Birth Story

You really want to hear my birth story? Ok here it goes:

E & I found out we were having twins on my first ultrasound/OB appointment. My doctor put the wand, where no wand should ever go, and said "oh, do you see that?" To me I saw nothing, it could very well have been a kitten's ultrasound.
She said "there are two". I grabbed her hand and squeezed the shit out of it.
I couldn't believe it, and I looked over at E and he was in shock. It was overwhelming news and we had just two and a half hours before we were leaving for Florida, it was a amazing day.

The entire pregnancy I was warned I would have the babies early, to prepare myself for a NICU stay, to take it easy. At four months I was told no more sex, no orgasms. TORTURE!
At seven months I was told to cut work down to part time, but I didn't because I felt good, a couple of weeks later I was told to stop working, I didn't because I was fine, atlhough I did go down to working three days a week.
My last day of work was right before Christmas, I was one month away from my due date and since twins are considered full term at 35 weeks, I was in the clear.
All my ultrasounds were amazing, the babies were growing and seemed very healthy, although we did have to get multiple echo-cardiograms because they could not see all four chambers of the babies hearts because they grew so fast.

At that time, my husband was transferred to Philadelphia.
We had to move.
He found and apartment for us, moved us while I lived with my Mom very close to my hospital.
It was really hard being separated from E during that month, I was fat, and sad and so bored. He would drive an hour and a half to pick me up every Friday and drive an hour and a half home to go spend the weekend together and get things ready for our babies. He was amazing.

My C-section was scheduled for January 22, 2003 because Baby A (L) was breech. On January 21st my doctor's office called and said that they would have to push back my C-section to the following day because my doctor had a cold. I cried on the phone with the nurse begging her to get these babies out.
I couldn't sleep, I was so uncomfortable, I was swollen and HUGE.
She said there was nothing they could do and remember to go preregister at the hospital today.

I had forgotten. I called my sister to take me and off we went. (Of course she had to come in the house and tie my shoes before we could go, and after I had blood taken she sat with me for 15 minutes before I could stand up straight and walk because I had cramps all over my bod)
Then I treated her to a nice lunch. That afternoon my doctor's office calls again, my blood work had come back with high white blood cell counts, I needed to go back to the hospital to get checked. Called E, to come up called my Mom at work to come and get me and off we went.

I gowned up, E gowned up because they were not going to wait anymore the babies had to come out, during which time I got a nose bleed. That coupled with the fact that I had that strange cell count, they were afraid I would bleed out into my epidural so I would need general anesthesia, and E couldn't be there.

I was so sad and scared and ready. Too many emotions swirled together.
It was all happening so fast, I felt so out of control this was not how I wanted my birth to go. I wanted my husband there, my Mom, I wanted pictures and I wanted to be awake!

Next thing I know, a nurse was waking me up in the recovery room, I asked for the babies, they told me they were happy & healthy. Next I asked for E, he was allowed right in with my Mom.
I am angry that my memory of that time was so clouded but if you have had general anesthesia you know how tired you are. I tried to snap myself out of it, E and my Mom got to each show my my babies for the first time.
Baby A (L) boy 7lbs 1oz, baby b(R)girl 8lbs 2 oz.

They were amazing. My son looked just like E and my daughter like me.

I found out the next day, I had bled out during the surgery, my uterus was so tired from carrying those big twins for so long wouldn't contract, I had two transfusions and came close to having a hysterectomy.

The entire process for me was miraclulous, I loved being pregnant (except for the last month) I carried those babies to 39 weeks agains all the odds, they were big and healthy not one second spent in the NICU, and I survived my scary surgery.

Now, almost four years later I still can't believe how lucky we got.