Multiples Birth Stories

[SassyPants150]

Hey all! I want to add another sticky thread to the top for birth stories. I know it's something I always enjoyed reading and I think would be helpful to see on the first page.

In order to keep it clean, please feel free to AW it up with your own separate post as well. I know we would love to chat it up and oooh ahhh over your stories!

Multiples type/sexes:
Week delivered:
Weights/lengths:
Type of delivery:
Scheduled?:
Story time!:

[anotherdreamer]

Multiples type/sexes: di/di Fraternal Girls
Week delivered: 38w4d
Weights/lengths: 7lb 2oz and 7lb (can't remember lengths off hand, will have to look it up!)
Type of delivery: c-section (due to previous c-section, although it would have been inevitable due to baby positions)
Scheduled?: Yes

Story time!: I was scheduled for it in the morning, at I think 11am. Went in, got my IV and antibiotics (tested positive for StepB) and got pushed back several hours due to emergencies. Once we went back, things happened quickly- prepped with the spinal, prepped with cath, etc... and they were getting the girls out. They were born at 3:01 and 3:03pm. When they pulled baby A out it was instant relief, my lungs capacity instantly improved, my body just felt so much better overall. My girls went back to recovery with me, we nursed right away, then we all went to my room together. They did have to stay under the heat lamps for just a little bit, but they were good to go. We stayed in the hospital for 4 nights, and they went home with me.

[ashb62]

Multiples type/sexes: di/di boys

Week delivered: 38+4

Weights/lengths: 6 lbs 8 oz, 19 in & 7 lbs 3 oz, 19.5 in

Type of delivery: C-section due to breech and bigger baby B

Scheduled?: Yes

Story time!: My surgery was scheduled for noon, so we had to be there at 10:00 for paperwork, monitoring, and prep. I had an u/s to see if baby B had flipped so we could induce instead. He hadn't.

They took me back, I got my spinal, and they laid me down. As they were getting ready, the nurses kept commenting on how much my belly was moving.

They brought DH in and got started. The surgery was a breeze in the moment. T had flipped during prep, so both babies were head down when the OB cut me open. C was born first at 12:45. When my OB pulled him out, T grabbed ahold of his foot. We aren't sure if he didn't want his brother to leave him or was mad he wasn't first. Lol. Then T followed at 12:46. They were weighed and cleaned up. T had wet lungs so he stayed with the nurse, but I was able to hold C while they stitched me up.

T managed to get the fluid up and we were all wheeled into recovery together where we got both latched on and nursing. We had a 3-night hospital stay and all went home together.

[SassyPants150]

Multiples type/sexes: Fraternal boy/girl

Week delivered: 38w

Weights/lengths: Baby girl(A): 6lbs,3oz 19.5in/Baby boy (B): 6lbs,10oz 19.5in

Type of delivery:C-section

Scheduled?:Yes

Story time!: Sometime around the 25-28 week mark, DD decided she no longer felt the need to be head down. From that point on, I had a gut feeling that a c-section was in my future and I was terrified! I researched all things c-section related in preparation. It was clear the babies were comfortable and not going to vacate without an eviction and from there my doctor decided to go ahead and schedule the c-section for 38w4d. An even better treat, at 39w6d, they had an opening for the next day and pretty much without hesitation, my large self said I would gladly accept!

It's such a strange thing after having a vaginal birth to show up to the hospital and say "Hey, I'm here to have babies!". We arrived at the hospital 2.5 hours before the scheduled c/s to be monitored and start my IV in Triage. The nurses were so funny and bubbly that they made us feel so relaxed. My doctor was on-call that day so she wheeled in an ultrasound machine to make sure that DD was still breech before moving forward. No change there.

I was only bumped once for an emergency c/s so we relaxed in the room. When it was time, I was rolled to the recovery room which was attached to the OR. The ORs for maternity were for the maternity wing only. We waited for a little while longer while DH got his scrubs on. Finally it was my turn to go in so the anesthesiologist could do his work and I was hooked to all the necessary things in the OR. This anesthesiologist liked for you to lie on your side for him to administer the spinal block. This was awkward as I had to push my knees up to what felt like my throat with the help of the staff. Once again, bragging on the staff. They were very cheery and made me feel very comfortable. They asked questions and we laughed about different things as the spinal block started it's magic.

From that point, I'd be surprised if the babies were born more than 10 minutes after my belly was numb. DH came in the room and sat down just in time. Baby girl came out screaming at 2:51p and 2:52p baby boy came out screaming as well and peeing all over the doctor. I could hear everyone talking about them having a pretty good amount of hair. They were both taken to an attached room to be bathed and looked over and DH was able to go with the nursing staff. They brought each baby over to me to see before they let DH go back out to the recovery room with them while I was stitched back up.

After about 30-45 minutes I was rolled to recovery where I saw DH holding both babies and I nearly melted. Once I got to sit up a little I was able to hold each one as we looked at their little faces. I was amazed! We weren't able to leave recovery until I could lift my leg. I was so frustrated with this as the nurses kept coming over and asking me if I could and I couldn't. We were in recovery for about 2.5 hours before getting to go to our room.

Two things I didn't realize would happen post c/s:
I was so itchy, if I wasn't a nail biter I probably would have clawed myself to pieces. The nurse ordered me a benedryl when I got to our room. Also, I didn't realize that it would be another 12 hours before I could eat. The night nurse said I was doing really well so she gave me some crackers on each of her visits. I think I nearly cried about not eating as it had been since the night before that I had eaten.

I recovered really well which I will credit to working out pretty much the whole time, even though it was pretty light activity the last 3 weeks. We were able to go home after 2 days.

Word to the wise, whether you think you are fine or not, do not miss a dose of the good drugs! If I waited too long, it seemed like forever for them to kick back in. Same for at home.

[mrsp419]

Well, I am feeling all sappy mcsappington tonight on the eve of their first birthday, so I am going to participate now :-).

Multiples type/sexes: di/di identical girls
Week delivered: 37w 1d
Weights/lengths: Audrey: 5lbs7oz, 18.5 inches. Margot: 5lbs8oz, 19 inches.
Type of delivery: C-section
Scheduled?: Yup. And my older two were med free vaginal deliveries, and this C-section was 100% elective. It was a weird change in thinking, but 100% worth it for us.
Story time!: After checking in, I was taken right back to the room that would be my recovery and postpartum room for the whole stay. We had about 2 hours before surgery time to do vitals, paperwork, put in an IV, etc. It was so weird being in this room and seeing the two cradles and the sign on the wall with spaces for two names and birth weights. At almost 10 exactly, we were taken down the hall to the OR. DH was left outside the OR to change into scrubs, and I was taken back to get my spinal. I was shaking with nervousness at this point. Like literally shaking. I had never had an epidural or any medication before while in labor, so I was terrified of that spinal. After what felt like forever (probably more like 5 minutes), they swung me onto my back and I felt my body start to go numb. They did various tests pricking and poking me, and I really didn't feel anything after a while. My arms were put out to my sides, but not strapped down; they just put heavy blankets over them. I was starting to feel relaxed and more excited.

DH came in and I started getting more meds and such from my nurse anesthetist (she was the BEST!) Very quickly and anticlimactically, my surgery began. Just like I was told, I felt no pain; just lots of tugging and pressure at times. A few times, I felt super nauseous (the NA said it was when my BP dropped), but she put anti nausea meds into my IV and I would feel relief immediately. I had no idea what was going on specifically, but I felt calm overall.

Since I had never had a C-section before, I had no idea what to expect once the babies came. I knew I wanted to do skin-to-skin as soon as I could, but I was totally preparing myself for the possibility that they would be whisked away. I had no idea if they would cry or not, so I tried not to wait for that sound. I tried to keep my expectations reasonable and vague as I waited. Finally, I heard the doctor say "Baby A is coming out!" I felt a ton of pressure, like someone was standing on my chest, then a pull, and then I heard this glorious cry! I asked the OB what side she came from (since that is how I knew who was who) and he said my left. I said "that's Audrey!" and she was taken away to be cleaned. Everyone said she looked and sounded great, and apparently came out peeing all over the doctor. Not moments later (2 mins to be exact) I felt the same pressure as the OB announced Baby B is coming out! Again, maybe a bit later, I heard a beautiful cry, and told the nurses that one was Margot. I could not see either of them yet because of the blue sheet, but I was feeling very joyful and peaceful because they sounded so healthy. I told DH to go over and be with them, and just enjoyed hearing them cry (in unison! It was crazy!) as I was stitched up. Very soon after, a nurse brought Margot over to meet me, and I kissed her and wished her a happy birthday. Audrey came not soon after for a kiss. It took maybe 10-15 minutes to close me up, with DH taking photos of the babies and me sending a message to our moms telling them the babies were here, and then I was moved onto a hospital bed. At that beautiful moment, both girls were placed in my arms so I could marvel at them. They were perfect and healthy. Together, we were wheeled back to my room.

