Prim & Hagen Birth Story Part III - Grand Finale!

Continued ....

Around 3AM my contractions started back up.  It was pretty evident that we weren't going to be able to stop labor.  Off and on through the night I would have contractions.  It wasn't anything regular but I was definitely in labor.  Sometime in the early morning Erik's parents came to visit.  Erik hadn't planned to stay the night when he came to the hospital on Saturday so he hadn't brought anything with him.  His parents got a list and drove back up to our house to get his stuff.  I called my mom to let her know what was going on.  She came down to the hospital as well.  My OB showed up to check on me mid morning.  He checked me and declared that I was at a 2.5 (remember that I was at a 1 when I checked into the hospital).  A 2.5!  That's it?!?  I had been in labor all night and morning! Ugh!  Then I heard him say to the nurse that 2.5 was a very generous measurement.  He said that I could get an epidural when I got to a 4 or 5.  It was going to be a long day!

Erik had a football game on and everyone was just hanging out.  At some point Erik asked why all the flags were at half mast.  It was 9/11!  NO!  I can't have my babies on 9/11.  It is a sad holiday.  I was progressing so slowly that my nurse comforted me by telling me that she doubted if I had these babies before midnight.

It was a stormy Sunday.  Around noon there was a big micro burst that hit Provo and knocked the power out.  My room had big windows so there was plenty of light.  But the hallways and bathrooms were dark.  The generators kicked on to keep all essential equipment running.  Air conditioning is not considered essential.  I was starting to have some pretty serious contractions.  15 months later its hard to even remember what it was like.  I just remember Erik's parents and my mom being in the room.  As soon as one would start I would call Erik to my side and he would help me through it.  I remember crying after one of the contractions and telling Erik that I just wanted to go home.  I was tired from several sleepless nights.  I was hungry because I hadn't eaten anything since the night before.  I was in pain and so very uncomfortable.  I just wanted my own bed! 

At some point in the day my strep test had come back and of course it was positive.  So I was started on my first round of antibiotics.  Luckily I was progressing slowly enough that we were confident that I would get all the doses needed before the babies were born.

Late afternoon, sometime around 3:00 or 4:00 I think, the nurse checked me.  I was finally at a 4!  I could get an epidural.  Before getting pregnant with twins I really wanted to try and have a baby un-medicated, just for the experience.  But once we found out that we were having twins that didn't really seem like a wise option.  My OB highly recommended an epidural because of the possibility of having an emergency c-section.  At this point in my labor I was ready.  I had essentially been in labor on and off for two days.  I was exhausted!  I had watched my best friend get an epidural so I had an idea of what was about to happen .... so I thought!  It was HORRIBLE!!  I don't really even know how to explain it.  It was incredibly painful.  My head was buried in Erik's chest as I screamed!  I am not a big screamer.  I don't generally scream in pain.  But this was different.  Two nurses came running into my room to see what was going on. I felt Erik drop his head onto mine not being able to do anything but hold me.  Knowing what I know now I would have waited longer to get it or not gotten one at all.  Within minutes my left side was completely numb!  But NOT my right side. I could feel everything on my right side.  So now my left side was painfully numb (who knew that numbness could be painful) and my right side was still feeling all the contractions.  They tried rolling me on my side to see if that would help.  It didn't.  (Remember that the power is still out and there is no air circulating.)  My nurse called my OB to give a report.  He told her to check me again around 8pm.  I was still progressing very slowly.  My mom was rubbing my numb leg while Erik rubbed my back.  While I was miserable I was still hoping to hold off until after midnight so their birthday would not be on 9/11.  The next few hours were pretty much a blur.  Around 7:00 pm my nurse came in to help me re-position and adjust the babies monitors.  While she was there she decided to check me even

