Wow! It has already been 8 weeks since the twinkies were born. I go back to work tomorrow...grudgingly. Baby S is doing wonderfully after his heart surgeries. He and his sister are growing and growing. They both have such squishy, chubby cheeks! :) They all flew home on May 2nd. They have been really busy with family and friends visiting. I am so happy for them all. S&G are such wonderful parents. We took our children to meet the twins before they flew home. S&G were so calm in letting our kiddos hold their babies. I think I was more paranoid! My kiddos love seeing new pictures and seeing how much they have grown already...I do, too, of course!
Recovery was pretty darn slow. This was my first c-section. I was getting quite frustrated that I just didn't seem to be improving much. After a week or two, I was back to 100% with my previous deliveries. This time...um, nope. Not at all. The docs said I would need all of the 8 weeks I took of to recover. I truly didn't feel good, and I mean, good to the point where I could honestly say good when someone asked how I was, until a full 6 weeks had passed. I'm feeling quite well now.
After I got home, I had difficulties sleeping in my bed. Each time I would lie down, I would have a hard time catching and keeping my breath. It was a bit scary. I slept on the couch in a slightly reclined position for several days. The doctor said that could have been due to the amount of blood loss and my blood pressure still. My levels regulated about 3 weeks after delivery. It was soooo nice to sleep in my own bed again! I was able to stop the blood pressure pills and blood thinner injections. That was a relief. My blood pressure has remained stable since then.
I also began having a hard time falling asleep at night. Every time I would close my eyes, I would see flashbacks of the c-section, all sorts of doctors and nurses around me talking about me bleeding, talk of a hysterectomy, being wheeled into another operating room, etc. I thought it was a bit of PTSD. My doctor agreed. He said with all I went through and how sudden it all happened, that it was certainly likely. As you recall, I met Baby T when S&G brought her to see me in the hospital. When I was discharged, Brad had a cold and we were unable to meet Baby S. We were finally able to meet him a couple weeks later. I think meeting him was just the closure I needed. I no longer have the flashbacks. I am still having a hard time falling asleep though. My doctor says going back to work may actually help that....having something to occupy my time and tire me out. We shall see soon enough.
Thank you to all who helped us out with the kiddos and everything when things didn't go quite as planned. I can't thank you enough! Thank you all for the prayers and happy thoughts. Every single prayer helped these babies and me. I know S&G are grateful for them as well. Thank you for your support. Now, we get to see these twinkies grow through pictures and celebrate their birthdays with our first surrobabe D! :) The fun is just beginning!
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Twinkies are here
I'm finally getting to the twinkies birth story. The last 10 days or so has been a whirlwind. It all started on Monday, March 21st with a high blood pressure reading at our normal appointment. The NST test went well that day. There was no protein in my urine. The doctor (not mine, as he was on paternity leave for his new little guy) wanted me to go back in for a recheck of my blood pressure on Wednesday. I wasn't expecting anything different, but it was around 168/100, not very good at all. The doc then said that since it had gone up over 30 points in 2 days, babies needed to come out sooner rather than later. There was now a trace of protein in my urine. She scheduled our c-section for Friday, March 25th, rather than waiting until our initial date of April 1st. She also sent me home with a gigantic jug to do a 24 hour urine collection to get a more accurate protein check. We thought it was pretty neat that the twinkies would have the same birthday as Baby D, my first surrobabe!! How neat is that?!
On Thursday, the doc called about the protein results from the 24 hour collection. She said that was a lot of protein now and that I needed to head to the hospital right away and anticipate babies to be born that night. I tried getting ahold of S&G, but they weren't answering. I figured they were out having a last "hurrah!" before the scheduled c-section the next morning. Brad and I got to the hospital, got all situated in our room, had my vitals checks, a vaginal exam (closed) and an ultrasound to see the twinkies were still transverse. My blood pressure was up even more. I definitely had pre-eclampsia now. It didn't take long for the doc to let us know that I would NOT be delivering there. She stated that the aggressive onset of the pre-eclampsia and the fact that it was twins, they didn't feel they could handle the delivery there. My hospital is quite small, but I love it. They informed us that I would be transported via ambulance to Madison. I was nervous. Everything seemed to happen so quickly. They started me on a magnesium sulfate drip...nasty stuff...to help prevent seizures. S&G called my back and said they'd meet us in Madison. Brad left to head to Madison so he would be there when I got there. I hated seeing him leave. The ambulance trip was rough, like, super bumpy and my butt was numb by the time we got to Madison...eh, the least of my worries, right.
