At my 15 week appointment the OB said I measuring 19 weeks and sent me for an ultrasound. I had the ultrasound a week later. Before the got started the ultrasound tech was asking me a few questions, she asked me why I was needing an ultrasound and I explained that I was measuring big. Right then she placed the ultrasound wand on my belly and very quickly took it off, "Want to know why?!" with a big smile. I said, "Don't tell me", "Don't tell you what?!" another big smile, "It's twins!?". She said "Yes, its twins!" as she put the wand back on my belly just long enough for me to see that there was two. I started laughing hysterically, so hard that I never made a sound. Apparently I laugh when I am extremely nervous or shocked. I had to sit up because I basically couldn't breath I was laughing so hard. Since I had my hands over my mouth the tech and Brian tried to comfort me and get a tissue because she thought I was crying. I was just in shock I guess. After I settled down we continued with the ultrasound. First we found out they were in two sacs and had two placentas. 'Baby A' was a girl. When the tech went to tell us the sex of 'Baby B', Brian was going "boy, boy, boy, boy.." - "it's a boy", he literally jumped with joy. We called my mom to tell her we were done with the appointment and coming over as planned. We called my sister and asked her, her boyfriend, and my 2yr old nephew, what they thought the sex of the "baby" was. I think my sister said boy, and my nephew said a girl and a boy, and my sister's boyfriend agreed. We answered with "Kody and Andrew got it right". When we got to my mom's we just showed her the ultrasound pictures and didn't say anything.. of course we had to point out that there were two, a girl and boy. My (step) dad was right he told my mom that I sounded too happy when I called to let them know we were on our way over, he knew it was twins.
My next appointment with the OB was 3weeks later (long time after finding out its twins I know, but that's when they wanted me in). The OB walks in the exam room and says "You are the one with twins right? Didn't someone call you? We can't help you here since you are having twins." Then recommend I go to a hospital an hour to an hour and a half away for all my appointments. That made me very mad, 'you wasted 3 weeks of my time when I could have been looking for a new OB, and you suggest I go somewhere far away since I'm considered high risk... what if I go into labor and don't make it so far away?'.
I continued to go to the ultrasound place regularly while I was on the search for a new OB. Accourding to the ultrasounds it was a normal healthy twin pregnancy. At 28weeks I had to start going to non-stress tests (NST) twice a week. NSTs are where they monitor the babies heart rates for about 15-30min It took a very long time to find an OB, mostly after my insurance was giving me trouble. I finally had an appointment at 29 weeks. The next day (29wk1day) I had my second NST. After a while the nurse comes in and says "Do those contractions hurt?". I replied with "What contractions?". So needless to say, I they didn't hurt, I didn't feel them at all. So they sent me to Labor and Delivery to be checked out. I called Brian (first appointment he missed) and told him what was going on but not to worry because I read where that happens to a lot of pregnant women especially twins, that most likely I would need some medication to stop the contractions and go home. When L&D hooked me up to the monitors I found out I was having contractions 2-5min apart. They gave me medication to stop the contractions and steroids to help develop the babies' lungs just in case they were born early. They had to give me lots of medication before they got the contractions to slow down, but not stop. My new OB came to exam me. I told him that I didn't mean to be such a pain after being his patient for one day. I stayed the night and my OB decided to transfer me to a hospital over an hour away (a different one than before) so the babies will get the best care if they are born early. He admited to us that if they were born soon at the local hospital I was at, they may not survive (it really isn't a good hospital and they don't have a NICU). Right then I knew I made a good choice getting him as an OB even if it was for a few days.
The day before Thanksgiving I was transferred to Loma Linda University Medical Center/Loma Linda University Children's Hospital. Every day, twice a day, I was connected to the NST monitors, they would show contractions that were close together, I would be given medication to slow them down at least 30min apart. And they would be close together again 8-12hrs later. The whole time I wouldn't feel but a very very small handful of contractions, and the ones I did feel never hurt.
