Before I had twins, I was not aware how many people think twins/multiples are fascinating. Sure, I watched the TV specials about the Dilly sextuplets because, come on, 6 babies at once is kind of amazing. But I never really paid too much attention to twins, didn't dream of one day having twins, etc etc. My younger sister sometimes wanted to dress like me and pretend we were twins, but I was not interested in that!
And now, here I find myself as the mom of identical twin boys. Surprise! I've discovered that a lot of my family member and friends think this is a really exciting thing. Since I'm responsible for taking care of them most of the time, I'm usually too exhausted to be excited. Two babies are a lot of work. But yes, abstractly, I guess it's pretty cool.
So far we've hardly gone out in public at all, but whenever we do random strangers stare at us and say, "Oh, twins!" Yes people, I am quite aware that I have two babies here...eventually we'll be able to go to Target without causing a scene, right?
Apparently there are whole university departments devoted to the study of twins. Wow!
I hope that as the boys get older, they will get along well and be good friends, and I won't have to entertain them all the time. Currently, they don't really understand that there is another baby inhabiting their sphere. If I lay them down next to each other, sometimes I see one of them chewing on the other's arm, or kicking each other in the gut. Off to a great start, right? :)
File under: NaBloPoMo Day 6
Friday, November 6, 2015
Thursday, November 5, 2015
I Used to Think ____ and Now I Think ____
A blogger I occasionally read, Sarah Bessey, put out a blog prompt today of "I used to think ____ and now I think ___." I'm supposed to write about how I've changed and grown in my opinions, beliefs, theology, etc. So we'll take a little break from the posts about motherhood and explore this topic instead.
*I feel like I should add all sorts of caveats on this post, including the fact that I'm white, most of my readers are probably white, and so it seems a bit weird to write about race. I just want to share how my opinion has transformed over time. I'm certainly not trying to talk for people of color or "whitesplain" anything. This post turned into a big ramble of ideas. Try as I might, I'm having a hard time distilling it into a coherent whole. I'm still a work in progress.*
I used to think that racism wasn't a big deal anymore.
Sure, back in the Civil Rights era, people had problems, but I figured we had moved past all that in the 21st century. I thought that because I embraced diversity, and because I personally held no animosity towards people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, I had fulfilled my responsibility to society. Basically, I perceived racism as an individual problem that happened when a racist person treated another person unfairly because of the color of their skin.
What I was overlooking was the much larger and harder-to-eradicate issue of systemic and institutionalized discrimination.
Now I think that racial discrimination is still a problem in this country, and I have a responsibility to work towards overcoming it on both the individual and societal level.
Why did my beliefs change? I can't pinpoint any specific event that "opened my eyes," so to speak. More likely, it's the compounding effect of living in different places, meeting different people, and listening to stories of those I might not normally encounter.
Moving to the South definitely had something to do with it. You can't really live in the city where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated without it affecting your way of thinking. When DF and I were on our drive to relocate to Memphis, we listened to an audio book about the sanitation workers' strike and MLK's death. It was really eye-opening (of course now I can't recall the name of the book...). The National Civil Rights Museum here in town also gives a solid overview of those events. It's a powerful museum that I definitely recommend visiting if you're ever in the Bluff City.
Last year, I joined a multiracial discussion group through Common Ground Memphis. We met weekly for two months and worked through a curriculum to discuss race relations, both historic and current, in our city and region. As a newcomer to the area, it was an informative and useful experience for me. For example, during the time we were meeting, there was an incident at Ole Miss where a statue of James Meredith was found with a noose around his neck and a confederate flag over his head. I learned from my new friends, who were dismayed over this act of racist vandalism, that Meredith was the first African-American to attempt to enroll at Ole Miss in the 60s, and his presence on campus had been met with violence. Had I not been part of this group, I don't think I would've understood the significance as much.
I have to acknowledge how I personally have benefited from institutionalized discrimination. In fact, I probably wouldn't even exist otherwise, since my ancestors never would've wound up in this country! Three sets of my great grandparents came to the US from Germany in the early 1900s. Because they were white, they were allowed to choose to immigrate here without a problem. Had they been of a different race, they would have been excluded under US immigration law at the time. My other great grandparents lived in Canada, from whence my grandmother also emigrated unencumbered.
