Birth Story

Friday night we were at home watching movies in usual bed rest fashion.  The night before I had bad cramping on my right side that was likely pulled muscle. I however, was getting to the point of worrying about about every ache and pain to the point of driving Aaron crazy. I had read about a pregnancy condition called Placental Abruption in which the placenta detaches from the uterus and can be very dangerous if not deadly for the baby. Back to Friday. I hadn't felt the babies moving much durning the day and mentioned it to Aaron. We called our specialist team and they said to go to the ER just to be cautious but everything was probably fine. Off to the ER we go just before 10:00pm. The babies were moving just fine and there was no sign of Abruption. Back home we go. We went to bed about midnight and at the same time I started feeling contractions that were a tad bit uncomfortable but not painful. At 2am I woke Aaron up to tell him I had 3 contractions in 20-25 minutes. Back to the ER. I was sure the nurse in triage would think I was a hypochondriac, but after hooking me up to the monitor it was clear I was having consistent contractions. I was dilated to a 2. This didn't mean much to us because it was our first time to check dilation so there was no way to tell how long I had been at a 2. The nurse was concerned about my cervix, saying she had never felt a cervix that thin. She called the on call doctor who was touching base with Dr.C. He was headed to the hospital and when I naively asked what for she said, 'we might be having babies today'. Today?!

I was checked into labor and delivery for the 3rd time and given a steroid shot to help develop the babies lungs. Ideally, we would be given a second round with the second round 24 hours later. I was anxious but knew I was in good hands. We met Dr. Moorhead about 7am. (Unfortunately, Dr. Daum was not on call) After an examination he said he would continue to examine my cervix, and if contractions started to cause me to dilate further they would not attempt to stop labor because of the condition of my cervix. Wow. We thought they would use magnesium sulfate or preventative to stop labor. Throughout the day contractions slowed and we were told we would go home the following day if  nothing changed. At 6:30pm we were visiting with Les and Lou and my first REAL contractions started. The pain was in my lower abdomen but primarily in my lower back. These contractions took my breath away and had me gripping the bed and gritting my teeth. Okay, so this is what everyone means when they say you'll know when it's a REAL contraction. Yep! Again the doctor checked my cervix and I was still a 2. The nurses said they had seen many women go home even after contractions like mine so we were still playing the guessing game since my cervix wasn't changing. Dr. Moorhead gave me morphine and visteril to help with the pain but I'm not sure it helped much. At best, it took the edge off and helped me relax a little. Mom and Aaron were great at rubbing my back and massaging the me through each contraction. Finally at midnight we decided it was best to hit the hay since we didn't sleep Friday. Aaron was on the pullout and mom in the non-reclining chair. Not the most comfortable set up but it would have to do. By this time contractions had slowed down again so sleep might be possible. My nurse staff were awesome. Amy in particular, was very calming and soothing. I certainly had my fair share of questions and worries for them.

I drifted off to sleep and within an hour I had a mild contraction and realized I felt suddenly wet. I debated calling the nurses in because this had happened before and I was told it was cervical fluid or gel from my exams. After a few minutes I thought I had better let them know. Amy came in and to my surprise showed me that my bedding was all wet. Dr. Moorhead confirmed my water had broken. It was 'go time'. Mom later she saw a visible calm come over me after days, if not months of wondering and worrying it was finally time and the guessing game was over.
Delivery went very smoothly and we had a waiting room full of friends  and family to support us... At 3:30 in the morning! How blessed are we! Aaron was a little nervous during delivery and I was surprisingly calm, however that may have been because of the spinal tap which seems to relax me. Both Grayson and Hallie let out sweet little cries to reassure us and we were able to see them as they were cleaning them and getting them ready to go the NICU. It was harder for me to see them laying down but I thought they were so beautiful in their very first pictures Daddy took. Our tiny miracles were here after a bumpy ride. Every step, very worry, every nerve wracking doctor appointment was worth it.

I stayed in the hospital until  Thursday and recovered well despite having a fever Monday and Tuesday which prevented me from going to the NICU for a day and a half. Talk about a bummer. I held Grayson for the first time and Aaron held Hallie for the first time. After my fever cleared Hallie had an IV in her belly button so it was a few more days before I could hold her. Holding them for the first time was everything I ever imagined it would be. Both mom and Karlos were been beyond wonderful and so very helpful. Hallie and Grayson are so loved by our family and especially their doting grandmothers who haven't left our side or theirs each step and every moment. My days in the hospital were so exciting although I was majorly sleep deprived and a bit delirious after losing 2 nights of sleep. I'll never forget how magical and special this time was for us.