Hey y’all! I hope everyone is doing well. Here is the long-awaited birth story for my baby girls and my experience with the NICU at the hospital where I delivered.
The story of the birth of my baby girls starts on May 29th, when I was exactly 35 weeks pregnant.
May 29- I felt off all day long, and I couldn’t really explain it. I was a little nauseous, I couldn’t sleep, and I was having lots of Braxton Hicks. At home BP was in the 140/90 range. I called L&D triage and was instructed to come in for monitoring. I went in around 8pm and was admitted for monitoring of protein levels in urine (concern for pre-eclampsia, but my BP was in the 130/80s the whole time, so no actual pre-eclampsia diagnosis was made).
May 30- My water broke at around midnight while being monitored for unrelated issues— they scheduled my C-section for 7:30 that AM due to the breech position of both babies and my preference of delivery method. My IV was started at 7ish, I got consent forms signed, and then, I was wheeled back. I got spinal anesthesia and a catheter and then I was prepared the rest of the way for the surgery. My husband arrived in OR shortly after the first cut was made and the babies were born at 7:45AM (~15 minutes after the surgery began). Then, it took them roughly 45 minutes to “close up” and get me to recovery. My husband went to NICU with the babies immediately after birth and met me in recovery when I arrived. Then from the recovery suite, I moved to the postpartum room after 2 hours.
I spent 4 days in the hospital healing and going down to see babies/help with care in the NICU. Baby A was released from the NICU on the same day that I was able to go home. Baby B was released 2 days later. I was really blessed to only have a few short days of NICU stay for my baby girls. They were 3 lbs 13 oz and 4 lbs 5 oz at birth and they needed help feeding & gaining weight as well as keeping their temperature regulated. The NICU team was amazing. They were thorough in teaching us how to care for our premature babies and let us get all the practice in while in the comfort of their presence. Their discharge education was extremely critical to our success so far as parents of premies. They even helped us fill out paperwork to get free samples of the Neosure Formula that we have to feed them until they get up to a good weight.
Caesarean Section Experience: Throughout the surgery, I felt tugging but no real pain. The spinal anesthesia that I was given did the trick. I was lighthearted and happy throughout the entire procedure. We chose not to have a clear drape or cut the cord as my husband and I are both squeamish. My hospital put in the catheter after the spinal anesthesia was already on board, and I am eternally grateful for that.
I will update everyone on my recovery as I approach the 6-week follow-up with my provider, but given the circumstances, I feel like I am doing really well!
Wow! As I’m writing this, I still haven’t even made it to my babies’ due date, and yet they’ve been here for almost 2 weeks. It’s truly remarkable. I will eventually post an update about the birth story of my baby girls, but in the meantime, here is an update about my 3rd trimester (however short it was for weeks 28-35).
Symptoms:
Pelvic Pain
Stomach Pain/Stretching
Back Pain
Increased Anxiety
Cramps/Braxton Hicks
Insomnia & Exhaustion
Overall, the 3rd trimester was rough. I spent a lot of time in the bath trying to relieve my pain or get to sleep.
Appointments:
Due to Gestational Diabetes and having a Twin Pregnancy, I started twice-weekly BPP appointments with the Maternal/Fetal Medicine Team during the 3rd trimester. BPP stands for Biophysical Profile and involves utilizing ultrasound to monitor babies (breathing, movement, fetal tone) & amniotic fluid levels.
I also had an appointment with my OBGYN every other week. These were scheduled until 36 weeks and then it would be once weekly (I never made it that far).
Tips for Managing in 3rd Trimester
Exercise- Walking is a must, no matter how slowly you walk.
Nap- It is important to get all the sleep you can before babies come
Heating Pad- Helps with back pain from a growing tummy
Honesty- Make sure you are 100% honest with your doctor about how you are feeling. They will probably be able to help you.
If you feel off/unusual, trust your gut. Do not be afraid to go to Labor and Delivery Triage if you need to.
As I mentioned earlier, my third trimester was rough and exhausting. I was on edge, waiting for the twins to arrive and knowing they would likely be premature. Although I was exhausted, I spent a lot of time getting everything in the house prepped and ready to go.
I look forward to writing again soon to give everyone insight into what my delivery was like and how life with 2 newborns is going.
Hey y’all! It is SO good to be back. Wow, what has it been… 3 years? 4? 5?? Sounds about right. My life has had quite a few changes in the past few years, so I’m bringing the blog back to help people like me get through these life changes. If nothing else, it’ll be a great place for me to document my life for me to look back on!
Surprise! We’re Pregnant and with TWINS…
I’m in the thick of the 2nd trimester, so here is a post all about the ups and downs of my 1st trimester.
First, my symptoms:
Nausea/Vomiting: Good grief, this was a rough one. Whoever called it morning sickness was lying. It happened ALL DAY LONG. I threw up at least 1 time per day for the first 13 weeks. This symptom finally subsided around 15-16 weeks.
Exhaustion/Fatigue: This was so real for me. I don’t know if it is the fact that I’m carrying twins or what, but I have been dead tired for months. It still hasn’t let up. I’m not usually a napper, but I definitely take a lot of naps now. In the first trimester, I came home from work, ate (when I could), and went right to bed.