Recent events in the news have shown us that race-related tensions still run high in the US. This is not an issue that's confined to history - discrimination still happens today. I am worried about raising two white boys in today's world. How can I teach them to be kind to everyone? I don't want them to become unwitting accomplices in oppression; doing justly and loving mercy is our goal. I want them to start off by having diverse friends, but then I look at my own circles of friendship and have to admit they are pretty...pale. When it's time for the boys to start school, if we're still in Memphis, should we send them to local public schools where they'll be the minority? Will we be tempted to move to the suburbs for better (and whiter) schools?
In closing, I must say thanks to Jon Stewart for encapsulating it thusly, "Do you not understand that life in this country is inherently different for white people and black people?"
For further reading:
File under: NaBloPoMo Day 5
*I feel like I should add all sorts of caveats on this post, including the fact that I'm white, most of my readers are probably white, and so it seems a bit weird to write about race. I just want to share how my opinion has transformed over time. I'm certainly not trying to talk for people of color or "whitesplain" anything. This post turned into a big ramble of ideas. Try as I might, I'm having a hard time distilling it into a coherent whole. I'm still a work in progress.*
I used to think that racism wasn't a big deal anymore.
Sure, back in the Civil Rights era, people had problems, but I figured we had moved past all that in the 21st century. I thought that because I embraced diversity, and because I personally held no animosity towards people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, I had fulfilled my responsibility to society. Basically, I perceived racism as an individual problem that happened when a racist person treated another person unfairly because of the color of their skin.
What I was overlooking was the much larger and harder-to-eradicate issue of systemic and institutionalized discrimination.
Now I think that racial discrimination is still a problem in this country, and I have a responsibility to work towards overcoming it on both the individual and societal level.
Why did my beliefs change? I can't pinpoint any specific event that "opened my eyes," so to speak. More likely, it's the compounding effect of living in different places, meeting different people, and listening to stories of those I might not normally encounter.
Moving to the South definitely had something to do with it. You can't really live in the city where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated without it affecting your way of thinking. When DF and I were on our drive to relocate to Memphis, we listened to an audio book about the sanitation workers' strike and MLK's death. It was really eye-opening (of course now I can't recall the name of the book...). The National Civil Rights Museum here in town also gives a solid overview of those events. It's a powerful museum that I definitely recommend visiting if you're ever in the Bluff City.
Last year, I joined a multiracial discussion group through Common Ground Memphis. We met weekly for two months and worked through a curriculum to discuss race relations, both historic and current, in our city and region. As a newcomer to the area, it was an informative and useful experience for me. For example, during the time we were meeting, there was an incident at Ole Miss where a statue of James Meredith was found with a noose around his neck and a confederate flag over his head. I learned from my new friends, who were dismayed over this act of racist vandalism, that Meredith was the first African-American to attempt to enroll at Ole Miss in the 60s, and his presence on campus had been met with violence. Had I not been part of this group, I don't think I would've understood the significance as much.
I have to acknowledge how I personally have benefited from institutionalized discrimination. In fact, I probably wouldn't even exist otherwise, since my ancestors never would've wound up in this country! Three sets of my great grandparents came to the US from Germany in the early 1900s. Because they were white, they were allowed to choose to immigrate here without a problem. Had they been of a different race, they would have been excluded under US immigration law at the time. My other great grandparents lived in Canada, from whence my grandmother also emigrated unencumbered.
Recent events in the news have shown us that race-related tensions still run high in the US. This is not an issue that's confined to history - discrimination still happens today. I am worried about raising two white boys in today's world. How can I teach them to be kind to everyone? I don't want them to become unwitting accomplices in oppression; doing justly and loving mercy is our goal. I want them to start off by having diverse friends, but then I look at my own circles of friendship and have to admit they are pretty...pale. When it's time for the boys to start school, if we're still in Memphis, should we send them to local public schools where they'll be the minority? Will we be tempted to move to the suburbs for better (and whiter) schools?
