Our Birth Story
When I went to the doctor after we found out we were having twins, we found out that they thought the twins were di di twins, meaning that they had two separate sacks and two separate placentas. Basically, that meant they weren't sharing anything besides my belly. Click here to learn more about the different kinds of twins.
Besides maybe one or two weeks in the very beginning of my pregnancy, I felt great! I had this hung over type feeling for about 2 weeks (week 6-8), but that was it! I continued to work, workout with a few modifications, and enjoyed eating! (Subway (toasted) was a craving.. Gross) I think one thing that helped A LOT was how much water I started to drink. I made sure to drink 72oz of water a day, and when I didn't, that is when I would start to have the pregnancy type symptoms.
Every appointment I went to was perfect, nothing abnormal. My doctor told me to keep being me + make sure to take my prenatals, continue to eat healthy and drink lots of water! Linking my favorite prenatals and pregnancy/nursing water bottle below. The only different thing so far was that our ultrasounds were scheduled at the perinatology clinic instead of right at the OBGYN clinic. Here you can find info on what perinatology is.
Since the moment we found out we were having a baby, Trent and I decided that we would not find out the gender. This did not change once we found out it was twins. We wanted to keep it a surprise for us, and everyone else. Brett and Tracy, Trent's brother and his wife, kept their pregnancies a surprise and we thought that was awesome. In today's world, there are not many real surprises, and we thought this would be a special one. At this point in time, we knew it would either be: Boy/boy, girl/girl, boy/girl. There was also a 33.33% chance that they were identical (remember, we thought they were di di at this point)
At our 20 week ultrasound, we were excited to hear that the babies were on track and they both looked great. One shocker for everyone was that they were identical mono di twins and not di di twins, which meant they share a placenta, were the same gender, and unfortunately, means more risk. Because of this, I was then scheduled to go in to get ultrasounds every week to make sure that Twin to Twin Transfusion didn't take place. (google it if interested) Twin to twin transfusion is when one baby gets all of the nutrients and too much blood.
All was well, and by well I mean almost perfect until about week 29. I went in for my routine weekly ultrasound and they noticed that there was resistance in the umbilical blood flow for Baby B. Because of this, they decided that they wanted me to come every 3 days to make sure that nothing were to change or get worse. Linking more info here on blood flow issues
On Friday May 18th, Trent and I went in at 10am for my ultrasound check up. It was nice because he was able to make a lot of my appointments because our perinatology clinic was located in the hospital that he worked at a lot. Anyways, long story short, we went in and didn't get the best news. Baby B's doppler was now having periods where there was absent flow to the baby from the placenta. Trent and I assumed that they would just continue to watch me closer and didn't really know what that meant. It was all so hard to accept because I felt absolutely great.
The doctor came in the ultrasound room shortly after and told me that I was going to be admitted and monitored over the weekend. I would be hooked up to two heart rate monitors for the babies, get two doses of steroid shots 24 hrs a part, and potentially be given an IV with a 12 hr drip of magnesium. We were so shocked, and scared. Info on steroids that mom gets for babies if they need to come early.
.
We stayed in the hospital all weekend. I ended up needing the magnesium drip which burned so bad. Info on what magnesium does. The steroids were also awful! I would have to say the worst part was the monitors. They didn't hurt, but every time I even slightly moved, one would stop tracking the baby and the nurse would have to come in and readjust to find the correct heart beats-- even in the middle of the night.
Funny story: So that weekend was my brother in laws Law School graduation, a birthday party, and an engagement party. I was very pregnant,(measuring the same belly size as a singleton momma at 39 weeks) with the puffy face, large nose and very pale due to living in Minnesota. I had a few cute dresses that I bought to wear while pregnant and I figured that weekend was the time to do it! ( I always bought free people stuff instead of maternity specific dresses) Since my legs were going to show, and I wasn't the most confident in my oversized belly for 29 weeks, I figured the best thing I could do is get a spray tan for the weekend. Motto: If you can't tone it, (spray) tan it!.. seriously though.