Once we arrived at the Madison hospital (around 11:30pm), everyone was so nice and reassured us they would take great care of us. By the time they got me all prepped for the c-section, it was after 1am on the 25th. The c-section itself wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The "not knowing what to expect" was the worst. Brad was right there by my head to comfort me. Twinkies were born quite quickly. Baby boy S was born at 1:40am (6 pounds 10 oz), followed by his sister Baby T at 1:41am (6 pounds 9 oz). They both came out screaming. I didn't get to see them, but was happy to hear their cries. They finished me up and rolled me into recovery.
I don't recall how long I was in recovery. It was pretty much a haze. Brad was with me the entire time. They said I lost lots of blood and kept weighing pads. I was still numb, so I had no clue what they were doing. I think I kept going in an out of sleep, too. The doctor did tell us about the twinkies. She said Baby T was doing very well, but Baby S was in the NICU. She said he had a heart defect that we didn't know about and that he would be transferred to the children's hospital about a mile away for surgery. My heart absolutely sank. I know there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. I just felt (feel) so horrible, first the pre-e, then the urgent c-section, then this poor little newborn baby needing heart surgery.
I ended up getting 2 bags of blood and 1 of plasma. Brad said he almost lost it at one point when the doctor had her arm up inside me up to her elbow to try to stop the bleeding. I didn't realize just how bad things were. It was pretty touch and go for awhile. They spoke of a hysterectomy. They put a Bakri balloon inside my uterus to help with the bleeding. My uterus was the worst pain, still is really. They said they wanted to try something else before a hysterectomy was strongly considered, an endometrial (uterine) ablation. This is where they cauterize the arteries that were bleeding in my uterus. I was wheeled up to that operating room to have that procedure. They didn't want to put me under all the way due to my blood pressure, so they heavily sedated me. I don't remember a thing. I was in the ICU for the next day or so. The procedure and balloon seemed to help with the bleeding. Removing the Bakri balloon was such a relief.
I was then moved out of ICU and onto the OB floor. It was so much more comfortable and quiet there. S&G let me know that Baby S was having another heart surgery that Monday the 28th. He had a bit of difficulty coming off the bypass machine, but has improved. S said he's relearning to drink his bottles and is doing well. He's such a fighter!! S&G brought Baby T over to see me once I got out of the ICU. She's just such a doll!! They look so absolutely in love with her! We will get to meet Baby S when he is out of the hospital. I feel like I'm not complete until I meet him. I know the kids are looking forward to seeing the twinkies, too! :)
All the nurses were great. My recovery has been slow. I couldn't get up to walk for the first day or so while in the ICU because of the ablation, so that didn't help. I kept feeling like such a wuss and the nurses, along with all the many different doctors that I saw, said how my body went through a lot, way more than just a normal c-section. I'm on blood pressure and blood thinner meds. I have a checkup on Monday at my clinic. And in case you are wondering, yes, this is my last journey. I had actually decided this a few months ago, but all the craziness that happened totally sealed the deal on that. I tried my hardest to keep these babies baking and have them come into the world healthy. I came pretty darn close to actually losing my own life in the process and couldn't imagine leaving my husband and kids behind. Please continue to pray for Baby S and for strength for S&G to make it through.
On Thursday, the doc called about the protein results from the 24 hour collection. She said that was a lot of protein now and that I needed to head to the hospital right away and anticipate babies to be born that night. I tried getting ahold of S&G, but they weren't answering. I figured they were out having a last "hurrah!" before the scheduled c-section the next morning. Brad and I got to the hospital, got all situated in our room, had my vitals checks, a vaginal exam (closed) and an ultrasound to see the twinkies were still transverse. My blood pressure was up even more. I definitely had pre-eclampsia now. It didn't take long for the doc to let us know that I would NOT be delivering there. She stated that the aggressive onset of the pre-eclampsia and the fact that it was twins, they didn't feel they could handle the delivery there. My hospital is quite small, but I love it. They informed us that I would be transported via ambulance to Madison. I was nervous. Everything seemed to happen so quickly. They started me on a magnesium sulfate drip...nasty stuff...to help prevent seizures. S&G called my back and said they'd meet us in Madison. Brad left to head to Madison so he would be there when I got there. I hated seeing him leave. The ambulance trip was rough, like, super bumpy and my butt was numb by the time we got to Madison...eh, the least of my worries, right.
