After waiting and worrying and being pregnant for far too long, we actually made it all the way to our C-section date at 37 weeks and 2 days. The extra two days were so Aaron could make it to the last two days of class.
Around Thanksgiving time I got a second wind and I felt fairly good, thinking positive thoughts. But those last three days - probably because I knew I was so close to the end, I spent a lot of time moaning and being miserable. Naturally, this led to negative thoughts about having a C-section, about bringing home two little people and everything changing. It was those times that I told Aaron to tell me everything positive about the situation and how great everything would turn out. He helped, but he was also secretly very nervous - I don't know if it's better to know the exact date your babies are coming or not…
Around Thanksgiving time I got a second wind and I felt fairly good, thinking positive thoughts. But those last three days - probably because I knew I was so close to the end, I spent a lot of time moaning and being miserable. Naturally, this led to negative thoughts about having a C-section, about bringing home two little people and everything changing. It was those times that I told Aaron to tell me everything positive about the situation and how great everything would turn out. He helped, but he was also secretly very nervous - I don't know if it's better to know the exact date your babies are coming or not…
After a sleepless night full of waddling to the bathroom and attempting to adjust the mountain of pillows that supported my massive belly, we got up and left for the hospital at 5:15 AM. We checked into Labor and Delivery - this time we were actually admitted! :) I put on my gown and we did the drill of finding baby heartbeats to connect to monitors. The nurses checked one more time with an ultrasound the position of the babies - both were breach with their little heads right next to each other. The anesthesiologist came in and started the epidural (which was NOT a big deal FYI). I didn't know it at the time, but this man was going to be my best friend during the surgery.
They placed an IV, gave me some medications and my legs started numbing. In reality the whole process of prep was two hours, but it went quickly and before I knew it I was in the operating room (OR).
They placed an IV, gave me some medications and my legs started numbing. In reality the whole process of prep was two hours, but it went quickly and before I knew it I was in the operating room (OR).
Here are my observations: the table was quite narrow and my numb legs had to be belted in so I would stay on top. I didn’t quite have to lay on my back, they put a rolled up blanket under one side of my torso. The OR is freezing cold and I began shaking immediately. This earned me one of those heated space blankets over my top half from the anesthesiologist, AKA my best friend. C-sections are weird because it's the only abdominal surgery where the patient is awake (and delivering another human being). Aaron decided it was best to keep his eyes far away from the cutting and blood, so he stayed by my head holding my hand. We faced the tall blue curtain protecting us from too much information. Surgeons move quickly and with a lot of force - they know you can't feel anything!
After a lot of tugging and pressure, suddenly I felt as light as a feather! I said, "I feel so skinny!" Haha the OB replied, "well, you still have quite a bit of skin there…"
My OB said, "wow, she is kicking hard, she's ready to run away!" She held our little Peyton in all her glory over the curtain. Zoe came one minute later, also kicking and moving like crazy. Everyone was in awe of how big they were - later looking at them together I realized their astonishment. I still can't understand how they both fit inside of me.
Peyton Marie:
7:58 AM
6 pounds 1 ounce
Zoe Nadine:
7:59 AM
6 pounds 8 ounces
After a lot of tugging and pressure, suddenly I felt as light as a feather! I said, "I feel so skinny!" Haha the OB replied, "well, you still have quite a bit of skin there…"
My OB said, "wow, she is kicking hard, she's ready to run away!" She held our little Peyton in all her glory over the curtain. Zoe came one minute later, also kicking and moving like crazy. Everyone was in awe of how big they were - later looking at them together I realized their astonishment. I still can't understand how they both fit inside of me.
Peyton Marie:
7:58 AM
6 pounds 1 ounce
Zoe Nadine:
7:59 AM
6 pounds 8 ounces
Aaron followed our babies into a side room filled with nurses and probably a neonatologist. While he was gone I started feeling this awful pain in my abdomen and it just kept getting worse. I didn't understand what it was, but I could not handle it. I started panicking and hyperventilating and yelling a bit - so my best friend started pumping more drugs into my IV. He said it was air bubbles trapped under my diaphragm. I had no idea air could be so painful! I later found out that all abdominal surgeries involve getting pumped full of air, and it takes DAYS for it all to work its way out. This was the worst part of recovery for me - the pain wasn't as intense as when I was in surgery, but I had this constant "backpack strap" pain for a week. Anyway, just a warning people.
Peyton wasn't breathing well on her own so she went straight to the NICU and was put on the CPAP machine. Zoe was okay so after she got all bundled Aaron brought her to me while the doctors were closing me up. Side story: we had picked out names well before this, but hadn't told anyone because a) I just didn't want to, and b) I wasn't exactly sure. Aaron laid Zoe down next to my head with her face up close to mine. I couldn't believe this little girl was actually here, and she was mine. She was/is so precious, so pure and clean and absolutely beautiful. I started crying, and here I am tearing up while I write this.