Note, I got spray tans at goglow.co and they are safe during pregnancy (after 1st trimester) and give me a piece of mind knowing that they develop their own clean solutions, etc. They source organic ingredients when possible and Dihydroxyacetone, or DHA is primarily used as an ingredient in sunless tanning products. It is often derived from plant sources such as sugar beets and sugar cane, and by the fermentation of glycerin. DHA has long been FDA approved. The amino acids on your skin’s surface respond naturally to the DHA and other complementing ingredients in the tanning formula. The same process occurs when an apple is left out and it “browns.” The result? The most beautiful sunless tan you’ve ever seen.
Well, that morning I did the initial rinse, but was planning to do a full shower later after doing a light workout. That all went out the window after they told us that I needed to be admitted immediately to get the first round of steroids in. When I got up to the hospital room the nurse commented right away, "your skin looks super good! You have a great tan, did you go somewhere?" I had to explain to her and all the other staff over the weekend that I got a spray tan because since I did not do that second rinse like I was supposed to, my sheets turned brown because I got soooo sweaty from the magnesium drip! Talk about embarrassing...
Over the weekend Trent and I both caught up on work, did a puzzle, and watched golf. Besides the steroids and magnesium and a few side back cramps from laying on the hospital bed, I still felt ok. At one point the nurse came in with the doctor and was showing her the monitor screen early in the morning, they kept asking "Can you feel that?" and I would respond half asleep," Feel what?" Because I was supposedly having pretty "big" contractions that thankfully I could not feel, they had to check things out down there. Again, the doctor even asked me, "did you just go on vacation?" So embarrassing.
The steroids help the babies lungs get ready for an early delivery and they also help the dopplers for a short period of time. On Monday morning, the nurse came in to do another ultrasound and the dopplers for baby B had improved slightly. Because of this, they let me go home, but said that I needed to come back Wednesday morning to check on them again to make sure that they stay the same and do not get worse.
Wednesday morning Trent and I went in for the ultrasound and things went downhill fast. Baby B now had reversal flow from the placenta to the baby via the umbilical cord. The doctor came in and told us that we needed to get these babies out ASAP. We asked her if we could wait a few more days to get the babies to grow a little more and she responded, "If we do not get Baby B out now, there is a good chance that baby could die, if baby B dies, baby A could possibly die shortly after.
It was May 23rd and they were only 29.6 weeks. We were so scared, so shocked and did not see this happening as everything else throughout the pregnancy was going so well. I thought that I would make it to at least 34 weeks. My weekly check ups were going so well, I was still working out and feeling great. Its amazing what technology can do now, and I am so thankful that we were being watched closely with weekly ultrasounds or else this could have been missed.
Since it was my body creating these babies, I felt like I failed them and Trent. It was a very emotional, weird feeling. I kept thinking, "What did I do wrong?" "Why is this happening when I feel good, I had healthy weight gain, my blood pressure is perfect" It was really hard to understand.
I had breakfast, so we had to wait 6 hours just in case they needed to put me all the way under.
We got checked in to our delivery/recovery room and they checked my cervix. My cervix was completely closed shut and thick and they told me that it would take days for me to deliver a baby even if I was induced because my body was not ready. Because of that, it was going to be an c-section. They hooked me up to another big bag of magnesium, which helps the babies brains when they are premature, but it is awful for the mom. I couldn't see clear for that 3 hours. They also gave me morphine. I remember the doctor, neonatologists and others coming in to talk to us before delivery about all of the risks, but it was such a blur. At 2pm, they rolled me back into the operating room to get started.
On the way down there, Trent and I realized we need to figure out what our name situation was! We did not find out gender, so we were going in with 2 girl names and 2 boy names. We just needed to finalize middle names. Fun fact: We had our girls names picked out since day 1!
Once they gave me the spinal tap and the surgeon was in the room, Trent was allowed to come in. We requested a clear drape so that we could see everything. ( DO IT) Trent's job was to announce the gender of the babies once they came out. We decided to wait to name them until after we saw them. I recommend that everyone goes into the delivery room with two names, even if you have one baby. Something clicks after you see them. (And I'm sure it does even more when they are more than 2lbs) After about 20 minutes, baby A came out and I remember Trent saying "its a girl!" I was soo shocked that I turned and looked up at him and said "what?!", I was confident that I was having boys!