Once we arrived at the Madison hospital (around 11:30pm), everyone was so nice and reassured us they would take great care of us. By the time they got me all prepped for the c-section, it was after 1am on the 25th. The c-section itself wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The "not knowing what to expect" was the worst. Brad was right there by my head to comfort me. Twinkies were born quite quickly. Baby boy S was born at 1:40am (6 pounds 10 oz), followed by his sister Baby T at 1:41am (6 pounds 9 oz). They both came out screaming. I didn't get to see them, but was happy to hear their cries. They finished me up and rolled me into recovery.
I don't recall how long I was in recovery. It was pretty much a haze. Brad was with me the entire time. They said I lost lots of blood and kept weighing pads. I was still numb, so I had no clue what they were doing. I think I kept going in an out of sleep, too. The doctor did tell us about the twinkies. She said Baby T was doing very well, but Baby S was in the NICU. She said he had a heart defect that we didn't know about and that he would be transferred to the children's hospital about a mile away for surgery. My heart absolutely sank. I know there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. I just felt (feel) so horrible, first the pre-e, then the urgent c-section, then this poor little newborn baby needing heart surgery.
I ended up getting 2 bags of blood and 1 of plasma. Brad said he almost lost it at one point when the doctor had her arm up inside me up to her elbow to try to stop the bleeding. I didn't realize just how bad things were. It was pretty touch and go for awhile. They spoke of a hysterectomy. They put a Bakri balloon inside my uterus to help with the bleeding. My uterus was the worst pain, still is really. They said they wanted to try something else before a hysterectomy was strongly considered, an endometrial (uterine) ablation. This is where they cauterize the arteries that were bleeding in my uterus. I was wheeled up to that operating room to have that procedure. They didn't want to put me under all the way due to my blood pressure, so they heavily sedated me. I don't remember a thing. I was in the ICU for the next day or so. The procedure and balloon seemed to help with the bleeding. Removing the Bakri balloon was such a relief.
I was then moved out of ICU and onto the OB floor. It was so much more comfortable and quiet there. S&G let me know that Baby S was having another heart surgery that Monday the 28th. He had a bit of difficulty coming off the bypass machine, but has improved. S said he's relearning to drink his bottles and is doing well. He's such a fighter!! S&G brought Baby T over to see me once I got out of the ICU. She's just such a doll!! They look so absolutely in love with her! We will get to meet Baby S when he is out of the hospital. I feel like I'm not complete until I meet him. I know the kids are looking forward to seeing the twinkies, too! :)
All the nurses were great. My recovery has been slow. I couldn't get up to walk for the first day or so while in the ICU because of the ablation, so that didn't help. I kept feeling like such a wuss and the nurses, along with all the many different doctors that I saw, said how my body went through a lot, way more than just a normal c-section. I'm on blood pressure and blood thinner meds. I have a checkup on Monday at my clinic. And in case you are wondering, yes, this is my last journey. I had actually decided this a few months ago, but all the craziness that happened totally sealed the deal on that. I tried my hardest to keep these babies baking and have them come into the world healthy. I came pretty darn close to actually losing my own life in the process and couldn't imagine leaving my husband and kids behind. Please continue to pray for Baby S and for strength for S&G to make it through.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Parents are here, almost 35 weeks
The twinkies' parents arrived the end of February. We had an ultrasound and doctor appointment on Monday, so they got to see their babies!! How exciting! It was great to see S&G again. The little stinkers were facing my back once again, so we couldn't get any pictures. They are still measuring ahead. I was 34 weeks 4 days at the appointments. Their guesstimated weights are: boy - 6# 3oz, girl - 6# 12oz. Yep, definitely ahead. LOL. I'm so curious what they will weigh when they actually arrive. I guess I just grow big babies!
We are 35 weeks tomorrow. I'm so blessed to have made it this far. There were times along the way where I didn't know if I could possibly make it to 30 weeks, then 32, then 34. Now, with 35 just around the corner, I feel so accomplished to have kept them baking this long. Every day counts with twins. I am taking it day by day now. It seems like I have a good day, then a not so good day, then good, not good... My feet are absolutely killing me today. I had them up for 2 hours last night before bed to ease the swelling. I could barely put my sneakers on this morning and literally almost cried from the pain! I just keep reminding myself that we are in the home stretch now and that each and every pain is so totally worth it. If I don't go on my own, we are set for induction/c-section (twinkies are both transverse right now - BOOO!!) on April 1st at 38 weeks 1 day. I know, I know....April Fool's Day twins! Oh goodness! :)
Please keep the much needed and appreciated prayers and happy thoughts headed our way!!
