06.10.09
Birth Story
Sorry to keep you hanging. We went back in Sunday night after food, naps, showers, and a walk. She was still 5-6 cm dilated.
But she had come to the point where she was done. She told the nurse to tell her OB that she wouldn’t leave until she was no longer pregnant. He said to get some rest and he’d come in the morning to break her water.
We were given our own (tiny) room and took the opportunity to get some sleep (as best we could on a hospital bed and cot (at least we have practice). Around 8:15 on Monday morning he broke her water and about 15 minutes later started her on a low dose (4) of pitocin. Contractions got a bit more frequent and a tad stronger, but still not enough… They upped the pitocin to 6 and things really picked up. I decided to go pump one last time (it was emotionally difficult watching LD go through so much for us). About 7 minutes later I get a text from Nathan to “wrap it up.” I pack up my things as fast as I can and rush back to the room. She’d gotten to 8 cm dilation and things were really picking up. Before we knew it she was saying she needed to push and the nursing staff jumped into action, wheeling her down to the OR (for “in case”).
Getting her settled into the OR felt like it took forever, but it probably only took minutes. As soon as Dr. K walked in, he got to work giving LD instructions.
Kyla Rose was born vaginally at 10:59 AM, weighing 6 lbs. 2 oz. and measuring 19.5 inches long. Through my tears I watched the nurses clean off my daughter (my daughter!).
Then I heard LD screaming. Lucas had turned breech and Dr. K was reaching in to turn him manually. Being unmedicated, LD was in a TON of pain (up until then she was very controlled). Finally, Dr. K pulled him out feet first. He didn’t start crying right away and the nurses shooed us away so the could take care of him. Just as they pulled out the O2 mask Lucas let out a great cry! He weighed 6 lbs 13 oz. and measured 20.5 inches long.
I felt torn between my daughter, my son, and LD. As I checked on her she told me to go be with my babies. I was handed Kyla and Nathan got Lucas. Just before we took them to the nursery to be weighed and such Dr. K came to take a look at Lucas and said to make sure they checked his arm because he had felt something pop.
In the nursery we each stayed with one of the twins, then switched. The nurse examining Lucas noticed that he wouldn’t move his right arm, so they contacted the orthopedist and would not let him be moved until after an xray and ortho consult.
I was torn, but Kyla needed to eat, so I went with her to our room and Nathan stayed with Lucas.
I can’t explain how wonderful it was to put Kyla to my breast and have her latch on the first try! She ate for a good 20 minutes before falling asleep.
Nathan called to say that Lucas’s blood sugar was low and they needed to give him vit. D (I think that’s right) either through a tube down his throat or a bottle. As much as I didn’t want to, I okayed the bottle. Later I got a text saying that Lucas’s right arm was broken and they were sending him to NICU until the ortho determined what to do so they could manage pain.
While I was waiting on word about Lucas I texted LD to find out how she was feeling. David texted back to say she was losing a lot of blood and they were taking her for a D&C. I immediately started praying and worrying.
In the mean time, the nursery came to take Kyla for her bath. I decided to take the opportunity to go see Lucas. Unfortunately, the NICU was at shift change and I wasn’t allowed in. 
So I returned to the room and waited on word from LD’s husband. Just as I was losing patience waiting for them to return Kyla to me I found out LD was back from the D&C (it may sound like it took very little time to get this news,but it felt like an eternity to me). So I went to the nursery and they were just finishing with Kyla. I asked if we could stop at LD’s room first so she could see her.
OMG, seeing LD so pale was heart wrenching. I hated knowing that we had played a part in her feeling lousy. We showed her Kyla, then left to give her some time to heal.
I was finally able to go see Lucas, so Nathan stayed with Kyla while I went to NICU. The orthopedist happened to come by while I was there (along with my SIL). He showed me the xray. Lucas’s humerus bone (the bone between the elbow and shoulder) had a complete break in the middle of it. So he decided to splint his whole arm, just to immobilize it for comfort, as baby bones heal very easily (if an older child or adult had the same break, they would need plates and pins :thud). I sat with Lucas, with my finger in his mouth for comfort, while the doctor wrapped his arm. The brave (or in shock?) boy didn’t cry at all. The only indications that he was in pain were facial expressions and he would suck harder on my finger… After he was done the doc said he saw no reason why Lucas needed to stay in NICU. Yea!!!
He was released to the nursery where they finally gave him a “bath.” While they did that, I went back to the room to try to feed Kyla again. Soon after, we had both babies together for the first time outside the womb. 
There is more to the story, of course, but for now I’m back to feeding my son (he’s doing great!). Both LD and the babies are being released today, so I’ll work on the rest at home.