Sore Breasts/Breast Enlargement: I had sore breasts almost immediately and I grew 1-2 cup sizes within the first 3 months. I think the growth has plateaued for now, but I will keep you updated.
Dyspnea (Shortness of Breath): Ever since the very beginning I have been having shortness of breath after doing ANY activity. I mean ANYTHING. From folding clothes to unloading the dishwasher to even just getting up off of the couch. NO FUN!
Stretching/Growth: By the end of the first trimester, I was definitely showing (see picture below) thanks to having twins. With this came stretching pains. I have had back pain, round ligament pain, and general pain from overworking muscles.
Diastasis Recti (separation of abdominal muscles): This is actually common in pregnancy, but usually happens later on. For me, this started around 12-13 weeks (at least from what I noticed). Basically, any use of my abdominal muscles creates pain & an unusual “coning” of the space between my abdominal muscles because they have spread apart. This is kind of hard to describe, so feel free to look it up!
Intercostal Neuralgia (nerve pain between ribs): This started later in the first trimester, but this is essentially sharp, stinging pains in my lower right ribcage that can be associated with the quick growth of my belly.
Constipation: This is related to the increase in progesterone and hCG hormones, but it was no joke! TMI, but, I pretty much couldn’t poop for a week at a time. It led to bloating, pain, and lots of gas.
Nasal Congestion & Nose Bleeds: Throughout my whole pregnancy so far, I have experienced this. The congestion has been very consistent with the nose bleeds only happening 2-3 times so far that I recall.
Overall, the first trimester was no fun for me with the symptoms, but I am feeling hopeful that I will continue to feel better in the rest of this trimester!
How did I guess that they were twins before we found out?
Several things led me to the conclusion that I was having twins before we even found out, and NO, they do not run in our families. Keep in mind that none of these things alone are a dead giveaway to having twins, this is just my experience.
Early positive pregnancy test: I tested on week 3, day 5 and the test was immediately positive. Usually, this would be a bit early to have a positive test, but with twins and the increased hormones, it is more likely!
Nausea: As I said earlier, I was REALLY sick throughout the first trimester and everyone at work said they thought I could be having twins (the previous manager had twins and was the same way).
Growth: This being my first trimester, I was not expecting to start showing until around 18-20 weeks. However, I could easily say that I was showing around week 9-10.
Mother’s Intuition: All in all, I am not quite sure what made me think it was twins, I just did. I kept telling Cameron (my husband) that I felt like they were twins. I even called my mom the day before my ultrasound telling her I thought it was twins!
Appointment Overview:
This would have been super helpful for me when I was going into this journey, so hopefully, it helps someone else.
As everyone will tell you, each pregnancy is unique, so use this as a general guide. You can expect to be in office every four weeks until you reach 28 weeks.You will then have appointments every two weeks until 36 weeks. After this, you will be seen every week. The first visit is usually the longest. You can expect to do a urine sample at every appointment.
Initial Ultrasound/Initial Prenatal Appointment: This usually happens anywhere between 7-12 weeks depending on your OBGYN. They verify baby heartbeat, due date, your medical history, and initial bloodwork at this appointment. Expect for this to be 2-4 hours long. Mine lasted approximately 2 hours, but you never know when your OBGYN will get called into a delivery/emergency. Depending on your OBGYN office, you may meet with a variety of different people on this day. It can be overwhelming, so it is a good idea to bring your partner or a friend with you to help you remember. If you’re anything like me, this was the same day that I found out I was having twins and man was that a lot to take in.
With Twins, you can expect to have an ultrasound at (almost) every appointment, but again, that also depends on your office. High-risk pregnancies need more follow-up.
Tips for Managing the First Trimester:
Early planning is critical (especially when expecting twins). Babies tend to come when they want to, so although they give you a due date, I would plan things sooner rather than later. For me, I am having my gender reveal/baby shower at 23 weeks to make sure I have everything I need if babies make their appearance early.
Pregnancy-safe medications are sometimes necessary and that is OK! Whether you suffer from nausea, constipation, headaches, or other symptoms, make sure you talk to your provider about medications that can help ease your discomfort. You do not have to suffer through if you don’t want to! But also don’t feel pressured to do anything you are uncomfortable with (I see you, natural/unmedicated mamas).
Sleep/Rest while you can. This speaks for itself, but take it easy when you can. You are growing a (or multiple) human inside of you!! This takes a lot of energy. You are not lazy. You are strong.
Ask for help. Whether it is in pregnancy or in your postpartum journey, don’t be afraid to ask for help. I even hired a friend to help clean my house while I was struggling to do so myself.
Eat snacks or meals every 1-2 hours to prevent (or try to) nausea and vomiting.
Keep barf bags with you! These were so helpful for me on car & plane travel days during those early months.
All in all, I’m so blessed and grateful to be on this journey, but I do want to point out some of the harder parts of the first trimester because they aren’t always talked about.
Gluten Free PharmD Mama 