The Arrival

I've been at the computer 6 times to do this blog, but I first began it LAST Monday, March 23, while I was still in the hospital - Today is Monday, March 30. Obviously, getting time to myself is no longer an easy task............

Happy Birthday Babies! That was the phrase that was first in my mind on the morning of Friday, March 20th as we prepared to head to the hospital for our scheduled C Section delivery of our girls. Between my nerves and Corey's nerves we should have easily been able to make a milkshake just by looking at milk and ice. The day was here, we were in heaven, and yet it was one of the scariest days of our life. Katie headed off to school and we dropped Cooper off with grandma. As we headed down the driveway toward the hospital Corey and I shared a nervous smile, and we began talking about how sure we were of the names we'd chosen. The ride to the hospital was long and when we got there Corey found a close parking spot and whipped the car in. As we were unloading the car, one of our many NST nurses was walking in with lunch for the OB staff - It was a busy day and nobody was getting out to get lunch this day. It was nice of her to do, and nice for the staff - They were going to need their energy for the upcoming day and night.


All registered up front, Corey and I headed up to the room we were to be in post op. Room 226. We arrived, unloaded some things, and though slowly at first, one by one the nurses began to hook me up to machines, monitors and the IV that would grace my arm for the next few days. The fear began to set in as the Anesthesiologist, Joel, came in to meet me and ask me a few pre-spinal block questions. He was young, and in conversation we found that he was the husband of one of our nurses, Briane (who happened to be very good friends with my very good friend Jennie from Madras). Both he and his wife looked way to young to be doing what they do. But as time went on, my trust in them became more of a dependency. Joel was talking me through everything, telling me, and Corey, what to expect, and in what order to expect it in. I looked up and it was 12:40pm. The surgery was set for 1pm. My nerves had begun to take over and I slowly felt myself begin to shake a little here and there. At one' o clock the doctor called up from the OR to see where I was and told the nurses to get me down there, ready or not. Any prep left to be done could be done in the OR. So, Corey, 2 nurses, the Anesthesiologist and I began our trip downstairs to the Operating Room. I was in the bed, so I was wheeled down like it was some big "to do". I was in a floppy gown and a hospital cap and Corey looked quite handsome in his head to toe scrubs. As we entered the surgery center, we noticed a little temperature change....It was somewhat colder than the room we had just left. As we walked down the hall, the nurses informed Corey that he'd have to wait in another room while both the surgery center and I was prepped. That very moment began a period of the greatest fear I've ever felt.


The OR was so cold and there were already several people in there awaiting my arrival, including my doctor, Dr. Henson. She asked how I was doing, but I can't remember my reply. It must have been something like "OK, considering the surgery I'm about to have!" The bed was moved next to a surgery bed that looked something like a torture table out of a horror movie - It was long, very narrow, and had extensions at the top of the bed for my arms to lay on. My first thought was, "They really expect my fat butt to lay on that table without falling off?" My second thought was, "Yes, they really do expect me to be on that table." The second thought came as three people assisted my extremely large, pregnant belly from the bed I was wheeled in on to that surgery bed. Before I could lay down, my spinal block was started. From what I remember, each of my previous epidurals were administered while I was in labor, so the twinges from the needle trying to find the "right hole" weren't felt like they were today. After a few minutes, it was in, and I was laid on the table. Everything began to move at a swift pace once the block was set. The sheet was brought in and placed in front of me so that I couldn't see the surgery. Just as Joel had told me, some effects of the block began to play out like clockwork. First, I'd feel a tingle down my legs. Then, I'd start to feel like my chest was heavy and that I couldn't breathe - This was due to the numbing of my abdominal area up to my chest, but, really I could breathe just fine. An oxygen mask was placed on my face, and instantly I didn't like it. I discovered that I was a little claustrophobic with the chest pressure and face mask and I asked Joel if women actually faint during one of these procedures, because I was fairly certain that if it hadn't happened before that I just might be the first to faint during a c-section. He said that it sometimes happens, and then told me he was adding some more anti-nausea meds to my IV. I had A LOT of anti nausea meds, and a lot of fluid to keep me hydrated. Finally, I felt nothing from my chest down. The moment Corey was brought in to the room I took his hand, and I have never felt safer, or more relieved, than I did at that moment. My shakes disappeared, my nerves settled, and we both prepared for the exciting delivery of our twins.

I could feel some slight movement around my belly, but it was painless and I really couldn't say where the feeling was at. The doc announced that she was bringing out baby A - Corey got to see her pulled out and was overjoyed at the sight of her. He said she was a little blue in color, but with a dash of oxygen, she let out a cry pretty fast. I asked if she was big, and Corey said he was surprised at how big she was....Yay! Corey got a couple of pictures before the doc announced that baby b was on her way out. A couple of pictures of her were snapped as well, and when I asked about her size the response was less excited. "Well, she's quite a bit smaller" someone said. Corey said that yes, she was small, but immediately she began to cry without a problem. That was the best sign I could have asked for. I still couldn't see anything, and I was still in such shock from everything going on around me that I couldn't revel in the moment of their birth; I couldn't even cry with excitement at their arrival. It was a sad, yet joyous occasion for me. Corey was called over to the baby warmers to meet his daughters, and a few minutes later, he walked over with the camera so that I could see the the pictures he took of our babies. My wonderful husband knew that more than anything I just wanted to see them, and just the picture was perfect for that moment. Soon after that, however, the babies were wrapped up, and with Corey holding one, another doctor holding the other, I got to see my daughters for the first time up close. As I got the energy to reach out and touch one of their faces, Corey and the doctor were called back to the warmers so that the girls could head up to the birth center and get their newborn stats done. Still, I had not even touched my new daughters. Several people left the OR and it instantly became a quiet, calm room, with just a few people left, joking about how one of the placenta's had been knocked on the floor and the whole room became a bloody mess. Luckily, I couldn't see it, but Corey told me the gory story later that night.

