The Birth of the Twins - Nancy's version

(Note:  this was written in several sittings during late March and April 2012).

Short version:

Hazel Annette, born at 0244 am on Monday, March 12, 2012. 
Weight at birth:  2 lbs, 11 oz.  Length: 15 inches.

Abigail Jeanne, born at 0245 am on Monday, March 12, 2012. 
Weight at birth:  2 lbs, 8 oz.  Length: 10 3/4 inches.

First picture of Hazel, a few minutes after she was born:

First picture of both girls (H in foreground, A in the background):

The long version (to find Matt's version of the events, click here.)

The evening of Saturday, March 10, we co-hosted a wedding shower ("Cocktails & Desserts") at our house for Tim and Rebecca.  We were busy all day that day getting ready, and during the shower, every time I felt tired, I sat down and tried to get off my feet.  Seemed like everyone had a great time (most especially, the guests of honor), and after all the guests left, Matt and I did a bit of straightening and then I went to bed around midnight or so.

The next morning - Sunday, March 11 - I just felt off.  I hadn't slept well during the night, and my lower back hurt (which was a new symptom - hadn't really felt that since the first trimester).  I figured I felt the way I did because of how I slept.  After sleeping in, due to the long & tiring previous day and evening, Matt and I went over to Waterloo for a late breakfast.  I ordered, but after the food arrived I didn't even feel like eating.  Matt and I had planned to go run some errands/hang at a coffee shop after breakfast, but he could tell I didn't feel so hot, so we quickly paid the check and headed home (he asked how I was doing, and I said I wanted to lay down).  As we left Waterloo I began to tear up, which was also kinda weird for me, as I'm not normally a crier.

We got home and I laid on the couch.  After awhile, I felt asleep, and was out for about an hour.  Waking up, I still didn't feel well, and at this point I had cramps (probably contractions, but I didn't know that at the time), albeit sporadically.  Matt brought me some food (leftover fruit and cheese from the party), but after a few bites I couldn't eat any more.  I sat there thinking about what I should do...should I wait it out, and hope I just felt better after some rest that night, or should I call the nurse, as I was having back pain (preterm labor sign) and cramps (possible preterm labor sign)?  I debated and hesitated ... which in no small part is attributable to the fact that we had just seen a doctor on FRIDAY - two days before - that had checked my cervix and said everything looked great.

Finally, I talked to Matt, and we agreed I should call the nurse.  After hearing my symptoms, she suggested I go in to the hospital, since with twins there is a higher chance of preterm labor, and suggested I put together a small overnight bag in case they wanted to keep me for observation.

We drive to the hospital (about 20 miles) and the whole time I've got conflicting feelings - on one hand, I'm hoping nothing is going on, and on the other hand, I'm hoping there is a slight something so the trip won't be completely wasted.  At this point, however, I am starting to have what even I think are contractions about 4 to 6 minutes apart.

After checking in around 8 pm, and getting my vitals, we go to a triage room in the Labor and Delivery section of the Women's Center.  Lisa, our nurse, hooks me up to a monitor so they can watch the girls' heart rates and also monitor my contractions.  I remember waiting around the room for a bit, switching the TV channel off of MSNBC (coverage of the year anniversary of the Japan tsunami) to ESPN (coverage of March Madness Selection Sunday), but I have no idea how two hours passed.

At this point, Dr. Monk came in, introduced himself as the L&D triage doctor (he called himself an ER doc for L&D stuff), checked the monitors, swabbed me with a thingie to detect if I was in preterm labor, and then checked my cervix (which, OW, that hurts), announcing I was already 3 cm dilated and 90% effaced ... and both of us had no idea what the latter part meant (we hadn't gotten that far in the readings yet).  Lisa helpfully explained, and even pulled out a small model to show us examples of dilation and effaced stages.  Dr. Monk said "you are going to be admitted - it is preterm labor," and suddenly my heart sank.  The whole time, honestly, I had fully expected this to be a 'drill' ... we would get to the hospital, they'd check me out, maybe run some tests, and then send me home, and Matt and I would laugh about it later.  Um ... apparently not.

Well, my regular doctor was not there (not surprising since it was late on a Sunday night), and the doctor on call in his practice (AAOBYGN) was Dr. Christy Capet, who was relatively new to Austin from Dallas.  I'm wheeled in to a L&D room and given a steroid (to help the girls' lungs) and magnesium (to help relax all of my muscles, including the ones that were contracting), as well as hooked up to an IV and a cather.  Dr. Capet come by about midnight (about two hours after seeing Dr. Monk), introduces herself, and says she wants to check my cervix too (OW again).  When she checks, it is a "loose" 3 cm and I'm basically 100% effaced.  I remember thinking "well, at least it hasn't gotten significantly worse."  She tells us they are going to try to stop labor, and if so, I'll be on strict bedrest in the hospital for at least a few days until I prove it is gone.  I remember hearing something about a bedpan, and not being too excited about that prospect.