though it was earlier than the doctor had said.  SURPRISE! I was at a 9/10.  It was go time!  WHAT?  How did I go from a four to a 10 so fast?  I thought epidurals slowed things down?  Well not necessarily!  My nurse said that me relaxing probably just helped things move along.  She instructed someone to call my OB and for Erik to start suiting up.  Because I was having twins I had to deliver in the OR with two OB's.  Erik had to be ready for a c-section just in case.  Oh yeah, still no power or AC.  The anesthesiologist was called back in and gave me a boost to my epidural and then took it out.  It worked and my right side was finally numb!  Well it looks like these babies were going to be born on 9/11 after all. From the minute I knew that it was time I was panicked that my doctor wouldn't make it on time.  I kept asking where he was.  I was wheeled to the OR and everything was set up.  The NICU was alerted that they were getting 31.3 week twins.  We were ready.  Still no doctor.  Completely panicked I asked where he was and what happens if he doesn't make it.  I was assured he would make it in time.  "I can feel the baby coming out!" I was actually still on my side and had no idea if a baby was coming out.  But I was convinced that I was going to have this baby right then.  I am sure the nurses were rolling their eyes! I begged them to tell me what would happen if he didn't make it.  They told me that an on call doctor would step in.  "But I don't know that guy and I don't want him delivering my babies!"  I heard my nurse tell someone to go see if they can find Dr. Young and to tell him to hurry! At last!  Dr. Young walked through the door.  "Where have you been?!?"  (It was a good 30 minutes before baby A was born by the way.)  They got me up in the stirrups and gave both Erik and I instructions.  I had an awesome L&D nurse.  The power had come back on but there still was no AC.  I was dying and trying to rip my hospital gown off.  The second OB found a clipboard and used it to fan me.  He was heaven sent!  The monitor that was suppose to be monitoring my contractions was not working.  So the nurse put her hand on my stomach and told us when I was having a contraction.  For the next 30 minutes I pushed and pushed and pushed.  "Why won't she come out?  She is only 3 lbs!"  It turns out that small babies can actually be really hard to get out.  There is not enough baby for your body to push against.  My temperature had been creeping up for the last hour.  If I became fevered they would do a c-section.  A nurse checked my temp between each contraction.  I was .1 away from being considered fevered during my entire delivery.  I had to push so hard to get her to move down that I started to pass out.  Erik said he would watch my eyes roll back in my head when I stopped pushing.  To help me recover between pushes I was put on oxygen.  At some point I might have something like, "When I create a world and life this is NOT how this is going to work!"  And I meant it!  Erik was so calm and collected.  He did a great job comforting me and encouraging me.  In between pushes Erik and Dr. Young talked about the previous nights football game until I yelled "I am having a baby!"  Dr Young  is awesome by the way.  He is so clam and chill.  At last they could see the head!  Erik got to take a peek and see his baby girls dark hair.  With one more push she was out.  The moment she came out she cried out a little cry.  It was the best sound in the world!  We didn't know what to expect with them being so early and small.  A cry was best case scenario.  Dr Young quickly cut her cord, handed her over to a nurse and off she went.  I lifted my head just in time to get a quick glimpse of my baby.  Before all this Erik and I had agreed that he would go with the baby.

As soon as baby A was out the other OB and the nurse grabbed my stomach to hold baby B in place.  He was already head down so we didn't want him to flip.  While the nurse held baby B, the second doctor started to push him down.  This is when I was really glad I did have an epidural.  Let's just say they were not being gentle.  Poor baby B (Hagen) was not ready to come out.  He was kicking against their hands.  Dr Young ended up breaking his water as they pushed him down.  I have no idea how long of a break I had before I started to push again.  As soon as they told me to start pushing again I had one of the nurses get Erik from the other room.  He came in and let me know that baby girl was doing well.  Round two:  I started pushing again.  I was SO tired.  I didn't know how in the world I was going to do this again!  After pushing several times I told Erik that I couldn't do it.  He told me that as soon as I pushed him out I could have a Diet Coke.  One my next contraction I push with everything I had in me.  Out he came!  Dr Young said, "I can't believe that actually worked!"  Baby B was born almost exactly 30 minutes after baby A.  He gave us a good cry letting us know he was not happy to be out.  Just like baby A I only got a glance as they rushed baby B out to assess him.  Erik followed them so that he could get some pictures and a report.  Within seconds of baby B being born the AC came back on.