I can honestly say that their birth and my hospital stay after was one of the most peaceful, surreal, and blessed times of my life. I was so afraid for how chaotic and overwhelming it would be, and instead, I was so enjoying them. They were perfectly healthy, and aside from being under the warmers a bit, could stay with me the whole time. We tandem nursed the first day, and then about 75% of the time after that. It truly was one of the most amazing days of my life. I can't believe it was a year ago, and I am so thankful for the experience I had.

[carrotcake]

Di/di fraternal boys

Delivered at 34w

Baby A was 5lbs, Baby B was 5lbs8oz. No idea on length? Maybe 17-18in?

Emergency C-section.

Their birth was traumatic for me, so a warning. There's a happy ending though.

It was a Wed and I was at work. I had been dx w mild pre-e at 32w, so I was WFH 2x a week. I had a huge deadline that I just finished up, so my 2 days were to be Thurs-Fri that week.

I was walking back from the printer around 4:45 and I felt something weird and then a second later, in the middle of the hallway, I gushed. OMFG. Contrax came hot and fast about 7min apart.

After leaking all over my office and shoving approx 500 of those tri fold paper towels between my legs, a coworker drove my car and another followed in her car. I called MH to pick up our oldest, drop him at my moms, and then make his way to the hospital.

I got to the hospital around 5:15 and made my way to check-in. The intake chick was clearly unimpressed by my leaking and active contrax, and made me sit in the waiting room while they got a room ready. I sat on a blanket I had in the car. The Contrax were now 3-4min apart.

I get to triage and the aide asks me to pee in a cup which is a normal request of you aren't actively leaking amniotic fluid. I tell her I'm having twins and baby A is breech so I'll need a c/s and perhaps we should get this process moving bc I'm in active labor. It's prob 5:40.

I get moved to another room where I have to go through all of this again. I expressed my desire to get this moving - this isn't my first rodeo and things are ramping up really quickly. Finally, around 5:55pm or so, a resident comes in. She says she has to do an internal w a speculum to confirm my water broke. I laughed and told her it was really unmistakable.

So she does an internal. And she freezes. Gets all quiet and looks up to the monitors they have on the babies. I ask her how far along I am. She's says I'm at a 6, but that she can feel that baby A's cord had prolapsed. She wasn't going to let go, climbed into bed w me, and called a code. Then shit got crazy.

MH hadn't yet arrived at the hospital bc he works across the city and it was rush hour. Nurses and dr start rapid-firing questions about who was here and what they could tell them. I asked if they were going to knock me out. The dr said yes. I started to cry.

We got to the OR and it was frantic. They started to lose baby A's HB (the resident still had her hand in me on the cord). Things ramped up a notch. And then they knocked me out. They were born at 603 and 604, about 75min after my water broke.

I woke up in recovery and MH was there. The babies were fine and in the nicu. I wouldn't be able to see them until the next morning. I asked MH to go take pics and give them names.

They were in the nicu for 13 days as feeders/growers. They caught up milestone-wise between 6-9mo. We nurses until they self-weaned at 14mo (too soon for me, tbh).

It's still hard sometimes, and since their Bday is coming up, I'm starting to relive it all over again. The distance helps.

I've come to terms w their birth for the most part. Rationally and logically, I am forever grateful for two take home babies. Emotionally, it's been a bit harder but I'm trying to be kind to myself and realize that rational and emotional are two different things.

[abseptember]

Multiple type/sexes- di/di boys
week delivered- 38 wks exactly
weights/lengths- 6#14oz, 19.5" and 5#10oz, 19"
Type of delivery- vaginal
scheduled- yes
story time- Dr didn't want me to go much over 38 wks so I could be induced that Friday or the following Monday. I opted for that friday at exactly 38 wks... baby B wasn't moving as much as before so tracking his motion was getting stressful and I was so ready to be done. I checked in at 445a and was already 5cm but no contractions. Pitocin was started at 6a and they broke baby a's water at 645. At 915ish, I was ready for my epidural. An hour after, I felt a lot of pressure and was checked and was at 9cm. They prepped the OR and took me down. 5 pushes and baby a was out at 1106a. They broke baby b's water and checked position. 3 pushes and he was out at 1111a. I got to see each boy for a second right after birth and both were handed to me shortly after baby b's birth. It was so crazy and amazing to actually be holding them! Baby b had low blood sugar but didn't need to go to the nicu. Baby A didn't need any nicu time either. Both boys came home with me that Sunday
I was really hoping to breastfeed but my milk took forever to come in and then had difficulty getting boys to stay latched. There was so much going on with having twins, a 2.5 yr old, and general life that I pumped for 4 wks and then stopped. It still makes me a bit sad it didn't work out but then I remember the big picture. Boys are thriving and turn 4 mths tomorrow.
I give major props to the BFing moms!

[FCtwinmom]

Multiples type/sexes: Fraternal B/G

Week delivered: 31 weeks 5 days

Weights/lengths: Baby A- Wyatt 2 lbs 11oz 16.5inches Baby B- Peyton 3 lbs 4 oz

Type of delivery: C-section

Scheduled?: Nope

Story time!: So this was definitely not the ideal birth I had in mind for my first baby(ies) or how I would have wanted to the twins to come into this world but it's our story and it all turned out well so I have pretty much come to terms with it.

So everything went pretty smooth throughout my pregnancy up until 30 weeks 5 days and then sh*t hit the fan. On that Thursday I was at work and just felt a little bit off, late in the afternoon I went to the bathroom and was pretty sure I lost my mucus plug. I went home soon after that and was just planning to rest bu I started getting contractions pretty frequently. My husband thought I should call the doctors office and I did, they encouraged me to go to L&D so off we went. When we got there they hooked me and the babies up to monitors and sure enough I was having contractions frequently and they were pretty strong. They gave me medicine to stop them and did an FFN test. They also gave me the first steroid shot. They were able to stop the contractions and sent me home with a follow up with my OB scheduled for the next day. At the appt the next day my OB officially put me on bed rest but with a negative FFN test he was confident I could still go for a few more weeks.

Well that didn't exactly work out. Monday morning at about 3:30am I woke up in bed to a warm gush of fluid, I immediately woke my husband up and in a panic mode we booked it to the hospital. We had already pre-registered so they took us right upstairs and hooked me up to a monitor, tested the fluid to make sure it was amniotic fluid. Soon after that a dr from my OB's practice came to talk to us. She said one of the membranes for the twins had in fact ruptured but that they had been able to stop active labor from progressing. She said that until these babies came my new home was the hospital. They ordered and ultrasound later that day and my OB and MFM both came to check on me and the babies and to develop a care plan. They did NSTs on both babies and Bio-physical profiles. The decision was made the next day (Tuesday) to stop giving me procardia to control the contractions. Their concern was that with a membrane ruptured the procardia could be stopping contractions that would be signalling a serious problem like infection. They let my DH and I know that it could be anytime from the next day to a couple of weeks before we met the babies. We had numerous ultrasounds during our time in the hospital and because of the babies positions and the worries about Baby A's size the decision was made that when the time came it would be a c-section.

My little ones managed to stay inside for a couple more days. But very early Thursday morning active labor started. By about 3:30 the contractions were getting really strong and close together. They gave me magnesium sulfate to protect the babies brains. It's pretty terrible stuff, but it did it's job and protected my babies brains from bleeds. After the OB checked me at 3:30 the decision was made that we would head in for a c-section by mid morning. But my little man had other plans- he started having decells with every contraction. Our c-section was super quickly moved up and by 7:30am we were in the OR. They gave me the spinal got me prepped and the NICU teams in place and both babies were born at 8:01am. They were both born at the same minute because they were trying to get DS out first since he was in distress and he got stuck on his sister. So they quickly made another incision going vertically and pulled them both out together. The scariest part by far was only hearing one cry in the OR. Wyatt wasn't breathing and had to be resuscitated and intubated in the OR.

