PRE-BIRTH
I had downplayed generally every little concern for this pregnancy - don't get me wrong, I was taking care of myself physically, but I didn't turn to Google for every hiccup like I did for Nora. I just prayed that it would all work out and felt mostly calm about the process of being pregnant with twins. With as many appointments as I had with the high risk group and my OB, the chances of anything going horribly awry between ultrasounds were slim considering my track record of a previously healthy pregnancy.
Around 26 weeks, James "Baby A" turned breech. With a multiples pregnancy, so long as the first baby is head down, a natural birth can be attempted even if Baby B is breech. When James flipped - I instantly knew it. His kicks were too low to be head down. When confirmed by ultrasound, I started the process of doing everything I could to flip that baby back around - spinning babies exercises, Webster-certified chiropractor, handstands in the pool in September, hopping on one foot while clucking like a chicken - not really, but you get the idea. I did NOT want a c section. Yet, every week, there was Baby A nicely snuggled in his new position. While we never knew the genders, this is when I began saying that Baby A had to be a boy because he was trouble already!
Five weeks before the boys were born
BIRTH DAY
On the morning of October 15, I had been up all night with a cough. I knew I was sick but didn't want to go to the doctor between prenatal check ups. I messaged a birth group I was in on FaceBook - one that focuses on all natural approaches to birth. I was looking for homeopathic remedies to my symptoms when a physicians assistant warned that I could be in preterm labor. That's when I realized that my back was cramping up the same as when I was in back labor with Nora. I decided to call the doctor about a Z pack and thought I would just mention the back issue.
Dr. Mullenix (with MOGA) had me come in at nine and listened to my lungs. That's when I mentioned my back. He looked alarmed and asked to conduct a pelvic exam. Afterwards, he calmly stood up and announced that I was "probably 6 cm and I just felt Baby A's butt in your birth canal." I jumped off the table and promptly accused him of lying. I just couldn't believe it. The nurses started flurrying around to book an OR at the hospital next door. It was a busy morning for L&D, and they couldn't get an OR ready for me for at least another hour. Dr. Mullenix barked at one of the nurses, "tell them she can have her babies in their lobby or she can have them in an OR, but it's their choice!" That nurse quickly returned with the news that they were ready for me next door and I walked over to L&D.
Poor JD was en route to Oxford, MS when I called him to turn around. Physically, I felt fine, but I knew this was going to happen very soon. He drove over 80 mph through Memphis streets to get to the hospital on time and ran up five flights of stairs. I think he should have been given oxygen when he got to L&D because he almost couldn't talk. When I got to L&D, a nurse checked me and said I was 8 cm (!), and the monitors said I was contracting every minute. I felt like I was in a twilight zone because I still felt completely fine. No pain other than being hugely pregnant.
There were a million healthcare staff in the OR - when a woman comes in at 35.5 it's considered preterm labor. When it's twins they get pretty fussy about it all;)
I was very worried that the anesthesia wouldn't "take". I asked for an epidural with Nora and it never worked. I had a d&c last Christmas for a maintenance issue and I woke up in the middle of the surgery and tried to get off the table. So far, my track record wasn't great for anesthesia. Luckily, the anesthesiologist did a good job and I felt very little of my surgery.
Feeling pretty good from the anesthesia;)
Dr. M did a great job of keeping me relaxed and the surgical tech had a good sense of humor that kept things light in the OR. When they pulled out the first baby and announced, "it's a boy" - I was excited but not terribly surprised given my prediction for this breech baby. When they pulled out the second baby and announced that it, too, was a boy - we were SHOCKED. Excited, but I swore that baby was a girl. That's why it is so fun to not find out the genders. We truly didn't care what the genders were, but it was fun to guess along the way. I still remember how much we laughed when the second baby was a boy.
James David III, Baby "A", born at 11:15 am
Simon William, Baby "B", born at 11:17 am
We stayed in the OR for a long time doing skin-to-skin with the babies. JD was great about holding them up for me, but it was obvious that Simon was having trouble breathing. The neonatologist wanted to keep Simon in the OR for a while in case he could come out of it, but it became clear after a while that Simon was headed to the NICU. James was borderline. His breathing was labored as well, but not as severe as Simon's. Both babies were around five pounds each and received high APGAR scores of nines both times.
First family photo with the boys. I'm starting to get a little puffy from all the fluids.
They took the babies to be assessed while I was in recovery and it was a few hours before I heard anything about Simon. I knew he wasn't critical, but I was frustrated that it was taking so long to hear. James was in recovery with me and we were contacting family about the last minute news.
Skin-to-skin with my sweet James
When I was moved up to a room, I accidentally disconnected my IV. It was a minute before I realized what happened, and then I saw blood all over one side of my sheets and the more I moved my hands to talk (yes I'm a girl - it's what we do), the more I kept flinging blood all over the place, walls, TV remote, etc. I told JD to call a nurse to let them know - keep in mind, I am totally relaxed, calm, and laughing at the mess - he hit the 'Staff Assist' button. Well, the 'Staff Assist' button is an all-hands-on-deck emergency button so all these nurses came running into my room that looked like a murder scene with blood on the walls, yet I was sitting up in bed swearing I was fine. We all had a good laugh about it, and they took out my hep lock so it wouldn't happen again.
POST-PARTUM
We sent James back to the nursery and we took our first of many trips down to the NICU. Simon looked pitiful in his incubator down there. I couldn't nurse him or hold him just yet. They hadn't administered any medication for his lungs yet because they were waiting to see if he could overcome his breathing issues Surfactant has a few side effects that aren't pleasant, but we were lucky in that when the NICU staff did decide to administer this medication, Simon had no side effects and his breathing quickly improved. Then we were able to hold him and I could nurse him. However, he continued to languish for a few days before being weaned to room air, and even longer before he started to gain weight.
Simon in the incubator in the NICU
Seeing Simon in the NICU for the first time a few hours after the c section. I couldn't hold him yet because of the monitors.
Upstairs, James began to have issues over the next few days. He had problems regulating his body temperature. They put him in an incubator in the well baby nursery to warm him up. I practiced a lot of skin to skin with him. The doctors were concerned that his low body temp meant he was about to get an infection right before my discharge. They administered an antibiotic that required a 48 hour hospital stay- one extra day than I had in the hospital.
James, Jr. and James III
First time I got to hold Simon in the NICU
This was when I started to get upset - I couldn't believe I was going to have to leave the hospital without either one of my babies. I had begun to accept that Simon needed his time in the NICU, but James too? JD and I discussed paying for an extra night when one of the nurses did the kindest favor for us. She made a few calls and found out that most of our floor was about to be discharged. She requested permission to let us stay an extra night - for free - off the books. Her request was granted and we were responsible for my meals and medications, but could otherwise stay another night, close to James and Simon. When she came to my room to tell me what she had done - I'm not going to lie - I cried. It was so sweet of her to do that for us - and we were able to leave that next day with James.
The boys are starting to do consistently well with their growth and development. Their two-month check-up was really the first time they had consistently gained weight. Since birth, they have been great sleepers and I feed them every three hours during the day. Nighttime, I stretch out their feedings to whenever they wake me up.
I still can't believe I am a momma to two boys, and how much I love having boys! This was a scary time for us, but we felt loved by all of you who prayed for us, fed us and constantly checked on our well-being. We have the best family and friends!
James left, Simon right