Looking at her made her name real and it was perfect for her. Zoe means full of life - and she is. I couldn't hold her, but I just snuggled her and kissed her. I always thought that would be the most awful part of a C-section, not being able to hold my baby right away, but I was just glad to see her and it was enough.
Peyton wasn't breathing well on her own so she went straight to the NICU and was put on the CPAP machine. Zoe was okay so after she got all bundled Aaron brought her to me while the doctors were closing me up. Side story: we had picked out names well before this, but hadn't told anyone because a) I just didn't want to, and b) I wasn't exactly sure. Aaron laid Zoe down next to my head with her face up close to mine. I couldn't believe this little girl was actually here, and she was mine. She was/is so precious, so pure and clean and absolutely beautiful. I started crying, and here I am tearing up while I write this.
Looking at her made her name real and it was perfect for her. Zoe means full of life - and she is. I couldn't hold her, but I just snuggled her and kissed her. I always thought that would be the most awful part of a C-section, not being able to hold my baby right away, but I was just glad to see her and it was enough.
The next part was kind of hazy, I was highly medicated after all. I know they wheeled me back to my room in L&D and they might have wheeled me past Peyton before they took her to the NICU, but I'm not sure on that. I don't know how long my mom was there, but she was with me in the room - Aaron stayed with our girls. Then Rachael came and I can't remember what we talked about…I was really sleepy.
I think it was an hour or two later, I was more awake. The nurse came and said it was time to go, but we could go see Peyton first. Aaron came in and he and the nurse pushed my bed down the hall and right into the NICU. I felt like some strange royalty in that giant bed rolling down the rows of teeny tiny babies.
Peyton was doing really well and she was just on monitors, they had already taken off the CPAP machine. The nurse handed her to me and took a family picture - minus Zoe. I got to hold her, she looked a lot like her sister, but I could tell them apart. I'll admit I was still kind of hazy at this point. I did say, "now this is definitely Peyton."
Aaron had been with her up until this point and people kept asking her name but he wasn't sure what to tell them because I hadn't said anything yet. He was relieved to finally be sure on her name. :)
I think it was an hour or two later, I was more awake. The nurse came and said it was time to go, but we could go see Peyton first. Aaron came in and he and the nurse pushed my bed down the hall and right into the NICU. I felt like some strange royalty in that giant bed rolling down the rows of teeny tiny babies.
Peyton was doing really well and she was just on monitors, they had already taken off the CPAP machine. The nurse handed her to me and took a family picture - minus Zoe. I got to hold her, she looked a lot like her sister, but I could tell them apart. I'll admit I was still kind of hazy at this point. I did say, "now this is definitely Peyton."
Aaron had been with her up until this point and people kept asking her name but he wasn't sure what to tell them because I hadn't said anything yet. He was relieved to finally be sure on her name. :)
The nurses took us to our room in Mother and Baby (tiny in comparison to the L&D suites) and after another little while we finally had Peyton and Zoe together! I didn't realize this would be short lived, so we didn't even take a family picture with all of us.
That first day we had a lot of visitors and I just sat in my bed, legs completely numb. The nurses kept coming in to check on our babies more and more frequently until finally we were told Zoe was not passing her blood sugar checks and she had to be admitted into the NICU. Just like that, she was gone and now we had Peyton and no Zoe.
Zoe stayed in the NICU for two days on a continuous IV to maintain her blood sugar levels. She graduated to the level III nursery after they stopped the IV, and stayed there for two more days until we all went home. We spent our hospital stay going back and forth between both of our babies, working hard to get them eating well on their own.
I started pumping breast milk every three hours to build up my supply. Needless to say, with that schedule and feeding two babies on different floors of the hospital, we didn't get much sleep. Also, hospital beds are not as comfortable as they look. On top of that, being in the hospital means getting checked on every few hours. Whew. Tip: relinquish control and let the nurses feed your babies at night. It took me two nights to figure that out.
The doctor said Zoe was acting a lot like a 36 week old - meaning she was super sleepy so she didn't eat well, which contributed to low blood sugar, making her more sleepy and again not eating well. To break that cycle, Zoe had lots of bottles and formula at first because the doctors were working hard to keep her sugars up without the IV. Full term, healthy babies don't eat much the first few days of life, but they do fine because they have enough body stores for energy.
Peyton was on the verge of having the same problem, so we were aggressive feeding her too, using a lot of finger feeding with a little syringe until she was able to nurse better and my milk came in. Peyton barely managed to keep her sugars up enough to stay with us. I was happy when the nurses said they could finally stop poking her poor little foot to test her blood.
When I fed Zoe, we would practice nursing while using a little syringe and tubing to supplement what she was getting from nursing (called SNS). I had a ton of help from lactation consultants in the hospital - the ones in the NICU were particularly helpful. I also used a lot of what I learned in my classes and internship to become a dietitian - I had no idea my degree would be so practical! Both Peyton and Zoe left the hospital able to nurse and take a bottle, they never seemed to have a problem switching between the two.