They let both my DH and my mom come into the OR with me. So once Peyton was ready to head to the NICU DH went with her and my mom stayed with me. Our anesthesiologist was amazing. He could see I was freaking out about what was going on with my son and did his best to see what was happening and talk me through it. Without him doing that I am pretty sure I would have lost it.

After that first drama filled day our babies for the most did pretty great and both came home after about 5 weeks in the NICU (P- 35 days W- 37 days). I will forever be grateful to the amazing nurses and doctors at our hospital that took such great care of us and allowed me and my babies to go home healthy!

(sorry for the book )

[irishvodkagrl]

Multiples type/sexes: Identical Boys

Week delivered: 30 weeks 3 days

Weights/lengths: Baby A- James 3lbs 8 oz 17" long  Baby B- Thomas 2lbs 8oz 16" long

Type of delivery: C-section

Scheduled?: Nope

Story time!: I had a rough start to my pregnancy, and things never really slowed down. From the beginning I had really awful morning sickness that progressed to HG quickly. I lost over 30lbs in my first tri alone. Due to all the stress it was putting on my body, I was being monitored by a cardiologist due to erratic blood pressures, and the MFM doc was seeing me every two weeks just to be safe.

At 26w2d I went to the hospital for a routine monitoring appointment with the MFM (his offices are in the hospital I was delivering at). She told me I was having contractions every 6 minutes and my cervix was severely shortened. So I was admitted and put on mag sulfate, steroid shots and blood thinners. After 6 days in the hospital my dr let me go home on strict bedrest. I was only allowed to be on my feet for a total of 15 minutes a day.

Our goal was to make it to 34 weeks, but the boys had other plans. At 30w3d I went back to the hospital for another monitoring appointment at 1pm. They completed the u/s and Dr Badnews (my charming nickname for him) comes in and tells me there is ample evidence of TTTS and Baby B is extremely restricted. Baby B had also managed to squirm around until his cord was between his back and the membrane, so every time he moved it compressed. They told me one way or another I wasn't leaving the hospital until the boys were born.

At this point I was pretty hysterical. During the scan they had estimated their weights at about 3lbs each and that sounded way too small to be born. I had my husband call out of work and call our parents and tell them to haul ass to the hospital.

I got down to L&D and my OB got there. Within 20 minutes of having the heartrate monitors on my dr and the nurse heard the dcells from Baby B. It was decided then that I was not going to pass go or collect 200 dollars, but instead was going directly to the OR. Luckily our parents all got there just before I was wheeled down. They did the spinal and set everything up. I started to panic because I couldn't feel myself breath and the anesthesiologist was great and calmed me down. I kept asking if they were big enough to cry and the nurses said they didn't know.

At 6:55pm I heard a big scream and it was Baby A being born. They brought him over to my head for a second for me to see and then whisked him away. A minute later at 6:56pm Baby B came screaming into the world. I got to see him for a second and then he was gone too. They wouldn't let my husband go with the babies at first and I couldn't stop crying.

I also had the itchy reaction to the meds and spent all night clawing at my face. I finally was able to see the boys the next day at 11am. It took 16 hours to see them, and another 4 before I could open the incubator and touch their hands. They were on the CPAP, but never intubated luckily. They spent 8 weeks in the NICU before coming home just over a month ago.

I still mourn the pregnancy I thought I would have, and the birth experience I was hoping for, but then I cuddle these adorable boys and know I couldn't be luckier.

[mrsf0831]

Multiples type/sexes: Di/Di boys
Week delivered: 36+1
Weights/lengths: A 6.1lb B 5.13lb
Type of delivery: C section
Scheduled?:It was scheduled for 37+5 but I didn't make it that far
Story time!: I was getting ready to go to sleep for the night ( i had been looking forward to sleeping since I woke up for work that morning. it was also my last day of work) Just as I started to doze off I felt a little something kind of felt like discharge lol but decided to go check it out While thinking to myself If I stand up and my water breaks I am not going to be a happy camper lol. I stood up, nothing, went to the bathroom sat on the toilet and it started to trickle out. Thought to myself ohhh fuck. Calmy went to my hubby who was watching netflix on his tablet, told him I think its time my water just broke. Funny thing he jumped out of bed and started to scramble and get ready. I on the other hand laughed and took a shower. I was pretty calm was just annoyed with the constant trickling even in the shower it was annoying me haha. I was having mild contractions on the way to the hospital but they didnt bother me. They did their checking if my water broke with a strip and how far I was dialeted and they confirmed my water broke (as I thought um no shit my water broke) Mr Greyson Baby A got sick of baking and wanted out lol. Everything happened soo fast water broke at like 11:30p Babies were born at 3:07 and 3:08am. They did everything so quickly bc I was having a lot of contractions and was dialated to 1cm and I never had my GBS test done ( that was to be done in 2 days) since It was almost 8 hours since I had eaten they got me prepped for my c section. I would have liked a vaginal birth but both babies were Transverse. The meds had me really sleepy and I just kept wanting to close my eyes and take a mini nap while they remove babies from me , then I heard what sounded like cats fighting and DH and I just started to cry, our baby boys were here!

[blueberries8]

Multiples type/sexes: di/di, boy/girl
Week delivered: 37
Weights/lengths: 5lbs5oz, 5lbs6oz
Type of delivery: vaginal
Scheduled?: yes, induction...but it turned out I was in early labor and membranes had already ruptured
Story time!: At 36 weeks, I started to get really anxious. I just had a feeling that the babies needed to come out already. I also have a bad obstetric history (lost my first twin pregnancy at 20 weeks among other things) and as delivery neared, I was increasingly incredulous whether I was actually going to bring home two living babies. When I went to get checked that week, I was only 1cm dilated. I thought maybe I had a slow leak, but the OB who checked me that day was a little dismissive and didn't do the pH test. I thought I would get strips to test for amniotic fluid myself, but the pharmacy was out. The following week, at 37+5, I headed in for an induction. I was 3cm, 100% effaced, and contracting about every 7 minutes when we started.

I got my epi, which was amazing. I felt the best I had in months! Unfortunately, the epi made my blood pressure too low and after getting some meds to help stabilize it, it wasn't coming up and I was drifting in and out of consciousness. I heard the anesthesiologist say the epi might have to come out. Next thing he was asking my husband when was the last time I ate and they began considering a c-section under general anesthesia because of my response to the epi Thankfully, my blood pressure started to come up and stabilized. The pit was slowly increased and my doctor attempted to rupture my membranes only to find out baby A had no water. It turned out my water had already broken...probably an ongoing slow leak as I suspected the week before. By around 7pm, I was in transition. Baby A's head was positioned to one side instead of straight down over my cervix. The OB did some manipulations to reorient her head and then I was ready to push.

After about 30 minutes of pushing, baby A, my daughter was born. Just as I was thinking to myself "I'm tired! I don't want to do that again!", the OB was telling me not to push and he was pulling baby B, my son, out by the feet! Apparently, he flipped from vertex to breech after baby A was delivered. They did a quick ultrasound immediately after she was out and saw baby B's new positioning. The OB was super calm doing the breech delivery and there was only 4 minutes between baby A and baby B. I got to spend about an hour snuggling with my babies and attempting nursing before they were sent up to the nursery to be checked and I got my room.

[macchiatto]

Multiples type/sexes: Fraternal twin boys
Week delivered: 3 hrs shy of 38 weeks
Weights/lengths: 20" 6lbs7oz and 19.75" 6lbs10oz
Type of delivery: Induction
Scheduled?: yes
Story time!: We started my induction the night before with Cervidil. (They had me come in the night before to start abx for GBS so I asked if we could do Cervidil while we were at it.) Both babies were vertex. I was at a 2 or 3 when we started. Started Pitocin around 9:30 a.m. (at 4cm); both babies were still vertex. The OB broke Baby A's water around 1:45 (5cm), got an epidural around 3:45, started pushing at 5:45 p.m. and Baby A was (finally!) born at 8:43 p.m. The OB let me deliver in my LDR room but had an OR team prepped and ready to go waiting out in the hallway that whole time to be safe. I held Baby A on my chest while the OB did a u/s, found Baby B had flipped to breech, and worked the u/s wand with one hand while doing a breech extraction with the other. Baby B was delivered safely at 8:50 p.m.