On Dec 19th (at 32 weeks) my sister stayed the night with me in the hospital. There was a second bed in the room but I never had a roommate, and they nurses let Brian or anyone else sleep in it as long as they didn't need it. I started to get a little sore directly on my hip bones, I assumed it was just from all the bed rest. After a while it felt well enough so I could get some sleep. When I woke up in the morning it was hurting again so I hoped in the shower. It was at that point when I was like "hey, I think I am finally feeling contractions". So I let the nurse know and she hooked me up to the monitors. And of course, like always, I was having contractions. I was giving medication, they didn't slow down enough so I needed more, which wasn't uncommon, but they still didn't slow down enough. I believe I was given more medication while waiting for the doctor. He checked and said I was dilated to 4-5cm and that they were not going to be able to stop my contractions anymore, it just wasn't working. They moved me into a delivery room and gave me an epidural even though I still wasn't in pain but they require it when delivering twins. It was around that time (3pm) when Andrew,who was coming to pick up Kaitlyn, called Brian for me. Andrew told him he needs to get to the hospital right away because I was in labor. Then I got on the phone with him trying to tell him that I did just get an epidural but was going to be pushing anytime soon so even though he needed to leave work and come, he didn't need to freak out or drive crazy. His work is 2-1/2 to 3 hours away from the hospital. He got there in around 2hrs I think and even ran through the parking lot, hospital, and into the room. At that point several other family members had already arrived and we were all just laughing and Brian, panting and freaking out. Truly it was very sweet that he was so worried.
Lots of family and friends were there just waiting for the delivery. Everyone ended up staying up really late, thinking it was going to happen any minute. Most people were sleeping in the waiting room or in their cars waiting to hear something. Brian came back into my room around 3am to finally get some sleep in the chair next to me. Around 4am the nurses woke me up saying they lost the heartbeat for Baby A (just means she moved) and needed to find it again.. but first they checked my dilation... I was at 10cm and her head was right there. That's why the heartbeat wasn't being picked up, she was too far down. I told Brian "Wake up baby, its time". He went to wake everyone up and tell them while they prepared to wheel me to the OR. I left my room at 4:10am. The OR seemed scary and made me more nervous. They had an ultrasound in there to check the babies' positions. Baby A was head down ready to go, Baby B was head down but facing my back when he should be facing forward. The doctor broke my water at 4:28am and told me to push. I was pushing as hard as I could but I was so numb from the epidural I could tell if I was actually pushing or not, it was very hard to do. Baby A, Rhiannon Carol, was born at 4:46am weighing 3lb 14oz and 15-3/4in long. After the placenta came out (later to fall on the floor - haha Pearl Jam), the doctor had to physically turn Baby B around. I gave one more push and Baby B, Konnor Charles, was born at 4:52am weighing 4lb 1oz and 16in long. Both of them were pretty much immediately handed off through a window to a team of doctors and nurses in the next room. Brian didn't get to cut any cords nor did we get to even see them until they wheeled me out of the OR. I was in the hallway and they opened the other door and just held up the babies for us to "see" then wheeled me back to my room. I was back in there by 5:10am.
After going back to the room with family and friends waiting in there, I was feeling great. Had lots of energy actually, but I was having a hard time trying to eat and had a little nausea just because everything was settling back in my body. Brian ended up telling the nurse so she got some nausea medication to put in my IV. She says "this might make you a little drowsy". As she is still putting it into my IV, I pass out cold. A few hours later they wake me to use the bathroom and get moved into a new room. I was really weak and wanted to go to sleep while going to the bathroom. Another few hours later I woke up myself and needed to use the bathroom. My aunt helped me since I was still very tired and weak. When I stood up from the toilet I said that I felt a little dizzy and lightheaded and just sat back down. Apparently the moment I sat down, I fainted. It was a good thing my aunt was there because I just fell forward into her. She called the nurses in, and thats when I woke up. I was like "hey!!" thinking they opened the door while I was going to the bathroom, I didn't even realize what happened. Because of all that, we didn't get to see the babies until 8pm I believe. Poor Brian waited all that time for me to wake up to go see the babies.