In closing, I must say thanks to Jon Stewart for encapsulating it thusly, "Do you not understand that life in this country is inherently different for white people and black people?"
For further reading:
- The 7 Stage of White Identity (I'm probably vacillating between stages 4 & 5 currently)
- White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack - a classic piece to help you check your privilege
File under: NaBloPoMo Day 5
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Raising Kids in the South
We live in Memphis for now. The nature of DF's job is such that we'll probably move again in a couple years. Next destination? Unknown. As long as we live in the South, I figure I better raise my boys appropriately for this environment. Because really, what is parenting besides teaching your kids your culture?
However, not being a Southerner myself puts me at somewhat of a disadvantage. I've tried to observe what children do here, but I'm sure I've missed some essential details. Perhaps as we start hanging around other kids more often, I'll pick up more pointers.
This is what I know so far:
Southern readers, anything else I need to know?
File under: NaBloPoMo Day 4
However, not being a Southerner myself puts me at somewhat of a disadvantage. I've tried to observe what children do here, but I'm sure I've missed some essential details. Perhaps as we start hanging around other kids more often, I'll pick up more pointers.
This is what I know so far:
- Children address adults as "sir" and "ma'am." An adult is anyone over age 16 or so, I think.
- A kid does not reply to a question with a simple "yes" or "no." They should always say, "Yes, ma'am" or "No, sir."
- Children call adults Mr. and Miss + given name. Example: Mr. John, Miss Susie. I haven't heard much "Mr. Jones" or "Miss Smith" except for in a school setting. Also, always use "Miss" for a woman regardless of her marital status.
- Boys should be helpful, such as opening doors for elderly people, carrying heavy items for ladies, etc.
- Boys should have long-ish hair that can be artfully styled, especially for family photo shoots. No buzz cuts!
- From a young age, children should be taught to cheer for the SEC football team with which the family's loyalties lie. (Not really sure what do about this one since we have no ties to college football around here...maybe we can just cheer for the Memphis Tigers even though they aren't in the SEC.)
Southern readers, anything else I need to know?
File under: NaBloPoMo Day 4
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
The Emotions of Motherhood
As a kid, I was rather dramatic, letting my feelings rule. With maturity comes emotional control, or so I thought until I found out I was pregnant. I used to consider myself a fairly rational person, but the last year has been an emotional roller coaster. Hormones are likely responsible for some of it. I'm starting to think that becoming a parent changes your brain chemistry or something.
I've yet to see the movie Inside Out - perhaps it would help give me some personal insight! Until then, I'll just catalog here what I've been feeling.
Fear/Anxiety: Admittedly, I was a bit of a worrier pre-motherhood. I thought I was getting better thanks to DF's calming influence, but having kids just opened the floodgates of dread. I spent most of the pregnancy worrying that something would go wrong. Then when it did, I feared the worst. When we brought the babies home from the hospital, I don't think I slept for two days out of anxiety. It's gotten better now, but I can still slip into a panic over the most minor things. For example, the other day Baby B had some red scratchy marks on his face, and I was instantly convinced he had acquired a deadly disease. Meanwhile, DF posited that Baby had simply scratched himself. After my Google searches turned up no diagnosis, I eventually conceded it was just a scratch as the redness faded in a few hours. Sorry kids, your hypochondriac mother is probably going to drag you to the doctor a lot!
Guilt: So. Much. Guilt. I second guess every decision. Should we be rocking them to sleep, or letting them cry for a bit? If you ask the internet, either option will ruin your child forever, so no matter what we do, I feel guilty. Also, I'm not producing enough milk to feed them, so they drink some formula. More guilt. And I'm not enjoying every moment/savoring every day/making memories that will last a lifetime. For goodness sake, we hardly ever leave the house. We thought about taking them trick-or-treating to a couple houses in the neighborhood but it seemed like too much work. This means we don't have any pictures of them out having fun on their first Halloween. Guilt guilt guilt.
Grief: The first time I tried to cut Baby A's fingernails, I accidentally cut the tip of his finger and drew blood. He wailed! I felt horrible.
Disgust: Dirty diapers. Maybe a little less disgust because they are my own kids, but ewwww, still gross.
