Birth story

It's crazy to think I took this picture just a day before going into a labor. I was exactly 34 weeks in this picture. Everything was going good, no problems and I felt fine. I was actually just talking to my co workers about how I was feeling pretty good and that I was expecting to finish off the rest of the month working. Ha, I was really wrong because these girls had other plans.

I was woken up at 3:40am on Friday to my water breaking. I have to admit, weirdest feeling ever. At first I had no idea what was going on and sat up and then I said out loud, "oh shit." Ty woke up and asked what was wrong and I said to him, "I think my water just broke." He wasn't quite awake and I had to repeat myself before he sat up and got out of bed. And then I looked at him and said, "we need to pack a hospital bag." We had it all planned out to finish all the baby stuff, including their room and pack a hospital bag this weekend so we were totally unprepared for this, but of course who is? After we got the bag ready, the next thing on my mind was food. It was close to breakfast time and I knew they wouldn't let me eat once I got to the hospital so I had Ty take me to Winco to get breakfast as well as other snacks. By then the contractions were small ones so I was able to walk around just fine.

After our stop at Winco we drove to the hospital and while on the way I called my mom. I showed up and they asked me what I was in for and I told them that my water had broke. I don't think they believed me because I was so calm about it. They took me to a room, asked how far long I was. They took a swab to make sure it was amniotic fluid I was leaking and not something else and then once they confirmed it was they wheeled me into the labor and delivery room at around 7am. They checked my cerivx and I was 100% effaced and I was dilated 3-4 cm. Again I was having contractions but they were still just small ones. Not very strong. The nurse asked me about my pain management and I told her I would want an epidural. The room had a Jacuzzi tub and they offered for me to lay in it while I labored, and obviously I took that opportunity. The tub felt amazing and once I got into the tub and started relaxing a little, the contractions started to hit me HARD. The pain started to hit my lower back really hard. As I was getting out the nurse came in and asked if I was ready for an epideral and without hesitation I all but yelled, "YES." As I layed back back down waiting for the ansticioligist the contractions become worse. I starting feeling sick to my stomach and puking and had horrible heartburn which made me want to puke as well. I felt like I was waiting forever, getting more uncomfortable and grumpy by the moment. I had multiple nurses come talk to me, and the doctor asked what my decision was about giving birth. I decided that I would try to deliver vaginally for both babies. (Again all while in pain) After what seemed like 10 hours the ansticioligist finally came in and gave me an epidural. After about 20 minutes, I could finally feel relief from the pain. In fact I got so relaxed that I fell alseep and took a nap. I even slept through the nurse adjusting the monitors on my belly. Later on I soon hated those monitors because it made my skin itch like crazy. Forget the pain and pressure I was more worried about scratching my skin off

