I'm using this blog as my journal. As the days, months, and years fly by, I know that these memories will slowly fade. With that being said, I contemplated for weeks if I was going to make this post public, as the 'birth story' is really insufficient at this point after the babies eere here, but I've had a lot of people comment to me that they're waiting to hear it...
Here's the story!
On Thursday, February 12th, I was actually working on my 31-week blog post around 2:00. I wasn't feeling any different... I dozed off and woke up at 2:35 after feeling a 'pop'. I knew exactly what had just happened because it was the same exact 'pop' I experienced when we lost the twins in 2013. I didn't panic because the physicians kept telling me (over and over and over) that if/when my water breaks, it would most likely be a few hours before anything progresses, if not 24+ hours before delivery. They also said that when the time came, they would give me magnesium before the birth. So, when my water broke, I put my call light on, the nurse came in, and I told her what happened... she was more panicked than I was, and she she just stood there. I was feeling just fine, and I told her that I would hospital gown on, call Donny, and she can go get the doctor. When I called Donny (he was working... in St. Peter) I told him to come right to the hospital but no rush because I felt fine and they were going to start magnesium for neurological protection for the babies. The doctor wasn't in yet, so I called my mom at work and told her what had happened, and she was going to come stay with me until Donny got to the hospital. While talking to her, I started to feel a strong contraction, but it wasn't the 'I want to chop everyone's head off' kind of pain like people talk about.
After that one "strong" contraction, everything went really fast. The doctor came in to make sure my water did break. She took a swab of the 'water' and left the room to verify it was my water (apparently they can't take my word for it). As soon as she left I felt a 'chop your head off' contraction. I yelled for someone to come in my room... and there must have been a team of people hovering outside my door because five people came flying thru the door. They yelled down the hallway for the doctor to come back... she came back in and checked me. She didn't say a word to me, which is a major medical pet peeve of mine. She told my nurse to run and get a gurney, and we needed to get over to Labor and Delivery. I asked her what I was dilated at and she didn't answer me, she just asked me, "What symptoms have you been having?" ummm... none until my water broke! I had to ask again what I was dilated at and she said I was dilated to "at least 9" and that "baby A's head is right there".
Normally, that would be a good thing for a 'normal' pregnant woman... dilated at 9 with only braxton hicks contractions leading up to it and already at the hospital... but I was a wreck when she told me because I knew then that Donny wouldn't make it for the delivery. As I was having the melt down, I had another contraction, and I had to push. They decided to scrap the gurney idea and pulled the cords out of the outlets connected to my hospital bed and ran me over to L&D. Hospital beds obviously aren't meant for pushing thru the hallway at fast speeds. I had two doctors pulling the bed and one pushing, and they still managed to run into two walls... the turning radius on those beds are nothing.
When we got to L&D, the doctor who first saw me when I was admitted at 28 weeks saw me in the corner of her eye, and she gowned up and was right next to me. They wheeled me into an operating room because the plan was for a c-section. When we got over there, the room was packed with people: At least 5 nurses, the respiratory team (for the babies), anesthesia team (for me), neonatal team, three resident physicians, a staff physician... When they checked me again when we got into the operating room, I was dilated to 10 and 'baby A's' head was crowning. Then "the plan" changed drastically. Baby A was making her appearance faster than I could make a decision. My choices were: 1. Start pushing with no drugs and once baby A is out, reevaluate and have a potential emergency c-section for baby B. 2. Have an epidural and start pushing. 3. Have an epidural and a spinal block and have baby A vaginally and baby B c-section. 4. Have an epidural and a spinal block, attempt both vaginally but all set up for c-section. 5. .... 6. ....