Annoyance: Why do babies refuse to burp sometimes? They are squawking in discomfort, but they won't let their burp out. It's so annoying!
Amazement: Babies are pretty fun. It's intriguing to watch them discover the world. Who knew one's hands could be so captivating?
Joy: Lest you think parenthood is completely horrendous, lately there have been some glimmers of happiness. The babies have started smiling on purpose, not just gas-induced smiles. They also sort of laugh and make other vocal noises like "oohh, aaahh." It's amazing what a baby smile can do for the soul.
Love: You know those people who say, "I fell in love with my child the moment I saw him/her?" I have to admit that I don't understand that experience. When I saw the babies for the first time, I was just relieved they were breathing. During the 6-week pilgrimage to/from the NICU, I felt pretty protective of them, like I didn't want anyone to hurt them. But at the same time, they didn't really feel like my kids. It was like they lived at the hospital, the nurses were in charge of them, and I was supposed to go and say hi to them once a day. Now that they've been home for a few months, our bond is growing. If I go somewhere without them, I find myself thinking about them and picturing them in my head. They are becoming the center of my world; I can tell them "I love you" now and really mean it :)
So that's an unvarnished look at becoming a mom. If you're thinking about having kids, all I can say is brace yourself!
File under: NaBloPoMo Day 3
I've yet to see the movie Inside Out - perhaps it would help give me some personal insight! Until then, I'll just catalog here what I've been feeling.
Fear/Anxiety: Admittedly, I was a bit of a worrier pre-motherhood. I thought I was getting better thanks to DF's calming influence, but having kids just opened the floodgates of dread. I spent most of the pregnancy worrying that something would go wrong. Then when it did, I feared the worst. When we brought the babies home from the hospital, I don't think I slept for two days out of anxiety. It's gotten better now, but I can still slip into a panic over the most minor things. For example, the other day Baby B had some red scratchy marks on his face, and I was instantly convinced he had acquired a deadly disease. Meanwhile, DF posited that Baby had simply scratched himself. After my Google searches turned up no diagnosis, I eventually conceded it was just a scratch as the redness faded in a few hours. Sorry kids, your hypochondriac mother is probably going to drag you to the doctor a lot!
Guilt: So. Much. Guilt. I second guess every decision. Should we be rocking them to sleep, or letting them cry for a bit? If you ask the internet, either option will ruin your child forever, so no matter what we do, I feel guilty. Also, I'm not producing enough milk to feed them, so they drink some formula. More guilt. And I'm not enjoying every moment/savoring every day/making memories that will last a lifetime. For goodness sake, we hardly ever leave the house. We thought about taking them trick-or-treating to a couple houses in the neighborhood but it seemed like too much work. This means we don't have any pictures of them out having fun on their first Halloween. Guilt guilt guilt.
Grief: The first time I tried to cut Baby A's fingernails, I accidentally cut the tip of his finger and drew blood. He wailed! I felt horrible.
Disgust: Dirty diapers. Maybe a little less disgust because they are my own kids, but ewwww, still gross.
Annoyance: Why do babies refuse to burp sometimes? They are squawking in discomfort, but they won't let their burp out. It's so annoying!
Amazement: Babies are pretty fun. It's intriguing to watch them discover the world. Who knew one's hands could be so captivating?
Joy: Lest you think parenthood is completely horrendous, lately there have been some glimmers of happiness. The babies have started smiling on purpose, not just gas-induced smiles. They also sort of laugh and make other vocal noises like "oohh, aaahh." It's amazing what a baby smile can do for the soul.
Love: You know those people who say, "I fell in love with my child the moment I saw him/her?" I have to admit that I don't understand that experience. When I saw the babies for the first time, I was just relieved they were breathing. During the 6-week pilgrimage to/from the NICU, I felt pretty protective of them, like I didn't want anyone to hurt them. But at the same time, they didn't really feel like my kids. It was like they lived at the hospital, the nurses were in charge of them, and I was supposed to go and say hi to them once a day. Now that they've been home for a few months, our bond is growing. If I go somewhere without them, I find myself thinking about them and picturing them in my head. They are becoming the center of my world; I can tell them "I love you" now and really mean it :)
So that's an unvarnished look at becoming a mom. If you're thinking about having kids, all I can say is brace yourself!
