Alice and Cassandra's Birth Story
Apr 18, 2015 9:30:26 GMT -5
Post by neongreen on Apr 18, 2015 9:30:26 GMT -5
I came home from the hospital on Thursday, but I've been trying to 1) rest, 2) catch up on things that happened while I wasn't home, and 3) go visit my beautiful girls on some sort of schedule, so I haven't been able to check in here yet! Here's the more detailed version of Saturday/Sunday's events, with bonus pics at the end. 
So yeah, there were plenty of signs last week that the girls were plotting an early escape. To cut to the chase, on Saturday, my back hurt, I'd lost some mucus, and I started to have some more painful contractions for the first time ever. I followed the recommendations of drinking some water, lying down, etc. Around 9:30pm or so, I said to DH that I think we should go to the hospital so I could get checked out, because I'd rather go and be told it's nothing and get sent home than the other way around.
We headed over to the ER, where I was admitted right away. I peed in a cup and the nurses strapped the monitors on and started an IV while we waited for the doctor on call from my practice (who, luckily enough, was the one I'd seen earlier in the week). At first they thought I was just dehydrated and that's what was causing the contractions, so they were going to run through some fluids. While they did that, the contractions started getting stronger and more painful. When the doctor arrived, she checked me and I was already 1cm dilated. Her plan was to start magnesium sulfate and keep me on strict bed rest in the hospital in an effort to get me to 32 weeks.
Soon after this (as the contractions were getting worse and worse), she decided the best plan would be to transport me via ambulance to the bigger medical center across the river that has a higher level NICU. She'd spoken to one of the doctors over there to arrange this, started another medication per that doctor's recommendation (I have no idea what it was), and ordered that I be catheterized immediately so I'd stop getting up. By this point, I was screaming my way through the contractions (that were getting closer and stronger), and I will admit I was not pleasant to the nurse that catheterized me. Between the catheter, the contractions, and whatever was in the IV burning a hole in my wrist, I started seeing stars at that point.
The doctor came back in right before I was scheduled to leave, and miraculously, decided to check me one more time. Surprise! I was fully dilated. It had been planned from the beginning that I'd need a c-section due to my previous Crohn's-related surgeries, so everyone jumped into action. They got me to the OR, and the anesthesiologist did get the spinal in smoothly in between contractions. I now know why the anesthesiologist is everyone's best friend.
The c-section went well and both girls came out pink and crying and breathing on their own. The doctor and all the nurses were all saying that it was one of the craziest births they'd had in a while, and no one expected me to go that fast. We pretty much all believe that if the doctor hadn't checked me one more time, I would have delivered in the ambulance, and THAT would not have been a good thing for many, many reasons.
The hospital (where I'd always planned on delivering) usually doesn't keep 30-weekers, but the girls were doing so well, they saw no reason to transport them to the other hospital. Everyone was saying I got the steroids at the exact right time and they did what they were supposed to do. Both girls needed the CPAP their first night, but went down to just extra air flow via nasal cannulas quickly, and they're off that now, too. They've both needed some time under the phototherapy lights for jaundice and other stuff, especially since Alice bruised herself up pretty well in her mad dash to get out. (One of the nurses later told me that when the doctor made the incision, Alice immediately stuck her hand/arm out and they had to push her back in a little since you can't drag a baby out by her arm.
That child is going to be trouble.) They've been steadily increasing their feedings and tolerating them well. As of last night, they're both up to 25cc per feeding. While they're digesting the food fine, when Cassandra has a full stomach, sometimes she struggles a little to breathe deeply, so the doctor might re-evaluate her feeds. Either way, it was decided they were eating enough that their umbilical lines could come out, which means we might be able to start skin-to-skin soon.
So that's where we are. It was scary (and painful, not gonna lie) for a bit, but for everything that happened, we couldn't have asked for a better outcome. Everyone is thrilled with the girls' progress, and one of the nurse practitioners said that they're even a little ahead of the game for their ages. We know that not everything is going to be easy, especially when it comes time for them to start eating on their own, but really, we're very, very, very lucky. Right now, it's estimated that they'll be in the NICU for about 4-6 weeks. (I don't think they attempt eating on their own until about 34 weeks gestational age, and they're at 31 now.)
And now the part you've all been waiting for! First, Alice looks very glamorous in her robe after having her hair washed and getting a sponge bath.
