Babies Are Here!

So I was bored on Saturday, and decided to have some babies to spice things up!  OK, not really.

At my OB appointment on Wednesday my BP was going up just a little, so we did a 24 hr urine for protein.  OB’s office called me Friday afternoon and I had a fair amount of protein in my urine, so got admitted on Friday night for monitoring babies, running some bloodwork, that sort of thing.  BP was still fine, and I felt fine.  Babies looked great on their NSTs.  Labs weren’t terrible, so I figured we’d see how I was in the morning.  By the next morning, my labs were slightly worse (liver and platelets.)  So my OB’s newest associate, who’s all of three months out of residency, has to try to convince me that yes, we need to have these babies ASAP.  I’m of course still in “keep babies in and get them to grow” mode after all the bedrest weeks, and don’t know this lady from Adam, and of course my BPs are still really good, so I’m balking a bit at this (I mean, how bad are the labs really?) but ultimately she talked with my OB, and we all agreed the thing to do was to deliver.  (Baby B was still breech, and after a long discussion with my OB a few weeks ago, and reading up on breech second twins and all that, I was ultimately more comfortable with a c/s.)

Had a c/s on Saturday afternoon at 2:30, babies were born at 2:41 and 2:43.  My mother (who I wanted for my support person) barely made it (she lives three hours away,) but I had a sweet nurse who drug her feet juuuust a bit to make sure mom was there.  🙂  Babies were/are absolutely perfect, cried immediately, never needed intubated (or even any oxygen.)  They went straight to NICU, obviously, but did beautifully.  Couldn’t ask for better given their age.

The 24 hours after they were born was a blur, with labs every few hours and being on magnesium sulfate (which makes you feel really stupid and tired and have the dryest eyes/mouth in the world) and I did get to see the babies briefly on the day they were born (once in the OR, then a few minutes each down in NICU – they took me down on the cart before we went to my room) and for a bit longer the next day (even got to hold them.) 

My blood pressures started really going up after delivery, and I felt pretty lousy for a couple of days.  Turns out, in retrospect, that the meds I was on to prevent contractions were probably controlling my BP, too, so once I was off of them after delivery, my BP went pretty haywire, and was truly into the early stages of HELLP as my labs continued to get worse, along with a side of near-kidney failure.  Nasty stuff.  That all started to turn around at about two days after delivery, and I’ve really done well since.  Got to go home late on Wednesday, and of course am sore and tired and all that, but feeling much more myself. 

The scary thing of it all was that I felt absolutely fine (I mean, big and pregnant, but nothing new) when I went into the hospital, and if we hadn’t delivered within a few days, it would have really hurt all three of us.  As it was, baby B had slowed on her growth curve a little bit, probably due to the beginnings of the preeclampsia.  Definitely dodged a bullet, and thank heaven for good prenatal care.    

Babies are in NICU, obviously, but are just needing help with staying warm, nutrition, that sort of thing.  No oxygen/respiratory help, and just a little caffeine to keep them in a good breathing pattern.  Still on tube feeds along with IV feedings, and I’m pumping, so they’re getting 100% breastmilk right now, and that’s going great.  I get to hold them once a day at least, and that’s absolutely wonderful.  

So…introducing Chloe and Emma!  (Chloe is A/Watson, Emma is B/Crick.)  They were 3 lb 13 oz and 3 lb 10 oz respectively.

Riding to NICU in the isolette

Chloe

Emma

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