Dr Young told me just to relax and let my body take care of delivering the placentas.  My epidural was starting to wear off.  The pressure was incredible.  It was such a weird feeling.  I am not sure how to describe it.  I asked the nurse to get Erik again.  He came back in and let me know that baby B was doing great.  They had both been put on oxygen and were being taken to the NICU.  I was cleaned up and stitched up (yes I tore both horizontally and vertically, needing one stitch each direction.  Can you imagine if I had had full term babies?) and taken back to my room where my mom and Erik's parents were waiting for us.  They had been waiting outside the OR and got a little glimpse of the babies as they were being taken to the NICU.  As promised I got a Diet Coke when I got back to my room.  My sweet nurse had one waiting for me.  I got the shakes SO bad after delivery.  My nurse kept telling me not to fight it and that it was very normal.  Your body has been through a lot.  Erik had taken a video babies so that I could see them.  I had to wait until my shaking had stopped and my epidural was worn off before I could go see my babies. About an hour later I released from L&D and taken to the NICU to meet my babies for the first time.

Primrose was named that night.  We kinda knew all along that that would be her name.  She was born at 8:52 pm.  She was 3.9 lbs and 16 inches long.  When I first saw her she had an IV in her hand, a feeding tube in her nose and was on a CPAP to help her little lungs.  She was the tiniest baby I had ever seen.

Hagen was named the next day.  He was just baby boy until we finalized the name  He was born at 9:23 pm.  He was 3.14 lbs and 16 inches long.  He also had an IV, feeding tube and was on CPAP.  It broke my heart knowing that he was not ready to come out but had to.

I was not able to hold either baby that night.  I didn't get to have immediate skin to skin with my babies.  I didn't get to do delayed cord cutting like I had planned.  Erik didn't get to cut his babies cords.  I didn't have that instant bond or that feeling of unconditional love that people talk about.  Nothing had gone as I had planned or wanted or hoped.  It was nothing like I had imagined or like other birth stories I had heard.  But my babies, the babies that I dreamed of having, that we had so desperately wanted, the babies that we had worked so hard to get were here!  They were doing well and we would all be ok!  I had no idea how much my heart would grow becoming a mom.

The story continues but I will save that for another post.

Prim & Hagen Birth Story Part II

Continued ....

After a VERY long sleepless night in labor and delivery we met with my OB.  The drugs I was given when I first arrived had worked and I was no longer in active labor.  Our first goal was to make it 48 hours so that I could get both doses of steroids to help the babies lungs develop.  Every single day at this point was beneficial to the twins development.  I was not allowed to sit up or walk.  I could get up to go to the bathroom as needed but otherwise I was to be laying down.  Holy cow!  How was I going to do this for three weeks?!?  My amazing nurse found me a room with a big window and a beautiful view of the mountains.  Once we got settled in Erik went home to shower, pack our now needed hospital bag and check in with work.  Sometime mid-morning I realized that my school had no idea what was going on.  I had just not shown up to work!  Oops!  So I sent them a text with a lovely picture of me in the hospital.  And just like that my 15 year career had come to an end.  My dad was in the hospital in SLC receiving cancer treatments.  Luckily he was going home that afternoon and my mom could come be with me.

Later that afternoon I was taken down to see a maternal fetal medicine (MFM) doctor.  It was confirmed that it was baby A (Prim) that broken their water.  Both babies were looking healthy and not in any distress.  Baby A still had plenty of fluid around her (did you know that you keep making amniotic fluid even after your water has broken?) The doctor believed there was no reason why I couldn't make it the hoped for three weeks.

I also met with a neonatal doctor who talked to me about what to expect if I didn't make it to 34 weeks.  It was late in the evening, I was tired and don't really don't  remember most of what she said.  But I do remember her saying, "At this point we don't talk about IF your babies will survive but just how much assistant they will need."  This, of course, was a huge relief.

The next couple days were pretty uneventful, well other than being very uncomfortable.  Both babies and I had to be on monitors 24/7.  If I moved or a baby moved my nurse would have to come in and adjust the monitors.  I was still on a mag drip which was VERY unpleasant!  It burns as it goes through your veins.  I was lucky to have some visitors that helped distract me;  Dana Hardman, Shannon and Casey Child, Erik's parents, my mom, Jennie, Josh, Lisa and Tanner all visited me.

Saturday morning I started having "cramps" again.  When my OB stopped by to check on me I told him what I was experiencing.  He wasn't worried.  They were not regular and I was still only dilated to a one.  He said I could get up and take a shower when Erik got there (it was like Christmas morning!). Erik was spending the morning at home getting some stuff done.  It was the BYU vs UofU game that afternoon and he would come watch it in my hospital room.  I continued to have cramps, aka contractions, all morning and into the afternoon.  As soon as Erik got there I took a shower and even washed my hair.  He brought me a BYU shirt to wear for the game.  I am not sure if it was the being up or what but my contractions started to get harder and closer.  We managed to get a picture in our BYU shirts before I asked to get back into a hospital gown. This is the last picture taken before I had the babies and we didn't get a belly shot!  I am still so sad about that.