06.07.09
No babies yet…
We went in to L&D last night around 9 PM. We found out that LD was 4 cm dilated, 50% effaced, and at “station 1″ (whatever that means). We expected the babies to make their appearance before the end of the night. N came up and arrived around 1 AM. However, at noon today she had only made it to 6 cm and we were given the option of giving her pitocin to speed things up, or coming home (LD’s home, not ours). We chose home. Looks like the babies just wanted to tease us. Please pray we’re back at L&D tonight and it’s the “real deal.” I know we’re all very anxious to meet Kyla and Lucas. Not to mention a tiny bit disappointed that they didn’t cooperate last night/this morning. If they don’t come tonight, we have an OB appointment tomorrow, so I’m pretty sure we’ll end up with babies tomorrow if nothing else (LD thinks he’ll push the pitocin and she might agree this time). I’d rather them come tonight, but God (and they) doesn’t always want the same things I do..
06.05.09
FYI
Just thought I’d let you know what is going on (or not going on) as far as the babies go.
They cooperated and let me finish the school year without a problem. When LD went for her appointment on Monday she was not even remotely dilated. The OB had her stop taking the meds to relax her uterus and said that if she didn’t have the babies by 37 weeks (June 11) he would want to induce labor.
Well, since being off the meds she has been having more and more contractions, which are becoming painful. Last night they were coming about 5-8 minutes apart and we thought there was a good possibility they would decide to come on their cousin’s birthday. However, by morning the contractions had died down and all that was left was a back ache.
To put her mind (and mine) at ease, I am going to go up there to stay until the babies arrive. N will be staying here until he gets “the call” simply because he needs to work and we’d rather not board the dogs until we have to. I’d hoped to have a couple of days after school let out to clean the house a bit, but it looks like the babies would prefer to start out in the filth, rather than build up to it. 
N fully expects to get a call tonight saying “get up here” but says that if he were to come with me there would not be any sign of them coming any time soon. We shall see. We’re still working on how we’ll get two cars home after they arrive, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it (if anyone has an idea, we’re all ears ). Hopefully I’ll be able to hook into LD’s internet and stay connected to you all this way. If not, I’ll have my cell.
It is a bit odd thinking about the fact that this will be the last time I will see my dogs, my house, my life without our children in tow. Goodbye old life, hello parenthood!
05.22.09
Packed and ready
So in an effort to stave off the babies for at least another week, N and I finally got everything not only packed, but into the trunk of his car. We are hoping the babies do not come this weekend at all, as our annual 24 hour Video Race is starting tonight at midnight.
Yes, apparently we enjoy torturing ourselves with sleep depravation. Which I suppose makes us the perfect candidates for twin parenthood! LOL
Part of the reason we’re worried they will decide to celebrate their birthday this weekend is because they have been torturing poor LD. First, on Wednesday morning she woke up feeling great and started cleaning the shower (uh-oh! Nesting?). Then when she tried to eat lunch she started vomiting uncontrollably until there was nothing left to throw up. Which, of course, triggered contractions. So she made another visit to L&D. They gave her IV fluids, zofran, and got her back under control before sending her back home (oddly enough, they no longer have to ask her name when she arrives!). She continued to feel awful the rest of the day, but has now returned to feeling great. Well, except for the foot she’s pretty sure she broke! 
She pulled out a drawer a bit too far and it fell on her foot. She says her foot is now very blue/purple, swollen, and numb. So now, even if she wanted to get up off the couch, her foot is preventing that… Hmm… Maybe that’s not a bad thing.
So, we’re off to the races in just a few minutes! Wish us luck! And pray those kids of ours don’t interrupt!!!
05.18.09
Expectations
I’m having a difficult time having realistic expectations of people. It seems I keep expecting people to have the same emotions, or react the same way as I would. Logically, I know this is unrealistic. I am the only me, and others are not going to think the same way. However, that doesn’t stop me from being disappointed when my friends or family do not react the way I expect/hope they will.
First, there’s my mom. I had expected her to want to see her grandchildren as soon as possible. After all, when my nephew was born, I wanted to be there at the hospital to see him as soon as I possibly could. However, apparently she’s content to wait, and I even get the impression she’s not in any hurry to come see them. Her exact words were “Babies just don’t do it for me. I prefer them when they’re a bit older and can interact more.” I know she didn’t intend to hurt my feelings, but she did. And it’s my own fault for expecting her to feel the way I did when W was born.
Then there’s N. I hope he doesn’t mind me sharing this. We’ve talked about it, and I know that he loves our children and is just as excited as I am to meet them. But I unrealistically expected him to want to be totally involved in the pregnancy as well. Because that’s what I want. It’s not that he’s uninterested in the pregnancy, he just is more interested in once the babies are here, and doesn’t really think about the pregnancy except to the extent that things are going well. This weekend I went and stayed with LD and got to feel the babies move. We’d felt it a little the last time we came up, but this was completely different. Before it was like little flutters. But now you can actually feel limbs and imagine what each baby is doing! The whole time I kept thinking “N needs to feel this!” Yet, when I described it to him he said “I’ll feel it next Wednesday” (we’re going up for an u/s). I said “If the babies aren’t born before then!” And he said “Then I’ll get to hold them.” He didn’t get it. And there’s no reason why he should. But it disappointed me anyway.
