About 6:00 pm on Sunday one of my very best friends, Cheysi, called me and we started catching up. I was sitting on the couch cross legged when suddenly I felt the strangest sensation. I had to interrupt whatever she said with "Oh my heck, I think my water broke! Either that or I just wet my pants." I hurried to the bathroom and decided that my water probably had broken. I'm glad I was on the phone when it happened because it made me vocalise what was going on. Otherwise I might have rationalized my way out of accepting reality.
I called Brandon at work. We had earlier worked out a code that I would call him 4 times in a row if I thought I was in labor. That way he could know I needed him even if he was busy working with an airplane or something. I was on the third call when he answered. I told him that I thought my water had broken, and he said he would be home as soon as possible. He got off the phone with me and the women at work told him to get going.
I then spent the next 25 minutes getting everything together. We'd already packed the hospital bag and it was in the car, but there were some other things like the camera and the laptop that needed to come with as well. I somehow had the presence of mind to remember that the next day was the 1st of the month so we needed to pay our rent and utility payment. (I did work at a utility billing company for 2 1/2 years) So I wrote out the check and made sure it was by the door. I also finished making the orange juice and had a big drink of it. I'm not sure if that was a smart decision or not.
Brandon got back from the airport in record time. He was so hyped up. I'm glad he had the presence of mind to remember to come get me instead of driving straight to the hospital. He changed from his work uniform, we dropped off the rent check, and headed to LDS hospital.
We went straight up to Labor and Delivery and told them that I thought my water broke and that we were expecting twins. They took us back to a Labor and Delivery room and got me all hooked up the the heart rate monitors. Brandon and I were able to direct the nurse to the exact locations of the twins' hearts because we've had so many non-stress tests. Everything was exactly like a non-stress test except for one thing - I was having regular contractions.
The contractions weren't very painful yet so we went through all the questions about my health and the pregnancy. We also did the nonsensical routine of rating my pain on a scale of one to 10. Thoughts of the Brian Regan comedian routine rushed to my head as I tried to figure out how to rate my pain. I told the nurse that my most painful contraction was probably a 3.
Finally after about 45 minutes the nurse checked to see if my water really did break. It had. Then she had to check to see how dilated I was. I always thought this was a more scientific procedure that what it really is. On the pain scale it had to have been a 7 or an 8. The nurse was confused about the result she was getting. She said it seemed like I was dilated to a 5, but that there was no way I could be smiling and laughing and be that dilated. She got another nurse to come in and check me out. After another 8 on the pain scale the second nurse agreed that I probably was at a 5. Then they proceeded to brag to everyone that I was the most calm person they had ever seen at a 5. Here I am loving life and dilated to a 5.
I'm not sure why we even bothered to check how dilated I was. We'd known for weeks that I was probably going to have a C-section. Baby B was in the breech position and so my Ob didn't want to risk the complications that could arise with a vaginal birth. I'd come to terms with the possibly of a C-section very quickly after discovering I was having twins so I was fine with the decision.
Before the C-section could be prepped they had to make sure Baby B still was breech. I was pretty certain that she was because I could feel her head above my belly button. Also she'd been breech at our last NST test on Thursday. Still the nurse brought in an ultrasound machine to confirm baby B's position. I told her where the heads usually were located and she found them immediately. Yep - Baby B was breech.
Lots of stuff started happening to get us ready for the C-section. Tons of Dr's started coming in to tell us what they were going to do. We talked to the anaesthesiologist, the pediatric nurse for the NICU, my Ob, and probably 3 or 4 other people. We had to sign a bunch of stuff. Brandon was given a totally cool "spaceman suit" to wear. During this time my contractions started getting stronger. I'm glad there were so many people coming and going and so many things to be told because they helped distract me from the increasing pain. Here's Brandon ready for surgery.
It was soon time to go back to the operating room. Originally they wanted me to walk back there, but I knew it would be painful after laying in bed for 2 hours. So they wheeled me back on my bed. It was all business in the operating room. Everyone knew their job and was busy prepping for it. I felt like I was suddenly very unimportant to the grand scheme of what was going on around me. Fortunately I had Brandon with me. I also had the anesthesiologist who was very attentive to me and Brandon. He showed us the window between the OR and the special care nursery. He explained that the babies would be handed through that window as soon as their cords were cut.
Within a few minutes it was time to put in my epidural. I was a little apprehensive about this part. Brandon was able to stand in front of me and hold my shoulders while the anesthesiologist did the epidural. Once it was in I was one happy camper. My legs started going numb immediately and I stopped feeling my contractions. It was great.
They laid me down on the operating table and started prepping my body. I kept telling myself, "this is it. The girls will be here in a few minutes." Emotionally I felt calm, but physically I started to shake. The anesthesiologist explained that the shaking was normal because so much of my body was exposed. He had the nurses put warm blankets on my arms to try to keep me warm. The blankets felt good, but I still shook for most of the operation.
Besides the shaking there was only one other thing I didn't like. I didn't like the screen that was put in front of my face. I'm glad it was there because I didn't want to see my body cut open, but it seemed extremely close to my face and made me feel claustrophobic. I made Brandon hold my hand the whole time so I could know I was still part of a bigger world. Brandon stood up next to me so he could see over the screen and watch the whole operation.
