Our Birth Story: Mom's Perspective

With us being a week removed from the twins birthday I felt I should share our birth story before we get too much further away and I start forgetting all the little details. Of course we are already in danger of that w/ the little bit of sleep we have been operating on ever since last Wednesday.

Wed April 1st I had a routine OB appointment which was my 38 week check. During my exam we found out that I was 5 cm dilated and 90% effaced...Dr. Shirley told us we needed to go to the hospital. We got permission from her to detour for dinner on our way. So after a quick drive thru Chick Fila and a stop by the house to take a shower and finish packing our bags we headed to the hospital at around 5:30. Needless to say we really we not expecting to end up at the hospital that evening...our to-d0 list still had many uncompleted items on them and our bags were not completely packed. I had been having contractions on and off all week but they never seemed to intensify or get closer than 7 min apart so I figured I would make it to our induction date of April 3.

When we arrived at the hospital the nurses were ready for us as the dr. had called ahead to let them know we were on our way. They were all excited to see the pregnant girl who made it to 38 weeks w/ twins...I guess I did not realize it was that big of a deal but everyone was staring at us as we passed the nurses station. We got checked into our room and set in for a long evening of labor. Of course we did not know at the time just how long it was going to be. I think it was a total of 27 hours from the time Dr. Shirley told us to go to the hospital until little Taryn was born. 24 of those hours I labored naturally but in the 11th hour (well actually the 24th hour) I was exhausted and just needed to rest. The first 24 hours were exhausting as they insisted on monitoring me every 30 min for 30 min...so that meant 3o min in bed and then up for 30 min doing things to try to help encourage the labor or at least keep it from stalling. But to no avail by midnight I was 7 cm and at 8:30 a.m. I was still at 7 cm. I could tell my labor was not progressing as the contractions were not increasing in intensity or timeliness. It was very discouraging for me and the more time that passed the more frustrated w/ the lack of cooperation my body was giving me. Dr. Shirley had come by that morning before she headed to her office and said if I had not progressed by lunch time she would break my water and as the clock inched that direction I knew that intervention was inevitable which also knew for me that I was done doing it the natural way. At about 1:30pm Dr. Shirley came in and broke my water and administered pitocin. I told her she might as well order my epidural too because I was done. I was so exhausted from being up and down all night and morning long. I just needed to rest. I kept thinking how in the world am I going to push 2 babies out when I can hardly keep my eyes open. I was tired, thirsty, hungry, and mentally and physically drained. I knew at that point that there really was no other option for me. I felt bad and struggled w/ actually getting the epidural but Chad and I both agreed it was the right decision and I was so glad that I was able to make it when I did. Somewhere around 3:00 the anesthesiologist came in and life was suddenly good again. I spent the next few hours just resting. Around 5:00 the nurse came in to check on me and told me to let them know if I started to feel any pressure. I am not sure how I was supposed to know if I felt pressure as I could not feel a thing. However, I did tell her that there might be some pressure but I really could not tell. So to be on the safe side she decided to check me and as soon as she lifted the sheet she could see Taryn's head crowning. The nurse quickly got on the phone to call Dr. Shirley to the hospital and as well all know now w/ in the hour Taryn was born and 10 min later little Evan joined us.

The entire birthing process was amazing. The delivery room was light and filled w/ great joy from the entire medical staff and of course Chad and I. The seconds before Taryn was born Dr. Shirley told me to listen and then there it was the sweet cry of Taryn's little voice. For me it was instant tears...I just could not believe it after all this time here she was our perfect little girl was laying on my chest taking her first breaths of life. Dr. Shirley allowed Chad to actually pull both babies out after she freed the shoulders. Of course for us there was no time to get wrapped in this one moment as we had another little one to bring into this world. The medical staff quickly pulled out the ultrasound machine to check on Evan's position as Evan was laying across my abdomen we need him to turn head down in order to not complicate his birth and fortunately for us he did...as soon as they could confirm that he turned head down the entire room broke into cheers...that was a really neat moment too. And then just a few pushes and 10 min later I had the sweetest little boy laying on my stomach taking his first breaths...I could not believe it...It was something beyond anything I could really express into words but it was a very blessed moment filled w/ so much love and excitement...all Chad and I could do was smile and giggle at each other over the amazing blessing and miracle we had just witnessed together.

Unfortunately things kind of turned just a bit for us after the birth of the twins....when my placenta was delivered it did not all come out and I ended up w/ excessive blood loss and ended up needing a blood transfusion. Which it in itself is not all that bad...but the bad part was how I felt. I was already exhausted but that pushed me over the edge and I felt so sick for the next several days...just completely lacking energy and strength. The constant monitoring and interruption at the hospital did not help in my recovery either. The hardest thing for me was trying to find the energy necessary to take care of the babies all the while trying to recover and feel better. It felt very much like an uphill battle there for a couple of days. Thankfully all is well now and I am starting to feel more and more like myself.

The twins are beautiful and healthy and Chad and I could not be more thrilled. We received excellent care at the hospital but are so happy to be home as we try to settle into our new life w/ our bundles of joy

Much Love to everyone

Gena, Chad, Evan and Taryn