The weekend of December 7th, we got the first snowstorm of the season and I informed my co-workers that the babies would not arrive over the weekend because of the weather. I simply would not allow it. On Saturday, I lost my mucous plug and by Sunday, my contractions were more regular, though not enough to warrant a trip to the hospital. Still, something just felt different at that point, and I decided to call the doctor the next day.
Monday morning came and I was still feeling like something was up, so I called my OB's office. I talked with the triage nurse because I didn't think it was an emergency and she was just as stumped as I was about my symptoms. She paged the doctor on call (it wasn't my OB, but it was her partner) who was also intrigued. I was asked to stop by the hospital and pack my bags as if this was the real thing "just in case." I was going to be hooked up to monitors just to see what was happening.
I left work (yes, I went to work that morning) and headed home to pick up DH and my hospital bag. The whole trip to the hospital consisted of me complaining that it wasn't time to have babies yet and they were just going to send me home, so this was a wasted trip.
We arrived at the hospital and headed to the 4th floor (OB floor) where we were sent to a triage room to be hooked up. As usual, the nurse who was trying to get the babies set up on the NST had nothing but trouble. Finally, a more seasoned nurse came in and took over, but even she had trouble keeping Baby B on the monitor. We eventually got enough readings to find that when I was having contractions (which were getting more and more regular), Baby B's heart rate would drop dramatically from the 160s to the 80s. When my OB arrived, she took one look at this information and said that we would be having the babies today. I sent DH into the hall to start making phone calls. He called my office to tell them I wouldn't be back after all, called our families and talked to the nurses about our insurance.
This is when everything started happening very quickly. All of a sudden, the anesthesiologist was in the room to get consent forms signed and to give me an epidural. My OB was in the middle of working with another patient, so another OB, Dr. Stahl, came in the room to introduce himself and take over my case. He did give me the option of trying induction for vaginal delivery, but recommended C-section because Baby B was in distress. Epidural was placed and I was wheeled into the OR.
Everyone was so friendly! By the time DH got into the OR, they had already cut me open. I didn't feel a thing, which was very strange to me. I expected to feel something, even pressure, but it just wasn't there. Baby A came out first and DH got to announce that we had a little boy. Declan Turner White was born on 12/9/14 weighing 6lbs and was 19 inches long. A minute later, his sister, Piper Ainsley White was born weighing 4lbs 5oz and was 18 inches long. Both were whisked away to be cleaned up as I was being sewn back together. Piper was taken to another room to be cleaned up because she was the one in distress and needed extra tests. Blood was found in her stool and in her mouth and there was concern that she had some health issues. We got to see them both before they were taken to the nursery.
I was wheeled into my hospital room eventually. It was hours before we were able to see the babies again. They finally allowed us to go to the nursery to see them. Declan was a cute little guy who was doing very well, but needed some extra observation. The babies were born at 34 weeks, 6 days, so they were still considered preemies. Piper was being transferred to a different hospital for more tests, so I got to see her and touch her, but not hold her.
The next few days were a blur. I quickly got into a routine with Declan of visiting/feeding every three hours and bonded with him quickly. DH would drive to the other hospital where Piper was every day to visit her and deliver breast milk. Finally, Piper returned to the hospital with her brother on day 4. I was discharged on that day (was kept one extra day because of blood pressure and because the babies were still there). Piper was doing well and it was thought that she had simply swallowed some of my blood just before delivery and that her own body was fully developed and functioning well. She was put in the nursery next to her brother.
Day 4 was by far, the hardest day for me. I cried all day long because I had to go home for the first time and wasn't going home with my babies. We would go home at 8pm and be back at the hospital by 10am (if not sooner) every day. On December 17th, we got to room-in with the babies as a trial before bringing them home. Declan was up all night long which made for some exhausted parents. However, we got to take our babies home on December 18th.
In one week, they will be 4 months old. Their first three months of life have gone by so quickly. Every day, the change a little more and I have never been so in love as I am with these two amazing people. They have slept through the night since 2 months of age. They smile and chatter with us and they have such a great routine. I cannot wait to see what they will become as they grow, but I am also sad to say goodbye to each day as they change so fast.
