Twin Pregnancy Part 4 of 4

Twin Birth Story at 33 Weeks

On Friday August 18th I woke up feeling a lot of pain. I also felt a lot more pressure and I spotted. My doctor checked my cervix early that morning and I was measuring at 5 cm. She called my specialist and Dr. Richie gave orders on the medications that needed to be administered and how we would proceed as the day unfolded. The nurses administered the Toradol to try to slow down the contractions and my specialist did an ultrasound to check on the boys. They were both in position and Grayson was very low in the birth canal.

As the day progressed, I kept feeling the contractions intensify. I for one did not think that I was going to actually go into labor that day because I was blinded by the goal of reaching 35 weeks to avoid the NICU. The nurses and doctors thought I would though, and I could tell. It had been a huge win that I had made it this far and my body looked different now. I was swollen, my belly had dropped a lot, and I was having a hard time walking.

I remember around 3-o’clock when my doctor came in and said, “Honey, I have seen a lot of women go into labor and this is happening today.” I was still hopeful that I wouldn’t. I asked for the shot that they had initially given to me when I was admitted hoping it would be effective since nothing seemed to be slowing down the contractions. They checked my cervix again and this time I was measuring at almost 7 centimeters. At that point they decided I needed to be downstairs in the labor and delivery unit. My sister was with me and my aunt and we called Garrett and my mom to tell them to head to the hospital.

Even after being in my labor and delivery room I was still hopeful that I could go back upstairs. It was a very strange feeling leaving the room and the nurses that had cared for me for the past six weeks. Things were spinning out of control again and I had no idea how things would unfold.

At this point I was still very indecisive about delivering my twins vaginally. There was a high risk that one of the babies could flip and that I would have to have a C-section after already delivering the first baby. That scenario sounded very traumatic for me, but my wish had always been to experience vaginal birth.

Once I was downstairs my doctor (Dr. Hall, the same doctor that admitted me) checked my cervix again and I was past 7 cm. She said, “These babies are coming today, and I am going to make sure I am here for it.” I asked her if she was sure and she said yes. I was progressing very quickly, and she was excited to finally meet them.

Dr. Hall spoke to me – she reassured me that the babies were strong enough for a vaginal birth, that I was in the perfect scenario for a vaginal birth, and then she explained the entire process detail by detail. Dr. Richie would be there with her and only one person could come in with me since it was a surgery room and they would need to be in scrubs. She explained that there would be a team of nurses for me and a team of nurses and doctors for the babies. As long as everything went smoothly, I would be able to hold the first baby quickly and then hand him to the NICU team and focus on delivering the next baby. Both babies would be taken to the NICU after checking their vitals and the person that I designated could go with the babies.

I couldn’t believe it; the time was here. My children were going to be born and at that moment I felt joy and excitement. I felt hope and strength. Right after speaking to Dr. Hall I decided to try a vaginal birth. Her and Dr. Richie both encouraged it and I felt it was the right decision for me. I felt like I had a community of nurses, doctors, and technicians cheering me on and it gave me the strength I needed to ultimately decide.

While we waited for the next check-in from my doctor, I felt a gush of water come out. My mom and sister thought maybe I had peed myself, but I knew I hadn’t because it was way too much water. The nurses changed the bedding and called the doctor. Once Dr. Hall checked me, she confirmed my water had broken and that I was 8 centimeters. She also told me I had to decide on the epidural or it was going to be too late. I said yes and the anesthesiologist showed up minutes later.

When discussing the epidural with the doctor he asked about past health issues and I told him about my cardio-vascular-syncope. In my early twenties I was sick with a condition that caused my blood pressure to drop drastically and quickly and I would faint. My oxygen was compromised, and my vasovagal system was hypersensitive to any changes which would cause the blood restriction and the fainting.

This new piece of information put a spin on things. The doctor decided to use a different type of epidural to avoid blood restriction and he explained that I may get very itchy, it wasn’t common, but it was a side effect. He was also going to be with us in the delivery and I would have to wear an oxygen mask and an electrocardiogram to be able to monitor my heart. Once all the information had been discussed, everyone left the room except Garrett and he administered the epidural.

I had been very afraid of the epidural. I knew I had to stay very still and that it was a big needle but to be honest I don’t remember it being painful. I was in too much discomfort at that point from the contractions; it just seemed easy compared to everything else.

I also had to have a catheter put in since I had the epidural. After the epidural was administered and the catheter inserted we had to wait until it was time to deliver. My two doctors thought it would happen quickly. By the time I had the epidural administered it was 8 or 9 pm and they were predicting the babies would be delivered before midnight.

Our family all knew what was happening and they all came to see me for a little. My sister, her husband, my aunt, my mom, and Garrett were all there for most of the night with me. The nurses eventually made my room dark and encouraged me to sleep because they knew I needed the rest for what was coming my way.