Cassandra doesn't have quite as much hair, and hers is lighter and a little fuzzier. (She just finished crying over the GRAVE INJUSTICE of having to be weighed and changed before being fed, so she looks a little drowsy here.)
So yeah, there were plenty of signs last week that the girls were plotting an early escape. To cut to the chase, on Saturday, my back hurt, I'd lost some mucus, and I started to have some more painful contractions for the first time ever. I followed the recommendations of drinking some water, lying down, etc. Around 9:30pm or so, I said to DH that I think we should go to the hospital so I could get checked out, because I'd rather go and be told it's nothing and get sent home than the other way around.
We headed over to the ER, where I was admitted right away. I peed in a cup and the nurses strapped the monitors on and started an IV while we waited for the doctor on call from my practice (who, luckily enough, was the one I'd seen earlier in the week). At first they thought I was just dehydrated and that's what was causing the contractions, so they were going to run through some fluids. While they did that, the contractions started getting stronger and more painful. When the doctor arrived, she checked me and I was already 1cm dilated. Her plan was to start magnesium sulfate and keep me on strict bed rest in the hospital in an effort to get me to 32 weeks.
Soon after this (as the contractions were getting worse and worse), she decided the best plan would be to transport me via ambulance to the bigger medical center across the river that has a higher level NICU. She'd spoken to one of the doctors over there to arrange this, started another medication per that doctor's recommendation (I have no idea what it was), and ordered that I be catheterized immediately so I'd stop getting up. By this point, I was screaming my way through the contractions (that were getting closer and stronger), and I will admit I was not pleasant to the nurse that catheterized me. Between the catheter, the contractions, and whatever was in the IV burning a hole in my wrist, I started seeing stars at that point.
The doctor came back in right before I was scheduled to leave, and miraculously, decided to check me one more time. Surprise! I was fully dilated. It had been planned from the beginning that I'd need a c-section due to my previous Crohn's-related surgeries, so everyone jumped into action. They got me to the OR, and the anesthesiologist did get the spinal in smoothly in between contractions. I now know why the anesthesiologist is everyone's best friend.
The c-section went well and both girls came out pink and crying and breathing on their own. The doctor and all the nurses were all saying that it was one of the craziest births they'd had in a while, and no one expected me to go that fast. We pretty much all believe that if the doctor hadn't checked me one more time, I would have delivered in the ambulance, and THAT would not have been a good thing for many, many reasons.
The hospital (where I'd always planned on delivering) usually doesn't keep 30-weekers, but the girls were doing so well, they saw no reason to transport them to the other hospital. Everyone was saying I got the steroids at the exact right time and they did what they were supposed to do. Both girls needed the CPAP their first night, but went down to just extra air flow via nasal cannulas quickly, and they're off that now, too. They've both needed some time under the phototherapy lights for jaundice and other stuff, especially since Alice bruised herself up pretty well in her mad dash to get out. (One of the nurses later told me that when the doctor made the incision, Alice immediately stuck her hand/arm out and they had to push her back in a little since you can't drag a baby out by her arm.
That child is going to be trouble.) They've been steadily increasing their feedings and tolerating them well. As of last night, they're both up to 25cc per feeding. While they're digesting the food fine, when Cassandra has a full stomach, sometimes she struggles a little to breathe deeply, so the doctor might re-evaluate her feeds. Either way, it was decided they were eating enough that their umbilical lines could come out, which means we might be able to start skin-to-skin soon.So that's where we are. It was scary (and painful, not gonna lie) for a bit, but for everything that happened, we couldn't have asked for a better outcome. Everyone is thrilled with the girls' progress, and one of the nurse practitioners said that they're even a little ahead of the game for their ages. We know that not everything is going to be easy, especially when it comes time for them to start eating on their own, but really, we're very, very, very lucky. Right now, it's estimated that they'll be in the NICU for about 4-6 weeks. (I don't think they attempt eating on their own until about 34 weeks gestational age, and they're at 31 now.)
And now the part you've all been waiting for! First, Alice looks very glamorous in her robe after having her hair washed and getting a sponge bath.
Cassandra doesn't have quite as much hair, and hers is lighter and a little fuzzier. (She just finished crying over the GRAVE INJUSTICE of having to be weighed and changed before being fed, so she looks a little drowsy here.)
