My Twin Girls Birth Story (long)

BeesKnees181 · May 2014

After my OB appointment at 35 weeks + 6 days, my OB told me he thought I should be induced the next day. I was shocked and was actually planning to discuss his opinion on me going 38 weeks with the girls. Because my pregnancy was seemingly "boring" and had no complications (other than my Heterozygous Factor V Leiden), was almost sold on going well past 37 weeks. At the appointment, however, I was measuring 40 weeks and Baby A was not gaining weight; neither was I at this point. I had gone 2 full weeks without gaining weight.

I trust my OB, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed with the idea of induction. My fiance and I talked it through and decided that we knew we were in very good hands and I was set to be induced at 7:30 a.m. the following morning. That night I told my fiance that I was worried it was too early and that I was worried the girls would be too small. I drank my red raspberry leaf tea, read through some mantras on labor and delivery, and went to bed. I dreamed that night that everything was going to be ok with this birth. I woke up the next morning feeling really good and empowered about this team decision.

My morning/day labor and delivery nurse was amazing. We had the quietest room at the end of the hall. She encouraged me to do all the things I wanted to do while laboring. She started my pitocin and bumped me up very slowly as the hours passed. My fiance and I listened to music, talked, I bounced on the ball, and we danced. It was a special time. They checked my cervix and I was only at 3 cm. My OB suggested we break my water at 10:30 a.m. I was not ready and felt completely rushed. I declined and said that I wanted more time to be mobile (since I knew I would get an epidural before they broke my water) for a bit longer. By 1 p.m. I was feeling ready to move the process along. Around 2 p.m. they started y epidural. The OB broke my water at 4 p.m.

By 7 p.m. contractions were stronger and longer, and the pressure was building. I told my fiance I thought it was close. I wondered why they hadn't checked my cervix in such a long time. I felt like the babies were very close, and I was beginning to get the urge to push. Came to find out the entire team (13 people set up for delivery of multiples at this hospital) was delivering another set of twins by C-section. This explained why we were receiving very little attention at this point in the process. My night nurse came in and told me the team was in with another delivery and they would have to decelerate my labor. I was angry. I told her "no." And I think I said something along the lines of, "That is complete bullshit. I have been ready to push for a long time." She checked my cervix. She said the babies head was very close. They then started prepping me for complications - like excessive bleeding due to a multiple delivery.

By 8:30 p.m. they were wheeling me into an operating room. The team wasn't even back from the other twin delivery yet. They started trickling in, one by one. Before I knew it, I was pushing. Pushing was very hard work to start. I had a moment when I thought it would take hours. But, eventually I felt ferocious and my pushing became more and more purposeful. I pushed for a good 40 minutes and Marlo Gail was born (4 lbs. 9 oz, 18.5 inches long). at 9:50 p.m. Absolutely beautiful. My fiance brought her over to me after the pediatrician team had checked her out. Eight minutes later, Daphne Grey was born (4 lbs. 11 oz., 18.5 inches long). I got to hold both my beautiful girls briefly before they took them to the nursery to make sure everything was ok with them. It was the most amazing experience of my life. I had no tearing. My fiance went with the girls to the nursery, while they finished with me in the OR.

I was pretty out of it, but remember my nurse asking if I wanted her to get my fiance. I said, "No. I want him to stay with the girls." All along that had been our plan. Because my bleeding was excessive, they thought that my cervix had torn. So, unfortunately, they had to pull my already very tender vagina open to look for a torn cervix. They found no tears and attributed the bleeding to post-partum hemorrhaging. My poor fiance was a nervous wreck by the time he got back to our labor and delivery room. I shook very strongly after the labor - probably due to the epidural, the crazy hormones running through my system, and the additional pain meds they administered when they were checking my cervix after the delivery.

I was really hungry, and ate and drank while I waited. I wanted to see my girls, but because they were born at 36 weeks they were not allowed to be with me until I was released to my post-partum room. My nurse tried to bend rules, since the girls were so healthy. Instead, I was released to post-partum early so that the girls could be with me. I attribute not tearing to several factors - having a nurse that supported me to take my time through the labor process, a great team of people who helped to deliver the girls, and doing all the pre-delivery moving around before my epidural. This birth was my first. It was so amazing, and I am so grateful for my two healthy babies.