I can't remember when I woke up but the nurse came in and decided to check to see how diolated I was and mentioned giving me pitocin because it had been  close to 12 hours since my water broke. As she was checking me the first words out of her mouth was, "well we don't need to give you any pitocin. You are about 10 cm diolated." It was about that time my mom and Tyrel had to put gowns on before I was rolled into the operating room. When delivering twins they always have the person delivery in the Operating room just in case the person needs a c section. While they were getting ready I had another nurse come in from the NICU where she told us my babies would need to go to the NICU when they were born. This is the first time I was told this and honestly was not expecting this news and about started crying knowing that I would give birth and then they would take my babies away. And of course they had to tell me this right as I was about to give birth. They wheeled me in to the room around 5pm. And at 6:36pm miss Tayla Rose was born! I remember thinking how hard that was and thought to myself that I was done but then remembered I still had another baby inside me. The nurses weighed Tayla and they brought her back to me. I got to hold her for an hour, which went by really fast. The exhaustion hit me. Hard. I was ready to be done and rolled back into my room, with my baby. But then the nurse took my baby away, reality sunk back in and I continued to lay there so twin number 2 could be born. The only problem is that my contractions completely stopped and miss Ivy positioned herself very comfortable in the center of my belly. They had to give me pitocin to start my contractions again. And they had to keep increasing it. They tried rotating Ivy but she wouldn't budge which means I would have to deliver the baby while in the breached position. I had know idea I had a long ways to go. The contractions started again and so did the pushing. I was exhausted from pushing with Tyala, my muscles were weak. I put every effort I could into pushing and it never felt enough. Then I started feeling horrible and excruciating pressure in my lower back and tail bone area, and every single push just made it worse. I remember getting really pissed that I could feel pain. I remember yelling, "is my epidural wearing off? Why can I feel the pain. I shouldn't be feeling this!!" The doctor tried to explain to me it had to do with the position the baby was in, but I was still mad. As Ivy made her down out the pain just got worse. I wanted to give up. I started crying and thought to myself that I couldn't do it anymore. This is where I'm so glad I had Tyrel at my side. He was able to calm me down and did not let me give up. I don't think I could've kept going without him. As the pushing continued the doctor told me all I had left was her head. And after hearing that it was all the motivation I needed. I zoned everything out and pushed all I could until she was out finally at 9:12pm. Almost 3 hours later! She was very purple when she came out but after some crying her color came back. They put her to my chest. I was only able to hold her for 20 minutes before she was taken away too. She was doing some weird breathing and wanted to start monitoring her. I laid there on the uncomfortable bed, thinking I was done. But I still had to deliver the placentas. Unfortunately the placentas would not come out so they had to give me more epidural so she could go in and pull the placentas out. It was close to 11pm when they finally started wheeling me out and back into my room. As I laid there all I could think about was how my babies were doing but they wouldn't let me me go see them until my epidural wore off and could walk by myself.

I was exhausted and wanted to sleep. My epidural finally wore off and it was time to move into the recovery room. At around 2am I was finally able to go down to the NICU to see my babies and hold them! It was the most amazing feeling ever. I wanted to stay longer but because I had been awake for nearly 24 hours I was tired and needed to get some sleep. I wanted to bring my babies with me but they had to stay. I went back to my room where both Tyrel and I were able to sleep

I was happy to be done finally but knew I still had a long road ahead of me

33 weeks

These babies sure are growing and I have a huge belly and more weight to show for it. By now they should be gaining about 1/2 pound each week, which mean I'm gaining weight more frequently too. I now have reached my pre-pregnancy weight. Probably a good thing I lost 15 pounds during this pregnancy. Right now Baby A who is facing head down is now measuring bigger and weighing at 4 lbs 12 oz, with a heart rate of 139 bpm. Baby B who is still breached is weighing at 4 lbs 6oz with a heart rate of 143 bpm. Everything looks good in my ultra sound and babies are growing right where they need to be. We talked about setting a date for my induction with my doctor, and any complications that can come with delivering breech babies as well as c section. Not really something you want to hear but everything comes with a risk and at least my doctor is honest. Starting next week I start going to my OB at once to twice a week. Since having twins they are want to do a stress test and extra fetal monitoring to make sure babies are doing ok inside the womb. Depending on how the test goes will determine if I need to be put on bed rest or not.

The babies room is looking a lot better, thanks to my mom. We got a dresser put in and clothes all put away and one swing still set up. We still need to set up the crib in our room that we will use for both of them, finish organizing and pack a hospital bag. We still have some time before these babies are born but because it's normal for twins to come early, it's still better to be prepared. Things are getting a little uncomfortable for me, including sleeping. Have to get up a couple times a night to use the bathroom. I sit on the couch to put my feet up as much as possible but even then I still have to get up and move around a little because I feel like my big belly in constricting my air way sometimes. The Braxton hicks contractions have started as well. Nothing to big but a little uncomfortable. I still have a long ways to go, but there are days when I wish I was done being pregnant.

Unfortunately since both babies were facing down, towards my spine they weren't able to get any pictures!

I noticed the other night that my belly is no longer round shaped

 

Really hoping this swelling goes away once these babies come....

