The Babies Are Here!

Monday around 7:00pm or so, I started having pretty consistent contractions. Around 8:15, they were about two minutes apart, so we decided it was time to call the doctor. She called back pretty quickly and told us to head to the hospital to get checked out. This is me just before we left for the hospital... my belly wasn't really HUGE like everyone thought it should be...


We got to the hospital and they hooked me up to the monitors and agreed that I was having contractions every couple minutes. I was only dilated to 2cm. My doctor asked if I would be willing to walk for two hours and then get check again. So Brent and I walked around the hospital from 10:15 to 12:15. The contractions got a little worse, but when I got checked again around 12:30 am I was still only at 2cm. The doctor wanted me to stay on the monitors for a bit, have some fluids, and get checked again in about an hour. The nurse checked me at 1:45am and I was then dilated to 3cm. They decided this was the real thing and got me ready to be admitted. We got upstairs to the labor and delivery room about 3:00am and my doctor broke Emily's water at 3:15am. She said she thought we probably would deliver sometime between noon and 3pm. Around 4:30am I asked for an epidural in hopes of getting some sleep. It was around 5:00 am that I got my epidural - as first it was wonderful and I did manage to sleep for a little while. Around 6:45am or so, the epidural was only working on my right side and I was feeling every contraction again. The nurse said she could give me another dose of the epidural meds, but she wanted to check me first. She checked and said I was already dilated to 9.5 cm, so she called in the doctor and woke Brent up. This also meant no more of the epidural drugs. At 7:15 am my doctor was in and checking me. She had me to a could practice pushes and Emily's head was right there. They took me to the OR quickly (a precaution because of twins) and got everything set up for a vaginal delivery. With a couple good pushed, Emily came out head first at 7:38 am weighing 3 pounds 9 ounces and was 18 inches long. The first sent of NICU doctors and nurses took her right away and got her airways and such cleaned out and started checking her out. My doctor then did an ultrasound to see what Kyle had done with all his extra room - and of course, the little dude decided to go feet down. My doctor stuck her hand in and tried to grab his feet. She broke his water and then started to pull him out. His little head managed to finally make it out at 7:44 am. Kyle weighed 5 pounds 12 ounces and is 18 inches long. He got taken by is own team of NICU doctors and nurses to get checked out.

Emily was doing well. She didn't have any issues other than being so small! I couldn't believe how small she was because at my last growth ultrasound they said she was 4 pounds 7 ounces - they were off a little bit!


Kyle was having some problems breathing on his own right away, so they had him hooked up to oxygen for a couple minutes. But by the time he left the OR, he was breathing fine on his own.


My doctor delivered both of the placentas and then got me all stitched up. I was amazing right away about how well I felt - I was just tired, not in much pain or anything. I got to hold both Emily and Kyle for a couple minutes before they took them off to the NICU for observation. Emily's little tongue was going nuts while I was holding her, and she was looking around at her strange new world. Kyle was content with his eyes closed and just being held!

They took both my babies to the NICU and then took me back to my labor and delivery room. I got to eat and hang out for a bit before being taken upstairs for the maternity unit. We got situated and met with one of the lactation nurses. After pumping for the first time, we headed down to the NICU to see our babies. Kyle had already been taken upstairs to the Late Pre-Term Nursery to join me in my room after some more observation. We visiting Emily for a little bit and I got to hold my little girl again. The nurse said said was going well. They were helping her regulate her body temp and her blood sugar.

When we got back upstairs we had to wait a bit to see Kyle, but eventually got to have him with us for a little bit, then he was taken back to the nursery for a little more observation.

Kyle joined us around 5:30 in our room and has been with us every since. He's a little trooper - has kept his body temp right where it needs to be and hasn't had anymore problems breathing. He really likes the little bit of breast milk I have been able to give him, and last night started the formula a lot better. Wednesday morning the pedi came and checked Kyle out. All looked good, except she heard a heart murmur. The poor little boy had to have his blood pressure taken (a way big deal when you're only 24 hours old), an EKG and an eco to make check on it. The cardiologist said that he doesn't think it's a big deal and says it should go away in a couple weeks on his own. Kyle also had his circumcision, so it's been a long day for him and he still has his car seat test to go!

Emily is still in the NICU and will be for probably at least a week. She is in a little "box" to help her keep warm enough and on IV fluids to help keep her blood sugar where it needs to be. She really likes breast milk, but doesn't seem to like the formula and has a hard time keeping food down. Wednesday morning, a feeding tube was put in to help her eat and keep food down. She is doing much better with eating now!

I will go home on Thursday (tomorrow) and Kyle will come with me as long as he can pass his car seat test. Hopefully in the next week or two Emily will be able to come home too!

Thank you everyone for all of the prayers. Please keep praying for us as we do still have a long road ahead with preemie babies made all the more difficult because one will be home and one still at the hospital in the NICU.

I will try to post more pictures on Facebook once we get home. For some reason it won't let me with the hospital's Internet.