So for the few weeks prior, I had been going to the doctor twice a week for non-stress tests and ultrasound. I was also told to expect to deliver the babies any day. Well all of the tests had looked good and there hadn't been any big changes in the past couple weeks. Plus, the babies had been really active, so I figured I would make it a few more weeks.
So I went in for my weekly ultrasound on Thursday morning. After the ultrasound tech was done looking, the doctor came in and immediately said, "You're going down to labor and delivery right now. We need to get these babies out today." The blood flow in Emery's umbilical cord had become reversed flow. Previously it had just been absent. They needed to get them out right away because Emery wasn't receiving enough blood or nutrients. Even though I knew that it could be any time, I was still surprised and scared. I was only 31 weeks 2 days along. That means they would be 2 months early.
I left the doctors office and called Travis. He was working and didn't answer, but I knew he would know why I had called. I headed down to labor and delivery and got admitted. This was at about 9:30am. They took me to my room and put monitors on to watch the babies and my blood pressure. Travis got there a few minutes later and they told us we would have to wait a few hours before delivering since I had eaten in the morning. So then we waited... Our moms and a few other visitors came.
At around 2pm, the nurse came in and had Travis put on his gown and shower cap thing and put my shower cap thing on. She was also all gowned and masked up. Just a few minutes later, we all walked to the operating room for my c-section. Once there, they had me lay on my side on the operating table so that the anesthesiologist could give me a spinal tap. He had me curl into a ball. Do you know how hard that is with a pregnant belly?! Anyway, the spinal tap is really weird because it completely numbs you from the waist down. I tried moving my feet and you literally can't feel anything. It was kinda freaky. Then the doctor said, "Let us know if you feel anything sharp." Luckily I didn't.
They put up a big plastic sheet so that you can't see them operating on you. What seemed like only a couple minutes after they started, the doctor was already saying, "Here comes baby A." Travis stood up and watched them pull her out. She cried and then came baby B. She didn't really cry, but Travis said she was super wiggly. I didn't get to see either of them because they were immediately passed through a window to the NICU. Baby A was 3 lbs 10 oz, 16.9 inches long, and born at 3:21pm. Baby B was 2 lbs 6 oz, 15.4 inches long, and born at 3:23pm.
The rest of the time seemed to take the longest. They were stitching me back up. I was so glad to have Travis there to keep me calm. They finally finished and moved me to a bed. That's when the shakes started. I was shaking so bad, but didn't feel cold or anything. They wheeled me back to my labor & delivery room and wrapped me in blankets. We stayed there for about an hour and a half.
On our way to my maternity room, they took me to the NICU to see the babies. We only got to see baby A because they were still working on baby B. What a crazy thing it is to see your baby for the first time. Instant love.
After that, they took me to my room. Then a whole bunch of our visitors came in to see us. I can't even remember who all was there... They all left and I started to get feeling back in my feet. The nurses said that I had to wait until midnight before trying to get up. So at midnight, they helped me get up and get into a wheelchair so that I could go see baby B. Again, the second I saw her, I fell in love with her.
As soon as we saw baby B, we knew the names we were thinking about fit them. Baby A is Indianna Rae and baby B is Emery Madison.
It definitely wasn't the birth story I had ever imagined, but nothing about my pregnancy was. I will never forget that day, the day I became a mother. It has changed my life. What an amazing blessing it is to live in a time with so much medical technology and knowledge. I am so grateful that my babies were able to get here safely and be in a place where they can continue to develop and grow. I cannot wait for the day we get to bring them both home!
10~06~16
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