A Twin Birth Story

I woke up Sunday morning, September 28th around 5 am. It was a strong one.

Since 28 weeks I was restricted to mostly relax on the couch. I had many Braxton hicks. All the time. I drank lots of water and avoided heavy activity. My husband wouldn't let me do anything fun. Like garage saling, going to the fair, attending church. I just sat on the couch and caught up on tv and facebook. Talk about boring. I also crocheted over 50 projects. Hey, if I was going to sit there and do nothing, I was going to make some money. I had my teenage sister staying with me to help with the boys during the daytime.

So Sunday morning I woke up and started my contraction timer app. It was actually consistent. Every 4-6 minutes for 45 seconds to a minute each. After an hour I took a shower, then called the doctor. I told her that they didn't all hurt, but they were consistent. I was 36 weeks 4 days. She said as long as they're consistent, come in. We stopped at Tim Horton's on the way in, because I know they don't let you have any food while your in labor. On the way to the hospital I noticed the contractions were slowing way down. Oh great, I'm going to get sent home. I know it. But we continue on. We get there and I'm 1 cm. Woohoo! I wasn't any before that so something happened! They left for awhile to see if I progress more. They gave me a few hours. This whole time I worried I was going home. I didn't feel contractions anymore. My husband kept assuring me there were some contractions registering on the machine. They came in around noon and I was at 2 cm!

We had agreed to a C-section. Baby A was head-down and baby B was breech, which was fine and do-able. The problem was that baby B was bigger, so there was more risk of complications. We didn't want to do an emergency C-section after delivering the first one vaginally, so we decided to only have only one area to heal.

They said I was in labor and they could start prepping for the C-section or they could send me home until I dilate more. So obviously we didn't want to go home and wait. They came in and asked me a few questions and who knew you couldn't eat for 8 hours before surgery?! So we had to wait until 2 pm to go in to the operating room. Oops. It was okay because it gave us time to make some phone calls and for my husband to change in his scrubs.

They wheeled me in and I'm not sure why, but I started crying when I got in there, and could not stop the entire time. They rolled me over for the epidural, which by the way, hurts more each time. They were prepping equipment and getting me ready. I could see them doing things to me but couldn't feel any of it. They brought my husband in, and soon after that, out came baby A, at 2:23 pm. He was on the other side of the room getting cleaned up and I heard them announce baby B's arrival at 2:24 pm. Shortly after, they assured me both babies were doing well. Baby A weighed 5 pounds 8 ounces, and baby B weighed 6 pounds 4 ounces. My husband brought them over to me, and I fell in love.

After they finished stitching me up I was brought to a recovery room. It took a while for me to recover from the medication they gave me. I was finally able to hold my sweet babies after I could sit up without being dizzy. They didn't take to nursing right away. They said it was probably because they were preemies. They also had to be monitored more closely due to their gestational age.

It's a huge eye-opener the first time you're left alone with two newborns. I enjoyed being in the hospital this time. I was recovering from major abdominal surgery. The nurses brought the babies to me when it was time to nurse. {I couldn't quite walk across the room for a while.} The nurses even changed all the diapers! Being so small, they did have a few difficulties with their temperatures, weights, glucose levels, and nursing.

For the first few weeks I had to {try to} nurse, bottle feed previously pumped milk, then pump. Every three hours. That was exhausting. After about three weeks they stopped taking bottles, and kept gaining weight, so we quit them. That was a huge break.

In the end, I'd have to say I'd do it all over again. I don't want to, but I would.

It's about time for a Pregnancy Update

I came across this picture on Pinterest a few weeks ago, and it is very accurate:

I've been keeping very busy these last few months. My twin pregnancy is going well. Everyone seems healthy.
Even before I was pregnant I researched cute ideas for tracking belly growth. I was going to wear the same clothes every time, stand in the same spot, and the onlt thing that would change is the size of my belly. Ha. I'm not sure what happened, but that totally did not happen. I'm lucky if I remember to take a picture every three weeks or so. Seriously, the following pictures are the only growth pictures I've taken so far. (We're 32 weeks + 3 days)

At about 26 weeks my doctor told me I'd need help with my two small boys for the end of the pregnancy. My sister and some family friends have been out to help me since then. MY husband is actually stricter, and he gives me more restrictions than my doctor. They can be party poopers sometimes, but all in all they work as a good team to keep these babies in as long as possible.

He doesn't even let me cook or do dishes. He's taken over shopping, and as scary as that normally is, he's shown more self control at the store.
One Saturday I was getting really sick of staying home and he wanted to go to the new Cabela's in our area. He said I could go ONLY if they had a riding scooter. Sure! Anything to get out of the house, right!? Wrong. It was probably the single-most embarrassing thing I've ever experienced. Next time I'll go for the ride and sit in the car, thank you.

