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Thursday, June 1, 2006

Where the twins came from

I posted in a previous blog (the one where Heidi tagged me) that one of the six random things about me was I didn't know I was carrying twins until after Samantha was born.  Yep, it's true - even with all the advanced technology nowadays, I still wasn't aware that there were two blessings until after the first had made her appearance. Here is the story (I apologize for the length).

I found out I was pregnant 3 months after I was diagnosed with Lupus.  When I told my docs that I was pregnant, they were both (my Rheumatologist and my OB) not very pleased -- at that point there was nothing I could do about it, not to mention that Rog and I were thrilled (we had been trying for 4 years to get pregnant!).  Dr. C (my OB) said he was going to watch me pretty close, because of the meds I was on.  I was taken off a few of them temporarily, but there were a couple that I needed to be on.  My first and only ultra-sound was at 9 weeks.  All was good then and stayed that way.  We had already decided that we were just going to have a surprise and not find out if it was a boy or girl. Things were perfectly normal, I had the normal morning sickness - which was nothing what like I went thru at the beginning of my Lupus- and very minimal weight gain.

Fast forward to 7 months.  I was barely showing, still wearing most of my normal clothes.  The only way that you could really tell I was pregnant was if I was wearing a maternity shirt, in my regular clothes, I just looked like my normal everyday fat self. Well, one evening I started hurting, and hurt pretty bad throughout the next day.  Several people told me that my uterus was probably trying to stretch itself to accommodate for a growing baby.  That night I woke up in the middle of the night to use the restroom and was bleeding pretty bad. I called the OB on call and he was not really concerned, but said I could go get checked out if I wanted to, so I went to the hospital and was there for a few hours and everything appeared fine, so I was sent home. Rog had to go to work that day, so I went to mom's and slept and continued bleeding. I was back and forth to the hospital several times from Friday night to Sunday evening, at which point my OB came in and said--One more week, let's try to hold off for one more week. 

The next Friday (after being practically upside down in a recliner all week) the bleeding started again. From Friday thru Sunday I was in and out of the hospital several times.  (They kept sending me home because all looked well, and I kept returning for pain and/or bleeding problems -- it was my first pregnancy and I was a bit scared to be bleeding as much as I was!!) Sunday evening (March12) Dr. C told me the same thing - hold off for one more week.  He also said if I was to have the baby this next few days, I would have  about a 3 pound baby.  He sent me home again.  Once we got home, I was getting ready to go to bed, brushed my teeth, went to the bathroom and all.  On the way back to the bedroom, I sneezed -and caused my water to break.

So, we made the calls to our parents and told them that this time we were not leaving without a baby!!  When I got to the hospital, I had a nurse that was having a rather bad day, and she fussed at me about  -you're only 32 weeks, that couldn't have been your water breaking, you must have leaked,  on and on and on. Finally some test convinced her that yes, my water did break and that even though I was only 32 weeks, I was about to have a baby!! She changed her attitude not to long after that and ended up being my favorite nurse the whole time I was there!

At 1:00 am she came in said -- Let me check everything, then I will get you some more pain meds. (I was not able to have an epidural due to medical issues, so I was relying on that pain medication that she was dripping into my arm) Well, she lifted the sheet to 'check' things and said 'Call the doctor - we are having a baby!!' Well, that got the whole floor in a tizzy and I remember people going everywhere, coming in and out of doors, throwing boxes, gowns, just total chaos, and then in walks Dr. C, slowly, calmly, like he has done this thousands of times --this is one of the memories of that night that stands out to me - his coolness in the flurry of my room. 

At 1:12 am Samantha joined the world. She was delivered head first with no problems, came into the world screaming!! She had no noticeable problems. The doc was getting ready to deliver my placenta (so I thought) and he whispers to the nurse 'we have another one'. I sorta sat up in the bed and said 'Another What??!?!'. He said, Well, I feel feet.  I was like you mean another baby??? Yes, and it is breech, so this may get tough. 

She was cleaned up and weighed and registered at 3 pounds and 5 ounces and 16.5 inches long. And she screamed until he was laid on the table beside her. twenty three minutes later. At 1:35 am, Riley shined his hiney to the world.  He was a true breech and was delivered bottom first (no, the nurse never got around to getting me those meds that she promised) and his oxygen level was low.  He weighed in at 3 pounds and 8 ounces and 16 inches long.

They were in the hospital for 25 days, both came home the same day with no major health issues. They each weighed just over 4 pounds when they came home.

Dr. C still calls them his surprise twins.  He said it was only the second time he has ever missed a set of  multiples in the 30 some-odd years he has been an OB.


3 comments:

  1. Wow, what a story!! I have 22 month old twin boys and I couldn't imagine it happening like that!

    What a surprise, and a blessing!!

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  2. That is crazy!!! (followed you here from the Crew :) )

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  3. Wow :D that is a great story :) I dated a twin that no one knew was there until he was born ;)

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