Zoe stayed in the NICU for two days on a continuous IV to maintain her blood sugar levels. She graduated to the level III nursery after they stopped the IV, and stayed there for two more days until we all went home. We spent our hospital stay going back and forth between both of our babies, working hard to get them eating well on their own.
I started pumping breast milk every three hours to build up my supply. Needless to say, with that schedule and feeding two babies on different floors of the hospital, we didn't get much sleep. Also, hospital beds are not as comfortable as they look. On top of that, being in the hospital means getting checked on every few hours. Whew. Tip: relinquish control and let the nurses feed your babies at night. It took me two nights to figure that out.
The doctor said Zoe was acting a lot like a 36 week old - meaning she was super sleepy so she didn't eat well, which contributed to low blood sugar, making her more sleepy and again not eating well. To break that cycle, Zoe had lots of bottles and formula at first because the doctors were working hard to keep her sugars up without the IV. Full term, healthy babies don't eat much the first few days of life, but they do fine because they have enough body stores for energy.
Peyton was on the verge of having the same problem, so we were aggressive feeding her too, using a lot of finger feeding with a little syringe until she was able to nurse better and my milk came in. Peyton barely managed to keep her sugars up enough to stay with us. I was happy when the nurses said they could finally stop poking her poor little foot to test her blood.
When I fed Zoe, we would practice nursing while using a little syringe and tubing to supplement what she was getting from nursing (called SNS). I had a ton of help from lactation consultants in the hospital - the ones in the NICU were particularly helpful. I also used a lot of what I learned in my classes and internship to become a dietitian - I had no idea my degree would be so practical! Both Peyton and Zoe left the hospital able to nurse and take a bottle, they never seemed to have a problem switching between the two.
We were originally going to stay in the hospital for three nights, but on the third night I started shivering bad for no reason - I had a fever. The doctor really wanted me to get all the way better, so she prescribed three different IV antibiotics. I had to not have a fever for 24 hours to leave the hospital. Another day wasn't exactly fun, but I also didn't feel so great, so I felt like I was in the right place. Turned out to be a uterine infection. BUT, blessing in disguise…Zoe was discharged the same day as me! If they sent me home a day earlier we couldn't have come home together. I know some people that had one twin in the NICU and the other home for a few weeks - I don't even want to think about having to do one day of that!
After that wild ride, I was SO happy to be home. All I wanted to do was sleep and cuddle both of my babies. Fortunately my wonderful family and friends came over and cleaned, brought us food and allowed me to do just that. THANK YOU!!! I will never forget the magic of hot meals and a clean house.
These babies are so loved by so many people - we've had lots of visitors. I could fill a whole blog post with pictures of everyone holding my babies, but I won't.
After that wild ride, I was SO happy to be home. All I wanted to do was sleep and cuddle both of my babies. Fortunately my wonderful family and friends came over and cleaned, brought us food and allowed me to do just that. THANK YOU!!! I will never forget the magic of hot meals and a clean house.
These babies are so loved by so many people - we've had lots of visitors. I could fill a whole blog post with pictures of everyone holding my babies, but I won't.
Three weeks later…Peyton and Zoe passed their due date and I am feeling much much much better. Did I mention how wonderful it is to not be pregnant with twins anymore? I can lay on my back. I love to lay on my back. I don't hurt everywhere any more. Yay!
Our babies are so sweet and kind to us. I know we are extremely blessed that they sometimes sleep four or more hours at a time at night. They are eating and growing well. With us moving out of state in less than two weeks, I feel like these angel babies are a gift. God just isn't giving us more than we can handle.
I am still recovering, but I'm on my way. Tip for C-section recovery: get the abdominal binder in the hospital - I had to ask like six times, but it has helped a lot. Having everything held in tight kept my incision from pulling and moving. Also, pain medications are your friend - avoiding being miserable is best when taking care of babies. Lastly, walk and rock in a chair if you can - that helps with those air bubbles inside of you, but don't walk too much. Take it easy while people expect you to. Stay in your P.J.s and take all the help you can get.
Our babies are so sweet and kind to us. I know we are extremely blessed that they sometimes sleep four or more hours at a time at night. They are eating and growing well. With us moving out of state in less than two weeks, I feel like these angel babies are a gift. God just isn't giving us more than we can handle.
I am still recovering, but I'm on my way. Tip for C-section recovery: get the abdominal binder in the hospital - I had to ask like six times, but it has helped a lot. Having everything held in tight kept my incision from pulling and moving. Also, pain medications are your friend - avoiding being miserable is best when taking care of babies. Lastly, walk and rock in a chair if you can - that helps with those air bubbles inside of you, but don't walk too much. Take it easy while people expect you to. Stay in your P.J.s and take all the help you can get.
Love,
Lauresa
Lauresa