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!