BIRTH STORY

Before I begin my story I must talk about my dear husband.  He has been a rock to lean on, an invaluable medical advocate for me and our sons, and the perfect partner in this.  I couldn’t have asked for a better spouse, and I grow to love him more each day as these experiences have only brought us closer together and to God.

Last picture of me pregnant - me getting monitored.

Bedrest

By the beginning of November, I was very uncomfortable – swollen ankles, not sleeping well, and everything else that comes with typical full-term pregnancy.   On Nov 2, I had an OB appointment with Dr. Pohl and was put on bedrest at home so as to relieve some of the building pressure that would contribute to pre-term labor.  I was allowed to get up for 15-20 minutes every 2 hours.  It is tough to take care of yourself with that kind of time limitation!

The following week on Nov 10 I had my Maternal Fetal Medicine appointment for high risk patients.  I just had a feeling that I needed to prepare the last-minute things before this appointment, so we picked up the house, finished packing the hospital bag, and generally got things ready.  By this point I had quite a bit of pressure – enough that I honestly thought I had a hernia.  At the appointment, we discovered that my cervix had shortened considerably (down from 3.5 to 1.34) and that I had some protein in my urine (2.5), which is indicative of preeclampsia.  I was admitted to the hospital for what I was originally told was a 24 hour stay to monitor me.  TJ knew better, but it came as a shock to me when I was told that I would be there for the duration of my pregnancy.  I spent the first night in the Labor and Delivery unit until they had a space open up for me in the High Risk Pregnancy unit the following day.  I was given two steroid shots over the first few days to help develop the babies’ lungs.

Once I wrapped my brain around the possibility that I was going to be on hospital bedrest with “bathroom privileges” for maybe several weeks, I planned to make my stay more comfortable.  I had an outpouring of people who called or sent messages, and a few visitors.  In many ways it was much easier than being on bedrest at home, since I didn’t have to worry about making my own meals, doing laundry, or most of my regular responsibilities.  I also had nurses and other staff coming and going so I always had some human interaction.  I can honestly say that I never got bored during my stay at the hospital.

I would get fetal monitoring twice a day (once for each 7-7:00 shift), which would last an hour.  I was so thankful that the babies were showing no signs of distress, or else I would have had to be monitored continuously.  The monitoring consisted of three straps across my gel-covered belly, and usually another strap and a washcloth to help keep one of the monitors on because one of the babies was constantly trying to evade the monitors (ahem, Peter).  The nurses would often have to come and readjust his monitor repeatedly.

That Sunday I received a blessing and was privileged to partake of the sacrament.  The blessing said that the babies would be born “whole”, which gave me great comfort.  I remember feeling humbled that the Atonement was very much an act for the individual as I partook of the sacrament.

Preeclampsia

I continued being monitored and collecting all my urine so they could check the protein.  On Tuesday, Nov 15, my protein level had jumped to over 5 so now I was in the territory of severe preeclampsia.  The only cure for it is to deliver, or else you run the inevitable risk of seizures and death.  I had really been hoping to last until I was 34-35 weeks which would put me at least into December.  But here I was at week 32 and my babies were coming, ready or not!

That night I was taken back to Labor and Delivery.  Since it was pretty crowded I was put into one of the triage rooms that the nurses called “the closet”.  That night in the closet was one of the worst nights of my life.  I was put on magnesium at about 5pm, which helps slow down the onset of preeclampsia (specifically seizures), but the side effects are horrendous.  Besides the pounding headache from the preeclampsia (or maybe from the magnesium, I’m not sure), I had what can be described as a continuous hot flash which would last for the next few days.  Everything was on fire.  When I took in my now liquid-only diet it tasted like hot ash.  I got so nauseated that I threw up putting my throw up count to 30 for the pregnancy.  I also had to be monitored every 5 seconds (ok, I might be exaggerating that, but it was at least once an hour), and could only use the bedpan.  The magnesium made my whole head feel like it was in a vice, such that I couldn’t even see straight or open my eyes all the way.  I had on foot compression socks to help prevent blood clots, which hindered the only part of my body that I could still move.  Like I said, it was an awful night.  I just cried when TJ came back the next day, but I was glad he got some rest at home.