One baby needed oxygen just briefly after birth but we did kangaroo care and nursing right after that, the boys roomed in with me the whole time and we went home less than 48 hrs after they were born.

[sunnyb]

Type: Di/Di boy/girl twins
Weeks Delivered: 38w3d
Weights/lengths: Baby Girl- 7lb1oz 19" Baby Boy-6lb11oz 20"
Type of Delivery: C-Section
Scheduled: Not for the day they came!
Story Time: I woke up at 1:30 am on Sunday 6/14/15 with sharp cramping and pains. The contractions were 6 minutes apart. We went into L&D. The nurse said she would call my doctor (well the doctor on call-mine was in London until my scheduled C-section which was supposed to be Monday 6/15!). Before I knew it the anesthesiologist came in and told me that my c-section would be at 6am. They gave me 4 hours of antibiotics for GBS. My contractions never strengthened which was great because I wasn't too uncomfortable leading up and we weren't rushed. It was a little scary especially the spinal but it all went well. Baby girl came first. My husband announced the sex. Baby boy came within the same minute

[Deleted]

Multiples type/sexes: Di/di boy/girl twins

Week delivered: 38 weeks on the dot!

Weights/lengths: Baby girl weighed 5lbs 15oz and was 18.5", Baby boy weighed 7lbs 3 oz and was 19".

Type of delivery: C-section

Scheduled?: Yep.

Story time!: After an uneventful pregnancy, I made it to my scheduled c/s at 38 weeks. I somehow managed to get a few hours of sleep the night before and then we were up and out the door by 7:00 a.m. My c/s was scheduled at 10:00 and we arrived two hours early so I could be monitored, get my paperwork done, and start my IV fluids. My parents, sister, and MIL all showed up to sit in the waiting room and each came back to say hi and wish us luck. We got bumped by like a half hour for an emergency c/s and then it was time! They had my H stay in the hall outside the OR while I received my spinal block which was honestly the worst part of the whole thing. The anesthesiologist was nice enough but I was really stressed and freaked out about it-- once it was in and my legs started getting numb and warm I started passing out and managed to warn the nurse in enough time so that they could get me on the table properly.

Things moved so fast after that-- they brought in my H to sit by my head after the curtain was up. During the whole procedure I was extremely tired and felt like I was passing in and out of consciousness. I remember my H saying something to me and I looked over and felt like I was falling asleep. After a very short amount of time I heard the doctor explaining to the resident working with him that they were going to pull out Baby A butt first and a few seconds later I heard the loudest little scream ever! They told my H to stand up and look over the curtain and he started tearing up and told me how much hair she had. Just a minute later they pulled out Baby B and he was wailing too-- all the doctors and nurses in the room kept telling me what a big boy he was. They cleaned and wrapped the babies and brought them over to me to kiss and see and gave Baby B to my husband to hold. It was unreal to see these two people that I made after nine months of waiting!

Unfortunately my hospital doesn't have private recovery rooms so the babies went to the nursery (H went with them) and I went to recovery until I could feel and move my legs and be transported to our suite, we were separated for about two hours and I kept looking at the pictures H took of them in disbelief. Once we got moved to the suite I finally got to hold my little babies and we all went home together just three days later.

[phillygirl]

Multiples type/sexes:
Fraternal twin girls
Week delivered:
36 weeks
Weights/lengths:
Baby A = 6 lbs 3 oz, Baby B = 5 lbs 15 oz
Type of delivery:
c-section
Scheduled?:
Yes. Baby A was frank breech

Story time!: This is going to be super long... copying from my blog:


After having been admitted to the hospital 3 different times for pre-term labor, we were scheduled for a c-section.

I was incredibly nervous about the surgery since I had no idea what to expect. I'd been having an upset stomach all week and the nerves on that morning certainly did not help at all. Once we checked in, we waited for a little and then they called me back to get prepped, making DH wait in the waiting room. I didn't really like that since DH has been my right-hand man through all of this. I put my things in a locker and they assigned me to a tiny room (more like a cubicle) to get changed. The nurse met me in the bathroom to shave me and then took me back to my cubicle to place my IV.



Finally, they let DH come back. They got him a snack so that he wouldn't pass out in the OR. A student nurse named Ryan hung with us the whole time. He seemed just as nervous as we were and was really excited about seeing not only his first c-section but a twin birth. He and DH were cracking jokes while we waited and this calmed my nerves a little bit. They put me on the monitors final time. Both Dr. H and the anesthesiologist came in for a visit to prepare me for what was to come.



Around 10:20, they made me drink the worst drink I've ever tasted in my life. Finally, they walked us back. DH was told to sit in the "Daddy chair" outside of the OR. For some reason, it made me feel a little better that Ryan, our student nurse, was able to come into the OR. Amongst a million faces covered with surgical masks, at least I knew who he was! They put me on the table and the nurse anesthetist began administering the spinal. Meanwhile, two nurses stood in front of me, trying to distract me with a million questions about the twins. I didn't like that very much. I just wanted the anesthetist to explain what she was doing while she was doing it and I wanted to be able to really focus on that. Before I knew it, my lower body began feeling really warm.



I kept moving my legs. I knew I could still feel them and I kept worrying that the spinal hadn't worked completely and that I would feel the surgery. I felt a little better when they placed the catheter and I didn't feel that at all. Dr. H did something to my stomach and asked me to tell him when I could feel it. I waited for about 5 seconds and asked, "Are you doing it yet?" I guess that's how they knew that I was numb enough!


I did experience about 15 minutes of feeling like I couldn't breathe. Luckily I was warned of this beforehand so I just kept doing breathing exercises and telling myself that it would pass, which it did.



DH came in and sat beside me. I don't remember what was said but I do remember the nurses asking us about the girls, which was a welcome distraction at that point, since I knew the surgery had begun. I honestly didn't feel anything during the surgery. Everyone says that you feel a lot of pressure and I assumed I'd feel extra since it was a twin birth and Harper's body was under my ribs. I kept waiting to feel that pressure but honestly, I didn't feel it.



Before we knew it, DH and I heard a little gurgle. We both looked at each other wide-eyed, trying to figure out if it was a baby making that noise. Seconds later, we heard a loud cry and Dr. H told us that it was our "breech baby", Eliza Jane. Someone called the time, 10:47 am, and I started crying. She only cried a little and I kept asking if she was okay because I couldn't see anything. Eliza weighed 6 lbs 3 oz.



Two minutes later, another loud cry, and they called the time, 10:49 am. DH looked as they pulled Harper Rae out and said to me, "Um, it's definitely not movie baby!" He always joked that he wanted a perfectly clean, wide-eyed baby to be pulled out of me, like in the movies. Harper's cry continued for awhile. I remember I kept asking who that was crying and they kept telling me it was "B". Harper weighed 5 lbs 15 oz. Apparently at this point Eliza was struggling to breathe a bit but they got it under control pretty quickly.



After what felt like forever to me, DH brought Harper over to meet me. I was told that she had blonde hair and that Eliza was a brunette. Eventually, someone brought Liza over to join us and it was our first time being together as a family. I was able to touch them and give them kisses but it was so hard because I was flat on my back. I just wanted to hold them!



Finally, they wheeled us all to recovery where I was given some meds that made me pretty sleepy. We spent about an hour here where we met even more very nice nurses who wanted to know all about the girls. They waited for me to gain some kind of feeling back in my legs and allowed each girl time to try to get colostrum.

We eventually made it to our room where we would stay for four days. Our families came in as the girls were getting their first baths. I felt pretty jealous that everyone could be up close and personal with the girls and that I was stuck in a bed unable to move! When both girls were clean, they opened up my gown and put both girls on my chest for skin-to-skin time or "Kangaroo Care." This was the greatest feeling in the entire world. Everyone else in the room seemed to disappear and all that mattered was these two little girls snuggled up against me.