So pretty much all I'm allowed to do is sit on the couch. Even when I try to help cook or clean up dinner I get scolded to go sit down. As awesome as that sounds, it's really hard for someone with nesting instincts to just sit all day and let everyone do all the work... especially since they don't know how to do it as good as you! ;)

 Trust me, I have plenty to keep me busy on this couch. You'd think I'd post more often, but my brain went on vacation somewhere, and it doesn't want to come back. I do, however keep up great on Pinterest and Facebook. It's not a good thing, but what else have I got to do? I've also probably completed at least 40 crochet projects, and fully planned out the babies' room. I have a list of thirteen more projects to complete. They shouldn't take more than a few days.
On that note, I'm currently taking orders for crochet projects for the next few weeks! :) Help keep me busy, if you want.

If you're wondering how big I am now, this is me a little more than two weeks ago. I can't squeeze this shirt on anymore. Also, for those (like me) who would like the small details:

• The boys are both currently breech and the doctor says they look cozy, but she isn't scheduling anything yet.
• At 31 weeks they were weighing in at {3 pounds 13 oz.} and {3 pounds 15 oz.} My other two were 8 pounds each, so I'd like the twins to be good-sized.
• Yes, they do kick a lot.
• At 34 weeks, we will be considered "safe" but the goal is at least 37 weeks.
• No, the babies room is NOT painted yet! But hopefully this weekend will give somebody time to paint and set up the crib.
• Yes, I'm going to try to sleep them in the same bed. If it doesn't work, we have two cribs.
• Yes, I will have help when they come.
• Yes, we have names picked out but we don't like to tell. And yes, I can mostly tell which baby is kicking me or has hiccups.  

If you have any more fun questions, leave them for me in the comments. Hopefully it doesn't take me another four months to post another update!

When God Hands You an Extra Blessing

Since my first pregnancy we've always looked forward to the first ultrasound. This was the one that would tell us if we were having one or two babies! During our first pregnancy we thought it'd be so cool to have twins. I mean, who doesn't think it'd be awesome to have twins? {At one point or another in their life.} Our first baby was just that. One baby. That's obviously totally normal and most common. Shortly after bringing out new baby home, we laughed {or cried} at the thought of having two of these!
At the beginning of our second pregnancy, it seemed we were always meeting parents of twins. We thought surely our days were numbered before it'd happen to us. I had an ultrasound at 7 weeks. One baby. {Phew} Now don't get me wrong. I love my babies. But two at once sounds more overwhelming, don't you agree?

In the last year we know of two families who just had twins. For the last month, after learning of our pregnancy, my husband's been paranoid about having twins. We talked about it a lot. "What if we do have twins? Do you have twins in your family? Could you imagine if this was twins?" My ultrasound was scheduled for early last week to learn my due date. Well, we had a serious snow storm that morning and my appointment was cancelled. I rescheduled for a week and a half later, due to my husband's work schedule. He told me that he'd rather I go the week before, and he would even drive me! He just couldn't stand the suspense. The drive there was really nice. He'd never been to any of my appointments before.
So... we started the ultrasound, and the first thing my husband saw when it started was a flash of two obvious black areas. I was watching his face since the monitor was faced away from me. He had this instant look of shock on his face. I thought it was just because it was a different experience. Nope. The next thing I hear is from the doctor, ever so calmly, "It's twins." Ha. I didn't believe her. She insisted there were two babies. We were in complete shock. My husband laughs about it now, but he got sick, took a nap, and then a shower when we got home.
It took a while to get used to the idea. After searching "twins" on Pinterest, I began to get excited. Even later that day my husband began to be excited about it. We're both very happy about it now. We've already been searching for baby items on craigslist, and bought a twin stroller.
We're so excited, and can't wait to meet our two little babies!

Surviving Early Pregnancy with Oil Pulling

Well, I know I haven't been pregnant for very long, but I've already been confined to the couch. My first pregnancy was a breeze. I had no morning sickness, and I don't remember anything making me sick to my stomach.
Second pregnancy, how hard could it be? It wasn't that bad, but I got sick more. Certain smells set me off. I couldn't do dishes or even sneeze without gagging. All I ate for the first month was boxed mac & cheese {yuck, I know!} and bagels with cream cheese. The worst was changing my toddler's diaper. That's the only thing that made me actually throw up.
This third pregnancy, well.... yeah. I start out the day feeling sick, and lay on the couch because doing anything else is dangerously sickening to me. Well, I felt like that for about a week until I felt like I couldn't live like that anymore. I searched online, and found oil pulling. I'm on my fifth day. I have more energy than I've had in weeks!
Oil pulling is known for its oral health benefits. Pregnant women are prone to tooth problems already, so this is a double win for me!