Looking back I realize that no one ever said the words "you are in labor."  I don't know if I was in denial or what but I really didn't know that I was in labor.  At some point in the afternoon I whispered to Erik that I thought these babies are going to come soon.  Like it was a secret.  Erik started logging my contractions.  He made me promise that I would not have these babies until the game was over!  During commercial breaks we would monitor my contractions and practice some breathing. My dad called me right before the game started asking if Erik wanted to watch the game at their house and my mom would come down and hang out with me.  I told my dad that I was having too many contractions and that I didn't want Erik to leave.  Unfortunately BYU lost that game.  I asked Erik to spend the night at the hospital with me.  I didn't think he should be 30 minutes away.  I think Erik could see the writing on the wall a little clearer than I could.  He had no intention of  leaving me at this point.

After being updated my OB wanted to try and stop my labor one more time!  I was given a new drug late Saturday night.  It
seemed to work ..... for a few hours anyway.

To be cont.

Prim & Hagen Birth Story - Part I

You might want to grab a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate because this is going to be a long one. 

 30 Weeks  - my last belly shot before delivering 

I had a pretty uneventful pregnancy for the most part.  Just regular aches and pains that come with pregnancy.  Each time I would ask my OB about this pain or that he would reply, "yeah, you are pregnant .... with twins!"  I was considered high risk because of age and twins so I was seen often and had an ultrasound each time (a nice perk).  I never needed to see a specialist or had any concern that anything was wrong.  The babies were growing and stayed somewhere in the 40% .  Both babies were head down for a majority of the time.  We felt so blessed that the twins were doing so well! 

At my 30 week appointment my doctor told me that I would for sure make it to 38 weeks.  With twins they generally don't let you go past 38 weeks.  I was measuring full term (40 weeks) and getting pretty uncomfortable.  I asked if maybe we could push that up to say 36 or 37 weeks?  

One week later, Wednesday September 7, 2016.  I went to work just like any other day but was having a bit of an off day.  I was just tired (duh!).  I spent most of the day in my office, sitting.  I had been warned not to over do it even if I felt good.  So I heeded the advise and sat most of the day.  That evening I was presenting at a New Teacher Academy meeting so I skipped pilates and took a nap before heading to my meeting.  I think I even left work a little early.  After my presentation I headed straight home telling the other presenters that I just didn't feel well.  I was having an off day.  As the evening wore on I just kept feeling more and more blah.  As Erik made dinner I tried sitting at the bar but even that felt like too much, I just wanted to lay down.  Man this pregnancy thing was getting hard!  As I headed to bed I told Erik that I was having SO much pressure in my pelvis and even some cramping.  Well no surprise, I had two heads in my pelvis!  I remember specifically praying that these babies would not come yet.  We needed more time.  As I went to bed I told Erik that I wasn't ready to have these babies yet but didn't really think much of it.   I went to bed thinking that I would wake up feeling better the next day!

Sometime just before midnight I woke up.  At this point I was waking up several times a night so this was nothing new.  But this time was different.  I was all wet!  Had I just peed the bed?  Oh my gosh I can't believe this is happening!  I got up and went to the bathroom.  As soon as I sat down there was a big gush!  Oh dear!  That sure didn't feel like pee!  But it has to be.  I am only 31 weeks.  I am not in labor.  So I sat there a little longer.  Another gush!  Ok!  That definitely was not pee!  

I will say that I am pretty good in tense situations.  I didn't panic or freak out.  Not wanting to wake Erik (why? I am not sure) I quietly changed my pants, got my phone and went downstairs.  I called my OB after hour calling service.  I waited the ten minutes they said to wait for a call back before calling the hospital.  I called Utah Valley because I knew that this early in my pregnancy I would have to go there (thank goodness we had talked to the OB about this).  I talked to a charge nurse and  told her what had happened but that I was not in labor.  I felt fine.  She told me that I should probably come in to get checked.  I asked if I could just go to American Fork because it was much closer, if I had just peed my pants I could go home, if my water was broken I could go to Utah Valley.  She said NO!   I needed to come straight there because AF was not equip to deliver 31 weekers.  

