32 weeks - Twins' Birth Story

On Saturday, August 9^th I woke up not feeling so well. My blood pressure had been worse the last couple of days.  Trevor was at football, and Sachi was going to come spend the morning/afternoon with me.  I told her not to come, and stayed in bed most all day long trying to keep my blood pressure down. Trev came home and took my blood pressure, and it was about 160/98. I was supposed to go into the hospital if either my systolic or diastolic ever got to 160/110. Trevor wanted to take me to the hospital, but I told him no I was ok. I’d continue to stay in bed all day and if the next day it was still as high or higher, I’d go.

Sunday I still didn’t feel well, and my blood pressure was still elevated. Again I refused to go to the hospital, since I had my doctors’ appointment on Monday. If the doctor was concerned, I’d get admitted to the hospital. I felt fairly certain I’d be admitted on Monday, and wanted to get one more day at home. I’d most likely have 2 weeks in the hospital, and didn’t want to add any extra days.

That night I was still not feeling great, and I got into the bath (taking baths is seriously the only way I made it through the end of my pregnancy. I would spend hours lying in the tub, since it’s the only time I didn’t hurt. I’d even fall asleep in there on nights I couldn’t get comfortable or sleep).

While in the bath, I felt kind of a pop and I thought I felt fluid come out. But I was in the bath, so there was no way of knowing. I was pretty sure I’d imagined things, or that Loki had just pressed on my bladder and I’d peed. I laid there for a minute not sure what to do. I was pretty sure it was nothing, but what if it was something? I should probably get out. Should I tell Trevor? If it is something I should tell him. But I probably just peed in the tub and seriously enough humiliating things have happened this pregnancy, do I really need to admit I just peed in the tub to my husband? Sexy.

It takes a bit of effort to get out of the tub with 20+ lbs of baby stuffs in you. Trevor heard me getting out without his help, and came in to see if I was ok. I told him I think maybe possibly my water had broken. But most likely I just peed in the tub.

I was really not feeling so great, so I put on underwear (so I could see if I was leaking) and climbed into bed. As I was lying there, I realized I had cramps. Which was not unusual for me. I’d had cramps for the last 3 months. Worse at night. I’d had the same cramps while hooked up to the Non-Stress Tests for the last month, and they had never registered any contractions. So while slightly painful but mostly annoying, I didn’t think the cramps were any reason to be alarmed. During the previous night in fact, I’d had bad cramps. But they mostly went away during the day.

As I am lying there, the cramps start to get worse. And I notice that they are coming and going, not staying like usual. Everyone I had asked about contractions had told me you feel tightening in your uterus. That it is really obvious you are having contractions because of the tightening. I wasn’t feeling tightening, and I hadn’t felt tightening this whole pregnancy. So while I was pretty nervous my water had broken, and I was having what felt like contractions, I didn’t think they could be, or that I could be in labor because I wasn’t feeling any tightening of my uterus.  And if they were contractions, I’m thinking they must be Braxton Hicks. I’d read all these articles about false labor and going into L&D prematurely.

I’m lying there still, and the cramps start getting worse. They are really painful now. So I start to time them, and the pain is coming about every 5ish minutes. And they are consistent. I start to really get nervous and call in Trevor. He helps me stand up, and my underwear are soaked.

I am certain at this point my water has broken. From what I’ve read, most doctors will not let you go more that 12 hours without delivering after your water has broken.

I tell Trevor we need to go to the hospital.

After being admitted to the hospital 3 times, staying a week and almost getting admitted many more times, we STILL hadn’t packed a hospital bag. So we packed our hospital bags and left. I texted my mom and Trevor’s mom that we were on our way to the hospital. In case this was labor, which I was pretty sure this was, I figured they’d be mad if I didn’t let them know.

We got to the hospital and they admitted me to Labor and Delivery. They take my blood pressure – 175/111. I got into those lovely gowns they give you, and they hooked me up to the monitors for each baby. They were both doing great. The nurse wanted to wait for the resident to come check if my water had broken (they have to look at the waters under a microscope to verify). The resident was busy, so she did the check herself.

She didn’t have to confirm my water had broken – she saw our darling daughters’ head, full of thick, long dark hair.

Things got crazy at this point. She called in nurses and the resident came right in, followed shortly by the doctor.

I’m in A LOT OF FREAKING PAIN by this point. In case you wondered.

I have nurses trying to hook up an IV, monitor the babies, give me shots – I don’t even know what. I’m lying there trying not to die, which is sounding better and better, while people are coming and going and poking me and doing who knows what to me. And I don’t even care. They have to give me magnesium through the IV (Which I’ll continue to get for 24 hours) so I don’t stroke out during labor due to my high blood pressure. Magnesium SUCKS.

The resident (even though the nurse saw Loki’s head) needs to verify via ultrasound the positions of the babies so they know what kind of a birth I can have. This child has been head down, DEEP IN MY CERVIX causing me all kinds of pain the entire pregnancy – I know she’s head down. And her brother loves to shove his entire body in my ribs, so I know where he’s at.

The resident finally gets an ultrasound machine in there and verifies they are in fact in those exact positions. Head down and breech.