Baby A came out, they showed us her through the drape and then rushed her over to the Neonatologist and team of doctors and nurses to get her stabilized in the room. 2 minutes later baby B came out and they did the same thing. They both came out crying which was a really good sign and so amazing to hear. It gave us hope.
Trent went over to their isoletts and watched as they were intubated. He was able to cut Baby A's cord and touch both of them. He even was able to put his ring on Baby A's arm.
Baby A: 3:22pm 2lbs 12oz
Baby B: 3:24 2lbs 6oz
Trent came over to me and asked me who we should name who? We knew our girl names were Joie and Lennon, we just didnt decide who would be who. Since I was still being closed up, I told Trent to pick. He chose Baby A to be Lennon Mae and Baby B to be Joie Clare.
Shortly after that, the babies were brought down to NICU once they were stable and going to make it. It was such a crazy experience, there was 20 people in our operating room because each baby had their own team.
Once Trent confirmed that I was also stable, he went with the babies to the NICU and once they were all set up, he came back up to me. I would not have made it through that day without him. During a high stress situation, he remained calm and kept me calm as well. I remember when I was crying on the way down to the operating room, he pulled out his camera and said, "we have to get one more selfie before we are a family of 4- we have the opportunity to meet them early!" He always tried to stay positive with me. Once I was closed up and after the 40 minute recovery period, they wheeled my bed down to the NICU so that I could see the babies. I had to stay in the bed because I was still numb from the bellyish area down.
It was a very emotional experience and still so surreal. I always dreamed of the babies being delivered and being put on my chest to start breastfeeding. I had this vision of Trent and I each holding one. It was very emotional having a c section, where you can't feel anything, and then all of a sudden the tell you babies are not in you anymore, but yet you can't hold them or touch them. Its really no way to start motherhood.
My husband is absolutely amazing. He is my rock and held us together during that stressful time. I couldn't have made it through that day without him. I love you Trent! It changed our lives forever and I am so grateful that everything went so well as the outcome could have been very different.
The NICU nurses and staff, along with March of Dimes welcomed us in with open arms. We are so thankful we had all of the support we did.
Let the NICU life begin...
Besides maybe one or two weeks in the very beginning of my pregnancy, I felt great! I had this hung over type feeling for about 2 weeks (week 6-8), but that was it! I continued to work, workout with a few modifications, and enjoyed eating! (Subway (toasted) was a craving.. Gross) I think one thing that helped A LOT was how much water I started to drink. I made sure to drink 72oz of water a day, and when I didn't, that is when I would start to have the pregnancy type symptoms.
Every appointment I went to was perfect, nothing abnormal. My doctor told me to keep being me + make sure to take my prenatals, continue to eat healthy and drink lots of water! Linking my favorite prenatals and pregnancy/nursing water bottle below. The only different thing so far was that our ultrasounds were scheduled at the perinatology clinic instead of right at the OBGYN clinic. Here you can find info on what perinatology is.
Since the moment we found out we were having a baby, Trent and I decided that we would not find out the gender. This did not change once we found out it was twins. We wanted to keep it a surprise for us, and everyone else. Brett and Tracy, Trent's brother and his wife, kept their pregnancies a surprise and we thought that was awesome. In today's world, there are not many real surprises, and we thought this would be a special one. At this point in time, we knew it would either be: Boy/boy, girl/girl, boy/girl. There was also a 33.33% chance that they were identical (remember, we thought they were di di at this point)
At our 20 week ultrasound, we were excited to hear that the babies were on track and they both looked great. One shocker for everyone was that they were identical mono di twins and not di di twins, which meant they share a placenta, were the same gender, and unfortunately, means more risk. Because of this, I was then scheduled to go in to get ultrasounds every week to make sure that Twin to Twin Transfusion didn't take place. (google it if interested) Twin to twin transfusion is when one baby gets all of the nutrients and too much blood.