I must share that once I knew I was going to deliver my babies that day, that I was going to try to have them vaginally, and the epidural was administered, I was very calm. Calmness washed over me and I was no longer scared or trying to come to terms with what was happening. I accepted the moment and I chose to enjoy it. The epidural helped with that obviously because I was no longer in so much pain and that was heavenly. I was able to laugh and joke with my family, my nurses, and my doctors. It was a happy and celebratory time.

Not long after the epidural was administered though I started getting very itchy. I was also extremely hot. We had the temperature turned down so low that the room was so cold that my family members were wearing winter coats and hats and even some gloves. I had no blankets on and I could not stop scratching. I have never experienced anything like it. I wanted to rip my skin apart. It started in my arms, then my legs, my belly, and eventually my back. Everyone covered me in cold wet towels, and a fan was brought in to alleviate the itching. This lasted for over two hours but eventually it lessened, and I was able to sleep a little.

Unfortunately, the epidural slowed down my birth. Dr. Hall’s shift was over at 6 am and we both felt strongly about her being the one who delivered my babies. My water had also broken so we only had so much time before I would have to deliver the babies so she gave me Pitocin to accelerate the birth. We decided to start with the Pitocin around 3 am and by 5 am it was time to go into the surgery room to deliver the boys. I begged my doctors to let my mom be in the room with us and thankfully they let me. I had always dreamt of having Garrett, my mom, and my sister in my room while I delivered so being able to have her there too made me feel a lot more at ease since Garrett obviously was as inexperienced as me.

The nurses took me first on my own to prep me and get the oxygen and echocardiogram on. My mom and Garrett were given scrubs and had to wash-up before going into the OR room. I was nervous but very excited and I was ready. I was ready to face this moment and I was ready to meet my boys.

Both Dr. Hall and Dr. Richie were there along with some amazing nurses. Two of them had our phones to take pictures. Everyone was very calm and happy. It did not feel like a scary moment at all, quite the opposite; it was, I think, the most peaceful moment of my life.

At 5:40 am I started pushing. Dr. Hall and Dr. Richie told me exactly how to push, when to push, and for how long. After pushing the first time I understood what I was doing, it felt so natural and pushing was exactly what my body wanted to do. I was calm and focused, and Garrett and my mom were cheering me on and right next to me. With every push he slid lower and lower. They could see his head full of hair and with one long push at 5:53 am Grayson Bennett came into the world. He cried immediately and I knew he was okay. I knew that he was alive and that was all I needed to know at that moment. I held him and cried and made sure he looked healthy. Moments later they took him from me because Sawyer was moving around, and we couldn’t let Sawyer flip. Grayson was smaller and Sawyer was bigger so we knew the second would be harder. He was also a lot higher up and now had a lot more room to move. The NICU nurses and doctors took Grayson and everyone reassured me that he was okay. The doctors asked if I wanted a break or if I wanted to start pushing. I wanted to start pushing. Until I saw Sawyer, I knew this wasn’t over and this would be the most difficult part.

I started pushing around 6:10 am, Sawyer took more work. Dr. Richie had to massage my belly and I had to push while she massaged so we could get Sawyer in the canal. Once he was in the canal I began to actively push. It took four or five big pushes after they could see Sawyers head before he came out, Sawyer Hudson was born at 7:05 am, a bit more than an hour after his brother. Once I held my baby in my arms, once I knew that he was okay, I could not stop crying. I cried for the next 45 minutes or hour.

I cried for love. The greatest, deepest, earth shattering love I had ever experienced in my entire life. I cried for relief, I cried for an abundance of gratitude, to my doctors, to my nurses, to my husband, to my mother, to my sisters, to my brothers, to all of my people. I cried because I had made it. I cried out of fear of what was to come, I cried for every fear and for all the hard times I had lived the previous six weeks. Most of all though, I cried out of joy, a joy I hadn’t even known was possible.

Once I was back in my delivery room, family came to congratulate me, and Garrett left to the NICU. When Garrett saw our boys his astonishment and love for them was so plain to see. His face was beaming, and he clearly had just been changed in that instant. The plan was always for him to leave my room for the NICU with the boys, we both knew the boys needed one of us and he did.

There’s a lot more that happened after the boys were born and Garrett left to the NICU, but I will leave that for another blog post. Mamas, if you are afraid of birth, if you worry about epidurals, or the NICU – I just want you to know that you are braver and stronger than you know. You have a superpower that has been there all along. You can do hard things and as long as your babies are okay, no matter how it happens, you will experience the greatest love and the greatest joy you have known on the day you meet your baby or babies. Trust yourself, believe in yourself, and lean to the ones that love you because what you are going to experience is beyond words. It is the greatest miracle of life.