Birth Story

On the morning of June 28th I was instructed to call labor and delivery between 5 and 5:30 am. I didn't think I would sleep much the night before but I did manage to sleep a little bit. I think I did most of my freaking out on Sunday so I was pretty exhausted. Labor and delivery told me to come about 6:30. So I decided to eat some breakfast and tidy up the house. I walked outside to take the trash out and looked up at the sun setting on the horizon and thanked God for this day that I was going to bring 2 babies into the world and said a silent prayer for a safe delivery and healthy babies.

My dad came over to stay with Grace who was still sleeping so luckily we didn't have to say goodbye. We got to the hospital about 6:30 and I was in a room with an IV started by about 7:30. Dr. P checked me and said I was "favorable" and about 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated so he was going to start me on some Pitocin and then break my water. In the meantime, he had to deliver another set of twins by a planned C-section and another mommy of twins came in because her water broke so she required a C-section as well. Three sets of twins were going to be born that day! A hospital record!!

So, I was kind of put on the back burner. They started the Pitocin about 9:30/10am and I slowwwwwly progressed. He broke my water about 11 am and I was still only dilated 1 cm. By 2 pm the pit was up to 7 and I was dilated about 2/3 cm. By 6 pm I was 6 cm and recieved and epidural. It felt really weird right away. I felt tingling down my right leg but not my left. It ended up only working on one side so while I felt pressure on the right I felt full on contractions on the left. This in where things really started to move. Within a half hour to 45 minutes I felt really painful contractions and the urge to push. My wonderful labor and delivery nurse Janine who was with me the whole day was going off her shift so she turned me over to Beth who checked me and said I was complete. I had to deliver in the OR just in case an emergency C-section was needed. Unfortunately, only Adam was allowed in the OR with me so my mom and Nicole (who was taking pictures) had to wait outside. I was terrified and excited all at the same time as the wheeled me into the operating room. My hope this whole pregnancy was to avoid a C-section and deliver these babies naturally and here was the moment of truth.

Delivering in the OR was a debacle. Dr. P was pissed!! Nothing was setup the way he asked. The stirrups were not set up on the table and they couldn't figure out how they went. Meanwhile I am having major contractions and ready to push as they all were fiddling around with the stupid things. Dr. P ended up just throwing them on the ground and a nurse held each leg (including Janine who stayed after her shift to see these twins born). There were 2 anesthesiologists, Dr. P, 3 labor and delivery nurses, 2 pediatricians, 2 pediatric nurses, and Adam and I. Talk about a welcoming committee!! I started pushing a little after 7 pm and after about 5 pushes Jillian Claire was born at 7:09 pm weighing 6 lbs and 19.5 inches long. They put her on my chest and we cried as we finally got to see her sweet face. They took her away to be cleaned up and checked out and I braced myself for #2. Dr. P asked for the ultrasound to check to make sure baby B was head down. It wasn't on even though he had asked at least 4 times for it to be on and ready. He was not happy but ended up just reaching up and feeling and said that she was definitely head down and kind of pulled her down into my pelvis. He asked for a hook to break the 2nd bag of water and they didn't have that either so he used forceps to break it. I remember looking at Adam and gripping his shirt in my hand like holy crap, I have to do it AGAIN, push out ANOTHER baby. He said I went back down to 8 cm and asked if I felt the urge to push and I didn't so he said to hang tight while and he was going to go deliver another baby that was crowning and literally ran out of the room and down the hall.

The next contraction I felt the urge to push. They told me to just hang on. The next contraction the baby was crowning. A nurse (Janine) noticed and said. "Uh, she is delivering!!" so the other nurse (Beth) moved to the end of the bed and 2 pushes later ended up delivering Lyla Claire at 7:16 pm weighing 5 lbs 5 oz and 18.25 inches long. Not to be outdone my her sister entering the world before her she was going to make her entrance just as exciting!!

As the nurses and doctors were attending to each baby Adam looked over at them and said, "Oh my God, there is 2 of them." The nurses just kind of laughed and patted him on the back and said, "Its going to be okay dad."

So my every wish and hope this pregnancy came true. I had a safe delivery and two beautiful, healthy baby girls. We had a waiting room full of people that were SO excited for these little ones arrival and we couldn't have been a happier family of 5.