All was well, and by well I mean almost perfect until about week 29. I went in for my routine weekly ultrasound and they noticed that there was resistance in the umbilical blood flow for Baby B. Because of this, they decided that they wanted me to come every 3 days to make sure that nothing were to change or get worse. Linking more info here on blood flow issues
On Friday May 18th, Trent and I went in at 10am for my ultrasound check up. It was nice because he was able to make a lot of my appointments because our perinatology clinic was located in the hospital that he worked at a lot. Anyways, long story short, we went in and didn't get the best news. Baby B's doppler was now having periods where there was absent flow to the baby from the placenta. Trent and I assumed that they would just continue to watch me closer and didn't really know what that meant. It was all so hard to accept because I felt absolutely great.
The doctor came in the ultrasound room shortly after and told me that I was going to be admitted and monitored over the weekend. I would be hooked up to two heart rate monitors for the babies, get two doses of steroid shots 24 hrs a part, and potentially be given an IV with a 12 hr drip of magnesium. We were so shocked, and scared. Info on steroids that mom gets for babies if they need to come early.
.
We stayed in the hospital all weekend. I ended up needing the magnesium drip which burned so bad. Info on what magnesium does. The steroids were also awful! I would have to say the worst part was the monitors. They didn't hurt, but every time I even slightly moved, one would stop tracking the baby and the nurse would have to come in and readjust to find the correct heart beats-- even in the middle of the night.
Funny story: So that weekend was my brother in laws Law School graduation, a birthday party, and an engagement party. I was very pregnant,(measuring the same belly size as a singleton momma at 39 weeks) with the puffy face, large nose and very pale due to living in Minnesota. I had a few cute dresses that I bought to wear while pregnant and I figured that weekend was the time to do it! ( I always bought free people stuff instead of maternity specific dresses) Since my legs were going to show, and I wasn't the most confident in my oversized belly for 29 weeks, I figured the best thing I could do is get a spray tan for the weekend. Motto: If you can't tone it, (spray) tan it!.. seriously though.
Note, I got spray tans at goglow.co and they are safe during pregnancy (after 1st trimester) and give me a piece of mind knowing that they develop their own clean solutions, etc. They source organic ingredients when possible and Dihydroxyacetone, or DHA is primarily used as an ingredient in sunless tanning products. It is often derived from plant sources such as sugar beets and sugar cane, and by the fermentation of glycerin. DHA has long been FDA approved. The amino acids on your skin’s surface respond naturally to the DHA and other complementing ingredients in the tanning formula. The same process occurs when an apple is left out and it “browns.” The result? The most beautiful sunless tan you’ve ever seen.
Well, that morning I did the initial rinse, but was planning to do a full shower later after doing a light workout. That all went out the window after they told us that I needed to be admitted immediately to get the first round of steroids in. When I got up to the hospital room the nurse commented right away, "your skin looks super good! You have a great tan, did you go somewhere?" I had to explain to her and all the other staff over the weekend that I got a spray tan because since I did not do that second rinse like I was supposed to, my sheets turned brown because I got soooo sweaty from the magnesium drip! Talk about embarrassing...
Over the weekend Trent and I both caught up on work, did a puzzle, and watched golf. Besides the steroids and magnesium and a few side back cramps from laying on the hospital bed, I still felt ok. At one point the nurse came in with the doctor and was showing her the monitor screen early in the morning, they kept asking "Can you feel that?" and I would respond half asleep," Feel what?" Because I was supposedly having pretty "big" contractions that thankfully I could not feel, they had to check things out down there. Again, the doctor even asked me, "did you just go on vacation?" So embarrassing.
The steroids help the babies lungs get ready for an early delivery and they also help the dopplers for a short period of time. On Monday morning, the nurse came in to do another ultrasound and the dopplers for baby B had improved slightly. Because of this, they let me go home, but said that I needed to come back Wednesday morning to check on them again to make sure that they stay the same and do not get worse.
Wednesday morning Trent and I went in for the ultrasound and things went downhill fast. Baby B now had reversal flow from the placenta to the baby via the umbilical cord. The doctor came in and told us that we needed to get these babies out ASAP. We asked her if we could wait a few more days to get the babies to grow a little more and she responded, "If we do not get Baby B out now, there is a good chance that baby could die, if baby B dies, baby A could possibly die shortly after.
