This will come to be one of my most favorite days for the rest of my life!!! Yes, it is your birthday. Why so early considering our expected November 16th due date? Well, let me ATTEMPT to explain.
Just prior to your arrival, I was making arrangements at work to prepare for my absence. In fact, I had just finished cross-training and alerting everyone that day. Was it intuition, I don’t know; but let’s just say I was already feeling very uncomfortable physically. Two weekends prior, over Labor Day weekend, my family made a trip to Estes Park to celebrate my cousin Alex’s wedding. The altitude was a little concerning but I took things pretty easy. Only once did I have to take Kaboom and Weezy around the wilderness for a potty break. Yes, I said dogs. Kaboom and Weezy along with all 7 cousin dogs (Choco, Ruby, Brian, Jimmy, Dukie, Boozer, and Tucker (whom was adopted just the previous day) embarked on the adventure with us. The details of the trip aren’t so important except for the fact that it was suspected that I developed poison ivy days after we returned to reality.
So, bloated and rashed, I decided the next Saturday (Sept. 11th – I should’ve known right there that it was going to be an unlucky day) to take the dogs to the groomers to get a bath to clean them from their escapades in the wilderness the previous weekend. I took the Jeep, LOL! And needless to say, I called your papa for a jump…that darn Jeep has it out for me. I remember your papa saying that day, “you really should drive a more reliable car given your condition.” After that, I decided that I really need to start taking it easy. I could barely drive given my “condition” and so it was time to start a work-from-home schedule. That next week, I planned to only go into work 3 of the 5 days. And, I only ended up making it 2 of the 3.
On Tuesday, September 14, 2010 I arrived home from work feeling the most uncomfortable I have ever felt. I had planned on doing some grocery shopping that evening but wasn’t feeling well so hit the couch for the evening instead. Your daddy called just after 8 pm and on his way home from football practice planned to pick us up some dinner from California Pizza Kitchen. A few bites in to my tostada pizza I suddenly began to feel an ooze or leakage, if you will. I warned your dad and he paused the television show we were watching (can’t quite remember what we were watching). Then, suddenly, as I rushed to the restroom, a huge gush! This was definitely not normal so we called the doc. I wasn’t feeling any pain indicating contractions yet but she told us to go to labor and delivery at the hospital just in case. At that moment I began to cry while your dad scrambled to collect some necessities that we would need at the hospital (our “hospital bag” had not been packed yet, that was on the to-do list for one of the next couple of weekends). I was crying because all I kept thinking was “it is too early!” We were only 31 weeks that day and my goal all along was to make it to at least 32 weeks.
Minutes later we were in the car on the way to the hospital. That drive was a little fuzzy for me as contractions were setting in. The only thing I remember was saying to your daddy, “what if we have babies tonight?” He replied, “we are NOT having babies tonight!”
We were not at all familiar with the hospital considering we were supposed to attend the hospital tour and registration that very next night. So, your dad pulled up to the Hospital Entrance (not the ER entrance) and ran inside to find out where to go. The guard told me to head up to the third floor and in the mean time he would warn labor & delivery that I was on my way. So I walked all by myself to the third floor all the while continuing to “leak” and your dad parked the car.
We estimate that I was gowned and geared on the delivery table by around 10 pm. For the next hour, which felt like an eternity, I spent in constant and excrutiating pain; I was in active labor and there didn’t seem to be a break in the contractions. When the doctor finally arrived in a casual and calm manner (she was clearly misinformed of my condition), she immediately examined my cervix to realize that I was 4 cm dialated. She advised a cesarean section due to baby B being breach and probably larger than baby A (making a breach extraction unadvisable). To tell the truth, at that moment I really didn’t care as long as pain relief was VERY near in the future. My trust for your well being as well as mine was in the doctor’s hands 100% as long as pain relief was VERY near in the future.
The next few hours were a blur. I am so lucky that your dad got some of the delivery videoed on my Iphone (the only camera we had on us since we did not have time to pack that hospital bag). The few things that I do remember was the pain relief. I was to receive a spinal block. The nurses asked if I wanted to wait until my contraction subsided before administering the block. I remember saying “no way” and was in a crouched position in a heart beat regardless of the never-ending contraction I was pained with. Then, FINALLY, to my relief, everything became cold and numb. Suddenly, your dad was by my side and he videoed the next few minutes which included the successful delivery and the crying of our twin babies. Then just as fast as he arrived, he was gone again and on his way to the NICU with you both.
The next few hours (for me) were even more of a blur than the previous few hours. Before being wheeled to the recovery room, I remember lying painless on the operating table, while the doctors did those less interesting parts of the cesarean delivery, and falling asleep. I had warm blankets on my arms, I was completely numb from chest down, and I was exhausted. I actually startled myself snoring! For me, the recovery began at around 3 am the next EARLY morning, with Grandma and Grandpa, Memaw and Papa and Auntie Shawna by my side. For the babies, the journey only began!