Basically, there were numerous options thrown at me, and I had to decide with 25+ people staring at me waiting on go. I decided to have an epidural and a spinal bloc. I decided this because the epidural gave me instant relief... and the spinal bloc was given in preparation for a c-section. With twin births, it's common where the first baby will deliver vaginally with no problem, and the second baby will flip to breach instantly (with all that new room, it can happen very quickly) and will then need an emergency c-section. In a situation like that, they need to perform an emergency c-section, at which time the mom will need to be put under for it, as there is no time for a spinal bloc to be placed. With getting a spinal block before either delivery, we got ahead of the game in case I did need to undergo a c-section... so many details!
They gave me the epidural 30 seconds after I made the decision. They literally were standing there, needles in hand, waiting for me to tell them what to do. Fifteen seconds after the decision, the epidural was being placed... and soon after the spinal bloc. After that, I was so numb that I told the doctor I wasn't going to push until Donny got there.. they had to convince me otherwise. I felt fine, no pain, no pressure, no need to push! They gave me no choice. My next contraction, they had me pushing. The anesthesiologist turned into the photographer because I had no one there to take pictures... man that guy took his photography job just as serious as making my body numb!! I remember him saying "Ok. I'm standing where your husband would be standing, and I'll be taking a million pictures!"
I pushed three times, and Danika Jo came out screaming. (So, little side note, I say dumb things when I'm worked up. I was so shocked because I only pushed three times, then she was screaming, and I saw a full head of hair... I believe I said, "She's mine??") I got to look at her before they rushed her over across the hallway to evaluate her breathing and status. Mr. Anesthesiologist ran across the hallway following Danika and her entourage to continue taking pictures. I asked if baby B flipped to breach or is "lodged in my pelvis", and the doctor laughed and said that her head was right there and they just needed to break the sac and I'll be pushing again. I asked if Donny made it yet and they said no, and I had to push again. Two pushes and Johnalyn Ann came out screaming. I got to look at her for a split second before she was rushed her across the hallway. She looked a lot bigger than Danika and wasn't quite as vocal.
I don't think I was the only one in shock in the delivery room with how fast it went. I remember Dr. Dow kept saying "Oh wow! Oh wow!" I asked the anesthesiologist for my phone back so I could call Donny. When he answered I tried to calmly ask where he was... and he said he was in Kasson. I didn't know what else to say so I blurted out, "You're a daddy". Looking back at it now, I don't think that was the best thing to say while your husband his driving in a frenzy to begin with...
No more than 5 minutes after they were born, my mom came into the room dressed in surgical blue from head to toe with a confused look on her face... she was coming to keep me company in my room until Donny got there... I was still in shock and all I could say was "They're here". I think that was the last thing she expected to hear because, A. The plan was a c-section B. I sounded fine on the phone 40 minutes before. C. I wasn't having any major contractions leading up to the water breaking.
Donny got into the room, dressed in blues, about 15 minutes later, just as the physicians were finishing up on me. I was still in complete shock, and nothing felt real life. Just an hour before this I was laying down taking a nap...
Then I was wheeled into a recovery room... the last place I wanted to be when my babies were in another room with 20 people around them. We had to wait until I was stable from the spinal bloc before I could be wheeled over to see them. When we were able to see them, they were already on C-Pap. It wasn't as scary or sad as I thought it would be. The doctors and nurses working on them were SO awesome. They were so happy for us instead of the constant empathy I was getting throughout this whole pregnancy. For once, it felt like I could finally celebrate something happy with this whole journey. People were congratulating us!! As simple and common as it sounds during a birth of a baby.... It was amazing to hear the word "congratulations!". That one word made everything feel awesome. Everything was going to be fine! They gave us report on the girls as soon as we got in there. They are both breathing on their own, so no need for oxygen, just c-pap. They had a line put into their belly button for fluids, antibiotics, and other needed medications, and a feeding tube in their mouth. Even with all the 'junk' all over them, they were beautiful.... and still didn't feel like ours.