File under: NaBloPoMo Day 3
Monday, November 2, 2015
NICU Life
Our twins spent their first 45 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Well, technically after the first 2 weeks they moved to the CCU which I believe stands for Continuing Care Unit, but it was all part of the same wing and NICU is the more commonly known acronym.
It was definitely the most stressful 6 weeks of my life. I'm not sure I can really describe it. For one thing, I have no other experience as a mom. I don't know what it's like to have one, healthy, full-term newborn who you take home from the hospital after 2 days and then a photographer comes over to your house to capture your family's postpartum glow while you frolic in the leaves or whatever.
No, my introduction to motherhood was being wheeled down the hall to the NICU nearly 24 hours after giving birth to see my little guys hooked up to all sorts of machines and then almost passing out while I was there because I probably shouldn't have been out of bed yet...
We learned a lot about preemies and the medical care available to give them the best chance at a "normal" life. Yes, being born early does carry with it all sorts of risks, but I think being a preemie in 2015 is way better than being born early a few decades ago. In the NICU, they try to keep the babies in a dark, quiet, womb-like environment so their brains can grow and develop.
My daily routine, once I got discharged, was to go to the hospital at least once a day. The babies had assigned feeding times which was when parents were allowed to touch them. When they were really little, all we could do was take their temperature, change their diaper, and put our hands on them in a "comfort hold" position. They got fed through a feeding tube and had to stay in the incubator for warmth. As they got bigger, we were able to hold them while they got fed through the tube, and eventually they started drinking a little from bottles.
I was pretty worried the whole time they were in the NICU that they would develop some major complication, or be exposed to a hospital-borne infection or something. But really, for being so early, they hardly had any problems. Just some jaundice, the occasional apnea (forgetting to breathe), low red blood cell counts, and that's about it.
In order to be discharged, they had to reach a few milestones - weigh at least 4 lbs, not have any breathing issues, maintain their body temperature without help (beyond a blanket), and eat their whole feeding from a bottle (no feeding tube). It was the last one that was the hardest for them to achieve, because they usually fell asleep while eating and just couldn't be roused to take another sip. Eventually, though, they got the hang of it and at 37 weeks "gestational age," they were released! Both babies came home on the same day, which is apparently sort of uncommon for twins. My theory is that they spurred each other on to greatness. Let's hope it continues :)
File under: NaBloPoMo Day 2
It was definitely the most stressful 6 weeks of my life. I'm not sure I can really describe it. For one thing, I have no other experience as a mom. I don't know what it's like to have one, healthy, full-term newborn who you take home from the hospital after 2 days and then a photographer comes over to your house to capture your family's postpartum glow while you frolic in the leaves or whatever.
No, my introduction to motherhood was being wheeled down the hall to the NICU nearly 24 hours after giving birth to see my little guys hooked up to all sorts of machines and then almost passing out while I was there because I probably shouldn't have been out of bed yet...
We learned a lot about preemies and the medical care available to give them the best chance at a "normal" life. Yes, being born early does carry with it all sorts of risks, but I think being a preemie in 2015 is way better than being born early a few decades ago. In the NICU, they try to keep the babies in a dark, quiet, womb-like environment so their brains can grow and develop.
My daily routine, once I got discharged, was to go to the hospital at least once a day. The babies had assigned feeding times which was when parents were allowed to touch them. When they were really little, all we could do was take their temperature, change their diaper, and put our hands on them in a "comfort hold" position. They got fed through a feeding tube and had to stay in the incubator for warmth. As they got bigger, we were able to hold them while they got fed through the tube, and eventually they started drinking a little from bottles.
I was pretty worried the whole time they were in the NICU that they would develop some major complication, or be exposed to a hospital-borne infection or something. But really, for being so early, they hardly had any problems. Just some jaundice, the occasional apnea (forgetting to breathe), low red blood cell counts, and that's about it.