My recovery was quick. I was in pain for about 24 hours but was soon up and walking the halls. After meeting with a lactation consultant, breastfeeding came fairly easy to myself and the girls. We left the hospital after 4 days and the rest is history.

[elvenqueen]

Multiples type/sexes: Di/Di Boy and girl
Week delivered: 37+1
Weights/lengths: 6lbs 5oz, 5lbs 6oz
Type of delivery: Vaginal
Scheduled?: Induction

Story time!:
XP AU'15
The Short Version: Went in for an induction and was already 4cm dilated. Waters broke, contractions started immediately, labour was a total of 6hrs 7 minutes from that point. Both babies born vaginally without assistance and within 10 minutes of each other. I only had a very small 1st degree tear that needed no stitches. Aidan weighed 6lbs 5oz, and Evelyn weighed 5lbs 6oz. They were 37+1. Both babies were supplemented initially but are now exclusively breastfed and have surpassed their birth weights at only 13 days old!

SPOILER: Click to show

{The Long Version}

This is quite a long and detailed account of my birth story, but I can honestly say that it went perfectly, so I really wanted to put this out there as I don't think there can be too many positive birth stories! For twins, we really couldn't have done any better.

Our appointment to start my induction was at 8am on Saturday morning in the hospital's Delivery Suite. A midwife took my name when we arrived and had us sit in their little waiting room, where a woman in labour was already waiting with her husband. We had a long wait, nearly two hours before anyone came back to speak to us, during which time two more women in labour came in and then were shown to rooms. Finally, we find out that they were majorly busy that morning and had no rooms/midwives available for me, but they hoped it would die down enough for us to still start the induction that day. They offered to admit me to the ward that their inductions are usually started on, but as I was high risk with twins, it would just be to process paper work and start tests, but induction could not start until I was in a room in the Delivery Suite.

We were shown to my bed in a ward around 10am. Slowly over the next few hours, nurses and midwives saw me to start paperwork and complete a NST for the babies (this was the first time I'd had this done, and it seemed like quite a job making sure they had identified two different heart beats). I ended up having lunch and dinner on the ward, and we didn't get any updates at all on the status of a room in the Delivery Suite. I was beyond stressed by the afternoon as hanging around made me feel like the longer we left it, the more likely it was that we were going to run into issues. I was also surprised that I was getting major flashbacks to delivering James the year previous, as we'd had a lot of waiting around that day too, so it was much harder than I'd anticipated. Marc explained my tears to the midwife seeing me and she did her best to harass the Delivery Suite for updates for me. At about 4pm, she told me that things had finally settled and I'd be transferred “that evening”, and the induction would definitely start that night. We weren't fetched until about 7pm for the transfer, but we were relieved we weren't going to be sent home!

Night staff were starting just as we were brought to our room in the Delivery Suite. We were given the special twin room – it was MASSIVE, but it became clear that it needed to be as they started bringing equipment in (in sets of two!). Things started to feel very real, and surreal, at that point. I met my midwife and student midwife as they started getting things set up, and I got settled in as they went over my paperwork. They set up heart rate monitors for the twins, and my midwife was curious about how many “tightenings” I'd been feeling as I was having a Braxton Hicks contraction while she set it up. I told her I'd been having them since I'd hit 14 weeks and they were still pain-free, just very occasionally crampy, so I didn't think I was having any proper contractions at all.

It was almost 8pm when were ready to start the examination induction. We'd anticipated the process to take a few days. I was to be given a large prostaglandin pessary that would be kept in for 24 hrs (or until labour started), followed by two to three six hour pills to further help kickstart things. I was originally told that once they were able to break my waters, I could have an epidural pretty much immediately as it shouldn't take any longer than 12 hours from that point. My midwife had sorted out all the medication before she sat down to do my examination, and the first thing she told me was that she wasn't going to need to give me the pessary at all!

Aidan was sitting very low, and I was 4cm. I had been hoping to get news like this but honestly didn't think I'd be so lucky! Before I knew it, my midwife had broken my waters, and we were starting to get ready for labour to pick up.

It didn't take long at all. Within fifteen minutes, I was getting crampy, and I needed the toilet immediately as my body was trying to completely clear everything out (yuck, TMI, sorry). I waddled into the bathroom holding a huge towel underneath me to catch my dribbling waters, and I had all the leads for the heart rate monitors, which were still in place, tucked in to my shirt. (More TMI) Contractions got much stronger while I was on the toilet, and Marc kept asking me if I was alright from outside the door. I struggled to get back into bed as they had picked up that fast and that strong, and I basically let Marc and the two midwives manipulate me back into a position so they could get the leads back in and keep an eye on the heart rates and my contractions. An anaesthetist had already been sorted out to put in my epidural, but they wanted to get a cannula in my hand for fluids/hormones for later on beforehand.

I tried labouring with gas and air for a few contractions. The first one was alright but I definitely made myself very woozy by taking too deep inhalations. The midwife got me breathing in shorter breaths for my next one so I didn't make myself completely stoned, but I found it very difficult to relax when I couldn't breathe at my own rhythm. I ended up going without it and just using Marc's voice and my breath to get me through contractions, which felt much better. I had either made myself sick with the initial gas and air, though, or else labour was just making me ill, because I puked up my entire dinner (four hours after eating it!). I then had the difficult task of lifting myself up enough for the midwives to change my sheets and clean me up while I dealt with contractions. I worried I'd be sick throughout the rest of labour, but luckily, it was a one off.

I met one of the doctors on and the anaesthetist before my epidural was placed. I found it hilariously frustrating that the doctor wanted to talk to me, explain the processes of both the epidural AND how the twins would be delivered, before I could have my pain relief, and she waited impatiently for me to acknowledge everything she said before she'd move on to the next sentence. During contractions. The anaesthetist was a little more efficient. She asked if I'd read the info about epidurals. “Yes.” She asked if I had any questions about it. “No!” Then she got on with it.

Marc and the midwives helped me change from my tank top into a gown for access to my back, and into a seated position to start the procedure. I don't really remember it being anything more than having to sit very still and tell her when I was contracting so she could stop doing what she was doing. No pain, or at least, no pain in comparison to how to contractions felt. Once the epidural was in place and I was all taped up, I was able to lay back again and wait for the drugs to kick in. Each contraction over the next 30 minutes felt a little easier. By about 1am, I couldn't feel anymore pain or contractions. I had to be told when I was contracting. I could still feel and move my legs, and I think the most numbness I felt was on my belly because I was a little itchy there and couldn't satisfy the itch, like it was under my skin.

(More TMI) My midwife wanted to empty my bladder before she examined me again. I was really nervous about this as it was the main “con” to the epidural in my mind. She told me she'd see how much fluid there actually was and if it was over a certain amount, she'd keep the catheter in, but otherwise it was just to empty me and make some more room for the babies. It was easy and painless, just a bit cringey to have it done.

We had more awesome news when I was examined after that. Aidan's head had dropped more – it was “right there”, only a few inches away I guess – and my cervix was completely gone! Time to start! Another surreal but awesome moment. My midwife let the other staff know we were going to start, and it all got very busy – I met the other doctor who'd be helping, a couple more midwives that had offered to help, and the paediatrician there to check the babies when they were born. All the staff were very excited and seemed to have nothing to do but be there for me, so my midwife had to actually kick them out so we could start.

I started with a few “practice” pushes to get used to the sensation I'd be after. It wasn't comfortable or easy on my back with my legs in stirrups, but I got the hang of it eventually, and I was able to get in three good long pushes for each contraction once we really started. Aidan as moving as I pushed, just very slowly, so it seemed to take forever. Once Aidan's head was visible, the midwives convinced Marc to have a look, which he reluctantly did so, but it was good that they did that because he was able to watch Aidan born properly. By the time Aidan was crowning, the doctors came back in, and it was a little surreal having a small crowd of women excitedly looking at my very exposed bits.

The wait between contractions to birth Aidan's head and body seemed to take forever! But it was great to be able to anticipate it without any pain (TMI - just some faint stinginess as I stretched). Once his head was out, I could feel him moving and turning almost a full circle to get into the right position. One more contraction brought him into the world after a total of about 40 minutes of pushing him. He cried right away – what an amazing noise! – so the paediatrician didn't need to take him away to examine him at all. He was wrapped up and handed to Marc, who brought him to my side to see.

