Anna needed a little extra help breathing for the first day or two, but she was healthy!
Heidi
I think Heidi (on the left) and Anna were about 2-3 weeks old here. Those are preemie onesies and they were big on the girls!
I know, I know, I repeat myself, but really, I cannot believe we have 9 year old daughters! Where has the time gone! I thought I would do something different this year for their birthdays, I thought I would re-tell each of the kids' birth stories. Some may find it boring, and some will just skip this post, but it is fun to travel back in time a bit, and explain how all 4 kids ended up being born on the 14th.
We knew at six weeks pregnant that we were expecting twins, and yes, we were totally shocked, twins was not even on our radar. At 22 weeks we found out we were expecting two girls, which didn't surprise Justin in the least (he has 4 sisters). My pregnancy went smoothly, until about 28/29 weeks. Some may recall I had significant pre-eclampsia the last 6 weeks or so of my pregnancy. I was tremendously swollen and on a no-salt diet. I was on strict bedrest, and only allowed to be up for doctors appointments, showers and bathroom breaks. I was seeing the doctor twice a week and doing 24 hour urine tests every other day (and plenty of bloodwork).
On Friday, June 13th Justin's mom (it was both her and Justin's dad's birthday) took me to a non-stress test at the hospital. The doctor checked me while I was there and found that I was 3 cm dilated. When we arrived home from the test Justin's mom commented about the two purple clematis that had bloomed on the side of our house that day, saying that it was a sign the babies were ready to be born. Only a few hours later, while resting on the couch I felt my water break. So we headed off to the hospital, not quite sure if we were ready to become a family of four. I was given a choice, as to labor on or just head for a c-section. I had a gut feeling I would end up with a c-section, and hadn't even taking any birthing classes, but I was determined not to have the girls born on Friday, the 13th. So I labored away, but labor stalled and they pumped me up with pitosin. By 8cm I was ready for an epidural, after which they wheeled me into the cold OR (standard procedure for twins). Finally, the nurse determined I was 10 cm, but there was an issue. She could feel baby A's (Heidi) hand/arm in the way. In fact, Heidi grasped the nurses hand, which prompted several other nurses to come check me and feel Heidi's eager reach. They turned me and had me push a few times, only to find that Heidi wouldn't budge. And a c-section was ordered. Thankfully my doctor had already been at the hospital on a 24 hour shift, so we were ready to roll in a short amount of time (I had already been in labor well over 12 hours).
At 3:36 am, on June 14th, Heidi Rayanne came into the world, weighing 5 lbs. 1 oz., and measuring 17 1/4". She is named after my mom, and Justin's grandma, who had also passed away several years before. At 3:37 Anna Clare joined her sister, weighing 5 lbs. 2 oz. and measuring 17". We chose Anna just because we liked the name, but later found out I have a great-great grandma with the same name. And I wanted to name her Clara, after my middle name, but decided it was too sing-songy. They were exactly 5 weeks early, but healthy! Anna needed some extra oxygen support, and both girls were taken to the NICU.
Due to the pre-eclampsia I was stuck in bed, sick from the magnesium they gave me post-delivery. I had to let others hold the girls first, while only seeing a polaroid the nurse took for me. It wasn't until Sunday evening that they wheeled me up to see my newborn daughters. They were small and hooked up to all sorts of machines, but I was able to feed Heidi right away. Justin was able to celebrate his first Father's Day; thankfully the nurses did some decorating. I went home 5 days after the girls were born, and Heidi came home the day after me. Anna developed thrush and had to stay a few extra days (it was an excruciating few days, trying to balance time with each girl, and heal at the same time). Finally, on June 24th Heidi and Anna were able to be side by side again, and they have remained the same since. They were great babies (probably why we had Luke so quickly after). The girls stayed on schedule together and were the best company for each other. We are so grateful for their beautiful spirits, their tender hearts and their overflowing kindness. They are a blessing to our family. I sincerely hope the next 9 years will go a little slower!
On Friday, June 13th Justin's mom (it was both her and Justin's dad's birthday) took me to a non-stress test at the hospital. The doctor checked me while I was there and found that I was 3 cm dilated. When we arrived home from the test Justin's mom commented about the two purple clematis that had bloomed on the side of our house that day, saying that it was a sign the babies were ready to be born. Only a few hours later, while resting on the couch I felt my water break. So we headed off to the hospital, not quite sure if we were ready to become a family of four. I was given a choice, as to labor on or just head for a c-section. I had a gut feeling I would end up with a c-section, and hadn't even taking any birthing classes, but I was determined not to have the girls born on Friday, the 13th. So I labored away, but labor stalled and they pumped me up with pitosin. By 8cm I was ready for an epidural, after which they wheeled me into the cold OR (standard procedure for twins). Finally, the nurse determined I was 10 cm, but there was an issue. She could feel baby A's (Heidi) hand/arm in the way. In fact, Heidi grasped the nurses hand, which prompted several other nurses to come check me and feel Heidi's eager reach. They turned me and had me push a few times, only to find that Heidi wouldn't budge. And a c-section was ordered. Thankfully my doctor had already been at the hospital on a 24 hour shift, so we were ready to roll in a short amount of time (I had already been in labor well over 12 hours).
At 3:36 am, on June 14th, Heidi Rayanne came into the world, weighing 5 lbs. 1 oz., and measuring 17 1/4". She is named after my mom, and Justin's grandma, who had also passed away several years before. At 3:37 Anna Clare joined her sister, weighing 5 lbs. 2 oz. and measuring 17". We chose Anna just because we liked the name, but later found out I have a great-great grandma with the same name. And I wanted to name her Clara, after my middle name, but decided it was too sing-songy. They were exactly 5 weeks early, but healthy! Anna needed some extra oxygen support, and both girls were taken to the NICU.
Due to the pre-eclampsia I was stuck in bed, sick from the magnesium they gave me post-delivery. I had to let others hold the girls first, while only seeing a polaroid the nurse took for me. It wasn't until Sunday evening that they wheeled me up to see my newborn daughters. They were small and hooked up to all sorts of machines, but I was able to feed Heidi right away. Justin was able to celebrate his first Father's Day; thankfully the nurses did some decorating. I went home 5 days after the girls were born, and Heidi came home the day after me. Anna developed thrush and had to stay a few extra days (it was an excruciating few days, trying to balance time with each girl, and heal at the same time). Finally, on June 24th Heidi and Anna were able to be side by side again, and they have remained the same since. They were great babies (probably why we had Luke so quickly after). The girls stayed on schedule together and were the best company for each other. We are so grateful for their beautiful spirits, their tender hearts and their overflowing kindness. They are a blessing to our family. I sincerely hope the next 9 years will go a little slower!
No comments:
Post a Comment