A Babies Story

Wednesday May 1

I started having contractions during the night.  Around 4am I decided to wake Jake cause they were about thirty minutes apart.  Jake had brought an Escalade home from work that night (he is in the competitive analysis group and they get to bring home different vehicles to compare features - fun!)  But he had to return the car that morning.  Just in case I was in labor he decided to drive to work, drop off the Escalade, return the keys to the drop box, and bring home the Fusion.  So he left in the middle of the night to do that (30 min commute each way).  I was still timing contractions.  Since I couldn't sleep I wrote a blog post and painted my toenails.  Yes - that's right - I painted my toe nails!  I was so proud of myself.  I even stamped them so they were hot pink with black zebra stripes (the same as when I had Scarlett!)  It required some creative maneuvering to reach my little piggies!

By the time Jake got home my contractions had stopped.  Bummer!  I felt so bad for waking him, but he had the same bad cold as me and he was really sick so he was able to stay home from work and rest since he already returned the car.  So it ended up being a win win.  Laura took Scarlett to playgroup all morning while Jake and I got some r&r.  I told Jake that with my cold, not breathing well, huge belly, etc - I don't think I can go another day.  I really was miserable.  Plus 48 extra pounds makes all your joints hurt.

Thursday May 2

My contractions started back up in the evening.  Through the night it seemed like they were close together but the really strong ones were about 45 min apart.  I couldn't sleep at all.  I tried sleeping in the recliner.  Finally I just took a shower to try and relax my back.  It helped but I still couldn't sleep.  Around 7am I came downstairs and ate EZ Mac.  When the OB office opened I called and spoke with a nurse.  I was wondering if I needed to been seen since my contractions weren't that close together.  She said she wanted me to go get checked at the hospital since I had been laboring for several hours.  With a c-section they don't want you to get very far in labor.

We dropped Scarlett off at the Sawayas.  I was certain that I would be back in just a few hours to pick her up.  I really didn't think that today was the day.  When we got to the hospital they hooked me up on the monitors and checked my vitals.  My blood oxygen was around 93%.  They don't like pregnant women to drop below 95%.  The contraction monitor showed that I was actually contracting a lot more than I thought.  About one every 10 min.  No wonder I couldn't sleep!  The midwife came and spoke with us.  The babies looked fine, but I didn't.  My blood work showed I have preeclampsia and they were concerned about my breathing.  They wheeled me to radiation to get a chest x-ray.  It showed "fluffy, gunky stuff" in my lower lungs.  It was either pneumonia or bronchitis   Either way they started me on antibiotics and a steroid in my IV.

They kept me on the monitors to see how the girls were doing.  Eventually they told me that I would be staying the night to watch my breathing but there was a possibility they would take the girls so they stopped letting me drink water or eat ice chips.  They moved me from triage to a labor and delivery room.  They gave me another steroid but this was a shot in the butt that helps the baby's lungs develop faster.  It felt like a shot of thick molasses.  The nurse changed shifts and the new nurse snuck me 2 ice chips!  So luxurious!  My mouth was soooo dry.  They gave me these q-tips that have lemon glycerin on them.  It kinda of coats your mouth and makes it less miserable.  While I was waiting they did more blood work and I had a urine catch.  They used the new information to verify that I had preeclampsia.

My back was killing me.  Especially cause I had to lay on my back all day while hooked to the monitors.  The gave me morphine in my IV.  It worked immediately - I felt like warm water was poured over my head.  Then within like 10 seconds I threw up.  They gave me zofran for the nausea and benadryl for the itchiness caused by the morphine.  They said that often morphine will slow or even stop contractions so they would be able to see if I was in real labor.  While the morphine was working Jake was able to run home and eat dinner.  He also packed my stuff up and brought it to the hospital.  By the time he got back the OB said that my contractions were real and I was in labor.  So I guess the babies were ready to come today one way or another!!!  They just really wanted to be birthday buddies with Heber!  :-D  The tree in front of our house even bloomed pink today!

