having to wait for someone to come sit with the boys.) On the way to the hospital, I called my mom and let her know what was happening and then called Labor & Delivery to alert them that we were on our way.

Once we were checked in, they started my IV, called my doctor, and started getting us ready for the delivery. The nurses were trying to keep me calm but kept saying things to each other like, "is the doctor aware of the excess blood loss?", "should we be prepping for surgery soon?", and "is the doctor here yet?" My doc came into my room around 6 to let us know he had arrived and that everything was going to be okay. Seeing him sure made me feel a little calmer. Shift changes at the hospital were at 7 am and since my doctor was pushing for a 6:30 am delivery, there was a lot of nurses who were trying to figure out which anesthesiologist they'd need since they didn't want one to start and have to finish up with the other. Luckily, the anesthesiologist who was scheduled to get off his shift at 7 had actually arranged to leave a little early so the "fresh" anesthesiologist arrived around 6-ish and immediately came into my room to administer some antibiotics and push the IV fluid so we could get started. Because I was bleeding they didn't let me walk to the Operating Room but pushed me down and then helped me transfer from the bed to the operating table. I was very grateful that once we were in the OR, everything went smoothly...like clockwork. Everyone in the room knew their job and went right to work. I was impressed by how quickly the anesthesiologist was able to place the spinal block. At one point during the surgery, Spencer looked at me and said, "There are a lot of people in this room." I had him count and he said there were 10 at that moment. We later found out that they had a full pediatric team for each twin plus everyone who would normally be there to assist in a C-section.

Harrison was born at 7:10 am. He didn't immediately start crying, which worried me. But the nurses and Spencer kept reassuring me that everything was fine with him, he had good coloring, and they were just cleaning him up and then he would cry. Which he did. My doctor discovered that Harrison's placenta had actually torn which explained the high amount of blood. His breathing was a little fast though so he went quickly to the nursery and I didn't get to hold him until later that evening.

Madison was born at 7:11 am...just one minute after her brother. She immediately started crying and it was such a nice sound to me. However, no one in the room said, "It's a girl!" (or "It's a boy" when Harrison was born) and I was a little concerned with that. I finally turned my head to Spence and asked him if he'd go check to make sure we had a GIRL and a BOY, which he happily did. He was able to carry Harrison & Madison over to let me look at them before they went to the nursery to be weighed.

Harrison ended up having to have an IV. They kept telling me that the quickness of his breathing made them nervous. Although he didn't have to have oxygen, they said he was borderline and that they wanted to keep him in the nursery so they could observe him. Madison was able to come to my room as soon as I was out of Recovery. I had forgotten to pack the camera so Callie brought it to us on her way to work and was able to see me in the recovery room and the babies in the nursery. Although I was super happy to have Madison in my room, I was a little preoccupied, wondering when I'd get to hold and nurse Harrison. I was quite disappointed when they let me know that if I wanted to hold him, I'd have to go to the nursery, they wouldn't be bringing him to my room. But that gave me the boost I needed to get out of bed as soon as my spinal wore off. I was so happy to be able to hold both babies (finally) that evening.

Harrison had to stay in "nursery jail" until Thursday night. It was hard to have to show our visitors our baby boy through the nursery window and I felt so sad leaving him in the nursery whenever I went back to my room. The pediatrician was very thorough and wanted to make sure he was good & healthy before sending him home. Harrison did end up with a bit of jaundice and had to come home to a bilibed for a few days. We were so thankful, though, that we all came home together on Friday.

We are also very grateful for grandparents, friends, and family who kept Cameron, Gavin, and Owen while I was in the hospital, who cleaned the house, and who have spent time with us these first 2 weeks, helping us adjust to being a family of 7!!! Because I have so many pictures from the hospital, I've been forced into adding a slide show. Enjoy!