An Unexpected Birthday

February 9th began like every other day on bed rest.  I slept in, ate breakfast, and then got ready to go to one of my twice weekly doctor appointments.  I was being monitored closely due to possible vasa praevia and marginal placenta praevia.  My c-section had been scheduled for February 18th,  when the babies would be 36 weeks and 2 days gestation.  Because of the danger of vasa praevia we were being extra careful to keep my body from going into labor.  Labor could mean baby boy might not make it.

So, I left for my appointment expecting all to be well and counting down the days (there were 9...we were finally in single digits!) until we would get to meet our babies.  The rapid beating of the babies' heartbeats was music to my ears as I was promptly hooked up to the monitor for our weekly nonstress test.  All was well.  Or so I thought.

The nurse came in to take my blood pressure and the reading came back quite high.  So, we waited about 15 minutes and she took it again.  Still high.  Not so high as to constitute an emergency but high enough to win myself a trip to the hospital.  My doctor advised me that I would more than likely be there for the duration of my pregnancy.  She said that if that silly pressure decided to be stubborn we would possibly be welcoming our babies over the weekend (this was Thursday morning.)  So, she told me to call Matt and to get our things organized and check in to the hospital within a few hours.  I hadn't so much as even packed a hospital bag yet.  I know, I know...procrastinator!

Matt met me at home and we got everything ready for a week long stay at the hospital.  We even stopped on our way so Matt could get his hair cut...so sure were we that there was very little urgency in our arrival time.  After a few hours of testing and being all set up with an IV, my blood pressure was still high and was actually on the rise.  My doctor came in a few times and changed the dosage of medication I was on and still my blood pressure continued to rise.  I wasn't feeling any symptoms, unless you count extreme hunger, so around 7 pm Matt and I decided it was time for dinner.  We called in an order to Red Robin and Matt walked across the street to pick it up.  Before he left, my doctor told me not to eat anything just in case the babies had to be delivered that night.  I am ashamed to admit that I kind of whined about it when she gave me the directive, so hungry and in denial was I that I was sure our babies wouldn't be delivered that night and my starvation would be for naught.

Turns out I was wrong.

When my blood pressure reached something like 195/110 my doctor called it quits on the monitoring and I began being prepped for an emergency c-section.  My body was giving the babies their eviction notice.  Matt was still at Red Robin.  He entered a hospital room of organized chaos upon his return and his burger went straight into the fridge.  At least I wasn't going to be alone in my hunger.

The anesthesiologist arrived in no time and before I knew it, the spinal was in and my legs were quickly losing all sensation.  And just like that I was on the table, Matt was being called in to join the party, and I was asked if I could feel "that" (apparently I was pinched quite hard with some sort of medical device) to which I replied "Feel what?"

It was the answer they were looking for and the surgery began.  At 7:52 pm Baby Boy was born (4 lbs 15oz and 17.5 inches long).  He was followed shortly thereafter by Baby Girl at 7:53 (3 lbs 14oz and 17.25 inches long).  They were tiny but healthy and strong...and absolutely perfect.  Matt wore a grin stretched from ear to ear as he moved from baby to baby taking pictures as a proud new daddy.  

My doctor made sure to let me know, as she was examining Baby Boy's placenta, that I did indeed have vasa praevia and that the c-section most likely saved his life.

I was carefully put back together and we exited the operating room as a family of four.

My blood pressure came down a little bit, but was still extremely high.  I was put on more medication.  Magnesium sulfate to prevent me from having a seizure, heart attack, or stroke, and to treat the severe preeclampsia it was determined that I was suffering from.  Unfortunately, magnesium sulfate  makes one feel like death warmed over, picture an extreme case of the flu.  Not the best feeling with an abdomen full of stitches.  I was pretty miserable for the next few days.  I wasn't allowed out of bed for nearly two days.  Not that I really wanted to get out of bed anyway.  By the third day I could move around a little bit and decided to go for a short walk down the hospital hallway.  I saw one of the nurses that was assigned to me on our first night she came and gave me a hug and said, "I'm so glad you're okay! You had us worried." 

Apparently things were a bit more serious than I had realized.

Finally 5 days after the babies' birth we were deemed fit enough to go home, which was the best Valentine's gift I could have asked for!

We are so thankful for the diligence of our doctor and nurses.  We know that without the tender mercies of our Heavenly Father our situation could have had a whole different outcome.   We are totally smitten with and in awe of our two little miracles. And, though their birthday was a bit unexpected, it is a day that will be cherished forever!

  35 weeks pregnant and taken right before we left for the hospital.

Prepped to meet our little ones.

Baby Boy's tiny foot.

Baby Girl's entrance into the world.

She was ready to spread out!

Baby Boy

Baby Girl

 Baby Girl

Baby Boy

 First bath (apparently akin to torture)

All clean and enjoying the warmer.

The hearing test (both babies passed so when they are teenagers and pretend like they don't hear me...I have proof that their hearing is top notch.)

A quick photo shoot about 12 hours after they were born.  We were worried about them getting cold so we put Baby Girl in a Newborn size onesie (which was huge on her) because we could get it on and off quickly and we just left Baby Boy in his hospital shirt.

  Bliss.

Our first family picture was taken the day after their birth.

Sunbathing to keep from getting jaundice.

He likes his fingers, she prefers the pacifier, which is almost as big as her face. 

Ready to go home.  Baby Boy had peed on all of the Preemie outfits given to us by the NICU so he was forced to wear a ginormous Newborn size sleeper.