At 10pm Dr. Jones poked her head in my room and said "let's have a baby!"  Within minutes the room was a crazy blur of people.  I met my new nurses - one of them was Mormon!  Jake got dressed up in a clean suit while I got wheeled to the c-section room.  I got a spinal tap (which left a bruise on my back that Jake calls my "tramp stamp").  I was numb from my ribs down to my toes.  I was on my back with my arms spread out on a table.  They put a curtain up in front of my face so I couldn't see what was happening.  They also put this plastic bag tube thing across my arms.  It fills up with warm air and keeps me from shivering.  The room had like 15 people in it.  They went and grabbed Jake and brought him to a chair right by my head.  When he got to me he told me they had already started cutting me open!

Within probably 5 min or so they pulled out Siena.  Jake got to stand up and watch them pull her out.  He said that when they held her up she peed on me!  Then the next minute they pulled out Jaide.  She peed on me too!  All of the sudden the very sterile room sounded like it was full of seagulls.  Jake went over and stayed with the babies while they stitched me back up.  I started feeling really nauseous.  The anesthesiologist said it was probably cause my uterus was laying on top of my stomach outside my body.  He put a little bowl by my face and I dry heaved into it for a few minutes until he was able to get some zofran in me.  At that moment I was glad they didn't let me eat or drink all day.

Jake went with the girls to the NICU.  They were having trouble breathing.  You can see in the video that Jaide has this circle bump at the bottom of her ribs.  Everyone has that bone but you don't normally see it.  The only reason you can see hers is cause she is having such a tough time breathing.  They got chest x-rays to look that everything was ok.

Siena Karry Glauser

May 2, 2013 10:42 pm

5 lbs 10 oz

17.3 in long

Jaide Katherine Glauser

May 2, 2013 10:43 pm

5 lbs 2 oz

16.5 in long

While Jake was gone they finished my surgery.  While they were cleaning stuff up the OB told me that she could barely tell I had a c-section before - there was hardly any scar tissue inside.  And also the ab muscles are usually pulled to the two sides of the uterus but mine were still together at the bottom!  "Great muscle tone."  Must have been all the ab workouts I did while pregnant (by ab workout I mean eating treats).  While I was still on the surgery table they pushed on my uterus to make sure blood didn't come out.  Unfortunately big blood clots came out of me.  They did a blood loss count where they weighed all the gauze they used to clean me up to calculate how much blood I lost.  While they were tabulating the doctor did an ultrasound to see why I was still bleeding.  It's normal to lose 1L of blood, with twins up to 1.5L, I lost close to 2L.  The ultrasound showed that the uterus was bleeding down where Siena's head had been for months.  It was just too stretched out to contract right there.  So they decided to do a D&C to clean out any possible placenta fragments and they put a bakri balloon inside me.  It is full of saline and pushes on the inside of the uterus like you put pressure to slow bleeding on any wound.  In order to do the D&C they had to put my feet up in stirrups.  They had taken the curtain down so I could see what was happening - all of the sudden I looked down and saw my feet high in the air.  I turned to the anesthesiologist and asked him to put the curtain back up.  That way I could pretend that I was blissfully ignorant to what was happening downstairs.  They put me in the post op room and I started shivering like crazy.  My teeth were chattering and I was shaking from all the blood loss.  They put a big plastic bag over me like the little one in surgery and it filled with warm air.  It took almost an hour for my shivering to stop.

Jake came and gave me an update on the girls.  Their breathing had gotten stronger and their chest x-rays looked good.  They both had low blood sugar though and needed IV solution to help it get back up.  I started having really sharp pain in my chest and left shoulder.  The doctor didn't want to take any chances so they did an EKG to double check that my heart was handling everything ok.  It looked good. They said the pain I was feeling was called referred pain - where you feel the pain of the c-section in another location.  Apparently it's really common - I remember having it with Scarlett while I was on the operating table.  They kept me in post op for a few hours.  So I sent Jake back to the Labor and Delivery room to sleep (poor guy was still way sick with his cold).