We are 35 weeks tomorrow. I'm so blessed to have made it this far. There were times along the way where I didn't know if I could possibly make it to 30 weeks, then 32, then 34. Now, with 35 just around the corner, I feel so accomplished to have kept them baking this long. Every day counts with twins. I am taking it day by day now. It seems like I have a good day, then a not so good day, then good, not good... My feet are absolutely killing me today. I had them up for 2 hours last night before bed to ease the swelling. I could barely put my sneakers on this morning and literally almost cried from the pain! I just keep reminding myself that we are in the home stretch now and that each and every pain is so totally worth it. If I don't go on my own, we are set for induction/c-section (twinkies are both transverse right now - BOOO!!) on April 1st at 38 weeks 1 day. I know, I know....April Fool's Day twins! Oh goodness! :)
Please keep the much needed and appreciated prayers and happy thoughts headed our way!!
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Time flies!
Wow, it's been a long time since I last updated! Sorry! Life is busy. :) We are going to be 33 weeks tomorrow. I have my good days and my bad days. My feet are starting to swell a bit. Just the last couple days, my back has been aching something fierce at work. I sit at my desk all day and by the afternoon, it's almost unbearable to keep sitting there. Needless to say, it's nice to go home and relax with my feet up at the end of the day.
We just had an ultrasound and doctor appointment Monday. The ultrasound went well. Babies are 2 weeks ahead....shocker! LOL. The guesstimated weights are 5 pounds 3 ounces for Baby Boy A and 5 pounds 6 ounces for Baby Girl B. That is crazy big!! Combined, they are already 11 ounces bigger than my biggest baby. Some babies are BORN that big, just to put that into perspective. We could see the boy practice breathing, which was neat. Of all my other 5 pregnancies, I've never seen that before. The ultrasound tech said she guessed we only have 2-3 more weeks, based on their size, lack of room and the practice breathing seen. Both babies were facing my back, so no adorable pics to share with the parents. Boo!!
Baby Boy was head down at the last ultrasound. He is no longer. Little stinker!! I totally felt it when he moved, too...slightly painful. He is breech, transverse kinda (almost diagonal), with his head in my right hip and his tush and feet towards the exit. Baby Girl is transverse with her head down a bit and her feet completely.up.in.my.right.ribs!! Let's pray Baby Boy flips around before labor comes. I so want to avoid a c-section. I told my hubby I wasn't sure if I was more scared of the c-section itself or of the epidural. LOL. How weird is that!? I'd much rather labor and breath through hours of pain than get an epidural. Plus, I've heard of some of the side effects of those. No thank you. :) If it's needed, by all means, of course I will get the c-section. I'll do whatever it takes to keep these babies safe! We are in the home stretch now. Next appointment and scan are March 7th. S&G will be flying to the states next Monday, so they will be able to see their babies on the scan. I'm so excited for them. I can't imagine how they are feeling as D-Day gets closer and closer. Please keep the prayers and happy thoughts coming. I know we all greatly appreciate them!! Much love to all for your support!
We just had an ultrasound and doctor appointment Monday. The ultrasound went well. Babies are 2 weeks ahead....shocker! LOL. The guesstimated weights are 5 pounds 3 ounces for Baby Boy A and 5 pounds 6 ounces for Baby Girl B. That is crazy big!! Combined, they are already 11 ounces bigger than my biggest baby. Some babies are BORN that big, just to put that into perspective. We could see the boy practice breathing, which was neat. Of all my other 5 pregnancies, I've never seen that before. The ultrasound tech said she guessed we only have 2-3 more weeks, based on their size, lack of room and the practice breathing seen. Both babies were facing my back, so no adorable pics to share with the parents. Boo!!
Baby Boy was head down at the last ultrasound. He is no longer. Little stinker!! I totally felt it when he moved, too...slightly painful. He is breech, transverse kinda (almost diagonal), with his head in my right hip and his tush and feet towards the exit. Baby Girl is transverse with her head down a bit and her feet completely.up.in.my.right.ribs!! Let's pray Baby Boy flips around before labor comes. I so want to avoid a c-section. I told my hubby I wasn't sure if I was more scared of the c-section itself or of the epidural. LOL. How weird is that!? I'd much rather labor and breath through hours of pain than get an epidural. Plus, I've heard of some of the side effects of those. No thank you. :) If it's needed, by all means, of course I will get the c-section. I'll do whatever it takes to keep these babies safe! We are in the home stretch now. Next appointment and scan are March 7th. S&G will be flying to the states next Monday, so they will be able to see their babies on the scan. I'm so excited for them. I can't imagine how they are feeling as D-Day gets closer and closer. Please keep the prayers and happy thoughts coming. I know we all greatly appreciate them!! Much love to all for your support!
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