Labor

The next evening on the Nov 16 I was taken to a bigger room in L&D where I would eventually give birth.  I was given an epidural at 5pm so they could give me a Foley catheter, and had my water broken at 8pm.  I was finally able to get some blissful sleep.  I slept between each time a nurse came in.  I still was on magnesium, my vision was blurry and shaky, and I was hot, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the night in the closet.

I never felt the early contractions – even before the epidural was placed – and I was progressing on my own until I was about halfway through dilation.  They started me on Pitocin, and then I got stuck at 8cm for several hours.  At this point, Dr. Pohl was concerned we would have to do a C-section, so he really amped up the Pitocin and did some manual maneuvering as well.  He decided that we would still be able to do a vaginal birth since the babies were so low and weren’t in distress.

Peter is born!

Enoch is born!

Delivery

After I was more or less at 10cm everyone rapidly moved into action.  A whole team of people prepped the room.  My feet went into the stirrups and I began pushing.  I gave everything I had with each push, even though I was already exhausted from the difficult last few nights and not having eaten.  I didn’t push for very long when, at 2:09pm on November 17, our firstborn arrived.  Peter weighed 4 pounds 3 ounces. I learned later that he had needed the kiwi ventouse (vacuum) to assist at the very end, and that his cord was loosely wrapped around his neck.  In the instant of his birth, I felt like I was given the mantle of a mother. 

I didn’t have long to wait before I needed to push for the second baby.  The doctor said that I was an “old pro” at pushing (even though I felt totally inadequate and that it was way more painful than I thought it would be with an epidural), and that I should hold back with pushing so hard.  He didn’t have to ask me twice.   Our second born arrived only 10 minutes later after his brother, at 2:19pm. Enoch was born weighing 3 pounds 13 ounces.

Our firstborn was placed on my chest with nothing but a diaper and a little hat on, and we had some glorious skin-to-skin time.  The overwhelming feeling was of contentment.  Both of us had our eyes closed, breathing together.  He was so soft and I loved cuddling with him.  He was then taken, and I was handed our secondborn.  He was wrapped in a blanket along with his hat, but I loved holding him and looking into his sweet face.  I was surprised that neither baby was puffy, but had perfect, delicate little features.

I want to make note that during pregnancy, Baby A switched with Baby B in who was presenting, meaning who was furthest down.  So according to all their fetal charts, Baby B was the one who was actually born first, but after birth they were referred to in birth order as A and B respectively.  It made things a little confusing, and one nurse said she’d never seen that happen.

Now it was time to birth the placentae.  All the articles I had seen said that the hard part was over, now that I was done delivering the babies, and that I could enjoy baby snuggles while I easily birthed the placentae.  My experience was the opposite of that since I had a partial placenta accreta.  By then my epidural was rather weak.  The doctor first stitched up my second-degree perineal tear, at which I loudly asked if he was cutting me.  I was so surprised I had torn with small babies, but apparently a lot of it has to do with the position of the babies and not necessarily their size.  

Then the actual removal of the placenta took place.  I had to give up holding my child because I was in such severe pain.  It felt like my doctor was pulling out the placenta and then putting it back in, over and over again.  I yelled out “what is he doing?” and was told that one of my placentae was coming out in pieces.  He was essentially having to put in his instrument repeatedly and scrape out the too-firmly attached placenta piece by piece.  I really wish I had gotten another dose of the epidural before this.  By the end, I was going in and out of consciousness.  I couldn’t lift my arms I was so weak.

Just before being taken to the NICU

Names and Postpartum

We had already decided to use Nelson and Thomas as the middle names.  Nelson is my maiden name, and we wanted another strong family name for the second son.  Thomas is prevalent on both sides of the family.  TJ and I had chosen Peter as one of the names several months ago, but we weren’t sure who it would be for.  I originally thought Enoch was going to be Peter while they were in the womb.  So how did we get Enoch as the other name?  Well after months of debating and giving each other name suggestions, and not agreeing on anything, TJ wrote out a short list of names the first night after their birth.  Enoch was not one we had previously considered, but we finally had a name that both of us liked.  We decided that we would meet the boys the following day and make sure the names fit.  I love that both names are strong, biblical names.

