I find it funny that both of my pregnancies occured in the exact same months only 5 years apart. January was my starting month for each and the due date only a couple weeks apart. I joke with my husband that he must have a thing with January, but of course that was a curse on me for a summertime pregnancy in the South! Hot and miserable!
Once being told that I was having twins, thing changed. We were considered more high risk and received more ultrasounds and check ups. This was such an added blessing and I loved being able to see the girls often.
Things progress normally for me. I did have bouts of morning sickness but only for a few weeks. Spotted some, which scared me to death. I can remember on my way to the doctors office that morning I told God that if he was going to take one/both of my babies, that I needed him to do it early on because I just didn't think I could handle such a loss at a later stage. After an ultrasound all things were confirmed as just fine and was normal changes. Reaching 24 weeks was a true blessing and as any pregnant woman knows is the milestone of viability. I started having braxton hicks contractions around twenty weeks but at first I didn't know what they were because it just felt like the girls were rolling around in there! I hydrated myself and rested for the next few weeks. I was then reaching the 30 week mark and was just so tired and just wasn't sure that my body was going to stretch any farther. Trips to the grocery store got harder and I would only be able to walk a little and then have to sit, thank goodness for the benches set up throughout the store! The pure weight of the belly on the lower half of my body was huge. I was so sure that I was just going to pop out a baby every time I walked that I felt like I need to walk with my legs as close together as possible.
At my checkup for 33 weeks, I told the doctor about my contractions that I had been having. He decided best to go have them monitored. Sure enough, I was actually having more than I realized. I was admitted that same night into the hospital to get started on the Magnesium drip to stop the contractions. If you have ever had this or know someone who has then you know just how horrible it is. The nurses come in and explain all the side effects of the drugs...two things: your body gets very, very hot and you really cannot focus on anything while on this drug. They started pulling every fan that was available on that floor and I was still so very hot. I had three days of this horrible drug before my contractions started to ease up. Although this drug was miserable, I would deffinatly go through it all again to keep the girls in longer! I was released from the hospital three days later with orders of bed rest. No more work...what ever was I going to do for money?
God provided. I got a call from work and I can honestly say that I sobbed on the phone with my boss after he told me not to worry about money. I am not sure that he will ever fully understand what weight lifted off me but I think he felt it.
The date was set. The 25th. I had three more weeks to get through. How was I ever going to do this and how was my body going to stretch for three more weeks of growth. Sleep was miserable and the weight of my belly laying in any direction was pulling every possible muscle. My wonderful mother came up and helped me get through those weeks. We tried to be as prepared as possible, for at anytime labor could approach or my water could break. Of course hindsight being 20/20, I think the girls would have taken up residency in there. I counted down the days on the calendar. Keep in mind as I am getting to the end of this pregnancy, my husband had just graduated PTA school and was looking for work. Thankfully he got a job and was to start the Monday after the girls would be delivered! God's blessing again.
I made it! I made it to 36 weeks and 2 days, gained 35lbs and was measuring around 45+ wks of pregnancy! The day before the girls were to be born, I had a maternity photo shoot. I felt horrible and felt like I looked horrible but I can honestly say I am so glad that I did those pictures! They are amazing! The next morning we were on our way to the hosptial to be induced. Since I delivered naturally with my first baby, my goal was to have a natural delivery with the twins. I also had the goal to have the twins by noon, since my first was at 2pm. I believe we were at the hospital at 6am and they got me hooked up to the iv and monitors and broke Baby A's bag of water (she was head down) and I had my epidural by 7am. I loved the guys that did my epidural. They were with me even through the delivery and were just amazing and very comforting. My mom and dad brought our son up later once he woke up and got breakfast. They arrived around 8 or 9. This time, I was very alert and was able to enjoy the progression of the delivery. Around 11am, I had gotten to a 10 on one side but still a 9 on the other. The nurse was about to go get a replacement probe to monitor one of the girls and had me switch positions before she left the room. She was only gone about 2 min and came back in. She was about to open the package and said let me just check you one time before we do this again. I was a full 10 and ready to deliver the girls. Things moved very quickly. We delivered in the OR just in case baby B, who was transverse, wouldnt cooperate. Baby A was delivered at 11:50am after just two pushes. I cried immediatly, this was so surreal. They took her to get stats and husband/nurse brought her over to me to enjoy while they broke my second bag of waters and worked to move baby B. Once they were ready I pushed baby B out in just two pushes later at 11:59am our second baby girl was born. The girls were a healthy 5lbs and 5lbs 11oz and both were 18 inches of beauty! There was no nicu time either!
The first one to meet the girls, besides my husband and I, was our son! When we found out we were having a baby he wanted a sister and we he found out there was two he never had any doubt that they both were girls. They were just what he asked for from God! When we told him they were girls after the gender u/s, his response was, "I told you!" Seeing him meet them was such a special moment that I relive through pictures. I wish I could have been there to see in real life. I pray that he will always have a special bond with his twin sisters.
Double blessed! Yes, but also triple blessed with three beautiful gifts from God!
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