I was placed in a recovery room for an hour of observation, and this was after an hour long surgery. Finally in my room at around 3pm, a nurse walked in the room and asked if I'd like to meet my daughters....It was the moment I'd been waiting for. Corey had waited to tell the nurses their names until I had arrived and we completely agreed on which girl was to be named what. It was decided that baby A would be Mackenzie Ellen, after Corey's mom and grandma, and baby B would be Rayla Jean, after Corey's dad and grandpa, and the daughter my grandpa lost at a very young age. Mackenzie weighed 6 lbs 7 oz. and Rayla weighed a light 4 lbs 10 oz. We weren't expecting her to be so small - Just 3 weeks prior, my ultrasound showed that both girls weighed about the same, just close to 5 pounds. It's like Rayla just stopped growing at that time. Unfortunately, that is also when my pre eclampsia symptoms began to show and I began to have multiple problems in the pregnancy. That was most likely the cause of her small size, which makes the decision to deliver them at that time a wonderful thing. Though small, it was Rayla who received the higher APGAR score - The rating given at birth to rate color, vibrancy, reaction - basically saying this child is thriving or not. They both had great scores.

My first time holding the girls was a dream. I couldn't believe how small they really were. Both of my other children were tanks weighing in at 8lbs 14 oz and 9 pounds, respectively. I was able to breastfeed at the meeting and both girls latched on effortlessly. It was perfect. Just me, Corey, our baby girls, and a nurse here and there making sure I was OK. The lower half of my body was still completely numb, so I was constantly monitored for quite a while. The world seemed so different to me, as I was dazed from all the drugs that had just been pumped in to me, and instantly two perfect, beautiful little girls were in my arms. My bliss was interrupted several times over the next few hours due to the arrival of nonstop nausea and vomiting. I was given lots of anti nausea drugs during the procedure, and even after, but it just wasn't enough for me. Anything I took in, even water, set me off, and for the rest of the day, and in to the next morning, I could hold nothing down. I'd also lost quite a bit of blood and I was as white as a ghost. It wasn't enough lost that I needed a transfusion, but enough that left me lightheaded, dopey and anemic. Unfortunately, the anemia wasn't brought to my attention until the day I was discharged, so I went three days untreated for my anemia. I wonder if that detail was accidentally, or intentionally left undealt with until my discharge. Hmm.......

At discharge time for me, we already knew that the girls would have to stay for at least another day. This, of course, meant me too because I was nursing them. They had lost a significant amount of weight, and though they weren't really worried, the doctors still wanted them to be at the hospital for constant monitoring. It truly is frustrating for nurses and doctors to tell us to rest, rest, rest........And then come in to take stats, ask questions or just look at us every hour. Four days in to the hospital stay both Corey and I were exhausted, our emotions were running high, we were frustrated, and to top it off they moved us from a large room where Corey had a bed next to me to rest in, to a room half the size with a rock hard transformer chair that converted to what was supposed to be a bed. Ha. It was truly ridiculous. The room was so small that a new mom with one baby would feel cramped, but with TWO babies....Good Lord. Just to get to the bathroom we had to move a table and one of the babies bassinet's. The new hospital wing opens up tomorrow. The OB center in the new wing has enormous rooms. Lucky, lucky women who held off to this week!!!

Finally, 6 days after birth, the girls were released from the hospital - But not without some strict rules and schedules. We had to nurse, supplement, bottle feed, do whatever it took to make sure the girls were fed every 3 hours. Now, that doesn't seem like much, but when there are two, and I'm nursing them both, then they both have to be given some sort of supplement, and then I have to pump to get more milk for their supplements, that doesn't give much time for rest. Friday the 27th we went in for their weight check and found that after due diligence they still lost weight. So, we cranked up our gears and the doc ordered the feedings to occur ever two hours. Though exhausting, we were happy to do it, for the health and safety of our little girls. Saturday morning Rayla had gained 3 ounces, and Mackenzie gained 2 ounces. This afternoon we go in to the clinic to see their doctor for another weight check. We are hoping to see the increase in their weights once again, and hopefully taper off the nighttime force waking/feeding, and we'll all get some more rest.

So, there it is. Life as we knew it has changed for good, and we have a lot of adjustments to make. Our family and friends have been so supportive of us during this exciting time for us, and we're so happy to be where we are today. I debated ending my blog at the girls' arrival, but have decided to keep going. I love the way I get to document things that I normally wouldn't, or couldn't in everyday life. And now that we have a big, beautiful family, there are bound to be some wild and crazy things that happen over the next year that I will just HAVE to share.

Corey, Cara, Katie, Cooper, Mackenzie and Rayla. It's a mouthful, and Christmas cards will be funny. Maybe I'll shorten it to 3CKMR - Nah!