While I was on the phone I had a few more gushes so I was all wet again.  Gross!  I went up stairs, turned on a light and changed my clothes hoping Erik would wake up.  Well he didn't.  Ready to walk out the door I walked over to his side of the bed.  "Erik."  I whispered.  "Erik!"  He opens his eye.  "Hey, you should probably sit up.  I think my water broke, we need to go to the hospital and get checked."  Erik FLIES out of bed!  Seriously he practically jumped over me!  "Erik!  I don't think you are really awake.  I think you should sit down.  I am not in labor!"  It was just like a scene in a movie.  He starts running around our room in complete panic.  "Oh my gosh!  What do we do? We are soooo not ready for this!"  He puts on a t-shirt, takes it off and puts on another one.  "I guess I will be rep'in the Y if the babies are born tonight!" as he puts on a BYU t-shirt.  "Great! Let's go."  He then changes his shirt two more times.  "We don't even have a hospital bag packed! What are you going to take?"  "Nothing, my purse.  I don't even know for sure that it was my water that broke." I tell him as I am standing in one place with my purse.  "Erik we need to go."  I was starting to cramp and my third pair of pants were now wet.  He was just kinda running around the house.  It is actually pretty funny!  

It was about 1 AM at this point.  We get to the hospital in record time!  I had to remind Erik to slow down a couple of times that I was not in labor.  We pull into labor and delivery parking right by the front doors.  Erik gets out of the car and heads to the hospital door .. without me.  I get myself out of the car and start waddling after him.  "Um Erik? Wait for me!"  he explains that he doesn't know where we go so he is going to check things out.  As we approach the security guard he points to the elevator and tells us to go to the 4th floor.  Erik yells, "her water broke!"  I think it was pretty obvious why we were there at 1AM.  We get in the elevator and Erik pushes the 4th floor button like 30 times.  

Labor and delivery was expecting us and took me right back to a room.  Before the poor front desk girl could get out of the room I was stripping down.  I just wanted out of these soaking wet pants!  As soon as I was in the care of the L&D nurses Erik calmed right down which was a relief.  It took about three seconds for the test to confirm that my water had indeed broken.  "Well my dear, you are here to stay!" was my nurses response.  She got me and the twins hooked up to monitors.  All that cramping I was having .... well it turns out that those were contractions.  I actually WAS in labor.  Who knew!?!  

That first night was a very long night!  My doctor had ordered lots of IV fluids, magnesium drip and antibiotics.  The hope was to stop labor and keep these babies inside for three more weeks all while on hospital bed rest.  

To be continued ..... 

I'M BACK!!

Pretty much since my last post, nearly three years ago, I have been thinking, "I should start blogging again."  One day lead to the next and before I knew it three years has past.  When I was pregnant with the twins I had a friend, who has twins, tell me that the first year with twins is a blur.  She advised me to take a lot of pictures and write stuff down.  The twins are 14 months old, we survived the first year and well she was right!  The first year WAS a blur!  Most of my memories come from my Instagram post.  So that is my motivation to start blogging again.  I want to remember and share!  It will probably take me a while to update my header and bio but at least this is a start.

So how do you catch up three years worth of life?  You don't!  Trying to catch up is just too overwhelming.  So I am just going to post on topic and/or stories.

Update:  What am I doing now?  Well let me tell you.  14 months ago I had girl/boy twins!  Prim and Hagen were born nine weeks premature and spent 50 long days in the NICU.  They are our miracle babies.  I had NO idea how much I would change becoming a mom.  I love them more than words can express.  Total bonus that they are nearly perfect babies.  A lot more post coming on that subject!  After the twins were born I resigned as a high school assistant principal, becoming a full time stay at home mom.  WoW! That was so much harder than I had anticipated -- more post on that topic coming as well.  So when BYU asked me to supervise student teachers, which lead to teaching a class as an adjunct professor I said YES! It is a dream job!  I absolutely love it.  I teach two days a week.  It is just enough to get me out of the house and to do something that I love .... teach!  Wife, mom, teacher.  That is my life right now.  Raising twins and juggling life isn't always easy but it's worth it!