In order to be discharged, they had to reach a few milestones - weigh at least 4 lbs, not have any breathing issues, maintain their body temperature without help (beyond a blanket), and eat their whole feeding from a bottle (no feeding tube). It was the last one that was the hardest for them to achieve, because they usually fell asleep while eating and just couldn't be roused to take another sip. Eventually, though, they got the hang of it and at 37 weeks "gestational age," they were released! Both babies came home on the same day, which is apparently sort of uncommon for twins. My theory is that they spurred each other on to greatness. Let's hope it continues :)
File under: NaBloPoMo Day 2
Sunday, November 1, 2015
A Not-Too-Gory Birth Story
Telling the story of how one gave birth seems to be a ritual of motherhood. As a new mom myself, I feel compelled to record my experiences as well. But don't worry if you're a bit squeamish - this is the tame version. Also in the interest of privacy, I'm just going to call the boys "Baby A" and "Baby B" on the blog.
I was due on August 23. In the wee hours of the morning on June 12, I was awoken by what I thought was an urgent need to use the bathroom. (Not too uncommon for a pregnant lady!) But something seemed...different. I started having suspicions that my water had broken so called the on-call doctor who told me to go the labor & delivery to get checked out. I woke up DF and we headed to the hospital.
The medical staff confirmed that my water had indeed broken, but I wasn't in labor. They informed me I'd be staying in the hospital until the babies were born. Whoa, that was not what I was expecting! They gave me a couple different medicines to help the babies lungs and brains develop, and then I settled in for some bed rest. I was almost at 30 weeks gestation. The doctors said that the goal was to keep 'em cooking until 34 weeks.
A few days later, I was scheduled to have a baby shower. Since I was stuck in the hospital, the hostesses and guests were kind enough to bring the party to me! That was a nice distraction from worrying about everything for a couple hours.
I wasn't on strict bed rest - I was allowed to get up a little bit, but I was supposed to be taking it easy. I kept having contractions. They put the babies on the monitors twice a day to make sure they were doing ok, and they never showed any signs of distress. A nurse from the NICU came to see me and answer my questions about having preemies. She wound up taking care of the boys a lot and was their nurse on the day they were discharged!
After a week of bed rest, on June 19, suddenly my sporadic contractions became more regular and intense. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was probably in labor for about 2 hours before my doctor came in on rounds. I told her, "If this is how bed rest feels, I'm going to need an epidural to get through it!" She examined me and said, "It's time to have these babies!" I was like, "Whaaaaat? No, no, it's too early!" I called DF who hurried over from work. My doctor did a quick ultrasound and determined that based on the babies' positions, a c-section most likely wasn't necessary.
They wheeled me over to the delivery wing. The anesthesiologist came in to talk to me about an epidural but there wasn't enough time. Soon I was in the OR (they do all twin deliveries in the OR in case an emergency c-section becomes necessary). My doctor asked me if I felt like I needed to push, but I was like, "Where are the NICU people?! We have to wait for them!" Luckily the NICU team showed up just moments later.
After a few pushes, Baby A arrived weighing 3 lbs 1 oz, and he let out a little cry. I was so surprised and relieved to hear him cry because I'd had visions of a "blue baby" flashing in my head.
[OK, this part is a little bit TMI but it's interesting!] When Baby A was born, Baby B's legs popped out too - they had their legs tangled up together!
I was wondering if they were going to say they had to do a c-section to deliver the second one, but the next thing I knew, they were telling me to push again. Baby B was born 2 minutes later, breech, weighing 2 lbs 14 oz. After they cleared out his airway, he also squealed a bit. Another sigh of relief from Mom! I was 30 weeks 5 days along when they were born.
The babies were whisked off to the NICU. I spent the next several hours having various complications (because that's just how this pregnancy went for me), but I finally got to visit them the next day. Life in the NICU, though, deserves its own post.
I'd heard that we should go to a birthing class early because "you just never know with twins." We attended 2 out of 4 classes before the big event, so I guess I was 50% prepared :) I asked the doctors why I went into early labor, but they weren't able to determine exactly. They said I might have had an infection, or also with twins sometimes your body just runs out of room. It certainly wasn't how I expected the birth story to unfold. I'm glad it had a happy ending!
My room was the one in the middle there, where I spent the week on bed rest.