Another two hours (or so) pass.  I go in and out of consciousness, but I remember feeling the contractions (OW).  Lisa tells me the magnesium will make me feel bad, as if I'm on fire; it does, but I distinctly remember thinking that it didn't seem to help relax the contraction muscles, because that was still hurting (and relatively frequently, but I have no idea how often).

Dr. Capet comes in around 2:00 or 2:15 am to check my cervix again (OW for the third time).  About the time she arrives, I throw up (Lisa was also going through paperwork for me to sign - I stopped, threw up, and then went back to the paperwork.  I also remember thinking I was signing a bunch of stuff without actually reading it - not very good practice, especially for a lawyer - but then wondering if it would actually hold up in court since I was not completely coherent).  I remember Dr. Capet noting that throwing up was not a good sign, as it usually indicates labor is progressing (who knew?). At this point, despite all of the magnesium and other things we've tried to stop labor, she announces I'm 70% dilated and 100% effaced.  I remember thinking "oh, crap."  She then announces it is C-section time.

At this point I go in and out of consciousness again.  I remember Dr. Nelson, the anesthesiologist (for some reason, I keep wanting to call him Dr. Abbott) coming to give me the epidural or whatever it was in my back.  He asked me to arch my back, so I did.  The funny thing was he wanted me to arch it out, towards him, and I was arching it inward, with my shoulders back.  So that took a few tries.  I also remember Dr. Capet directing the room, and making a point that time was of the essence (to use a good contract term).  At some point a technician came in to do another ultrasound of the girls (honestly, not sure when this was), and measured them at 2 pounds 10 oz (turns out she was pretty dang close).

I drifted out of consciousness again, and when I came back to I was lying on my back and a big blue screen was under my chin and blocking my view of the rest of my body.  At some point Matt came in, I asked how he was doing (he looked pretty worried).  I realized I wasn't wearing the hairnet Lisa had given me, and wondered if that was a big deal.  

Seems like I drifted out and then in again.  Things were happening, and the doctor or someone indicated the girls had been born, but I hadn't heard them cry (which I had read is what normally happens), so I was worried in the calm way you are when you are drugged.  Matt went over to check on them, and said they were okay.  At that point they were going to take them to the NICU, and Matt looked over at me.  It seemed silly to stick around me, since all they were going to do is sew me up, so he followed the girls to the NICU.  I vaguely remember the doctors and nurses chatting as they put my innards back in (haha), and some sort of question/answer/confusion about which twin was "A" and which was "B."

I went out of consciousness again, and woke up as I was being wheeled into the recovery room.  Matt was already in there, on the phone with someone, and hung up as we approached.  Nurse Lisa stayed in the room with us, and I have no idea (again) how long we were in there.

At some point, we were taken from the L&D side to the postpartum area of St. David's.  If I remember correctly, we got to our room (236) around 5ish am?  At that point, I was exhausted, as was Matt (he hadn't slept at all), and it seemed like people (nurses, doctors, lactation consultants) kept coming in every hour and waking me up when I just wanted to sleep.

Matt had asked Steve to let our parents and my office know what was going on, so we wouldn't have to worry about that at the time.  Eventually, after Matt let me have my phone, I responded to several worried emails from people in my office (most were in the "what just happened???" vein), sent a reminder about March Madness to non-office participants, and then sent a text to various friends and family saying "guess what...I just had a C-section and the girls are here."  Not intentionally, but apparently this announcement out of the blue freaked some people out, especially those who had just seen me less than two days before when I was pregnant and fine.  (To those of you reading this - sorry about that.)

Matt's parents arrived that afternoon, we started receiving flowers, fruit, and cookies from friends and family, and I talked to my parents that afternoon (they were in Florida).  The whole thing just felt surreal...did this really just happen?  (It took me a long time to accept that it did, and that there was not anything I could have done to prevent the preterm labor - sometimes it just happens.)  I was in the hospital until Friday, and spent the time pumping, eating, visiting the girls (we held them for the first time the Wednesday after they were born), responding to texts/emails, receiving visitors, and recovering from my C-section.

The funniest/most annoying thing was deciding on the names for the girls.  Obviously we had figured we'd have more time to decide, although we had narrowed down some choices already, including the middle names.  That was probably the most common question from everyone - friends, family, nurses, doctors, staff - but we kept getting interrupted so much, we didn't have time to decide on it until Thursday.  The good thing, though, is we were able to meet and hold the girls and see if the names we liked "fit" them.  They did, so we filled out the birth certificate paperwork late on Thurs, March 15, sent a text to the parents on Friday morning, and then announced it to everyone else a few hours later.

The worst part was leaving the hospital without the girls.  It was such an empty and horrible feeling - we packed up the room, and I was wheeled down to the car where Matt and my parents were waiting, but there were no babies with me, and I had to leave them behind.  For about a week, seeing newborns leave with their parents choked me up too.

So, there you have it.  The story of their birth, from my perspective.  :)