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Hospital vaginal twin birth

9K views 14 replies 14 participants last post by  marcellacrosson 
#1 · (Edited)
I have been asked to post my birth story. It's long, but there are two babies, after all!

This birth story isn't all natural, and it isn't a homebirth, and it isn't without some intervention, but it's mine, and I'm grateful, and praising God for every step of it...and I sit here typing with two healthy newborn twins of five days old!

I have had many birth experiences. I've had natural hospital deliveries, I've had inductions with epidurals, I've had homebirths, and I've had 2 c-sections (one for a persistent transverse presentation and a forced repeat c-section due to a VBAC ban). This birth is nothing like the others, and the journey began when I found out we were going to be welcoming twins!

I am a tubal reversal patient, so I am at increased risk for ectopic pregnancy. When I find out I'm pregnant, I go see my OB and he does a quick ultrasound around 6 weeks, to ensure the sac is in the uterus and not the tubes. It's just part of reality for me now. When I found out I was pregnant this time, I knew it was twins. I had dreams, I felt it so surely, that I told my husband. When he took me for the ultrasound, my OB (with whom we are quite close and have a great relationship) says, "There's the sac", and I said, "Well, then what's the other one?!" My OB laughed and said, "That would be a second sac!". So I socked my husband and said, "SEE! I told you!"

The pregnancy went well. I experienced a lot of what twin mothers talk about with the discomforts, etc. I worked very hard to gain a lot of weight on really healthy foods and high protein, as recommended by Brewer and Dr Luke. I gained a lot of weight, but I felt my babies growing strong. I make big babies, do not have GD, and told my doctor that these would be the biggest twins he'd ever deliver. He didn't argue! Once I hit 30 weeks, the challenges really began. I didn't sleep. I couldn't lay down in bed, as the pressure was so great it was painful and I also couldn't breathe. Eating was a chore. My pelvic joints were being thrashed. I prayed daily for strength.

We intended on a vaginal birth, even though I'm a VBA2C, and my OB supported me..but, he was the only one. So, we knew we'd need a scheduled delivery for him to be in attendance. We picked 38-39 weeks initially. At 33 weeks I began to swell in my feet and occasionally my hands. My blood pressure, which is normally very low, began to increase.

At my appointment at 36 weeks and 3 days my blood pressure was up very high for me, I had protein in my urine and my platelets were dropping. Despite all I had done to avoid preeclampsia, it seemed it was finding me. My OB sent me to the labor floor for monitoring. Babies looked great, but my body didn't. I had to spend the night and we'd start with a very gentle induction in the morning.

The plan was to start pitocin until my cervix was dilated enough to break my water. I have a very posterior cervix, which makes even a cervical exam much before 6 cm very difficult. It's just how I'm made. In the morning we found I was barely a fingertip dilated, and I was about 75% effaced. We checked with a quick ultrasound and both babies were still head down. That was the best position, though Baby B could have been another position and we'd still attempt.

I got pitocin around 11 am. The contractions began immediately, but were nothing more than disorganized tugs and pains I'd felt at home. My OB encouraged an epidural but left it up to me. I wanted one this time, as my fears over Baby B, which are rooted in potential complications, as well as a real life experience of one of my best friends, told me it was a good safeguard.

There still wasn't much in the way of pain I couldn't handle, so my husband and I just sat around talking..not talking..watching TV..listening to the babies thumping away. I wasn't mobile due to swelling and high blood pressure, which made it really weird for this free laborer!

I got the epidural late afternoon, hoping it would speed things up in my cervix. Since I'm a VBA2C my Ob is really cautious with induction. I was just starting to get some larger doses of pit, when the contractions began ramping up. The epidural was welcome.

I took a little nap and we chatted, and in the late evening, the epidural was not working anymore. My OB broke the water on Baby A. Clear and both babies looked great. Now things got a bit busy...the anesthesiologist, bless his heart, kept continuing to adjust my epidural, where it would either not work at all, or would work to decrease the pain for a very short time. I labored through nearly all the contractions, with my husband and dear friend.

Finally, a little after midnight, the anesthesiologist adjusted and increased the dose because everyone could tell I was very close to being ready to push, even without a cervical exam. The pain relaxed, and I was thankful, in the event I needed a c-section for one or both..I didn't want to have general anesthesia for that!

My OB checked me, and said I was complete, everyone got excited but me, who was feeling a ton of pressure and a lot of contractions one after the other. I was relieved to begin pushing, however, as it's my only part of labor I feel I do well...We wheeled across the hall to the OR where we all decided it would be best for me to deliver. There were a lot of people! Very different from my natural hospital births previous. There were 2 anesthesiologists, countless nurses, surgical techs, a pediatrician, pediatric nurses, two warming tables, my husband, my friend and my OB.

As soon as I got to the OR, my OB said I could push when I felt ready, or it was OK to rest. I said, "Oh my gosh, it's not up to me!" and I began pushing. Three pushes on the first contraction, and baby girl was almost out! Next contraction came and her head came out on the first push, and then her shoulders and she was out! Everyone cheered and exclaimed how big she is! She went right to my chest and began seeking out the nipple. No matter how many babies I have..I always forget just how warm they are..how fresh...how emotional it makes me. I praised God for her safe arrival, and my husband prayed with us.

My doctor felt my abdomen, along with a nurse. They concluded my head down baby had gone transverse. This is when c-sections can happen. He gently reached in my cervix, and pressed on my abdomen and gently turned him head down. I could feel it, but he was so gentle and it was slow moving but deliberate. He ruptured his bag of waters, and out flowed his fluid that had helped to sustain him side by side in the womb with his "big" sister all those months. My doctor told me just to rest until I felt a contraction...I said..."Now!"

I pushed through one contraction and he was born. I could tell he was bigger than his sister as I was pushing. Later I'd find out his head was a full 1 1/2 cm larger, and his chest much bigger. He was a boy!

The crowd again cheered and we ogled him. Baby girl was now moved to the warmer to weigh while I got to know her brother on my chest. He was so beautiful, as well! Big and warm and sweet...

We waited for the placentas, and I received pitocin as I had requested to quell my fear of PPH due to overextended uterus. I did great! Both placentas came out rather quickly, and my bleeding was no big deal! Even with those huge babies!

Lorelei Rose was born on 3/18 at 12:38 am and was 7 lbs 10 oz and 19" long.

Ezra Gideon was born at 12:50 am and was 8 lbs 1 oz and 19 1/2" long.

It was a wonderful experience. The nurses wrapped me in warmed blankets with my babies skin to skin on my chest. We immediately went back to my labor room where I got clean, I got to eat a nice meal, and mostly just get to know and feed my babies.

It's amazing to breastfeed twins! I generally have a big problem with engorgement by this time, but not now! While my milk came in plentiful, there is another mouth to help take it away! It's been an experience I will never forget, and I know it will just continue to be as the days go by.
 

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