They were both very healthy and spend some time in the NICU. Konnor was on oxygen for the first 24hrs just to dry out his lungs due to some fluid. So we didn't get to hold him the first day but was able to the next day. The only other stuff they had to deal with while in the NICU was jaundice, server diaper rash, nippling a bottle, and growing. When they were exactly one month old, I got to hold both of them together for the first time. Rhiannon was always doing better than Konnor with her bottle feedings so we thought for sure she would be home first, usually females have shorter NICU stays anyways. But out of nowhere Konnor did really well and go to come home after 42 days (exactly 6 weeks old). He weighed 6lb 14oz and was 19in long when he came home, on Superbowl Sunday. The very next day, Rhiannon completely refused to eat. It took a very long time before the doctor agreed to let her go home with the NG feeding tube still in. That was after 71 days (10 weeks and 1day old) weighing 9lb and 20-1/2in long. The very next morning she pulled her tube out and I had to replace it especially since a nurse was coming to the house to make sure everything was good - so I was even more nervous about putting it in wrong and not being able to get it in at all. But everything was fine. She even took 2, yes 2, bottles that morning. I left the tube in for about 3 days "just in case" but the whole time she was eating again just fine. We knew that whole time she just needed to be home with her twin brother and family that love her.
05 May 2008 - 00wks 0days:
LMP - Last Menstrual Period
19 May 2008 - 02wks 0days:
Conceived on or around this date
14 June 2008 - 05wks 5days:
First "signs" of morning sickness
16 July 2008 - 10wks 2days:
Blood test (for something else) showed positive pregnancy
17 July 2008 - 10wks 3days:
Told Brian he was going to be a father
31 July 2008 - 12wks 3days:
1st prenatal appt. at the clinic
11 Aug. 2008 - 14wks 0days:
Started 2nd trimester
19 Aug. 2008 - 15wks 1days:
2nd prenatal appt. - heard heartbeat - measured at 19wks?
28 Aug. 2008 - 16wks 3days:
1st ultrasound - found out we're expecting fraternal twins!
Baby A: Girl (Rhiannon Carol) 6oz healthy
Baby B: Boy (Konnor Charles) 5oz healthy
16 Sept. 2008 - 19wks 1days:
3rd prenatal appt. - clinic can't help me with twins
23 Sept. 2008 - 20wks 1days:
Brian and I both felt 1st actual kick (Rhiannon)
25 Sept. 2008 - 20wks 3days:
2nd ultrasound
Baby A: Girl (Rhiannon Carol) 11oz healthy
Baby B: Boy (Konnor Charles) 11oz healthy transverse pos.
23 Oct. 2008 - 24wks 3days:
3rd ultrasound
Baby A: Girl (Rhiannon Carol) 1lb 5oz healthy
Baby B: Boy (Konnor Charles) 1lb 6oz healthy
20 Nov. 2008 - 28wks 3days:
4th ultrasound
Baby A: Girl (Rhiannon Carol) 2lb 1oz healthy (stomach?)
Baby B: Boy (Konnor Charles) 2lb 6oz healthy
21 Nov. 2008 - 28wks 4days:
1st Non-Stress Test
Baby A: Girl (Rhiannon Carol) healthy & active
Baby B: Boy (Konnor Charles) healthy & active transverse
24 Nov. 2008 - 29wks 0days:
4th prenatal appt. - 1st with new doctor (White)
Everything looks good - Baby B: Boy (Konnor Charles) breech
The Babies' Arrival:
In short, I started to have contractions on 11/25/08, at 29weeks pregnant. I was transferred to another hospital... I ended up staying there for exactly 4weeks having contractions the entire time. Until finally they couldn't control them anymore. Rhiannon Carol and Konnor Charles were born on Sunday 21 December 2008 at 32wks 6days making them just over 7weeks early.
Rhiannon Carol born on 12/21/08 at 4:46am.
Weighing 3lb 14oz and 15.75in.
Konnor Charles born on 12/21/08 at 4:52am.
Weighing 4lb 1oz and 16in.
Weighing 3lb 14oz and 15.75in.
Konnor Charles born on 12/21/08 at 4:52am.
Weighing 4lb 1oz and 16in.
