Signing my life away (not sure why I'm smiling so big)
Monday April 16, 2007 - I had a routine non-stress test at the hospital scheduled for 8am and then a routine Dr's appointment at 9am. At the hospital, my normally low blood pressure was high and then they found protein in my urine...all signs pointing to pre-eclampsia (a condition which involves elevated blood pressure due to pregnancy).
Call went in to my Doctor; orders to skip the appointment and stay put at the hospital for further testing.
Waiting. Blood was drawn. More waiting.
11:30am - The perinatalogist came in after seeing my blood test results and told us that at 35 weeks and 2 days with pre-eclampsia, his recommendation was to go ahead and take the babies out. TODAY. SOON. YIKES. He left to call my Doctor to discuss.
11:45am - The nurse came in and said the Dr. ordered a C-section and that it would probably be around 3 or 4pm. Whew! Jim will have time to run home and grab my half-packed bag and other essentials for our hospital stay.
12:00pm - The nurse returned and informed us that the C-section was scheduled for 1:30pm. IN AN HOUR AND A HALF. No time for Jim to run home after all. Uh, OK. I guess. There's no turning back now. At least I threw my camera into my purse before leaving the house. A few phone calls were made. A few last minute photos were taken with Jim and my Dad (aka Ba, who was originally scheduled to come out the following day, but luckily came out a few days early!) Then, the nurses came in and tortured me with their IV insertion and re-insertion. Bloody mess. Magnesium drip was started to bring my blood pressure down, I felt like I was breathing fire. Drunken loopiness set in. That is some weird stuff.
High on Mag
12:45pm - The anesthesiologist came in for "the talk" about the spinal. My biggest fear. He gave the green light for Ba to join us in the OR.
1:15pm - Jim and Ba suited up head to toe. I was scared, but excited to be meeting my babies soon. It all felt a little surreal, especially with the Mag.
1:30pm - I was wheeled in to the OR. Ba was silent and stone-faced...I knew he was afraid for my well-being. Jim was super excited. He was on a high that whole day.
The OR was much smaller than I expected. I sat on the table and hunched my back over, as instructed...the anesthesiologist numbed the spot. A little more than a pinch, but not horrible. He had a bit of a time finding the right spot: a few sticks, another numbing shot in a different area, and then the spinal goes in. OK. Tough part over. I joked around with the Docs about smelling my flesh burning and doing some lipo while they're down there. Jim said the anesthesia must be working if I'm joking around. Ba was sitting very still in his chair near the doorway, not saying a word.
Some pulling and tugging and Jim said, "Get ready!" Out comes Zayn at 2pm sharp. They whisk him away pretty quickly and I don't remember getting a good look. Annalise was born at 2:01pm. The Dr. said she was planning on giving us problems - her cord was wrapped around her neck - twice. They lifted her up for me to see and she gave a big wail as if on cue. My hunches were right - we have a boy and a girl!
I encouraged Jim to go with the babies and my Dr's sewed me up. The pulling and tugging from that was the most uncomfortable part of the surgery. Afterwards, I was in recovery for a couple of hours, with Ba by my side the entire time. I was in and out of consciousness and apparently, snored like a Mack truck.
After leaving Recovery, my bed was wheeled into the NICU so I could meet my babies for the first time. First up, Annalise. She was just precious, even with the tiny feeding tube coming out of her mouth. Next, Zayn. I was able to hold his little hand and touch his tiny chest. So small and perfect.
Zayn on the scale
Zayn in the NICU
Zayn and Annalise's stay in the NICU only lasted for a few hours. Annalise had low blood sugar, but it was quickly remedied with a feeding. They were both able to spend the night in our room with us and we feel incredibly lucky to have two healthy babies.
Happy and High
Proud Grandpa
Our Family