We got moved back to our recovery room, and they had me start pumping so they could get some colostrum in the girls' cheeks... very important for preemies. After I started gaining feeling back in my legs, we were brought back to my room in antepartem... that was the weirdest feeling ever!! The nurses were so quick to set up a camera in the girls' room, so we could watch them from our room. After awhile, we went back to see the girls. They were in their little incubators, and sound asleep. That was one of the most comforting things to see... with all the chaos and action around them in such a short time, they were sound asleep.
Our nurse, Michelle, was amazing. She explained everything to us and made sure we were put at ease with everything going on. If there was a plan change, she came down to our room in antepartem to let us know. She was one of the most warm and calming people we came across that day... and the days following. She played arts and crafts with the girls on Valentine's day using the girls' feet. She made scrapbook pages for us... she put little signs in the incubators for us to read while we were watching them from our room. She made such a scary situation into something we could enjoy. I don't know if she'll ever realize the positive impact she made on our new family.
The days following their birth was a blur... but a good blur. I was in a complete euphoria. Even though Johnalyn had to be transferred to the NICU for a few days, I still knew everything was going to be alright. This whole journey from pregnancy up until today, and every day is a complete gift.
Normally, that would be a good thing for a 'normal' pregnant woman... dilated at 9 with only braxton hicks contractions leading up to it and already at the hospital... but I was a wreck when she told me because I knew then that Donny wouldn't make it for the delivery. As I was having the melt down, I had another contraction, and I had to push. They decided to scrap the gurney idea and pulled the cords out of the outlets connected to my hospital bed and ran me over to L&D. Hospital beds obviously aren't meant for pushing thru the hallway at fast speeds. I had two doctors pulling the bed and one pushing, and they still managed to run into two walls... the turning radius on those beds are nothing.
When we got to L&D, the doctor who first saw me when I was admitted at 28 weeks saw me in the corner of her eye, and she gowned up and was right next to me. They wheeled me into an operating room because the plan was for a c-section. When we got over there, the room was packed with people: At least 5 nurses, the respiratory team (for the babies), anesthesia team (for me), neonatal team, three resident physicians, a staff physician... When they checked me again when we got into the operating room, I was dilated to 10 and 'baby A's' head was crowning. Then "the plan" changed drastically. Baby A was making her appearance faster than I could make a decision. My choices were: 1. Start pushing with no drugs and once baby A is out, reevaluate and have a potential emergency c-section for baby B. 2. Have an epidural and start pushing. 3. Have an epidural and a spinal block and have baby A vaginally and baby B c-section. 4. Have an epidural and a spinal block, attempt both vaginally but all set up for c-section. 5. .... 6. ....
Basically, there were numerous options thrown at me, and I had to decide with 25+ people staring at me waiting on go. I decided to have an epidural and a spinal bloc. I decided this because the epidural gave me instant relief... and the spinal bloc was given in preparation for a c-section. With twin births, it's common where the first baby will deliver vaginally with no problem, and the second baby will flip to breach instantly (with all that new room, it can happen very quickly) and will then need an emergency c-section. In a situation like that, they need to perform an emergency c-section, at which time the mom will need to be put under for it, as there is no time for a spinal bloc to be placed. With getting a spinal block before either delivery, we got ahead of the game in case I did need to undergo a c-section... so many details!
They gave me the epidural 30 seconds after I made the decision. They literally were standing there, needles in hand, waiting for me to tell them what to do. Fifteen seconds after the decision, the epidural was being placed... and soon after the spinal bloc. After that, I was so numb that I told the doctor I wasn't going to push until Donny got there.. they had to convince me otherwise. I felt fine, no pain, no pressure, no need to push! They gave me no choice. My next contraction, they had me pushing. The anesthesiologist turned into the photographer because I had no one there to take pictures... man that guy took his photography job just as serious as making my body numb!! I remember him saying "Ok. I'm standing where your husband would be standing, and I'll be taking a million pictures!"
