Long overdue-The Birth Story!

I must appologize for being a crappy blogger and leaving you hanging after the girls were born.  It's been a whirlwind experience.  So here goes nothing...

August 24, 2010- At 2 am I woke up with HORRIBLE contractions.  They were bad enough that I got out of bed, walked around the house for a while, cried, tried to fall asleep in the rocker in the nursery, cried some more, took a hot bath (which I know is bad...but I was in so much pain), cried some more, sat on the couch until the sun came up.  Oh...and then I cried some more.  By the time DH got up, he knew I was just miserable.

I was timing my contractions and they were all over the place...some at 2 minutes apart, some at 10 minutes apart.  I was scheduled for a doctors appointment later that afternoon.  DH decided to work from home that morning to keep an eye on me.  Around 7:30am I went to the bathroom and noticed some spotting. 10 minutes later I had to pee again (big surprise) and this time I noticed that my mucous plug had come out and that the spotting was a little bit more substantial. That coupled with the fact that the contractions seemed to be getting worse and worse earned a call to Labor and Delivery.  They suggested that I just come on in and get checked out (mind you...I was just there 2 days ago and they sent me home).

We arrived at L&D around 9am and our nurse that we had last time, Annie, took us back.  After about an hour and 5 or 6 different nurses taking a crack at it...the fetal monitors were on.  Low and behold I was having pretty consistent contractions at 2 minutes apart.  Much stronger than last time.  The doctor came in after we were all situated and checked my cervix.  1cm.  Shit.  Seriously...1 cm.  That is what I was at 2 days ago when I came in.  The doctor wrote me off and said this is just more preterm labor.  He suggested doing some blood work.  In the mean time he gave me a shot of terbutaline to stop the contractions.  He said if this was just preterm labor the terbutaline should stop the contractions.  It did not stop them!

So I sat curled up in the hospital bed grabbing the arm rails crying for hours while poor DH sat there and listened to me. After several hours a group of surgeons came in and were questioning my pain.  When I described it to them they said that they thought I had appendicitis.  They told me that the pain coupled with my blood work coming back with high white blood cell counts lead them to believe that it was appendicitis.  The surgeon informed me that because of this pregnancy they would not be able to operate laproscopically but rather through a several inch incision that they would make on my right side above my hip.  To be honest I was in such pain that none of this was registering.  The only thing I kept asking is if they were going to cut me open, can they please take the babies out...to which my OB said "no."  (Asshole).

My doctor came back a little while later and informed me that they were going to wait for a little while to see what happened before taking me back for "exploratory surgery."  Finally, after crying for hours in the hospital, the doctor agreed to give me some pain meds.  Ahh sweet relief.  Funny thing is, the nurses kept coming in my room saying "you dont look like someone that has appendicitis...you look like you are in labor."

The rest of the afternoon is kind of hazy.  God bless pain meds.  At some point my husband left to go home and let the dogs out and pick up a change of clothes for himself as it was becoming abundantly clear that we weren't going home.

The doctor came back in later that afternoon and checked my cervix again.  3cm. Yes...3cm.  It might not be much but to me it meant that I was in labor and that there was finally and end in sight!  The doctors response... "Well it looks like you are in labor."  (Dumbass)

Around 11pm I was finally given an epidural.  After 4 tries the epidural was in place.  Most people cringe when I tell them that...but after being in labor for nearly 24 hours, you could have sawed off my pinky toe and it wouldn't have affected me.  Finally, I was feeling better.  It was the first time I felt complete relief in 3 weeks (which is how long I battled preterm labor). They also placed my catheter in....although...I can't lie...I really don't remember that happening.

August 25, 2010: At about 4am the nurse came in to check on me.  While she was checking the monitors, etc I felt like the cather had been moved or come out because I thought I felt urine all over the bed.  The nurse checked and said "Nope, that's not urine...your water just broke."  YESSSSSSSSSSSS......there was no turning back now.  For the first time I felt completely relaxed because I knew the doctor could not send me home in pain.  I knew that my babies were coming.

Around 9am a team of surgeons came in and did the whole "Oh, I guess you were in labor" routine.  Not the "Sorry  we almost sliced you open for no reason" routine I was expecting.

A new doctor came in shortly after and checked my cervix again.  I think I was dialted to 7cm at this point and 100% effaced.

Another hour or 2 later I was dilated to 9.  They finally started to get me and DH ready for delivery in the OR. 

At 10am or so they came in and checked me again.  I was nearly 10cm.  We did a few "practice pushes" in the room before they took DH and I to the OR.  I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.  My plan was always to have a c-section.  The decision to have a vaginal delivery came really late in the game.

Around 11:30 they took us back to the OR.  The OR was tiny...much smaller than I expected.  There were 14 people in this little room including DH and I.  They had me move to the OR bed and put my legs in stirrups.  Truth be told, I had nothing to do with the movement of the legs because I had no sensation in them at all.  I probably started pushing around 12ish.  After 20 or so pushes Harper Elizabeth was born at 12:22pm weighing4lbs, 10oz and was 16.25" long and 3 pushes later Stella Christine was born at 12:32 pm weighing 5lbs 3oz and was 18.25" long.

Harper was immediately taken to the NICU and put on a ventilator to help her breathe.  Stella stayed in the OR briefly.  They even set her on my chest to see.  It was the most incredible experience of my life.  I will never forget the way DH looked at me when they announced it was two girls.  A pure look of terror and excitement. 

They took both girls to the NICU while they finished me up.  I apparently had some pretty severe hemorrhaging because I remember hearing the doctor say "We've given her everything on the cart" as one of the docs asked for more bleeding medication.  They gave me several minutes of  the most painful fundal massage ever.  The fundal massage was definitely the most painful part of the whole experience!  They put a few stitches in to close a small tear and then I was wheeled back to my room.

I was in and out of it during recovery...probably because of all of the meds and because I had lost so much blood.  DH was able to go to the NICU to be with the girls.  About 5 hours later I was finally able to go see my baby girls.  It was the most incredible experience ever.  They were the most beautiful babies I have ever seen and I instantly fell in love with them.

Long story short....after 11 days in the NICU, we finally were able to bring our girls home.  Being a mommy is hands down the most amazing thing I've ever done.  I am in awe every time I look at them.  God is good.