Just prior to your arrival, I was making arrangements at work to prepare for my absence. In fact, I had just finished cross-training and alerting everyone that day. Was it intuition, I don’t know; but let’s just say I was already feeling very uncomfortable physically. Two weekends prior, over Labor Day weekend, my family made a trip to Estes Park to celebrate my cousin Alex’s wedding. The altitude was a little concerning but I took things pretty easy. Only once did I have to take Kaboom and Weezy around the wilderness for a potty break. Yes, I said dogs. Kaboom and Weezy along with all 7 cousin dogs (Choco, Ruby, Brian, Jimmy, Dukie, Boozer, and Tucker (whom was adopted just the previous day) embarked on the adventure with us. The details of the trip aren’t so important except for the fact that it was suspected that I developed poison ivy days after we returned to reality.
So, bloated and rashed, I decided the next Saturday (Sept. 11th – I should’ve known right there that it was going to be an unlucky day) to take the dogs to the groomers to get a bath to clean them from their escapades in the wilderness the previous weekend. I took the Jeep, LOL! And needless to say, I called your papa for a jump…that darn Jeep has it out for me. I remember your papa saying that day, “you really should drive a more reliable car given your condition.” After that, I decided that I really need to start taking it easy. I could barely drive given my “condition” and so it was time to start a work-from-home schedule. That next week, I planned to only go into work 3 of the 5 days. And, I only ended up making it 2 of the 3.
On Tuesday, September 14, 2010 I arrived home from work feeling the most uncomfortable I have ever felt. I had planned on doing some grocery shopping that evening but wasn’t feeling well so hit the couch for the evening instead. Your daddy called just after 8 pm and on his way home from football practice planned to pick us up some dinner from California Pizza Kitchen. A few bites in to my tostada pizza I suddenly began to feel an ooze or leakage, if you will. I warned your dad and he paused the television show we were watching (can’t quite remember what we were watching). Then, suddenly, as I rushed to the restroom, a huge gush! This was definitely not normal so we called the doc. I wasn’t feeling any pain indicating contractions yet but she told us to go to labor and delivery at the hospital just in case. At that moment I began to cry while your dad scrambled to collect some necessities that we would need at the hospital (our “hospital bag” had not been packed yet, that was on the to-do list for one of the next couple of weekends). I was crying because all I kept thinking was “it is too early!” We were only 31 weeks that day and my goal all along was to make it to at least 32 weeks.
Minutes later we were in the car on the way to the hospital. That drive was a little fuzzy for me as contractions were setting in. The only thing I remember was saying to your daddy, “what if we have babies tonight?” He replied, “we are NOT having babies tonight!”
We were not at all familiar with the hospital considering we were supposed to attend the hospital tour and registration that very next night. So, your dad pulled up to the Hospital Entrance (not the ER entrance) and ran inside to find out where to go. The guard told me to head up to the third floor and in the mean time he would warn labor & delivery that I was on my way. So I walked all by myself to the third floor all the while continuing to “leak” and your dad parked the car.
We estimate that I was gowned and geared on the delivery table by around 10 pm. For the next hour, which felt like an eternity, I spent in constant and excrutiating pain; I was in active labor and there didn’t seem to be a break in the contractions. When the doctor finally arrived in a casual and calm manner (she was clearly misinformed of my condition), she immediately examined my cervix to realize that I was 4 cm dialated. She advised a cesarean section due to baby B being breach and probably larger than baby A (making a breach extraction unadvisable). To tell the truth, at that moment I really didn’t care as long as pain relief was VERY near in the future. My trust for your well being as well as mine was in the doctor’s hands 100% as long as pain relief was VERY near in the future.
The next few hours were a blur. I am so lucky that your dad got some of the delivery videoed on my Iphone (the only camera we had on us since we did not have time to pack that hospital bag). The few things that I do remember was the pain relief. I was to receive a spinal block. The nurses asked if I wanted to wait until my contraction subsided before administering the block. I remember saying “no way” and was in a crouched position in a heart beat regardless of the never-ending contraction I was pained with. Then, FINALLY, to my relief, everything became cold and numb. Suddenly, your dad was by my side and he videoed the next few minutes which included the successful delivery and the crying of our twin babies. Then just as fast as he arrived, he was gone again and on his way to the NICU with you both.
The next few hours (for me) were even more of a blur than the previous few hours. Before being wheeled to the recovery room, I remember lying painless on the operating table, while the doctors did those less interesting parts of the cesarean delivery, and falling asleep. I had warm blankets on my arms, I was completely numb from chest down, and I was exhausted. I actually startled myself snoring! For me, the recovery began at around 3 am the next EARLY morning, with Grandma and Grandpa, Memaw and Papa and Auntie Shawna by my side. For the babies, the journey only began!
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