I pushed three times, and Danika Jo came out screaming. (So, little side note, I say dumb things when I'm worked up. I was so shocked because I only pushed three times, then she was screaming, and I saw a full head of hair... I believe I said, "She's mine??") I got to look at her before they rushed her over across the hallway to evaluate her breathing and status. Mr. Anesthesiologist ran across the hallway following Danika and her entourage to continue taking pictures. I asked if baby B flipped to breach or is "lodged in my pelvis", and the doctor laughed and said that her head was right there and they just needed to break the sac and I'll be pushing again. I asked if Donny made it yet and they said no, and I had to push again. Two pushes and Johnalyn Ann came out screaming. I got to look at her for a split second before she was rushed her across the hallway. She looked a lot bigger than Danika and wasn't quite as vocal.
I don't think I was the only one in shock in the delivery room with how fast it went. I remember Dr. Dow kept saying "Oh wow! Oh wow!" I asked the anesthesiologist for my phone back so I could call Donny. When he answered I tried to calmly ask where he was... and he said he was in Kasson. I didn't know what else to say so I blurted out, "You're a daddy". Looking back at it now, I don't think that was the best thing to say while your husband his driving in a frenzy to begin with...
No more than 5 minutes after they were born, my mom came into the room dressed in surgical blue from head to toe with a confused look on her face... she was coming to keep me company in my room until Donny got there... I was still in shock and all I could say was "They're here". I think that was the last thing she expected to hear because, A. The plan was a c-section B. I sounded fine on the phone 40 minutes before. C. I wasn't having any major contractions leading up to the water breaking.
Donny got into the room, dressed in blues, about 15 minutes later, just as the physicians were finishing up on me. I was still in complete shock, and nothing felt real life. Just an hour before this I was laying down taking a nap...
Then I was wheeled into a recovery room... the last place I wanted to be when my babies were in another room with 20 people around them. We had to wait until I was stable from the spinal bloc before I could be wheeled over to see them. When we were able to see them, they were already on C-Pap. It wasn't as scary or sad as I thought it would be. The doctors and nurses working on them were SO awesome. They were so happy for us instead of the constant empathy I was getting throughout this whole pregnancy. For once, it felt like I could finally celebrate something happy with this whole journey. People were congratulating us!! As simple and common as it sounds during a birth of a baby.... It was amazing to hear the word "congratulations!". That one word made everything feel awesome. Everything was going to be fine! They gave us report on the girls as soon as we got in there. They are both breathing on their own, so no need for oxygen, just c-pap. They had a line put into their belly button for fluids, antibiotics, and other needed medications, and a feeding tube in their mouth. Even with all the 'junk' all over them, they were beautiful.... and still didn't feel like ours.
We got moved back to our recovery room, and they had me start pumping so they could get some colostrum in the girls' cheeks... very important for preemies. After I started gaining feeling back in my legs, we were brought back to my room in antepartem... that was the weirdest feeling ever!! The nurses were so quick to set up a camera in the girls' room, so we could watch them from our room. After awhile, we went back to see the girls. They were in their little incubators, and sound asleep. That was one of the most comforting things to see... with all the chaos and action around them in such a short time, they were sound asleep.
Our nurse, Michelle, was amazing. She explained everything to us and made sure we were put at ease with everything going on. If there was a plan change, she came down to our room in antepartem to let us know. She was one of the most warm and calming people we came across that day... and the days following. She played arts and crafts with the girls on Valentine's day using the girls' feet. She made scrapbook pages for us... she put little signs in the incubators for us to read while we were watching them from our room. She made such a scary situation into something we could enjoy. I don't know if she'll ever realize the positive impact she made on our new family.
The days following their birth was a blur... but a good blur. I was in a complete euphoria. Even though Johnalyn had to be transferred to the NICU for a few days, I still knew everything was going to be alright. This whole journey from pregnancy up until today, and every day is a complete gift.
 |
| Meeting Danika |
 |
| Meeting Johnalyn |
.jpg)
