Also...while I was pregnant, especially in the last long few weeks, I searched and read every twin birth story I could find. I want to make our story available to other twin families looking for another story to help ease stress or just simply pass the time. I also looked for post-partum recovery/life stories as well. (That blog post is coming too)
First some information that may seem important. Our due date was October 14th, which marks 40 weeks pregnant. We knew from the first appointment that I wouldn't go further than 38 weeks with twins. That date would have been September 30th. We marked that date as the "date of induction" (in our heads only...we never got far enough to actually schedule it). From the start of the 3rd trimester, we kept an eye on any signs of early labor, but there wasn't ever any concern or sign that I would have the babies early. My past pregnancies were all either "on time" or scheduled inductions. We knew with twins there is a higher chance of early labor, but I had no real signs pointing to that.
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| 35 weeks pregnant pic (4 days before labor) |
On my 35 week appointment my doctor was delivering a baby so I saw his PA. No biggie, I love her! We were doing the Strep B test, and she offered to check my cervix. I think 35 weeks is a little early to usually check, but with twins and no more than 3 weeks until babies would be here I figured we might as well.
Turns out...I was already dilated to a 6. Yup. Just walking around already over halfway ready to deliver a baby and still no real true signs of labor. I was having these odd Braxton Hicks contractions, if thats even what we'd call them. In the middle of the night, I would hurt, like a light contraction for like two hours straight. But since they didn't come and go in regular intervals, I never worried about them too much. The PA was ready to send me to the hospital, but I asked her to wait and see what my doctor said. I wasn't having contractions and I know they would send me home if I wasn't progressing. So I went home and waited to hear from my doctor. I did call Ethan at work to let him know that there was a possibility that we'd be heading to the hospital tonight.
And if not tonight...it would probably be soon.
The doctor told me to keep a close eye on how I was feeling and if I had more than two contractions in an hour to head to the hospital to get checked. I asked him about those "long Braxton hicks" and he said if the pain got any worse to head in. Better to be over cautious than deliver twins at home. In the meantime, I was to sit and relax in my recliner and watch a lot of Netflix. Ugh. Boring. But necessary. We were hoping to make it another week.
Ethan was supposed to be heading to Kansas City on Saturday for a family wedding, that everyone but me was going. So, he cancelled his plans, and we called my mom as a "just in case" something happens we have someone here for the big kids.
Thursday night, in the middle of the night, I had another one of those long Braxton Hicks...but it wasn't more painful than before. Ugh! There is nothing that makes you distrust your body more than trying to decide if it's time to go to the hospital. I probably changed my mind 47 times from 1:30 AM until 4 AM. Finally I decided that we would head it to have me evaluated, but I would probably be back home in time to wave to the kids on the bus. The logical thinker in me finally made the decision based on traffic. We have construction on pretty much every major road in and out of Wichita right now, and I figured we could be to the hospital and back (when they inevitably would send me home) before traffic would be crazy. In my mind we'd be home in time to see the kids off from school.
At the hospital they checked me and I was still at a 6, but all other factors were ready to go. Baby A was SUPER low, fully effaced, and light contractions that were showing up on the monitor. They decided to have me walk laps around the maternity floor for about an hour while we waited for my doctor to finish up an early morning surgery.
The walking got things moving. But the weird thing was, I never felt what you would call a regular contraction...especially for someone progressing from a 6 to an 8 in labor. It never really hurt, it was more like intense pressure in my lower back...like I could feel them moving lower and lower. After the hour of walking I was dilated to an 8 and we were going to have some babies today! It was about 8:00 AM at this point and everyone was expecting the babies to be here by 10. But I stalled. Stayed at an 8 for four more hours.
At 12:30, Ethan got the OK to go grab some lunch quickly and he headed out, while I watched reruns of Friends and tried to nap a little. I had my epidural probably by 10 AM so I wasn't feeling anything really.
At 1:00 the nurse checked me again, and now we were ready to roll...I called Ethan, who was in the parking lot just walking up to the building. It was time to go. I would deliver in the operating room in case surgery was needed, but both babies were head down and we were hoping to do be able to deliver both vaginally, as I had with my four other babies. If things mirrored those deliveries, it would go quickly with very little pushing.
They got everyone dressed and ready as they wheeled me around. I knew the room would be cold and there would be many people, from different departments there...but I didn't realize just how many. That room was full. The hospital is a teaching hospital, so each group of professionals had a WSU nursing student in the room too. There was my doctor, another doctor, NICU doctors and nurses for each baby, a nurse for me, anesthesiologist...and probably 6 students. All plus me and my husband. (I totally could have said no to the students, but I am...or was a teacher...and the learning process is so important. Plus, they'd get to see twins delivered!)
Time to push for Baby A, Gabriel would be first. One good push and he was out! He was ready to go! They briefly showed him to me and took him to the table to be evaluated by the NICU team, and it was time for Isabelle. I was not prepared for how quickly I would push for her. I figured there would need to be some time for her to get in place, but 4 minutes later (and 2-3 pushes) and she was out too. I got to snuggle her skin to skin while they finished up with Gabe. I'm so thankful I got that time with her, because she would end up needing to spend some time in the NICU so her lungs could finish maturing. I will have an entire post dedicated to her NICU stay and what that was like.
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| Baby Gabriel snuggles |
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| Baby Isabell snuggles |
Babies Stats:
Gabriel: 5 lbs. 10 oz born at 1:33 PM
Isabelle: 5 lbs. 8 oz born at 1:37 PM
Gabriel, Ethan, and I went back to the recovery room while we waited for me to gain the feeling back in my legs. I was able to nurse him and get something to eat. I also experienced intense shaking in my shoulders, which the nurse told me was due to the hormones and changes my body just went through. I shook so much that I was sore the next few days. Crazy! I was able to eat and feed Gabe and Ethan was able to go to the NICU to find out information on Izzy. She would be there a little while, but that's information for later.
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| Daddy and Gabriel |
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| Mommy and Gabriel |
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| Daddy and Isabelle |
Gabe and I stayed two days in the hospital as we worked to make sure his blood sugars would regulate. We went to see Izzy often in the NICU and had a few visitors before departing on Sunday afternoon. Isabelle would stay another week, and I'll talk more in detail as to what that was like.
As previously, with my other babies, I really enjoyed my experience at St. Joseph hospital in Wichita. I absolutely love my doctor and all the doctors I've seen at Ascension Via Christi and I will always recommend them for labor and delivery!
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