Suddenly the Dr's started cutting me open. I could feel pressure, but I couldn't feel any pain. Within about 10 minutes Brandon told me he could see the first baby. And then I heard her cry. It was a little squeaky cry. That was Baby A. As soon as she was out the Dr's moved over to Baby B's sack. Only A's sack had opened when my water broke so they had to first cut open B's sack and let the amniotic fluid run out. Brandon said it was like watching a backyard swimming pool pop. Then they worked out her feet and pulled her out. Brandon remembered to get a picture of her coming out.
After Baby B was born Brandon could have gone over the the nursery to see the babies, but he stayed with me. He watched the placenta come out and watched while the Dr's started sewing me up. I started getting nauseous and told the anesthesiologist. He added something to my IV that would take care of it.
The pediatric nurse came over and told me and Brandon about our babies. He told us that they both had problems with their lungs because they were early, but they were doing well. He said that B was smaller than A, but she was actually doing better. I'm glad he told us, but his timing was a little bad because I suddenly got very sick. Brandon went to see the babies while me and the anesthesiologist had a nice bonding session that involved suctioning vomit out of my mouth. (This is why that last minute glass of orange juice might have been a bad idea.) Here is the picture Brandon got of Baby B. We also have one like this of Baby A, but she isn't very modest.
Sewing me up seemed to take forever, but about 10 minutes after I stopped throwing up I heard the stapler stapling my skin together. Soon that annoying screen came down and I was able to feel apart of the world again. I could see one of the babies through the window. She looked so big to me. I couldn't believe I'd had two babies that size inside of me. Brandon came back and told me our girls were adorable. I was moved from the operating table to a bed and taken back to the labor and delivery room. The anesthesiologist came with and made sure they put warm blankets around me. For some reason I also got a popsicle.
Brandon and I were left alone for a while. Occasionally a nurse or Dr would pop in to give us a status update or to check on me. If the babies had been healthy they could have come into the room with us, but since they had lung problems they were left in the special care nursery. Brandon showed me the pictures of the operation and described the whole thing to me. He showed me the pictures of our girls and told me how cute they were. Since I hadn't seen the girls come out I still thought of myself as pregnant. It was nice to have this time to transition into thinking about the girls as being outside my body.
The girls were born at 10:39 and 10:40, but it wasn't until about 1:00 that we were taken to go see them. We were taken into Lydia's (Baby B) room first. My bed fit in this room so they wheeled me right next to her bed. She had lots of tubes and wires all over her body. She also had a mask for the C-Pap machine that was helping her breath. The nurse called it her Halloween costume. By this time I knew she was only 17 inches long and 3 lbs 12 oz, but she still looked huge to me. They were able to take her out of her bed and lay her next to me. She was very attached to her binky and the nurse showed me how to hold it the way she liked it. It was sweet to know that this little baby with long fingers and toes was mine.
After spending time with Lydia we were wheeled down to where Charlotte (Baby A) was. My bed didn't fit into Charlotte's room so I was wheeled up the the door and I could look in and see her. Brandon went in and took a few pictures. The pictures are actually a little deceptive. The lack of the C-pap mask makes her look like she was the healthier twin. Actually she was having a harder time breathing than Lydia. Right before we were brought in Charlotte had a procedure done to help her lungs. So we took these pictures during a rare moment when she wasn't hooked up to the breathing machine.
After seeing the twins I was wheeled over to the Post Pardum part of the hospital. The nurse helped me start pumping my milk and then Brandon and I were left alone to try to get some sleep. By this point it was about 3:00 in the morning and we were both exhausted.
We slept a little bit, but we were constantly interrupted by nurses who were coming in to check on me. By 5 I was awake and ready to let the world know about my two little girls. I woke Brandon up and we started calling our parents. We wanted them to know about the girls so they could have the option to stop by before going to work. I had fun telling my parents. I said, "my water broke - 12 hours ago. And now you have two granddaughters!"
Both sets of grandparents came to see the girls that morning. Brandon's parents came about 6:15 and Brandon went with them to show them the girls. He came back and reported that Charlotte was off of the breathing machine and now was on a C-Pap. This was great news because she would have had to go to a different hospital if she had been on the breathing machine for over 24 hours.
My parents showed up about 9:00. I was able to get out of bed and into a wheelchair so I could go with them. Being in a wheelchair meant I could fit into Charlotte's room. I got to see her up close and touch her for the first time. While I looked at her I realized that I really did have identical twin girls. She looked so much like Lydia - just a little bit bigger.
We spent the day spreading the news, seeing visitors, and resting. By the evening I'd recovered enough to have my IV and my catheter removed. I felt like a real person again. I celebrated my freedom by going to check on my girls.
Lydia was off the C-Pap and needed only a little tube to help her breath.
Charlotte was off her C-Pap as well. She showed some signs of jaundice so she was getting treated for that which meant she got baby sunglasses.
Both babies still have a long way to go before they can come home, but they are doing well. These next few weeks should be interesting so I'll keep you posted.
Also she no longer has the little tube that was draining some air that had escaped from her lungs. And she's not being treated for jaundice anymore. Good job Charlotte! 
She also has clothes on now. That's something I haven't been able to do yet. (Though I did get a glorious shower)
I was able to hold Lydia for about 45 minutes today. I've missed feeling her move inside of me so it was wonderful hold her and see her move. She likes to wave her hands and arms and she loves to kick her feet. She obviously loves the freedom of being born.