It was a very hectic moment, as I had doctors' hands on my belly guiding Evelyn into position, adjusting her heart rate monitor, and double-checking she was in the right position with an ultrasound scan. Through distracted happy tears, I was instructed to start pushing again, but kept looking at Marc and Aidan every moment I could. It took about ten further minutes for Evelyn to come out, which felt very fast. Before my last contraction, one of the doctors told me if she wasn't born in the next one, they'd give me a little cut to help her out. This surprised me as it seemed so much faster with her, but it made me push a little more efficiently and she came out without any help. Again, cries almost immediately! So she was wrapped up and put in my arms, and before I'd even taken her in, Marc handed me Aidan as well. Too. Surreal.

I managed to get through labour in 6 hours and 7 minutes. Apparently I only had a very small 1st degree tear, one that wasn't bleeding so didn't need any attention. I felt bruised and swollen, horrendously battered, but two weeks later I feel amazingly lucky to have gotten off so easy. Aidan was born at 2:21am and weighed 6lbs 5oz, and Evelyn was born at 2:31am and weighed 5lbs 6oz. They were 37+1.

We ended up staying in the hospital four days with the twins. Evelyn was 50g “too light” so was put in “transitional care” (not quite NICU but she had her own one on one nurse for 2 days), but she was feeding really well after a couple of days and the head nurse in TC didn't think it was worth keeping her on supplements as she wasn't technically premature. Aidan was the one that ended up keeping us from being discharged as he was/is a “reluctant feeder”. His jaundice was much worse than Evelyn's (though not bad enough to need treatment), and he was just too sleepy to commit to eating when I managed to get him to latch well. He's still very fussy, but after a week most eating from a cup, he is exclusively breastfed along with Evelyn. At 72 hours, Aidan had dropped 6.7% of his birth weight, and Evie had dropped about 5%. Two days later, Aidan had put 20g back on, but Evie was at a standstill. After two more days, both of them had put on 50g. As of today (they'll be 2 weeks tomorrow), Aidan is up 2oz from his birth weight, and Evie is up about 8oz!

For anyone hoping to breastfeed, I want to pass on a tiny bit of advice. Have realistic expectations. Yes, this something I read MANY times before I actually had the twins, but I didn't really get what it meant until I was in the thick of it. I had expected pain and the need to persevere, but I still really got ahead of myself. I had to keep reminding myself how old they were, and even before we'd hit 24 hours I was super frustrated with how difficult it was. Be realistic about much you'll achieve during the first day, the first week, and the first month!

[beachy]

Multiples type/sexes: di-di/boy-girl
Week delivered: 37w5d
Weights/lengths: baby A- girl, 7lb3oz, 19". Baby B -boy 5lb9oz, 18.75"
Type of delivery: RCS
Scheduled?: yes
Story time!: scheduled for my RCS at 37w5d. Made it there easily after a thankfully uneventful pregnancy. Baby girl was out at 7:48am and baby boy right after at 7:49am. Both babies were healthy and in the room with me. My recovery went great, I was up walking that night and discharged a day early, and both babies were over birthweight by their 2 week check.

[Squishy622]

Multiples type/sexes: Mono/di girls
Week delivered: 35+3
Weights/lengths: 5'10 & 5'9, both 18 in
Type of delivery: Vaginal with breech extraction of twin b
Scheduled?: Nope
Story time!:

TL;DR (oy this got so long!): Water broke at home at 35w, uneventful labor augmented with pit and heavenly epi, twins delivered vaginally, 2nd twin by successful breech extraction, 1 week NICU stay for one twin, I’m not pregnant anymore YAY.

It was dinner time on Labor Day, 9/7. I was 35+2 and my induction had just been scheduled for the following week due to mono/di twins. My husband was cooking and I was about to go get some fresh air and watch LO play outside, but first made one of my every-5-minute trips to the bathroom. I finished, went to grab my shoes, and felt a tell-tale gush. There was no questioning what this was, but I was still a little incredulous. I scurried back to the bathroom and sat back down on the toilet, and sure enough, more gushing in little spurts.

My first and only thought at that point…. “I’M SO EXCITED TO NOT BE PREGNANT ANYMORE!!!” It was scary to have this happen early, but I had been preparing myself mentally for a pre-term delivery for weeks since it was more likely to happen than not, so the fear was barely on my mind.

We sprang into action; I hopped in the shower while H called L&D to let them know we were coming, packed a little suitcase for LO, and totally burnt dinner. He ran LO over to our friends’ house and got home just as I finished packing some last minute things. I had been contracting for weeks, but they became slightly more noticeable during this time.

Quick ride to the hospital; I’m really glad that I was wearing black pants and that we remembered to bring a towel in the car. Got checked in around 8 pm. Was only 1 cm dilated so the resident recommended starting low-dose pitocin to get things moving. I declined and asked to wait a while before rushing into anything.

At midnight, my contractions had gotten more frequent but not by much, so I agreed to the lowest dose of pit after a good talk with the attending. We put on The Sound of Music (my favorite movie of all time) and H got some sleep as I felt the contractions increase and started to get really excited to meet my babies. The pit was increased each hour for the next few hours.

I had another check at 4 am. I was 4 cm, 60% effaced, and still -3 station. Requested an epi; felt impressed with my very wimpy self for lasting a few hours on pit contractions. Things I said I’d never do: let a resident place my epidural. But I did, and it was heavenly. For the first time in months, I was feeling no pain. I truly didn’t realize until then how much discomfort I’d been in, it was an angels singing kind of moment. I proceeded to get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, also for the first time in many many months.

I woke up around 7 am feeling that unmistakeable pressure. I was checked and just about 10 but Baby A was still pretty high so I labored down for a while.

[Side note, though most of you know this already: after much agonizing, I had decided on an attempted vaginal delivery with breech extraction of Baby B. Long story short, this is a procedure sometimes offered for vaginal delivery of twins when the first one is vertex and the 2nd one is breech, since the first one paves the way. I was a good candidate for it but there are risks. Regardless, it's standard at my hospital to deliver twins in the OR even for a vaginal birth, since the emergency C rate is much higher, and even more so for attempted breech extractions].

Before I knew it, H had his scrubs on and I was being wheeled into the OR. I burst into tears on the ride... I had been anticipating this moment for so many weeks and it was finally time. Everything from here on out felt so surreal.

Things continued to feel surreal as the OR filled with throngs of people. There were 16 people not counting us. 4 NICU staff for each baby, 3 OBs (2 residents and an attending), anesthesiologists, and nurses. Oh and the guy who wheeled my bed in stuck around... WTH?! My epi had worn off just the right amount; I could feel contractions and a bit of discomfort, just enough to push effectively.

After 15 minutes of pushing, Li.ly Pea.rl came out screaming at 9:11 am and immediately tried to grab the scissors they were using to cut the cord. While the NICU team checked her out, the OBs did a quick ultrasound, saw that Baby B was still breech, and proceeded with the extraction. This was the most terrifying part for me but it was totally uneventful. The doc reached in and pulled her out by her feet, having me push for her head. And then there were 2; Mir.iam Ade.le was born at 9:14.

I had some hemorrhaging, so it took a while to get that under control and stitch me up (2nd degree tear), but I didn't care because after a little while they handed me both of my babies!! We were fully expecting the girls to be whisked off to the NICU indefinitely because they were born so early, but they checked out beautifully. Still surreal.

The rest of that day wasn't great for me, I had some complications from my recovery (more bleeding, a fever, severe shakes from one of the meds, and some bladder-related fun), but that was all resolved by the next day. We think dehydration was the culprit for a lot of that.

Everything went well in the hospital, the girls even got to room in with us, until the night before we went home. M failed her car seat test (a routine test for preemies) and wound up needing a week in the NICU. She was having O2 desats and every time she had one, the clock for discharge reset 3 days. We are all home together now and enjoying the very sleepy preemie phase while it lasts.

My pregnancy was rough from start to finish, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat; these 2 little squishes are so amazing, and so identical… I cannot for the life of me tell them apart yet.

[julie216]

Absolutely gorgeous! Congratulations!

