Hi friends! Long time no blog. I hope you've been keeping up with us over on the Facebook page because that's where all the action has been. It's far easier for me to post an update from my phone on Facebook while we're driving to and from seeing the boys or while I'm holding one of them than it has been to find time to pull out the computer and string together anything that makes sense over here.
So the Cliff's Notes version for anyone who hasn't seen my updates: One week ago Cooper and Lincoln were born at 1:52 pm, March 9th via c-section. Cooper was 2 lbs 10.5oz, Lincoln was 3 lb 6oz, and both were 16.5 inches long. Cooper needed a little bit of suction before he started breathing on his own and Lincoln was born screaming!
The surgery lasted 28 minutes and went so much better than I ever could have dreamed. I had a lot of anxiety going in and had the shakes really really bad! I had made sure to let everyone know that I was going to struggle with this so my nurses were amazing and kind and the anesthesiologist gave me some nitrous oxide in my oxygen mask as soon as I was laid back on the table. It was exactly what I needed at that moment and I could have kissed the man! I was able to relax and focus on the fact that my boys were about to be born instead of being lost in my own fears. As soon as Dr S cut into my uterus everyone started exclaiming about the FLOOD of fluid that filled the suction machine and overflowed onto the floor. The second OB joked about being happy she had worn her booties because they were literally standing in our excess of fluid and mopping it up after the surgery!
Michael was brought in and seated next to my head right before the surgery started but he spent most of the time standing and watching and then going with the babies into the next room. If I hadn't had the happy gas I probably would have been upset that he wasn't holding my hand or something. As it was, I felt them pushing and pulling on me and then heard a nurse say "happy birthday" as Cooper was born and less than a minute later I heard Lincoln come out screaming his head off. The cries of a preemie sound very different than a full term baby but it was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard and I immediately started crying knowing how big a thing it was that he was breathing on his own right away.
The nurses immediately brought the babies and Michael into an adjoining room to assess them, suction Cooper a little bit, and wrap them up. Then a nurse brought me each baby to peek at and kiss before they brought the boys into the NICU. Once I was closed up I was brought across the hall to spend a couple hours in recovery getting poked and watched and given ice chips, then water, then apple juice. I hadn't eaten since midnight so it was the most delicious apple juice I'd ever had! Then the nurse drove my gurney into the NICU where I was able to see the boys for a few minutes each before being driven up to the birth care floor. This gurney ride was the beginning of the most awful part of the surgery for me. I already struggle with motion sickness and that combined with my awful reactions to pain meds left me feeling very sick for several hours and a couple bouts of vomiting before everything finally wore off enough to stop the spinning. It took another couple days before we finally figured out what the best combo of meds for me was to stay on top of the pain without feeling awful but my new rule for life is no more narcotics ever!
The rest of my stay in the hospital consisted of going up and down from the NICU to sit with my little guys, pump, rest, eat, repeat. I was so lucky to have visits from a couple wonderful friends and a friend actually had a baby in the same hospital while I was there so I popped in to see her a couple times. On Monday I was discharged from the hospital and was able to come home to see my girls. Because the girls aren't able to visit the NICU during flu season and seeing their mom in the hospital can be a little jarring, we decided not to have them visit me at all but I did video call them a few times and Mike was home with them every night and most of the days. The girls were very very ready for mommy to come home and missing them made it a tiny bit easier to leave the hospital. I still cried most of the way home and starting crying at the pharmacy counter and cried several times before going back to see my boys the next day. Transitioning from the quiet hospital back to my crazy house has been a challenge. Trying to figure out how to be Mom while still recovering from surgery, figuring out pumping, visiting the boys, and dealing with hormones has had its ups and downs but we've had amazing support from friends and the hospital staff has really helped us feel supported on that end. It helps that I married the most amazing man who has picked up the slack in every arena and is an awesome dad and husband. Neither of us really know what we're doing here but we're muddling our way through together and he's been supportive of my needs on top of the general needs of the family without ever once complaining.
Check in on Facebook to see lots of photos of our sweet babies! We're getting ready to head out to see them soon and it cannot be soon enough. The hour drive each way just kills me!
No comments:
Post a Comment