File under: NaBloPoMo Day 1
I was due on August 23. In the wee hours of the morning on June 12, I was awoken by what I thought was an urgent need to use the bathroom. (Not too uncommon for a pregnant lady!) But something seemed...different. I started having suspicions that my water had broken so called the on-call doctor who told me to go the labor & delivery to get checked out. I woke up DF and we headed to the hospital.
The medical staff confirmed that my water had indeed broken, but I wasn't in labor. They informed me I'd be staying in the hospital until the babies were born. Whoa, that was not what I was expecting! They gave me a couple different medicines to help the babies lungs and brains develop, and then I settled in for some bed rest. I was almost at 30 weeks gestation. The doctors said that the goal was to keep 'em cooking until 34 weeks.
A few days later, I was scheduled to have a baby shower. Since I was stuck in the hospital, the hostesses and guests were kind enough to bring the party to me! That was a nice distraction from worrying about everything for a couple hours.
I wasn't on strict bed rest - I was allowed to get up a little bit, but I was supposed to be taking it easy. I kept having contractions. They put the babies on the monitors twice a day to make sure they were doing ok, and they never showed any signs of distress. A nurse from the NICU came to see me and answer my questions about having preemies. She wound up taking care of the boys a lot and was their nurse on the day they were discharged!
After a week of bed rest, on June 19, suddenly my sporadic contractions became more regular and intense. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was probably in labor for about 2 hours before my doctor came in on rounds. I told her, "If this is how bed rest feels, I'm going to need an epidural to get through it!" She examined me and said, "It's time to have these babies!" I was like, "Whaaaaat? No, no, it's too early!" I called DF who hurried over from work. My doctor did a quick ultrasound and determined that based on the babies' positions, a c-section most likely wasn't necessary.
They wheeled me over to the delivery wing. The anesthesiologist came in to talk to me about an epidural but there wasn't enough time. Soon I was in the OR (they do all twin deliveries in the OR in case an emergency c-section becomes necessary). My doctor asked me if I felt like I needed to push, but I was like, "Where are the NICU people?! We have to wait for them!" Luckily the NICU team showed up just moments later.
After a few pushes, Baby A arrived weighing 3 lbs 1 oz, and he let out a little cry. I was so surprised and relieved to hear him cry because I'd had visions of a "blue baby" flashing in my head.
[OK, this part is a little bit TMI but it's interesting!] When Baby A was born, Baby B's legs popped out too - they had their legs tangled up together!
I was wondering if they were going to say they had to do a c-section to deliver the second one, but the next thing I knew, they were telling me to push again. Baby B was born 2 minutes later, breech, weighing 2 lbs 14 oz. After they cleared out his airway, he also squealed a bit. Another sigh of relief from Mom! I was 30 weeks 5 days along when they were born.
The babies were whisked off to the NICU. I spent the next several hours having various complications (because that's just how this pregnancy went for me), but I finally got to visit them the next day. Life in the NICU, though, deserves its own post.
I'd heard that we should go to a birthing class early because "you just never know with twins." We attended 2 out of 4 classes before the big event, so I guess I was 50% prepared :) I asked the doctors why I went into early labor, but they weren't able to determine exactly. They said I might have had an infection, or also with twins sometimes your body just runs out of room. It certainly wasn't how I expected the birth story to unfold. I'm glad it had a happy ending!
My room was the one in the middle there, where I spent the week on bed rest.
File under: NaBloPoMo Day 1
Friday, October 30, 2015
Stay Tuned for NaBloPoMo
The blog's not dead! I'm resurrecting it for National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo). This means I'm committing to post once a day for all of November. Now that I've written it down, you can hold me to it!
Why am I doing this? A few reasons...
A) I like writing
B) Since I quit my job and spend all day babbling at infants, my brain has started to atrophy
C) The world needs to know my opinions on everything :)
I'm planning to do some theme weeks on topics like motherhood, different cultures, public policy, and whatever else strikes my fancy. If you have a request for a particular topic, leave it in the comments and I'll do my best to accommodate.
Hope I can stick to this goal! This picture of when I was in a hot air balloon floating over Arches National Park should inspire me.
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