[nomnom]

Multiples type/sexes: b/g twins

Week delivered: 38w3d

Weights/lengths: boy (A) 6lb 5oz 19.25in, girl (B) 5lb 15oz 18.75in

Type of delivery: vaginal, no epidural (IV pain meds early)

Scheduled?: yes, induction with pitocin

**XP with PAIF**

tl;dr: Greg.ory Dan.iel and Vir.ginia Charl.otte were born at 9:21pm and 10:20pm on 9/16 after induced labor at 38w3d. After a rough start and some NICU time for Gin.ny, both she and Ro.ry are at home and doing extremely well. I wouldn't change a thing about L&D, but post-partum care at my hospital has room to improve.


DH and I went to the hospital at 7:30am on 9/16 for my scheduled induction at 38w3d. DH had a dentist appointment at 8am, so he left shortly after I got settled in my room and the doctor started pitocin around 9am (I think). Contractions noticeably increased, but they weren't organized and only somewhat productive. I think I dilated from 2.5cm to 3.5 cm. The doctor broke baby A's sac at 1pm and contractions got organized and stronger.

Somewhere in the afternoon I asked for IV pain killers, which didn't kill pain. However, they did help me save energy for later because I was only awake during contractions. Cervical progress seemed really slow to me for several hours as the IV meds wore off.

Then I must have hit transition because contractions were on top of one another and it felt like my guts were being ripped apart. The nurses said I could have up to 6-8 hours of labor left and I didn't think I could bear that level of pain for that long. I asked for an epidural, disappointed but desperate for relief. The hospital had two anesthetists on duty, one of which was in surgery and the other of which was headed into an emergency c-section. No epidural for at least 45 minutes to an hour. Regardless, they pumped more fluids into me and put in a catheter to prep for it. I took another dose of IV pain meds in hopes it would dull the pain. Nope, just made me sleepy again.

By the time the anesthesiologist got to my room I was almost fully dilated and found it impossible to not push with some contractions. I was taken to the OR shortly thereafter to birth the babies. The epidural would not have taken effect in time for delivery and I doubt I could have sat still long enough for it to be placed.

Baby A came out screaming at 9:21pm on 9/16. I got to hold him briefly before they took him away so I could birth baby B.

Contractions weakened substantially and we had difficulty getting them back to the point that they would help me push out baby B. I thought it was taking too long to get her out, but no one else seemed concerned so I figured it must be okay. Baby B kept holding her arm or her leg next to her head so the doctor apparently had half of her forearm inside me trying to get baby B's limbs out of the way (I asked DH later about what the doctor was doing). I agreed with the doctor that it was unpleasant.

I finally figured out that if I contracted and relaxed my abs a bunch it would induce a contraction that was hard enough to help me push her out. Baby B was born at 10:20pm not breathing and blue. I didn't realize that at the time. All I knew was she was out and I didn't get to hold her. I was so tired though that I was okay with that. I figured I'd get to hold her soon enough once I got to recovery. Her inital Apgar score was 1 at one minute, 5 at five minutes, and 7 at ten minutes, which I found out a day or two later. She went to the NICU to make sure she kept breathing once she started. Ignorance of the details made it easier to not worry. I think I would rather have known.

I got away with only a first degree tear that the doctor stitched up before we left the OR. My experience up through the birth of the babies was excellent and I wouldn't change a thing except to maybe skip the second round of IV pain meds and avoid pitocin. I couldn't have known that delivery would come so quickly and induction was a medically sound choice.

My hospital's post-partum care could use some work. I got to my recovery room late at night and got a grilled cheese sandwich, water, and ice cream sandwich, courtesy of the nurses. That part was great. Because of insurance limitations, I would be discharged from the hospital on Friday evening, not even 48 hours after giving birth. Cue the constant visits from patient education specialists who wanted to tell me about how to take care of my stitches, how to feed baby, how to pump, and myriad other how-tos. In between those I had to answer questions, have my vitals taken, try to nurse baby boy, eat, etc. I got less than 8 hours of sleep the whole time I was in the hospital (MH says maybe 4 hours). Most of the nurses were understanding about putting baby boy in the nursery so I could rest, but a couple tried to pressure me to keep him in my room because they said thea new mothers tend to rest better when the baby is in the room with them. I would rest better if I knew someone competent and well-rested was watching my baby, and that person was not me.

DH spend the first night in the hospital with me, but he hardly got any sleep because of all the interruptions and was really sore from the crappy couch-bed. We decided he'd spend the second night at home so at least one of us would be well rested. On the second night, baby girl was released from the NICU and I had both babies in my room. Baby boy had been circumcised during the day and was fussy all night. I was up almost the whole night nursing him off and on since that was the only thing that calmed him. I'm lucky he was so fussy because if I had gotten to sleep I wouldn't have heard baby girl gurgling. She threw up some formula and had choked on it. I hit the nurse call button and in a very short time the nurse rushed baby girl to the nursery for help.

Baby boy and I were discharged late Friday evening (9/18). Baby girl came home about 36 hours later. None of the tests in the NICU showed problems and the rest of her stay was fairly mundane.

The last week and a half at home have been crazy busy. My mom visited for a few days to help. She was both helpful and tiring. I'm mixed on having her visit again when DH goes back to work. DH and finally feel like we're starting to adjust to having two babies. For example, this is the first time I've been on my computer.

[mrsmcsmith09]

Multiples type/sexes: Di/Di, boy/girl
Week delivered: 36 weeks, 4 days
Weights/lengths: A: 5 pounds, 7 ounces, 17.25 inches/ B: 5 pounds, 4 ounces, 17.50 inches
Type of delivery: Vaginal
Scheduled?: no
Story time!:
I had been tracking my blood pressure and they were 140's/90's, not great but not terrible. I went to my OB appointment and the nurse took my blood pressure at the start of the appointment and told me to lie down and that she would get the doctor, that worried us a little but I was in such denial that I would have these babies before the new year I didn't think much of it. My doctor came in and they rechecked my blood pressure, it was better. We discussed all of my labs taken over the past week and my blood pressures. It was decided that I would go to the Labor and Delivery triage to have labs re-drawn and get the babies hooked up to a monitor (just to make sure they weren't under any stress).

They put me into a room, put each baby on a monitor to track heart rate, and drew blood. The babies looked great the whole time. My doctor came in after an hour or so to check on me and said that the first set of labs look okay for now but I will need to be on bedrest until we deliver. Before she left the second set of labs came back and she took back everything she said 5 minutes ago. My labs were bad and would only get worse so we were inducing tonight. I was terrified, not for the inducing but for having babies so early.

The next few hours flew by. We moved to a labor and delivery room around 7pm. I was having contractions but nothing regular so they started Pitocin. My doctor came in to check me, I was dilated to a 4 (not a bad start). She broke Baby A's water and did some other stuff and said to get some rest, yeah okay. I labored for a few hours before deciding it was time for the epidural. About 45 minutes after I requested the epi, the doctor finally appeared. Now I could actually get some rest. We settled in around midnight. The nurse would come in every hour to help me re-position so the epidural wouldn't settle to one side. The second time she came in (around 2a) she noticed I was having pretty intense contractions so she checked me and I was at an 8. She went to throw something away and I started feeling pressure so I let her know, she checked me again and I was fully dilated.

We called my OB (she was still in the hospital) and wheeled me down to the OR (all twins are born in the OR). We were in and out of the OR in under an hour. My OB has told me a number of times that this was the easiest twin birth she has ever had, and probably ever will have. Baby A (Lu.cas) came out in 6 pushes at 2:46a, 5 pounds, 7 ounces, 17.25 inches . Then Baby B's (Brook.lynn) water was broken and she was in position. Brook.lynn came out at 2:51a, 5 pounds, 4 ounces, 17.50 inches, after 4 pushes. Both babies looked great, APGAR's 8 and 9, and didn't need any assistance or NICU time.

They wheeled us all back to our room. My parents has DS1 and brought him in to meet his brother and sister.

After everyone left I felt a gush of blood. I told my nurse and she checked to make sure everything was okay, it wasn't. She got my OB and they worked for the next 30-45 minutes to stop the bleeding. I was given Pitocin again, a pill and a shot all to help my uterus contract and stop hemorrhaging blood. I ended up loosing about half my blood volume but the bleeding stopped. I was monitored over the next 24 hours and it was decided we were all okay to be discharged on January 1st. I just had my blood rechecked Friday and I am well on my way to back to normal.