Given their sizes at 28 weeks (the last time I had a sizing ultrasound. My next one was scheduled for Tuesday) it was safe to try for a vaginal delivery. He explained that Loki could be born head first, but that they would need to reach in and pull Thor out by his feet. He suggested an epidural for this. With the amount of pain I was already in, the idea of having his manly arms reaching inside me for my son while being able to feel it was less than appealing. I accepted the epidural.

They called the doctor in and he gave me my epidural between contractions that had me curled up in a ball wishing someone would just hit me over the head and knock me out. Holy smokes I was unprepared for the pain of labor. I will say though, I didn’t cry or yell or anything. I just closed my eyes and tried to breathe through the contractions. But inside I was losing it a little.

The epidural was incredibly strange. But at this point I didn’t care, I wanted to not feel anything. Ever again. He finally told me he was done, and I was pretty sure if I had to feel one more contraction I would die of pain. And then he told me I’d feel the next 3 contractions before it took effect. I almost cried then. Luckily, it did mute them enough that I got through them fine.

As soon as he was done, the resident checked me and I was at a 9. He left, saying he’d come back in half an hour to an hour to check me again.

As soon as he left, I started to feel lots of pressure. I told the nurse this, and she checked me and I was at a 10.

GO TIME.

They immediately wheeled me into the operating room and set everything up.

And then they told me to push.

I pushed for an hour before she came out. SERIOUSLY. This kid has been riding so low in my cervix getting her heartbeat was hard sometimes. So low I could barely walk. And it took an hour to push her out. Apparently I really, really suck at pushing.

The whole time I was watching the monitors, praying these babies would be ok, that neither would go into distress. I kept asking the nurses and doctors in the room if the NICU was ready, if they were prepared for the babies.  Soon enough they opened a window in the operating room that adjoined the NICU and a whole herd of nurses appeared, waiting for my babies to be born.

As soon as she came out, Trevor cut the cord and the doctor passed her straight through the window in the operating room into the NICU. I didn’t even get to see her – except a quick glimpse as they handed her through the window. I kept asking, “is she crying? Is she ok?” and the doctors said she looked great. Sigh of relief.

Savannah Elaine Schauerhamer “Loki” was born at 10:29pm on August 10^th, 2014 weighing 5 pounds 1 ounce.

Then it was Thor’s turn. His heart rate had stayed awesome throughout Loki’s delivery, which was wonderful. He continued to stay perfect.

The resident reached up inside me to grab our little guy.

Turns out maybe Loki was ready to be born, but Thor had other ideas. His plans included hanging out a while longer in my ribs.

He let us know his thoughts on the matter by kicking the resident over and over and making grabbing him impossible.

The resident pulled out, and another doctor there reached in and finally wrangled him, and Thor was born 4 minutes after his sister. The entire 4 minutes were spent trying to grab his feet, in case you wondered.

Trevor cut his cord and he was whisked through the window into the NICU.

I caught a quick glimpse of him, and he looked way more purple than Loki had. I was slightly panicking, but the doctors assured me he looked good and had cried.

Oliver Dee Schauerhamer “Thor” was born at 10:33pm on August 10^th, 2014 weighing 3 pounds 11 ounces.

They delivered my placentas and they gave me lots of stitches. Because I had birthed two babies, and had two hands/arms stuffed inside me.

After they wheeled me to the delivery room where they monitored me for over an hour and half before they let me see my babies. That was torture.

Finally, they put me in a wheel chair and take me to see my babies. Thor is closest to the door, and I see him. He’s so tiny! He’s hooked up to the cpap so he has a hat on, goggles over his eyes and this giant cpap covering the rest of his face. And he is SO SMALL. When he breathes, it looks like his chest is going to cave in. it’s painful to watch.

They wheel me over to see Loki and I get sick and throw up. Multiple times. Did I mention magnesium SUCKS? I get a glimpse of her before they wheel me back to my room – she looks like Thor with all the contraptions on her face, only much chubbier.

They take me to the delivery room, change my gown because it’s covered in puke (I even managed to throw up in the gown pocket) and take me up to my recovery room. I make it to my room before throwing up again. Awesome. The nurse doesn’t have time to get a bucket so I throw up in my lap, and then in some random object she finds. Super.

I change my gown again.

By this time, it’s 2am. Trevor and I are parents. I spend the night thinking about the twins. I don’t sleep. I’m completely freaked out and absolutely in love.

So here, as best as I can tell, since things moved sooo fast, is a rundown of the night.

August 10, 2014

5:20pm – Water breaks in bathtub

6:00 – Text mom and mother in law that my water broke and we are on our way to the hospital.

6:30 – Arrive at hospital

7:30 – check to see what I’m dilated to – see Loki’s head. Scramble to get me prepped for delivery.

8:30 – Dilated to a 9

9:00 – Wheeled to the operating room

10:29 – Savannah Elaine is born

10:33 - Oliver Dee is born

So I basically went from water breaking to babies in 5 hours. First pregnancy, with twins. Pretty crazy!

I have to say though, the birth went so smoothly and wonderfully. I couldn’t have asked for a better delivery. I wanted a vaginal birth so badly, and I thought with all the complications I’d had there was no way I would end up with one. But I did! And I am so grateful for it!

I love these babies so much. They are incredible. I’m so blessed to be their mother.

Love,

Brittney