Sunday, February 22, 2009

It's a Boy's

2/22/09 - 34w4d

It has been awhile since I posted but it has been difficult with so much going on. I will try to recount everything that happened on B-day without being too wordy.

I woke up Monday morning and was worried about some dried blood that apeared when I went to the bathroom. I called the doctor and since there were no other symptoms, she told me to watch myself more closely but that it should not be anything serious.

Around 7:30 pm, I started cramping and feeling lots of pressure on my cervix. I thought it was normal Braxton Hicks so I went to lie down. When Rod came home, he checked on me. He didn't think it was any more than the normal aches and pains I had been experiencing so he went to make dinner. We were trying a Rachael Ray recipe that I was supposed to make for Valentine's. I had a kitchen timer and was timing the pain to see how far apart the contractions were but I couldn't figure out where one ended and the next started. I was able to eat around 9 and it was good. I went back to bed and woke up at 11:00 in excruciating pain. I told him something was not right and we needed to go to the hospital. The pain would not subside.

We got to the emergency room and I was taken to labor and delivery. Everyone was asking if my water broke and it had not. Nurse Lisa hooked monitors to my belly to keep tabs on the babies and the contractions were coming so fast that I couldn't breathe. That's all they tell you to do is breathe through them. I was given meds to try to stop my contractions and hopefully keep the babies in longer. Contractions were about 1 to 2 minutes apart. At some point, I lost dinner and let me just say, that 30 minute meal took about 1 minute to clear my system. The nurse checked my cerclage and I thought I was going to rip in half. Baby A was already low but by now he was pushing so hard against my cervix that it was thinning.

When my OB showed up, she also checked my cerclage and I swear it felt like the stitches were ripping out. I got another shot of whatever it was to reduce my contractions but they were still coming back strong. She checked the babies on ultrasound and said they were coming. After a total of three shots to try to stop the contractions with very little effect, my OB said we would need to do a c-section. The OB checked with NICU and it was determined that we would have to move to another hospital. NICU was so full that they could not take 2 more babies.

I was placed in the ambulance and rushed to a hospital about 20 miles away. I wanted to tell the guys to step on it but I was so out of it. Rod was following behind and apparently, we were going about 80 mph. I am glad Rod did not get pulled over for speeding. By the time we got checked in, more bracelets attached to my arms and Rod dressed in scrubs, it was about 3 AM. They wheeled me to the operating room and given a spinal. So with lower body numb, arms strapped to the bed, belly bathed in iodine solution and drapes placed across my chest, they brought Rod into the OR.

Every once in a while I could feel a little prodding on my stomach and the doctor/nurse saying 'pressure.' I kept looking at Rod who was trying his best to keep me from being scared. I started to ask him what was happening when we heard the first baby crying. It happened so fast that it was almost surreal hearing a baby cry. Then we were hearing two babies crying. Then I started crying. I had to stop myself after thinking the docs would have a harder time stitching me up if I was shaking all over.

Rod tried to get pictures while staying clear of belly region. (He ended up seeing stuff that is just too traumatic for him to talk about. You would think a person who loves watching scary, gross out movies can still get queasy over seeing their loved one's guts)
While he was over with the babies, I heard my OB say that Baby A had an abruption and that he swallowed blood. I think at this point, it did not quite register with me what she was saying.

Rod accompanied the babies to NICU and I stayed around to get stitched up. Then the OB said she was taking out my cerclage. It is the weirdest feeling or should I say non-feeling to see your legs being thrown into stirrups and not have any feeling of it. It was like an out of body experience. The OB said the doctor who put in the stitches put them in so tight that there was no chance of anything coming out. I think that the bleeding I had on the morning was either the abruption or the pressure stretching my cervical stitches.

Rod came back from NICU with baby stats and stayed with me in recovery. My blood pressure was so high that they kept me in recovery for over 2 hours. "It's a boy's" was what the nurses wrote on his scrubs. I guess the plural was an afterthought.

Stats:
Baby A - Dean Christian
3:31 AM
17 inches
4 lbs 6.5 ounces

Baby B - Samuel Elias
3:32 AM
14.75 inches
3 lbs 3 ounces

I was wheeled from recovery to NICU to see the boys but when I opened my eyes, I could not focus at all. I had my glasses on but everything was blurry and every time I tried to focus on the babies, my vision would move upward. I had no control over my eye muscles. I finally got so frustrated I told them I wanted to leave. After some rest, I did get my vision back and was able to see the babies.

I know many would like updates on the boys. I promise to post more info in the next few days. In the meantime, photos of boys are here:

Photos

3 comments:

Mia said...

wow! congrats on two blessings! you also won the see kai run giveaway on my blog- I will also send you an email!

Leyna said...

Congrats Thao and Rod! I had no idea you had them Thao...so glad to get your blog notification!! The boys are just adorable and I hope mom/dad are doing well!! Big hugs to you Mommy Thao and your precious family!! I hope to meet your Dean and Samuel soon. xoxoxo, Leyna

Xtina said...

So Taco weighs more than both of your babies combined! that is crazy!