I spent the first few days doing my initial recovery.  I was so swollen from all the fluids they pumped me with (six bags) – my knees were tree trunks and I had stabbing pain when I moved them.  I found out that I had lost over 2 liters of blood, and that if I had done a C-section I perhaps would have bled out on the table.  That is a very sobering thought.  TJ said that he usually sees up to 1 liter of blood loss during C-sections, which is typically more than for vaginal births.  At the low point my Hgb was 5.5, when it’s supposed to be 13-15.  I am so glad I had an intelligent doctor who I believe made the best decisions for my circumstances.  I had three nurses tell me that they think my doctor is the smartest at the hospital and they would go to him if they had a baby.

It was so difficult to move those first three days!  I was so weak I had to rely on other people for everything.  My heart pounded and my vision swam just rolling over in bed.  I took a shower four days after my last one, with the help of a nurse.  I felt like a new person after I finally got clean.

Our first family photo!

Proud papa

I’m home from the hospital

I was discharged from the hospital on the evening of Monday the Nov 21.  I hadn’t been outside in a week and a half, and the weather had turned into beautiful autumn.  The trees were bright colors and the air was crisp.  But when I got home I felt so sad to have left my babies.  Even though I hadn’t been in the same room as them at the hospital, I knew I could just be wheeled down to where they were at any given time.  TJ put a load of warm laundry on the bed and I just clutched a pair of warm jeans and cried.  I wasn’t allowed to drive for a few weeks, so I felt even more like I was far away from my babies.

TJ had been able to hold Peter for an hour on the Nov 20 and was able to have a great bonding experience.  He said it was perhaps the most humbling, glorious, and joyous hour of his life.  These boys are such a blessing to our family.

NICU time

As we arranged for daily visits to the NICU it became easier to leave at the end of the day.  Most especially because the boys were doing so well!  At first, they had a few things to take care of such as being under the bilirubin lights and Peter needing a nasal cannula for a few days to help with breathing.  But once they were free from those and as we got to know them a little better it was just exciting to go back to the NICU each day.  We helped change diapers and give bottles, and begin practicing breastfeeding.  I had begun pumping after they were born, and was ecstatic when I found out I was producing enough for both of them a little over a week out!

Hormones change a lot after birth.  As a silver lining to being a NICU mom, I was able to spend the first few weeks recovering.  For whatever reason, I had a few nights where I was covered in hives (I’m guessing it was either an allergy to the new iron supplement or just plain ol’ hormones).  Miserable.

We didn’t think the boys would be home until just before Christmas, but when we found out they could be home as soon as the first week of December – when they were at 35 weeks – I went into prep mode.  I finished putting some of the little things together and organizing the gifts we had been given.  I was so nervous about bringing home two babies by myself, since TJ wouldn’t have time off work until the second week of December.  Can’t I just bring home one nurse from the hospital?  Pretty please?

Peter kept having bradycardic episodes (where his heartbeats became too slow), and both boys had some reflux.

Babies' first picture home together

Peter and Enoch come home!

Enoch came home first on Dec 7.  We were definitely nervous parents going to pick him up!  Once he was discharged he wasn’t allowed back to the NICU.  TJ had two LONG days at work where he was gone 14+ hours, so it was just me and Enoch.  We got into a pretty good groove, even though it was tiring.  We kept up with the 3-hour schedule that had been established in the NICU.  The second day I asked a friend to help me for a few hours which was a lifesaver.  We went to the hospital so she could sit with Enoch while I had much too short of a visit with Peter.  But I couldn’t go two days without seeing my baby!

My baby shower was supposed to be on Nov 19, but that was postponed since I was still in the hospital.  I should have done it earlier!  I finally had my shower on Dec 9.  Enoch made his guest appearance before being sequestered in another room away from the crowd.  We were given some great gifts and I am so grateful for the generosity of our friends.

Peter passed his car seat test (he had failed the first time) and was finally done with the apnea episodes, so he could come home!  He came home on Dec 10 and thankfully it was the weekend so TJ was home.  And he had the next three weeks off of work!

The nights can sometimes be rough when babies are awake, but we are so grateful we are all home, safe and sound!  What an adventure we are starting.