How far along?    33 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Altogether I've gained 15 pounds and now reached my pre-pregnancy weight
Maternity clothes? All the time
Best moment this week:   Getting the babies room all organized. It was a disaster lol
Miss Anything? Sleeping through the night
Movement: Decreased a little. Probably because they are running out of room to move
Food cravings: Chocolate!
Anything making you queasy or sick: No
Have you started to show yet:   Yup
Gender prediction:  Both girls
Labor Signs: Started having braxton hicks contractions on Monday
Belly Button in or out? Getting pretty flat
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy
Looking forward to:  Getting the crib all set up

32 Weeks

As the babies are becoming fully developed, I'm starting to run out of things to say. Each baby should be weighing at about 3.9 lbs. They will slowly gain weight each week (as will mom) until they reach their birth weight before they are born. My mom came last weekend to help go through baby clothes, and boy were there a lot! I seriously appreciate all donation of baby stuff people have been given us. We truly are grateful and have enough clothes to last up to 12 months!

Things have been going ok for me, only complaint I have are my fat swollen feet! I hate my feet now, hate looking at them. I wake up in the mornings and they are still fat. I try and put my feet up as much as possible. My plantar fasciitis is flaring up, probably because of all the extra weight on my feet. Even though I get to sleep in every morning I still feel like I could sleep more. You know all the usual pregnancy stuff

How far along? 32 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Gained about 1 pound. I've almost reach my pre-pregancy weight!
Maternity clothes? All day everyday
Best moment this week: Going through baby stuff
Miss Anything? Walking normally without waddling
Movement: Decreased a little bit but when they do move, it's big movements
Food cravings: Nothing new
Anything making you queasy or sick: No
Have you started to show yet:   Huge
Gender prediction:  Girls
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? Slowly becoming an outie
Happy or Moody most of the time: Pretty happy
Looking forward to:  Getting the babies room all set up

31 weeks

Well the babies are getting to the point where they slow down growing in length but still have quite a bit of weight to gain. They should weigh just over 3 pounds approximately. I had my Ob appointment on Thursday. I'm measuring 37 cm. One baby is still head down and the other one is head up. My doctor and I discussed delivery options and because baby B is head up and measuring bigger, she feels it is my best interest to have a c section. There are too many safety risk by delivering vaginally, including the baby's head getting stuck. To be honest with you a c section absolutely terrifies me. I've never had any type of major surgery before. So here's hoping baby B decides to rotate so that I don't need a c section!

On Monday Tyrel and I did a tour of the hospital in Salem. It was very informative as they took us through the rooms I will be delivering in and then recovering in. The Salem Hospital does this thing called baby first, which means the baby remains in the room with you at all times. Unless of course there is some sort of complication

Today was my first week working part time. It feels weird coming into work at 2 and do miss my kiddos but I've been feeling so much better. I'm able to sleep more in the mornings and I feel I can actually make it through the work day.

How far along? 31 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: About 5 pounds. I've almost reached my per-pregnancy weight
Maternity clothes? Pretty much anything that feels comfortable
Best moment this week: Working part time
Miss Anything? My preschool kiddos
Movement: Pretty much all the time if I'm sitting down
Food cravings: Still wanting to drink lot of milk. We go through 2 to 3 gallons a week
Anything making you queasy or sick: No
Have you started to show yet: Yes
Gender prediction:  Girls
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy 
Looking forward to: Going through the baby stuff and clothes we have

30 weeks

This week is my last week working full time. Starting next week I will still be working everyday but just shorter hours. I'm actually really excited for this because I feel like I've reached a point where I need to take it easy. The biggest problem I have had lately is the swelling in my feet and legs have gotten really bad. So much that my legs actually hurt when you touch them. Sleeping is going better now that I've recovered from my sickness

Our house is slowly coming along. We have the living room, bathrooms and bedroom finish. Still have some things lying around in the dining room. We can actually walk in the spare bedroom now where we store stuff. That will be the next thing we work on, as well as the babies room.

I made deviled eggs!

Look a food shelf!

How far along?    30 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: About a pound
Maternity clothes?  Pretty much all the time. Or pajamas
Best moment this week: Feeling better after recovering from my sickness
Miss Anything? Just being able to sleep through the night
Movement: Yes and the kicks are starting to get stronger
Food cravings: Nothing special
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Have you started to show yet:   Yes
Gender prediction:  Girls
Labor Signs: More crampy this usual
Belly Button in or out? In
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Mostly happy
Looking forward to:  Working part time

29 weeks (late post)

I'm late posting this but we had a busy weekend full of moving! We are now out of our shitty, rat infested apartment and into a nicer and 3 bedroom apartment. Still pretty bummed that we had to put the house buying process on hold, but I keep trying to remind myself that it's only temporary.