My Girls

Friday May 3

They moved me to my Labor and Delivery room at 2am.  Jake told me that while he was sleeping a nurse poked her head in and yelled at him "what are you doing in here?!"  Even though it was our room and he had every right to be in there.  She didn't even apologize when she found out she was in the wrong.  Luckily though she was the only person we didn't like at the hospital.

They didn't let me eat/drink/chew ice chips for another several hours.  They were waiting to see if I need another surgery to stop bleeding or if I needed a blood transfusion.  My mouth was so miserably dry that when they would check my temperature the thermometer would stick inside my mouth - they had to peel it off.  Ouch!  Finally they said I could have ice chips.  I think I ate 6 tall cups of ice.  In fact, they would bring me a new cup and I had to eat it all before I could fall back asleep.  I tried sleeping with some ice left in my cup but I couldn't do it.  All I could think about were those little frozen chips of heaven.

They brought Jaide to my room to nurse and snuggle.  She is so little!!!  5 lbs seems like it wouldn't be that much smaller than Scarlett - but she's soooo little!  She wears preemie diapers!  Her little bum and legs have no fat on them.  Every few hours they had to check her blood sugar.  They use little packets that look like hand warmers that chemically get warm when you shake them.  They wrap it on her foot to warm it up and increase blood flow to the area.  Then they use a little device to cut a slit in her heel. The slit is like 1/8" long - poor thing!  Then they squeeze and squeeze til they get enough blood.

The respiratory therapist stopped by to make sure my lungs were healing.  I could tell that he probably doesn't come to labor and delivery often cause I was feeding Jaide and he was awkward - "eh, ur, um, do you want me to come back?"  I was covered with a blanket so I didn't care.  It was just funny.

Jaide's blood sugar and body temperature started dropping so they decided to take her and put her on an IV.  Once she is on an IV she is a patient of the NICU and can't leave til the IV treatment is finished and she passes other tests.  I had kept my composure pretty well during all the stress over the past day.  But once they told me they were taking Jaide - I lost it.  I just felt so lonely without my daughters - one whom I barely had seen.

During the morning my stomach was pretty flat, but by the afternoon it had ballooned out and was kind of tight instead of soft.  It had become distended.  They were worried it was filling with blood or something else was going on so they did another ultrasound.  It showed that my tummy was full of gas.  It sounds funny but it is painful!  The spinal tap paralyzes the colon and other parts.  Those systems are much slower to shake off the anesthesia than the limbs.  The doctor told me once I could toot to make sure and not hold them in.  So it didn't matter who was in my room (doctors, nurses, etc) I just had to let them rip (that part was kinda funny!)

Every half hour the nurse would remove some of the saline from the bakri balloon.  Late in the afternoon they were able to remove the bakri balloon completely and move me to a postpartum room.  Right after we dropped my stuff off they wheeled me to the NICU and I finally got to hold my girls!!!  I love to snuggle their sweet little bodies.  I got to hold Siena, but Jaide was under the heat lamp.  Eventually they let me hold her skin to skin - they said that the skin to skin is actually the most effective tool to regulate the baby's body temperature.

Jake left to get Scarlett from the Bingham's (they picked her up from the Sawaya's).  Then they picked my mom up from the airport.  All three of them came by the hospital late that evening to see the girls.  I was so glad to see my mommy!  Jake is wonderful but I needed him at the hospital.  I was so grateful that she was able to come and take care of Scarlett for us.  I couldn't believe how big Scarlett looked to me.  It felt like she grew twelve inches since I last saw her!  She said hi, gave me a hug, and was soon fast asleep.  We spent some time with the girls in the NICU then they went home.

The girls were on a 3 hour eating schedule.  I was allowed to nurse Jaide for 10 minutes then top her off with formula.  Siena I was allowed to nurse every other feeding for 10 minutes then use formula to top her off.  Then I went back to my room to pump after every feeding.  The hospital actually had a pump specifically for preemie moms.  The preemie setting has a more sporadic cycle where it sucks hard, soft, pauses, mixes it up.  More like a preemie eats.