It was May 23rd and they were only 29.6 weeks. We were so scared, so shocked and did not see this happening as everything else throughout the pregnancy was going so well. I thought that I would make it to at least 34 weeks. My weekly check ups were going so well, I was still working out and feeling great. Its amazing what technology can do now, and I am so thankful that we were being watched closely with weekly ultrasounds or else this could have been missed.
Since it was my body creating these babies, I felt like I failed them and Trent. It was a very emotional, weird feeling. I kept thinking, "What did I do wrong?" "Why is this happening when I feel good, I had healthy weight gain, my blood pressure is perfect" It was really hard to understand.
I had breakfast, so we had to wait 6 hours just in case they needed to put me all the way under.
We got checked in to our delivery/recovery room and they checked my cervix. My cervix was completely closed shut and thick and they told me that it would take days for me to deliver a baby even if I was induced because my body was not ready. Because of that, it was going to be an c-section. They hooked me up to another big bag of magnesium, which helps the babies brains when they are premature, but it is awful for the mom. I couldn't see clear for that 3 hours. They also gave me morphine. I remember the doctor, neonatologists and others coming in to talk to us before delivery about all of the risks, but it was such a blur. At 2pm, they rolled me back into the operating room to get started.
On the way down there, Trent and I realized we need to figure out what our name situation was! We did not find out gender, so we were going in with 2 girl names and 2 boy names. We just needed to finalize middle names. Fun fact: We had our girls names picked out since day 1!
Once they gave me the spinal tap and the surgeon was in the room, Trent was allowed to come in. We requested a clear drape so that we could see everything. ( DO IT) Trent's job was to announce the gender of the babies once they came out. We decided to wait to name them until after we saw them. I recommend that everyone goes into the delivery room with two names, even if you have one baby. Something clicks after you see them. (And I'm sure it does even more when they are more than 2lbs) After about 20 minutes, baby A came out and I remember Trent saying "its a girl!" I was soo shocked that I turned and looked up at him and said "what?!", I was confident that I was having boys!
Baby A came out, they showed us her through the drape and then rushed her over to the Neonatologist and team of doctors and nurses to get her stabilized in the room. 2 minutes later baby B came out and they did the same thing. They both came out crying which was a really good sign and so amazing to hear. It gave us hope.
Trent went over to their isoletts and watched as they were intubated. He was able to cut Baby A's cord and touch both of them. He even was able to put his ring on Baby A's arm.
Baby A: 3:22pm 2lbs 12oz
Baby B: 3:24 2lbs 6oz
Trent came over to me and asked me who we should name who? We knew our girl names were Joie and Lennon, we just didnt decide who would be who. Since I was still being closed up, I told Trent to pick. He chose Baby A to be Lennon Mae and Baby B to be Joie Clare.
Shortly after that, the babies were brought down to NICU once they were stable and going to make it. It was such a crazy experience, there was 20 people in our operating room because each baby had their own team.
Once Trent confirmed that I was also stable, he went with the babies to the NICU and once they were all set up, he came back up to me. I would not have made it through that day without him. During a high stress situation, he remained calm and kept me calm as well. I remember when I was crying on the way down to the operating room, he pulled out his camera and said, "we have to get one more selfie before we are a family of 4- we have the opportunity to meet them early!" He always tried to stay positive with me. Once I was closed up and after the 40 minute recovery period, they wheeled my bed down to the NICU so that I could see the babies. I had to stay in the bed because I was still numb from the bellyish area down.
It was a very emotional experience and still so surreal. I always dreamed of the babies being delivered and being put on my chest to start breastfeeding. I had this vision of Trent and I each holding one. It was very emotional having a c section, where you can't feel anything, and then all of a sudden the tell you babies are not in you anymore, but yet you can't hold them or touch them. Its really no way to start motherhood.
My husband is absolutely amazing. He is my rock and held us together during that stressful time. I couldn't have made it through that day without him. I love you Trent! It changed our lives forever and I am so grateful that everything went so well as the outcome could have been very different.
The NICU nurses and staff, along with March of Dimes welcomed us in with open arms. We are so thankful we had all of the support we did.
Let the NICU life begin...
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