Oh sugar, you got me wanting you

Couldn't sleep.  Finished a book.   Made some discoveries and realizations.  Blogged about it.  The End.  No, just kidding, keep reading the actual blog post...


Dessert used to be more special.  I remember my dad telling my older siblings not to lose me on the hiking trail because I was the one that was carrying the candy bars that would be doled out at the end of a family hike.  My mom would labor over Thanksgiving pies, and we would only get soda for birthdays and when we were sick.  Now there is sugar at every turn (even sneaking it's way into household staples like pasta sauce and crackers) and we can even feel guilty if we don't give sweet treats as a sign of our affection.

The more I think about this, but more I'm realizing that I enjoy getting non-dessert gifts more than their sugary counterparts. With a household of only two adults it is difficult to consume a whole dessert (and my husband and I are complete opposite on the food spectrum of what we like), and I hate wasting the effort and care put into it when we can't finish it.

But a basket of a few select, beautiful vegetables and fruit? Homemade bread? A lovely flower? Office supplies or stationery in any form? Now THAT I can sink my emotional teeth into and be satisfied.

Now, I certainly won't scoff at a reasonable portion of a delectable treat, but this holiday season I hope we consider non-sweet gifts. There's more than one way to show our love and have the camaraderie that is at the heart of the holidays, without assaulting our bodies with So. Much. Sugar.

On a related note, I just read a fabulously inspiring (and hilarious) book  titled Year of No Sugar by Eve O. Schaub. If I ever write a book it would hope to be at the same level of humor, thought, and prose as this one is written in. She and I speak the same language.  I am compelled to eliminate at least a good portion of the sugar (read added fructose) that I consume.  Good thing I thought of this on, let's see, what day is it?  Oh yeah, HALLOWEEN. But I bought glow sticks for tonight's trunk-or-treat, along with decent chocolate, and I'm more excited by having fun costumes and being with friends than the desserts anyway!

This has nothing to do with the blog post, other than it's 7am on a Saturday and I haven't slept, and the fact that I'm glad we did Star Wars costumes LAST year for Halloween.

Thoughtful Eating

After reading yet another American turned French autobiographical book written in a humorous yet analytical tone, I have decided on a new way to approach my diet.  With three cross-country trips in five weeks this summer I need to take a step back.

The French have a few ways of doing things, gastronomically speaking, that are just foreign to my American upbringing. Everybody knows that French people are generally thin and trim but don't participate in extreme dieting.  Their approach in life is a bit more like the recent Japanese style of organizing: one can have a thoughtfully selected closet, be thankful and mindful of what's in it, and if there are any unused items in there you can thank them for serving their purpose and send them on their way.

Instead of a strict can't-eat-that diet, I'm implementing these three rules before I put food in my mouth:


1. Ask myself if I'm hungry. If I'm not, then I can either eat it later or pass altogether. It will not be the last opportunity to eat, despite what my survival-mode brain says.

2. Ask myself if what I'm choosing is the best option available. Quality and variety are important.

3. Portion out one serving and savor it. I'll be more in tune with my body signals and the memory of the food will be more delicious and last longer.

With these small choices I hope to empower myself with having a healthier relationship with food.

Mom comes to visit

We had a lovely visit with my mother last week here in Georgia.  We saw several tourist sites, played music in church together, and I got to share my home with her.  Comparing this week to the 3 months of torture my parents endured in the 70s while living in GA (no AC, cockroaches, etc. - just ask anyone in our family; its part of Nelson folklore), I dare say my mom had a much better time.  Some of the sites TJ and I went to recently are explained in more detail on my last blog post.

We added a new hanging pot of cheerful red geraniums and some other potted flowers to my balcony.  Mom my knows more about plants than most people nowadays so I always like talking plants with her.

We walked the Oakland Cemetery on a HOT summer day - this is Margaret Mitchell's grave site.

Next was the Martin Luther King Jr. museum

MLK Jr's home growing up

On Saturday when TJ didn't have work we spent the whole day site-seeing.  We went to the Atlanta History Center, which included the Swan House - a mansion which had its heyday in the 1930's.  I've seen my fair share of old mansions in Europe, but I never get tired of them.  I could live pretty comfortably in this one :). 

