The Birth of my Twins

Well, I guess it all starts here.

Taken 9 days before birth.

My daughter and son were born February 23, 2014 at Brookwood Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama.  It was a beautiful and terrifying experience.  Here is the sequence of events:

1) I'm at home on complete bedrest at 31 weeks 5 days.  At this point, I had been on bed rest for 12 weeks so I had made peace with the fact that from time to time, I would definitely indulge in some trashy TV/Hulu/Netflix.  I had just finished old episodes of Flavor of Love seasons 1 and 2, couldn't get enough of the beautiful train wreck, then had to watch I Love New York, the illustrious spin-off series.  I was halfway through season 2 when...... my panties were a little soaked.  But just a little.  I changed panties.  Those soaked through within about 20 minutes.  First thought? Possible amniotic fluid leak, but I figured it was probably some watery discharge.  I called the on call doc, Dr. Huggins, who told me to come on in and get it checked out.

2) Husband is at a Dungeons and Dragons game with his friends.  This is a game for nerds.  I tried to play it once and was bored out of my mind.  I prefer Cards Against Humanity or Cranium.. or even Chess.  Anyway, I called him and he headed home, thinking it was a possible leak.

3) We arrive at the lovely Women's Center at Brookwood Hospital.  No, seriously, this place is like a spa.  I was admitted for preterm labor at 26 weeks and stayed a week.  I didn't want to leave.  They have HEATED TOILETS and will bring you all the food you want.

4) They don't even send me to triage.  They admit me, the nurse swabs me, the tip turns blue, positive for amniotic fluid.  Yes, I am leaking.  One of the bags has broken.  She checks my cervix and I am 1 cm dilated.  After she left the room, I got up to go to the restroom.  At this point it goes from amniotic fluid leak to water breaking all over the floor.  Husband proceeds to make me a towel diaper and helps me to the restroom.  I continue to leak bloody fluid for a while.

5) Dr. Huggins suggests that we try a vaginal birth, which I wanted anyway.  My doctor prefers C-sections on multiples due to the many complications he has seen in multiple births.  So, I decide to go to sleep and just see how things progress.

6) By 8 am I am 2 cm dilated so they give me some pitocin, which I had heard nightmarish things about, but it wasn't so bad..... YET.  I had wanted to do an all natural birth with no drugs.  My friend, who was pregnant with me, and I had just watched The Business of Being Born and decided to take the woo woo approach.  Yeah... probably not the best idea for multiples.  Needless to say, the more it progressed, the less intent on going au naturel I was, so when the nurse offered me Nubain, I told her to bring it on.

7) New on-call doc insists on placing an internal monitor.  I will not go into this because I am relaxed now and I will tell this story another time.  Let's just say I got an epidural right afterwards.

8 ) 8 p.m. arrives and I still haven't progressed past 4 cm.  So.. C-section.  Shit.  At this point, I am terrified.  In fact, when the anesthesiologist entered the room and asked how I was feeling I told him I was "scared shitless."  He laughed and said they would take good care of me.  This still did not change the fact that my last words to my mother before they wheeled me into the O.R. were "Mom, I don't want to die."  Apparently, my sister, who is a therapist, had to keep my mother calm during the whole procedure.  Sorry, Mommy.  I was truly terrified.

9 ) THE PROCEDURE

They wheeled me into the O.R. and would not let my husband come in until I was completely prepped.  I had already had an epidural so they just strengthened it so I went from legs feeling "asleep" to having no feeling at all.  I was terrified every second.  Surgery is scary, especially when you're awake and they're cutting into your pelvis.  They lay me down on the operating table and let me use my pillow from home (thank you!) and the CRNA is back with me.  Funny thing is, there were FIVE different women in the operating room with twins: me, the physician, the CRNA, the labor and delivery nurse, and the NICU nurse.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the smile of a woman scared out of her mind. 

The neonatologist and nurses from the NICU were in the room and prepared for the delivery.  That was comforting.  My husband finally arrives and I don't know if it's the fact that I know my babies or about to be born or if they put something in my IV, but I start to feel a little better.

At 8:23 p.m. on February 23, 2014, Olivia Claire was born and at 8:25, Harrison James was born.

Olivia, 3 lb 4 oz

Harrison, 3 lb 3 oz

Even knowing they were on their way to the NICU for God knows how long, I was obsessed from the first moment I saw them.