Saturday May 4

During the night the NICU nurses suggested I sleep through one of the middle of the night feedings to catch up on rest and help me recover.  Especially since I lost so much blood - the anemia makes you really tired.  (They said it will probably be 6 months or so before my body recovers and I'm no longer anemic).  When I went to see them in the morning the girls had been moved over to the lower risk section of the NICU.  Yay!

Several nurses poked their heads in my room to say how adorable these little preemie outfits are - they are so small!!!

Late in the morning Jaide was stable enough and was able to be weaned off her IV of sugar water.  Siena ended up needed a higher concentration of sugar water and and higher setting.  But Jaide was finally released to my room.  I was in the shower when they brought her so the nurse took her to the nursery.  Once I got all cleaned up they brought her to me.  I was in heaven - I love snuggling with my babies!  I would hold and kiss her - then when it was time to feed Siena the nurse would take Jaide back to the nursery.

Jake, Scarlett and my mom came to visit.  I heard Scarlett in the hallway "see mommy!"  Then when they were right outside my door she started screaming "no see mommy!"  They brought her in my room and she wouldn't look at me.  My heart broke!  My mom thinks that she was a little traumatized when she saw me last night.  Luckily they had taken out my IV so I didn't look so scary.  I had collected lots of treats in my mini fridge and I happened to be eating lunch when they came.  So I was able to get her to sit on my lap and eat with me.  It took a good twenty minutes though before she would look me in the eye.

I had planned on taking her to the NICU to meet Siena but after her entrance we decided that the NICU would probably be too scary.  But since Jaide was in my room - Scarlett got to meet her.  She was so adorable when she met her sister!  I am posting a separate blog post about their first meeting.

Filling out the hospital menu and eating their food has been a highlight of my stay.  I had been so sick for the past few weeks that I couldn't really eat.  Plus my belly was so squished and everything gave me heartburn.  So I have really enjoyed eating food again.  :-)

Jake took Scarlett home to play while my Mom stayed with me to help with the girls.  She went to feed Siena (since she was doing exclusive formula that evening - they didn't want her to nurse and spend the extra calories eating).

Jake and Scarlett came back.  Jake went to spend time with Siena then they all left.

Scarlett really wanted to try the breast pump!

During the day the hospital pharmacist had to come by and verify my Advair was what I said it was (since the hospital doesn't carry Advair, I had to bring mine from home).  Apparently the nurse told me that the pharmacist was way nervous to come check out my prescription.  He doesn't like coming to the Mother Baby floor cause there are too many naked boobies.  haha!  Luckily I was covered up when he came.

Sunday May 5

When I went to see Siena in the morning they had weened her off her IV.  Woot woot!!!  My girls are champions!  The neonatologist was so impressed at what great nursers they are.  Most late term preemies have a lot more trouble eating.  She also told me how impressed she is with Jake and me.  That she knows the babies are in great hands and that we can do this.  One of the NICU nurses told me (when Jake went home) what a great husband he is and how lucky I am.  And one of my day nurses told me as she left to go home that she thought it was a real pleasure to get to know me.  Yay!  I'm glad that we were able to make a good impression.  Especially cause many of them asked where we were from "Utah" - I'm sure they assumed we were Mormon.  Hopefully they will remember those Mormons were nice.

They sent me to my room to take a quick shower before they brought me my baby.  Finally I had Jaide and Siena together.  I was so intimidated!  I told the nurse how I really didn't know what to do with babies in my hospital room cause I never had to do that with Scarlett.  Luckily Jake showed up and we started our two baby juggling act.  Every three hours we would change diapers, feed, top off with formula, pump, then nap.  Exhausting!  The nurses came by a lot and kept my pain meds flowing.  All the nursing and pumping cause wicked cramps.  Unfortunately I am allergic to NSAIDs so I could only take Percocet.  Most people have Ibuprofen to help with the break through pain.  And taking Percocet every 4 hours made me feel so tired and kind of loopy.  It makes my ears feel like they just popped and my nervous system is super sensitive.  It makes me hot and have weird dreams.  Ugh.