Anyway, this weeks picture was taken at our new place where there is a mirror low enough that I can see my whole belly. And when I looked in that mirror I honestly had no idea I was that big! Little bit of shock for me you could say, but these twin babies I'm growing need to keep on growing so bring on the big belly! I had my OB appointment on Wednesday and I'm currently measuring at 36 cm! So someone who should be about 36 weeks along. I still have a long ways to go and it will be interesting to see just how big I get. She also agreed with my request of going to part time! I'm actually really excited for this because I feel I really need to start taking it easy. Full days are really starting to be too much for me, of course I am fighting a sickness too, walking pneumonia actually, so once I recover from that maybe I can get through the day better.

I also had an appointment with the specialist too and had my ultra sound.

Baby A decided to cooperate this time and finally showed her face

Baby B showed us the front of her face with her arms up

Legs

This picture is funny. She was trying to get measurements of baby B and then up on top you can also see baby A's face!

Now that we have moved and cleaned our old place, all that's left to do is unpack and organize stuff. It will be nice to finally go through all the baby stuff we have and start getting all the cribs set up and everything else in the babies room. I still can't believe that starting in April we will now be a family of 4!

How far along? 29 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: When I went to the doctor I had lost some weight
Maternity clothes? Pretty much all the time
Best moment this week:  Seeing my babies and moving to a nicer and cleaner apartment
Miss Anything? Sleeping through the night
Movement: Yes. Big kicks this week
Food cravings: Nothing in particular
Anything making you queasy or sick: No
Have you started to show yet: Um yeah
Gender prediction:  Girls
Labor Signs: No, just cramping and stretching
Belly Button in or out? Still in
Happy or Moody most of the time: Been pretty moody this week. Tyrel and has referred to me as Pregasaurous Rex a lot
Looking forward to:  Getting our new place organized and feeling like home

28 weeks!

Well I have officially reached my 3rd trimester, which means I have 12 more weeks to go! Well 10 weeks for me. I continue to get bigger and the babies are becoming more active. The swelling in my legs and feet have gotten really bad, but the good news is, thanks to Zantac I no longer have heartburn! I started taking it on Tuesday and it has helped tremendously. Sleeping for me has started to become hit or miss. I wake up a lot at night because I either need to use the bathroom or I can't comfortable. It's frustrating knowing that I have the most comfortable bed but I'm not able to get comfortable to sleep. But of course with having a big belly I can only sleep on my sides, which means I need to switch sides once in awhile.

Next weekend is moving day!! The plan is to be done with my appointment on Wednesday and have time to sign paperwork so we don't have to deal with it on Saturday. Normally I hate moving, but for once I'm actually really excited to get out of our current shitty apartment. We will have a room to set up for the babies and hopefully get going on a nursery. I haven't really gone through my "nesting" phase that a lot of pregnant women go through, but I have been wanting to go through all the baby stuff people have been giving me. But since our spare room is currently stuffed full I don't really have that option right now

On Wednesday I have my next OB appointment and an appointment with a specialist to get an ultra sound. Going to talk to my doctor about my symptoms I've been having and possibly start working part time. A full work day is just getting too much for me

I found this really cool picture of what twins look like in the womb. Just imagine one of them being head up instead

How far along? 28 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Haven't really been keeping track. My weight keeps fluctuating
Maternity clothes? Yup. Pretty much all the time, but I do put on regular pants once in awhile that still fit me ;)
Best moment this week: Getting the phone call telling us we were approved for our apartment!
Miss Anything? Sleeping through the night
Movement: Yes. Still mostly during the evening time but they are started to move more during the day too
Food cravings: Lots of milk  
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really
Have you started to show yet:   Yup
Gender prediction:  Girls
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In but a little shallower
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy most of the time
Looking forward to:  My appointments on Wednesday!