My Twin Birth Story

I realized recently that I had never posted my birth story.  I love reading birth stories.  It is such a special time in someone's life.  And it is fascinating to me, I love most aspects of birth (even the icky stuff.. weird I know.)  I also realized I was getting fuzzy on some of the details of my birth with the twins (which was sadly a little to drug addled for my liking) so I thought I better get the details recorded somewhere.

So 18 months ago...

My pregnancy went fairly according to plan considering I was carrying twins.  I was put on limited activity around 28 weeks and modified bed rest around 32 and I delivered at 34 and 1/2 weeks.  Which for twins is great!

My water broke around 7:30 on Tuesday night.  Will came home right away and we went into the hospital.  This was birth lesson number one, just because your water breaks, it is no reason to hurry. I would continue to labor for 14 hours until they say my labor stalled and I need a c-section.

Regardless, I went into the hospital and they immediately hooked me up to continuous monitoring for me and both babies.  Penny was so far back and facing forward that if I moved at all they lost her heartbeat on the monitor and came into reposition it.  I don't think I even felt a contraction until around 9:30.  They weren't even that bad until around midnight.  I was dilating at a pretty slow but at a good rate especially for not being able to move around.   I managed to dilate about 4.5 before I got me epidural around 5:30.  I was told because I was having twins I needed a epidural just in case we had a c-section so Will would be allowed in the delivery room with me.  After I had the Epidural, I didn't dilate anymore.  They told me the babies could have gotten into a position where they were no longer moving down but just bumping into each other during contractions, and since I hadn't progressed anymore in a few hours I needed to have a c-section.  This was about 9 in the morning.  At this time, I was exhausted and complied, even though I knew I didn't want a c-section, I had just told myself from very early on in my pregnancy that with twins.... a c-section was almost inevitable.  I know now that many more people than I thought have normal vaginal births with twins.

So I prepped and got ready for surgery (and shook and threw up because of the drugs almost the whole time).  Penny came into this world screaming and kicking around 9:45 and Ben followed eyes open wide, calm, and just taking it all in.  There personalities started right then!

They had elevated respiratory rates, which is common, but it required extended observation and feeding tubes for the first couple hours.  So they went to the nursery and I went into recovery.  I wouldn't see them again for 6 long hours.  I asked for them to be brought to me in recovery, but since they were in extended observation that wasn't possible.  I was so sick and out of it from all the medicine, I have no real concept of time or anything during this time.  I talked to people I barely remember talking to.  I signed medical forms (whose genius idea is it to send up the registration insurance people during that time?)

Finally I get to the room and get my babies (who were 5.8 pounds, not bad for twins).  They still had feeding tubes in until I tried to feed them to see how it went.  This was something, because I was so out of it, that a few days after having them Will had to show me pictures because I was convinced I had never seen them with the feeding tubes in.  I gave them their bottles, it went alright, so back to the nursery they go to get out their feeding tubes.  I didn't see them for another hour or so.  So now it getting close to 7 O'clock and I still haven't even tried to breastfeed them or pump or anything, I think this may have something to do with why breastfeeding was so hard for me and I never produced more than an ounce no matter how long and often I pumped.  It wasn't until the next morning I had someone try to help me and get me set up with a pump.  Regardless I had two perfectly healthy tiny babes who I got to bring home with me.

Remember all of this and getting it all down made it sound like it was a negative experience.  It wasn't!  It was a learning experience, but it gave me two beautiful healthy babies and that is the outcome everyone wants.  Although if I could change one thing, I would have labored longer at home before going in because then maybe I would have gone in a little farther along.  I think being unable to move really hindered things, but I had no way of knowing.

Over all I had a great experience, I will change things next time (I know people are shocked when they find out I want more), but I loved the birth process.  Weird I know, but I do.  It is such a special and amazing time.