Friday, March 4, 2011

June 27, 2010 - The Birth Story, as promised!

This is the day Carly and Callie decided to make their appearance!  I was 32 weeks 2 days.  I BLEW up the week before, from head to toe!  I'm talking 15 pounds of weight gain in less than a week.  I was pretty much feeling all around miserable, but I was still hoping to stay pregnant for a few more weeks.  Here I was at 32 weeks - huge, miserable and swollen!  But, I was determined to document that belly, so I drug myself off the couch into the bathroom for a belly shot.


It all started the night before, but, as I feared for weeks, I didn't realize it.  I was having contractions, but I always had contractions!  I was having some cramping too, but that wasn't uncommon either.  In other words, it didn't feel different from any other night.  I didn't sleep well at all.  Again, not different from any other night thanks to hip pain and just plain inability to get comfortable.  6am.  I'd been tossing and turning (not literally as it was pretty hard to turn actually!  HA!) for hours.  I felt a little leak and thought, uh oh!  I better go check.  I had a small wet spot in my underwear - sorry if that's TMI!  I woke Mike up and said, "I think my water might have broken.  I'm going to get in the shower.  Get yourself up and get ready to go to L&D."  It's times like this when one needs a crystal ball.  If I could have seen into the future, I would have NEVER gotten in that shower!  Here's the thing, 1.) I wasn't really convinced my water had broken, but I wanted to go into L&D just to be checked out.  2.) I was on strict bedrest, so I was only showering every couple of days and I was due for a shower!  I couldn't fathom going to L&D without first getting a shower.  Again, where was that crystal ball?

Once I was in the shower for a few minutes, I knew this was not good.  The contractions started coming much stronger and faster.  It became so terrible I was having a hard time getting dressed once I got out of the shower. Mike pretty much dressed me as I was crying saying this is it.  I knew from the way the contractions were coming that this was the real deal and BIG changes were happening.  I was already nearly 5cm dilated at home on bedrest, so I knew once I got any further that was going to be it.  There was NO way these contractions weren't changing my cervix!  I had one heck of a time making it to the car.  As I got into the car, I felt the huge gush of amniotic fluid.  There was no longer any doubt, my water had definitely broken!

It's 8.3 miles from our house to Portsmouth Naval Medical Center.  According to Google maps, it is a 20 minute drive.  Mike made it there in 7 minutes.  I don't care if I drove from the east coast all the way to the west coast, there could never be a ride that felt longer.  I was having contractions one right after the other, amniotic fluid leaking everywhere.  They were not only painful, but I could feel the pressure.  That was the worst.  I've been there done that - I knew what that feeling was.  Carly was COMING!  My biggest fear was not being able to make it to the hospital in time.  I kept telling Mike I didn't think I was going to make it.  He just kept saying yes you are!!!  He was flying -- I have no idea how fast.  He was pretty much just laying on the horn hoping people would move out of our way and running red lights!  I can't believe we didn't get pulled over, actually.  Although, if a cop had turned his lights on, there is no way we would have stopped.  That would have meant having babies in the car.  No doubt in my mind!

Once we finally got to the hospital, we pretty much blew through the gate yelling at the gate guards that I was in labor and about to have the babies.  They waved us on through and we headed to the ER entrance.  Some moron corpsman wheeled me up to L&D, very slowly!  Mike made it clear that I was pregnant with twins and my water had broken and Baby A was coming.  This guy didn't get the urgency.  I still can't believe I made it to L&D.  The silly woman behind the counter tried to hand me the standard paper to fill out, which I had filled out dozens of times before.  I looked at her like she was crazy and said, "There is no way I can fill that out.  These babies are coming NOW!"  I explained to her my history of preterm labor and that I was already nearly 5cm dilated and that my water had broken and I was feeling a TON of pressure.  I somehow managed to walk back to the monitoring room and again, as I got on the bed, more gushing of amniotic fluid.  Silly nurse says, "Oh, your water has definitely broken."  DUH!  I told you guys!  Maybe now they will take me seriously, I thought?

I once again explained to this nurse how much pressure I was feeling and that I felt like Baby A was coming.  There still wasn't that sense of urgency I was feeling!  But, the doctor came in pretty quick to check me and, not to my surprise, I was completely dilated and Carly was in the birth canal!  NOW we had urgency.  Lots of people were in the room now, trying to start an IV, getting an ultrasound to find positioning of Baby B (Callie) who had turned breech. Not knowing how big they were (I was due for my monthly growth scan in days) it was decided an emergency c-section would be safest since Callie was breech.  I was quickly wheeled to the operating room, all the while loudly voicing that Carly was going to come out!!!

Once I was in the operating room, Mike was there briefly.  They sent him out so I could get as spinal in preparation for the surgery.  They instructed me to roll over for the spinal.  I honestly tried, but quickly realized there was just no freaking way!  I said, "I'm going to have her right here on this table if you don't get her out RIGHT NOW!"  They told me they were going to have to put me under general anesthesia then, and I said, "Ok, do it!"  So, I was completely knocked out for Carly and Callie's birth, and for that reason, Mike was also not allowed in the room for their birth.  At that time, I really didn't care, I just wanted it to be over.  In hindsight, it makes me sad, but we are so lucky everything went as smoothly as it did!

Carly Ann Curtis, Baby A, was born at 7:03am weighing 41lb 10oz and Callie Marie Curtis, Baby B, was born at 7:04am weighing 4lbs 6oz.  Being 8 weeks premature, they needed to spend some time in the NICU, but I am pleased to say it was a very "easy" NICU stay, if there is such a thing.  They spent 5 weeks there and were mostly just feed and grow babies.  Callie needed a little oxygen for a few days, but no big deal!


Here is Carly on her birthday:



And Callie:



And here they are on homecoming day, August 3, 2010.  ♥

They are now 8 months old and HUGE!  Callie is about 20 pounds and Carly is about 17.  Callie is fondly referred to as, "Chubbers" because she is just so chubby!  You would never know these 2 were born premature.  They are so healthy and doing everything right on time and on the growth charts for their REAL AGE!  Praise God!  What a wild, crazy, bumpy ride that pregnancy and birth was, but it was all so worth it.  We all love these little girls with every ounce of our beings and they have truly completed our little family.  ♥  These are from their 7 month photo shoot.


1 comment:

  1. Omg those thighs!!!! You girls are adorable. Twins are the best :-)

    ReplyDelete