I’m feeling quite nostalgic as our journey is coming close to the next chapter. I feel like I missed a lot that I had hoped/expected to experience. I haven’t spent nearly as much time with LD as I’d meant to. I haven’t been to all the appointments, as I’d planned. And I feel a little bit of a sadness that the experience I’ve had isn’t quite what I’d hoped for when we started. Not that it’s been a bad experience! Nor is it anyone’s fault that there’s a difference between hopes and reality. I think that the fault really is with me. I needed more flexibility in my vision of what the “prefect” journey would be.
As I’m writing this I realize that LD or N might interpret this post as somehow a lack of something in them. And that is SO completely not true! They have been wonderful. LD shares everything with me and wants me to see this pregnancy as mine. I couldn’t ask for a better friend and GS. And N has been super supportive and has put up with my roller coaster of emotions throughout this experience. No, I can’t blame anyone but myself. I think I misjudged what was realistic. I’ve never been pregnant, and I think I romanticized what the pregnancy would be like. And now that we’re in the thick of it, I’m realizing that it may not be possible for the end (or new beginning?) to be the way I hope.
I want SO much to be there for the birth. But I’m very afraid I won’t be. When I expressed my fears to N this evening he told me I could move up to OK and wait for them to arrive if that’s what I need. But I know that’s not realistic. I do have a job to finish (though if the babies come, that’s just too bad). And I’d hate for LD to feel like a watched pot. And of course, chances are, if I were to go up now, they would wait until after the last day of school anyway. All I can do for now is pray that we’ll have enough warning that we can make it to the hospital before the babies are delivered. As much as I want them to wait until after school is done, I’m kind of hoping we go up next week for the u/s and they say it’s time to go into the hospital and deliver some babies. Just so we can stop the waiting.
LD seems to think that will be the day anyway. She’s had a dream that her water will break that night/morning, D thinks it will be that day, and apparently a friend of hers that is “slightly psychic” sees a 2 or a 7 in our future (how about both!). But even though it seems like a perfect arrangement, I don’t want them born that early. That would be one day shy of 35 weeks. That’s not long enough.
I know I’m over thinking things. I need to just let them come when and how they are going to. I can’t control this and I shouldn’t agonize over it, but that’s easier said than done.
05.06.09
Update
I just got off the phone with LD. She’s contracting. So they’re giving her fluids and some drug (I forgot what it’s called) to stop them. They’re also giving her antibiotics to make sure that the UTI she had is completely gone. They expect to send her home tonight once things have settled down (she says the contractions are starting to fizzle out). She doesn’t sound great. She’s shaky from the drugs and they had to stick her 4 times to finally get an IV in (plus, she nearly passed out from that). She was nauseous, so I suggested she ask the nurse to give her something for it. I’m pretty sure that’s what she was going to do as soon as we got off the phone. Poor thing went in by herself because she didn’t think it was going to be any big deal. I feel awful that she’s there alone (I know what that’s like)! I so wish school was over (or that I had some more sick days). I’d be up there camping out with her just so she would never have to be alone.
Anyway, on a funny/positive note, the babies are apparently very active tonight. I could hear the fetal monitors in the background, but they weren’t picking up their heart beats very well because Kyla and Lucas were moving around too much! Every now and then I’d hear the “whoosh” sound of one of them kicking at the monitor. LD said they really didn’t like it when the nurse put the monitors on. LOL Boy, those two are going to be a handful! And I can’t wait (strike that… I CAN wait. At least 3 more weeks, preferably).
Not worried, but prayers wouldn’t hurt
LD is on her way to L&D. She’s been having a lot of B/H today, which seems odd given she’s been taking the terbutaline. She asked me what I wanted her to do and I said “Have you called Dr. K?” She said “Duh. I didn’t think of that.” So she put in a call, and of course, he recommended that she come in to be checked. N said she’s just bored now that school is out and needed a little excitement. We’re all pretty sure it is no big deal (though the panic in N’s voice when he heard it was me on the line was interesting), but would rather err on the side of caution. We will be 32 weeks tomorrow, so we’d really like for Kyla and Lucas to stay snuggled in for a few more weeks. Prayers in that direction would be much appreciated.
Guess I’ll go do some dishes to keep myself distracted. That way if we are heading out today my MIL (who will come to take care of the dogs) won’t be coming into a completely filthy house!