[wanderingheart]

Multiples type/sexes: di/di boy/girl
Week delivered: 36w3d
Weights/lengths: Hashtag (A boy) was 6 lbs. 1 oz. and 19 inches long. Hashbrown (B girl) was 5 lbs. 7 oz. and 18 inches long.
Type of delivery: vaginal with vacuum assistance
Scheduled?:Nope. We had set my induction date the day before actually, ha.
Story time!:So I typed out my own version of our birth story so I would remember, but it's like 3 pages long, haha. So here's the shortened version.

I saw my doctor on Tuesday (at 36w2d) and I was fully effaced (no surprise there, I had been last week as well), and dilated to a 3. I had started losing my plug that morning, so she set an induction date but said I probably wouldn’t make it. I remember going to bed the night before thinking “I really don’t want a Star Wars Baby. Or a Cinco de Mayo baby.” HA. I woke up around 4 a.m. on Wednesday morning with some lower back pain and intense period like cramping. I’ve had back pain for months and take Tylenol every night to combat it, so I figured it was just the Tylenol wearing off. I was able to sleep through it, and woke up again at 6. I could no longer sleep through the pain, so I took another Tylenol and got up. I took a shower to relax the pain and shave my legs, just in case this was something. At 7, I realized the Tylenol should have kicked in by now, so this had to be labor. I woke MH up and told him stuff was happening and I was in labor. He got up and started showering and getting the hospital bag ready. We sat around and waited to call my OB at 8:30 when they opened. We tried to watch TV and I timed my contractions, but they were all over the place and I was in some pretty bad pain. At one point, I bent over and started crying. That’s when I knew this was going fast. We called my OB at 8:30 on the dot, left a message, and waited. At 8:45, I turned to him and said we need to go…NOW. The contractions were still untimeable but they were intense. On the way to the hospital, my OB called back. She told me to get to the hospital and she’d meet me there. We called our parents from the road and told them to pass the word on to our siblings and start heading up. We got to L&D around 9:15 and checked in and then waited…and waited…for a room. MH was so excited, talking nonstop to me, and I just gritted my teeth and didn’t say two words because I was in so much pain. We finally got into a room and they began taking vitals, asking questions, etc. MH answered all the questions because I couldn’t even talk through the contractions. I was stuck to the bed and couldn’t deal with the back contractions and the regular contractions. I also couldn’t lay on my side because of the moniters. It was awful. Finally my OB showed up around 10:30 and checked me…I was at a 5 already and they confirmed my water had broken. We had no idea when it had broken so we were put on the clock pretty quickly.

The rest was a blur; tons of doctors and nurses and residents in and out because of the twin situation, being moved to a labor and delivery room FINALLY, and discussion of an epidural. At this point, I was begging for the epidural. The anesthesiologist came in and asked questions while a nurse tried to get my IV going. I was so swollen all over that it took two nurses and three attempts to finally get one in. I was shaking all over at this point from the pain. Finally we got the epidural, through the contractions, and relief hit me almost instantly. I was back to my usual self, talking and joking with people. My OB checked me probably ten minutes later and declared I was at a 10, completely dilated. No wonder the contractions were so terrible; I was almost ready to deliver! My OB apologized for the delay in epidural and said I basically had labored naturally unintentionally. The problem was that baby boy was refusing to descend into the birth canal, even though he was really low. They had me labor in bed on a peanut ball in hopes of him dropping. Five hours went by. Yep. FIVE. Thankfully I wasn’t in pain, but I was getting impatient. At around 5 o’clock, my OB returned and checked me again and had me push through a contraction. She could feel his head when I pushed, so she had MH change into scrubs, and they wheeled us to the OR. I began pushing at around 5:30. I was contracting every 2-3 minutes at this point, but each contraction was 2 ½ minutes long. I have no idea how I could have done it naturally.

After 2 hours of pushing, I was exhausted. She could feel his head the entire two hours, and I was making progress, but he was still refusing to come down. They thought his head was cocksided and attempted to turn it manually, but were unsuccessful. What really happened was his arm was crossed over his body and his head was tucked down into his arm. He came out all bruised because of this position he had been in for two hours. But anyway, I had hit my wall. I turned to MH and began sobbing and said I couldn’t do it anymore. I told everyone that I had given all I could give. My OB, who I LOVE, stopped me and told me this was a mental battle now, and we did not come all this way to end in a c-section. She suggested a vacuum to put on his head and stated he would come out with it. I was emotionally broken down and just looked at MH who agreed. He hated seeing me like that, because I am not a crier. They got the vacuum on his head and three pushes later, he was out in one big push. They expected her to follow right away, so they cut the cord and whisked him away almost instantly. I didn’t even get to see him or touch him. I heard him crying from across the OR as his nurses began assessing him and my sobs worsened. I turned to MH who was crying too and kept repeating “do you hear him?! Can you see him?! What does he look like?!” I begged him to go to him, even though he wanted to stay by me to help me push her out. I was a mess. He agreed to go to him because I wasn’t even pushing anymore because I was shaking and sobbing so hard. Once I knew he was with our baby boy, I felt safer and sobered up to get her out as soon as possible so I could see my babies. Unfortunately, baby girl was just as stubborn and refused to slide down. My OB saw where this was going and suggested the vacuum again. I agreed; hoping she would come out in a few pushes like him. Nope. 32 minutes later she finally came out. MH had returned to my side at that point to help me push so we both watched her be born. The nurses whisked her away too so I could deliver both placentas, but brought me baby boy to hold while they did this and stitched me up. I had a second degree tear. After being stitched up, they placed me on another bed to be wheeled out and placed baby girl in my arms for the first time. They wheeled me into the recovery room where my parents, sister in law, and mother in law were all waiting. Everyone started crying (I had already been crying) because they thought something had gone wrong with it taking 3 hours. Our families got to see them for a few minutes before they were kicked out so we could have uninterrupted skin to skin time since I hadn’t gotten that. It was perfect. I had gotten my vaginal delivery with twins, avoided a c-section, and even labored naturally (although I never had plans to do that). It was a crazy whirlwind of a day, but one we will always treasure because it brought us our two miracle babies!

[robertjane33]

Multiples type/sexes: b/g fraternal
Week delivered: 37+6
Weights/lengths: 5.8lb/19inches, 6.2lb, 19.25 inches
Type of delivery:c-section
Scheduled?: yes
Story time!:
(I hesitate to post thing because it was a scary, though ultimately not a negative experience. That said, I'll post a shortened version in case it is helpful to anyone else. I'm happy to share more details with anyone who want.)

K went in for a c-section at 37w6d. She had just the first signs of pre-e (she had been checked the previous day, and seemed fine,) and they went ahead with the section. Our girl was breech, but both came out great. The smaller one had low blood sugar, and so needed to be force fed at first. For K, she had a serious postpartum hemorrhage that they caught in the OR. They tried to put pressure on it with a Bakri (an inflatable balloon), and when that didn't work, they opened her up again to try to find the source of the bleeding. We were at a large hospital that had a Level IV NICU, but also a tertiary care facility with all sorts of specialists. She ended up with a hysterectomy and a night in the ICU sedated. They woke her up the next morning, and we were in the hospital for a week while she recovered. Recovery was slower than it would have been with just a c-section, but breastfeeding went well and she has fully recovered. The kiddos did great, and the nursery was able to help us get them on a schedule since we were there for so long.

[twobananas]

A little late to this, but figured I'd add it anyways!

Multiples type/sexes: di/di boy & girl
Week delivered: 38
Weights/lengths: 7lbs 3oz (baby A boy) and 6lbs 13 oz (baby B girl). Both 20 inches I think
Type of delivery: vaginal
Scheduled?: scheduled induction
Story time!:

Went in at 38 weeks for my scheduled induction. Got the epidural and watched two movies took most of the day but around 7pm was 10cm dilated. They wheeled me to the OR where I pushed twice for baby A to arrive and 3 times for baby B to arrive 5 min later. Easy, successful VBAC for the twins (2nd VBAC for me as I had one 21 months previously, which I'm sure helped). I feel very lucky and could not have asked for a smoother delivery!