{Don't worry, this picture is from a previous pregnancy. I'm not this big yet!}

How to oil pull:
 First of all, I am not an expert. This is just my own experience.
Use between 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon of the oil of your choice {coconut, olive, sunflower, sesame, ect.} I uses coconut oil for Trader Joe's. It's organic virgin coconut oil. I just put it in my mouth as a solid, and it usually melts within a minute. Swish it around for 15-20 minutes, then spit out. It's really that easy. The hardest part is that it's supposed to be done before eating or brushing your teeth. {Otherwise you eat the yucky bacteria you're trying to rid your body of.}
To me, it's worth getting up earlier and before my boys to feel better the rest of the day. I still have to be careful of triggers {smells, things that gross me out, like solid milk}. Also, I found that I can't let myself get too hungry. I just try to keep a small snack with me.
The first day I started feeling better I made chocolate chip cookies. I haven't made them in like a year! That's how great I felt. I also cleaned and cut 35 carrots! Yes, 35. I did that on top of normal household chores that I had fallen behind on. It was nice to get things done again.

You don't have to be combatting morning sickness to try this. Actually, most people who do it aren't pregnant. It's just really great for your teeth.

And don't feel bad if you can't do the whole twenty minutes. I haven't made it that long yet. The first day, my boys were up while I tried it, and they got into a 50 lb. bag of birdseed when I was about 15 minutes into it. The next day I had to sneeze at the 17 minute mark. Go as long as you can.

What No One Told me as a First Time Mom

You've read What to Expect when You're Expecting. You're ready. You've got this. Guess what. Surprises happen. I'm not trying to be negative. If you know me, that is far from who I am. I just wish I had been warned about some things. Don't get me wrong, I did it a second time, and I'll be doing it a third time in a few months. Odds are, I'll do it again in a few years.

1. Don't expect to go into labor on your due date. Everyone is warned of this. This is obvious. You're told you full term could be as early as 37 weeks. The problem with this is that most 8 month old pregnant mothers hear this and are excited, and are sure they'll go early. What makes this worse is if your doctor/midwife tells you they think you'll go early, and you don't. That's torture. You should be prepared to go as early as 3 weeks, but don't expect it. Really. No matter how big you are, no matter how uncomfortable you get, don't expect it.

I was teaching when I was expecting my first baby. The last day of school was June 10, and I was due on the 24th. I thought, "How perfect, I'll finish school, then I can have the baby any time after that! Maybe even the day after!" I laugh at that thought now. Keep in mind I had gained 60 pounds and was miserable. After school, I was starting to get antsy. My midwife had told me it looked like I'd go early. My due date came and went. Another week went by with trying every labor inducing remedy (except castor oil). June 30th I picked up some castor oil, drank some, and went to bed. I woke up to the side effects at 4 AM. Then, consistent contractions! {Woot woot!}

All that to say, do not expect to go early. Be prepared to go early, but don't expect it. It could save you from getting depressed.

For my second baby, I went a week early. I whole-heartedly expected to go a week late. It was so much easier to expect the harder. Then, you're less likely to find it unmanageable.

2. Don't expect your water to break. It might. But odds are, it won't. It always does in the movies, I know. I think only like 25% of women experience this. With my second baby, labor was not as obvious. I had contractions 5 minutes apart right from the beginning. I was a week early so I thought, "Surely I'm not in labor. I just need to walk it off and drink some water." (That's what you do to get rid of Braxton Hicks.) After about a half hour, I actually got worried. Not every contraction even hurt. The doctor said to come in because they were close and consistent. I thought for sure she'd be sending me home. She did, but it was a few days later, and I had a baby in my arms. :)

3. Labor could take a while. At the end of my first pregnancy I watched the 19 Kids and Counting episode with their first grandson's birth. She was in labor for 11 hours. I told my husband after watching it that we could be in labor for a whole 11 hours! Wow, that's a long time!

My labor was 33 hours. Three of those hours were pushing.

My second labor was 11.5 hours. It went by fast because I was prepared for another 30+ hour labor. That labor was such a breeze because I had prepared myself for a much longer one.

4. You're not a failure if you can't have the natural birth you wanted. For my first baby, I was going to have a natural birth. I didn't even want an IV or anything hooked up to me. I could do it if I set my mind to it.