My feet are so swollen!  It was actually easier to shave cause all my bones were buried under my swollen skin.  

After Jake went home it was time to feed both girls again.  I decided since I was alone that I would try tandem feeding them.  It's were each baby lays with their head under a boob and their bodies lay along my sides so their feet are behind me on each side (double football hold).  It was surprisingly easy!  The hardest part was getting the girls to latch (sometimes they forget what they're doing - but it's only been a few days since they learned).  My nurse walked in as I was feeding them both - she exclaimed "where's your camera?  I have to take a picture!  You look like Supermom!"

Monday May 6

The nurse talked me into sleeping through another night feeding to catch up on sleep.  She took the girls to the nursery and said she would do their carseat test.  For small babies the hospital requires that they pass this test.  They hook the babies up to heart monitors and blood oxygen level monitors.  Then they buckle them in their carseat and let them sit there for 90 min.  The babies have to be able to stay buckled the whole time without any oxygen saturation problems.  Jake brought their carseats to the hospital yesterday so we were ready for the test.  Scarlett had to do the same test but it took her 3 tries to pass (turns out her nose was just full of boogies).  I asked the nurse if she would take my camera and get some pictures of them during their test.  The nurse said she had never had anyone ask that before - hee hee I guess I just love pictures!  They both passed!

In the morning the nurse came by and removed my staples and replaced them with steristrips.  They also ran another blood test on me to see how I was recovering.  The blood test came back saying my hemoglobin levels had dropped.  :-(  Then during the late morning I noticed my scar was bleeding.  The nurse called my OB to come look at it.  There are two spots that had popped open!  GROSS!  They are about 1 inch wide and maybe .75 inches deep.  They want the wound to heal from the inside out.  Otherwise if the outside heals with that huge deep gap - the gap can fill with infection.  So in order to force the wound to heal from the inside first they had to pack the wound with gauze.  Well, since it will take a few weeks to heal, Jake had to learn how to pack the wound at home.  It hurts so bad!!!  He has to take sterile gauze that is 1 inch wide and maybe 4 inches long.  Then he takes a long q-tip and slowly starts stuffing the hole with the gauze - trying to fill all the gaps to prevent infection pockets from forming.  Then he uses gauze squares to cover the wound and protect it.  It has to be changed each day.  Removed before I shower and repacked after I get out of the shower.  Yuck!  What a good husband he is to me.  When it hurts while he's packing it he stops for a minute to let me rest and pats my tummy.

So even though both of my girls were doing well we had to stay til Monday night for me.  They rechecked my blood levels later that night and decided that I was stable enough to be released.  We packed up my room and the nurse we had hooked us up with lots of stuff (handfuls of binkies, packs of diapers, and two brand new hospital swaddle blankies).

It was so weird to leave with these little tiny people.  It feels like they are too small to be going home.  Jake had rearranged our minivan so the twins are in the two captain's chairs on the second row and Scarlett's seat is in the back row.  He folded down one of the seats on the back row so we can buckle Scarlett from the trunk.  I haven't gone anywhere with all the girls yet, but I'm glad we will all fit when it comes time to.

We pulled into our neighborhood and saw this adorable sign.  When we walked in Scarlett and Mom had this surprise for us.  Scarlett and I snuggled and I put her to bed while Jake and Mom put the twins in their bed.  So nice to be home!

What a whirlwind!  I can't believe the girls are finally here.  I am so thankful that they are so healthy for 35 week 4 day old babies.  I'm so grateful that they are great eaters and that my milk supply came in full and plenty.  Even though there were lots of complications with my surgery, everything is just temporary and will heal up perfectly fine.  We feel so blessed to have three sweet girls in our home.