 
 

Inside the museum itself we spent most of our time at the fantastic Civil War exhibit.

After the museum we took the CNN Tour and got to see behind the scenes of how a news station operates.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Georgia Aquarium.  My favorite part was seeing nature in action when the giant whale shark pooped (seriously, it was like a horse) and all the other fishies scrambled to get their cut of the goods.  Kinda gross, but it was fascinating to watch.

There was a cool exhibit of preserved "sea monsters".  I overheard a 3-year old girl loudly exclaim, "All these fish are suuuure dead".  Indeed.

 

On our last evening we explored Stone Mountain.  We hiked all the way up to the top (which is not an easy hike), took the lift down, and then watched the laser show on the side of the mountain.

 

You could see for miles up there!

It didn't actually rain, but it was so humid that it almost felt like it was raining.

My mom couldn't very well come and NOT leave us with a big batch of her famous chocolate chip cookies.  Right?

I'm so glad that my mom could come and visit.  Now I look forward to going back to Washington this summer for a visit of my own!

Welcome to Atlanta!

AFTER a crazy last month in Texas we moved to the Atlanta area for TJ's new job.  We wanted to see a few sites before he starts, so we got together with our good friends Tim and Charisse to check out the Oakland Cemetery and the Martin Luther King, Jr. historical sites.  It was a lovely, warm morning and it was refreshing to see the beautiful architecture and botany of the cemetery grounds.

There is a civil war confederate section with named and unnamed grave markers.  This monument is the Lion of the Confederacy or Lion of Atlanta.

This is the grave of Margaret Mitchell, the author of Gone with the Wind.  She used to love walking through this part of the city herself.

Huge mausoleums scattered the grounds.  Some of them were notable people, such as Atlanta's first mayor

Some of the mausoleums had interesting interiors with stained glass and other notable features.

Gorgeous shot of the Atlanta skyline and cemetery.

There were original and replica statues intermingled amongst the tombs.

The cemetery is also a botanical preserve that include huge magnolias, that are just starting to bloom, and ancient oaks.

This is one of the oldest gas lamps in the south, as one of the original 50 installed by the Atlanta Gas Light company in 1856.  It has some marks on it from the bombing of Atlanta in 1864.

NEXT we went to the Martin Luther King, Jr historical sites.  They included the museum, his childhood home, Ebenezer church where he preached and his funeral was held, and Dr. and Mrs. King's tomb.

History always seems more real when you are able to see the sites where they actually occurred.  It puts things into perspective.

We finished up our morning with going to The Varsity.  It reminded me of old times eating lunch between classes on campus.  What a fun day!

See you later alligator!

 TJ and I spent the afternoon at Brazos Bend State Park, which is about a 50 minute drive away.  The grand total of gators we saw in the wild was 11 and we had a really enjoyable time observing nature.  It was about 68 degrees and a little overcast so it was a nice day for a 5 mile hike around two of the little lakes there. 

The general mood of the place was rather muted and hushed, despite all the wildlife.  The birds, while very vocal, seemed like all their quacks and squawks were dampened.  They often sounded like they were quietly laughing or harrumphing, which cracked me up.  The trees had a greyish hue, especially with all the hanging moss.  The water was stagnant and the air was a muggy and still.  The turtles and gators always seemed like they were waiting for something.

I love how this one is parked right under the sign.

View from the observation tower.

I just started saying "Let me go over here and take a picture of it from behind...," and it got up and started moving so I finished my sentence with "...NOPE, I think I'll take the picture from far away."  Gators have the right of way around here.

There were lots of cranes, herons, and ducks.

This guy was probably four feet tall and let me get pretty close before it flew away.

After the hike we spent a little time in the nature center.  This guide was telling us all about the snakes in the area and we got to pet this rat snake.

We saw some turtles.  There were the cutest little 2 inchers in the nature center.

We touched this baby alligator!  We saw a mama gator and her baby on the hike, but the baby was really hard to see so I didn't get a picture.  It was only about 6 inches long; they grow a foot a year until about 8 feet, then the growth slows way down.

 If you are in Houston you should definitely go to Brazos if you have the chance.  They have camping there too, and dozens of miles of hiking and biking trails.