Well, turns out, I needed an IV because I tested positive for whatever that thing is they test at the end of pregnancy. Okay, that was manageable. Hours went by with contractions getting closer and closer. Thirteen hours into labor, contractions 1 1/2 minutes apart, I was talked into getting an epidural. Do you know what? I do not regret it. It was wonderful. Do you know what else? I had another 20 hours to go after that. There's no way I would've made it that long with those intense contractions by myself. With the epidural I was able to sleep for a few hours. Oh, it was so nice. I'm all for doing it naturally, but don't think you've failed if you can't. You're still strong. You just have limits. Odds are your husband would never go through any of that, so you're already stronger than him! I wanted to have nothing hooked up to me, but at one point I had 9, yes, nine, things hooked up to me. (Oh, and don't be scared of a catheter. I've had one with each, and you don't even feel it. {Yes, you may need a catheter. Another thing no one told me.} While we're on the topic, don't look at it before they put it in. Trust me on that one. Actually, don't look at anything they put in you-needles, tubes.)

For my second baby I planned on getting an epidural, but not until I felt ready. I wanted to labor naturally for a bit before I got one. That's exactly what I did.

You can still use natural remedies at home, and eat healthy if natural-ness is important to you. You don't have to prove anything during labor. You're pushing a watermelon out of an opening the size of a cherry. You're super woman either way.

5. Breastfeeding is not as easy as it looks. I'm friends with a mother of thirteen. I've seen her nurse her babies. It looks so easy and peaceful. How hard can it be? You know what? She's had practice. And when I've seen her do it, her babies weren't newborn.

Newborns are born with a sucking instinct, but that doesn't mean they know how to nurse. My first baby was diagnosed with a tongue-tie. She told me it'd be hard to nurse. (Turns out it wasn't tongue-tie, but a recessed chin, which made his tongue farther back.) I had to use a nipple shield at first. It was a rough first two weeks. Not only that, but it really hurts at first! Like really! Don't give up! The pain goes away, and then it usually becomes as easy as the veteran mother makes it look. It is also so beneficial! It only hurts for the first few minutes at each feeding. Come up with a way to deal with the pain. I used to stomp my foot. Some people hit their leg. After a few days it doesn't hurt anymore. So please, please, please do not give up. You made it through the labor, don't give up now. This too shall pass.

6. You still get contractions after labor. I know, right? That's not fair. When you nurse your newborn, you get contractions. It's all good though, because it helps your uterus shrink faster.

The worse news is that it hurts way worse with your second. Like, epidural-worthy. I even asked for one, sarcastically. This only lasts for like a day or two. Just be prepared. No one told me any of this.

7. You will still carry baby weight until you're finished nursing. Yes, they all tell you nursing will help you lose the weight faster. It's true. What they forget to tell you is that while you may lose it faster, you still keep the last 5-10 pounds until you've weaned. Trust me, it's mostly in your chest. You'll know what I'm talking about if you nurse.

8. Don't expect to sleep on your belly yet. Oh, how I longed to sleep on my belly again. This was going to be wonderful. Wrong. You are so engorged it's painful. If you're not on a steady nursing schedule, it hurts for a few months to sleep on our belly. I didn't get to until my first was at least 6 months old. With my second, I never pumped excess milk, and I strongly believe that's why I was able to lay in that position after about a month.

9. Do expect to be over-protective. I actually expected this, and I don't see anything wrong with this. You carried this baby in the most protective way possible, within the safe walls of your womb. You may have started watching what you eat right after finding out about your upcoming arrival. You want what's best for your child. Who doesn't?

We had to stop at Target on our way home from the hospital with my first baby. I had a receiving blanket covering his carrier in the store. I didn't want any yucky germs infecting my precious new baby.
Who doesn't love to see/hold/kiss new babies? When a mother brings her new baby to church for the first time everyone wants to love on him/her. Especially me. The thought of my new baby being touched by everyone just made me so nervous. I closely monitored each person that came close to him. I didn't think twice about asking the teen girls to wash their hands first. He wasn't a doll, after all.
My husband made a rule. No one under the age of 18 could hold our new baby while standing. Well, that didn't last too long. But anyways, new parents are very protective. I'm not even ashamed to admit that. Even with the second you're still protective at first. They have very pure immune systems. It's our responsibility to protect them.

10. Your baby will grow so fast, you'll wish time would stop. I've always heard {old} people say, "in the blink of an eye." You quickly understand what that means. Soon, your baby will be smiling, laughing, talking, teething, crawling, eating, walking, running, speaking sentences, wearing big boy undies, and you just brought them home yesterday. Seriously.

So, this is in no way meant to be a negative. I really did enjoy being pregnant and having a newborn. There were just a few things no one told me that I wish I was prepared for. I obviously did it a second time, and I will do it again this fall. It wasn't all as bad as it sounds.