have arrived!!
In short, my water broke Saturday morning around 6am (I had been having mild contractions since 4:30), we went to the hospital around 9, my aunt- who is a midwife- met us there around 11. We had a nice, peaceful labor for a few hours, I was checked at 2pm and was 9cm, we then moved back to the OR where I delivered Emilia Mary vaginally in 2 pushes- she was born at 4:22 pm (5lbs 15oz, 18 in.)
All heck pretty much broke loose from there, and Julia Anne was born 8 minutes later via emergency c-section! She was 6lbs 5oz, 18.2 in. long, and despite a scary few moments at the beginning, she is beautiful, healthy, and doing great. Both girls are breastfeeding wonderfully
Will post extended birth story when we get home- here is a pic:
http://picasaweb.google.com/sarahroo...43765266015154
The story of their births!
I woke up Saturday morning (I was 38 wks 4 days) at around 3:30 with diarrhea and some cramping, went back to sleep and woke up again around 4:30 with more of the same. Around 6am, the cramping became more regular (but was still very mild), and by 6:30 I began to leak water. It was never a gush, more of just a steady leak until later when my contractions got stronger. I called my aunt (who is a midwife and was meeting us at the hospital) and then we went in around 9am. I had been seeing a midwife throughout my pregnancy, who works in conjunction with the attending OBs at the hospital where we delivered. It was understood that when I went into labor (because of the twins) my care would be monitored by my midwife along with the on call OB. So, when we arrived, we fought tooth and nail to get a labor & delivery room in the 'regular' wing of the hospital, as everyone was insisting we must labor in the high risk wing, which we did not want to do. We did go into a regular room, and had a nice peaceful labor there. I was on and off of the birth ball, and walking around, my contractions didn't really get more intense until around 12pm.
The OB really wanted me to have an epidural since baby b was transverse and if he could not turn her I would need a c-section. We compromised and I agreed to have the epidural placed, but not dosed. Let me tell ya, I think having that done was the most uncomfortable part of the labor! Then, around 2pm I was checked, and was at 9cm, so we were moved to the OR (where all multiples deliver at this hospital). When we got in, OB was there, and he (along with my midwife) discussed with us the possibility of needing to do a c-section for baby b if things did not go smoothly (she didn't turn head down or breech). They both felt that since my labor was pretty much complete, the safest thing to do was to have the epidural dosed just in case something went wrong. I really did not want to be put under general anesthesia, so I agreed to have the epidural dosed as long as the dose was light enough to allow me to push the babies out. At 4:22 pm, Emilia was born in 2 pushes, and was perfect and beautiful
The rest is sort of a blur, it happened SO quickly, but this is what I know: baby b's heart rate dropped to 60 pretty much immediately and was not recovering. OB reached up and did some external pushing to try and turn baby b. They did a quick ultrasound to check her position, and she was head down, but presenting face-first, which from what I was told is an impossible way to be born vaginally. The decision was made in an instant to do an emergency c-section, and before I knew it, I was being cut, and was given some medication through my IV to get very sleepy, so I don't remember much from there. Julia was delivered 8 minutes after her sister, and though the first minutes were a little scary, she recovered quickly, and was taken to the recovery room with her sister where my mom, my aunt, and DH got to hold and spend time with both of them. I got there about an hour later, and breastfed them both right away.
The experience was very surreal, and though it was not the delivery I had hoped for, I am thankful for SO many things. I got to push Emilia out, which was amazing and empowering. Both girls are perfectly healthy, and so am I. Julia is doing wonderful, she is an awesome breast feeder (as is her sister) and they are both so content. Oh- and they are identical! We had been told throughout the pregnancy that they were fraternal, but upon examining the membranes and placentas, the doctor told us that they actually shared 1 chorion and their placentas were fused.
Okay- off to nurse some babies
In short, my water broke Saturday morning around 6am (I had been having mild contractions since 4:30), we went to the hospital around 9, my aunt- who is a midwife- met us there around 11. We had a nice, peaceful labor for a few hours, I was checked at 2pm and was 9cm, we then moved back to the OR where I delivered Emilia Mary vaginally in 2 pushes- she was born at 4:22 pm (5lbs 15oz, 18 in.)
All heck pretty much broke loose from there, and Julia Anne was born 8 minutes later via emergency c-section! She was 6lbs 5oz, 18.2 in. long, and despite a scary few moments at the beginning, she is beautiful, healthy, and doing great. Both girls are breastfeeding wonderfully
Will post extended birth story when we get home- here is a pic:
http://picasaweb.google.com/sarahroo...43765266015154
The story of their births!
I woke up Saturday morning (I was 38 wks 4 days) at around 3:30 with diarrhea and some cramping, went back to sleep and woke up again around 4:30 with more of the same. Around 6am, the cramping became more regular (but was still very mild), and by 6:30 I began to leak water. It was never a gush, more of just a steady leak until later when my contractions got stronger. I called my aunt (who is a midwife and was meeting us at the hospital) and then we went in around 9am. I had been seeing a midwife throughout my pregnancy, who works in conjunction with the attending OBs at the hospital where we delivered. It was understood that when I went into labor (because of the twins) my care would be monitored by my midwife along with the on call OB. So, when we arrived, we fought tooth and nail to get a labor & delivery room in the 'regular' wing of the hospital, as everyone was insisting we must labor in the high risk wing, which we did not want to do. We did go into a regular room, and had a nice peaceful labor there. I was on and off of the birth ball, and walking around, my contractions didn't really get more intense until around 12pm.
The OB really wanted me to have an epidural since baby b was transverse and if he could not turn her I would need a c-section. We compromised and I agreed to have the epidural placed, but not dosed. Let me tell ya, I think having that done was the most uncomfortable part of the labor! Then, around 2pm I was checked, and was at 9cm, so we were moved to the OR (where all multiples deliver at this hospital). When we got in, OB was there, and he (along with my midwife) discussed with us the possibility of needing to do a c-section for baby b if things did not go smoothly (she didn't turn head down or breech). They both felt that since my labor was pretty much complete, the safest thing to do was to have the epidural dosed just in case something went wrong. I really did not want to be put under general anesthesia, so I agreed to have the epidural dosed as long as the dose was light enough to allow me to push the babies out. At 4:22 pm, Emilia was born in 2 pushes, and was perfect and beautiful
The rest is sort of a blur, it happened SO quickly, but this is what I know: baby b's heart rate dropped to 60 pretty much immediately and was not recovering. OB reached up and did some external pushing to try and turn baby b. They did a quick ultrasound to check her position, and she was head down, but presenting face-first, which from what I was told is an impossible way to be born vaginally. The decision was made in an instant to do an emergency c-section, and before I knew it, I was being cut, and was given some medication through my IV to get very sleepy, so I don't remember much from there. Julia was delivered 8 minutes after her sister, and though the first minutes were a little scary, she recovered quickly, and was taken to the recovery room with her sister where my mom, my aunt, and DH got to hold and spend time with both of them. I got there about an hour later, and breastfed them both right away.
The experience was very surreal, and though it was not the delivery I had hoped for, I am thankful for SO many things. I got to push Emilia out, which was amazing and empowering. Both girls are perfectly healthy, and so am I. Julia is doing wonderful, she is an awesome breast feeder (as is her sister) and they are both so content. Oh- and they are identical! We had been told throughout the pregnancy that they were fraternal, but upon examining the membranes and placentas, the doctor told us that they actually shared 1 chorion and their placentas were fused.
Okay- off to nurse some babies
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