Bryce Spent 1 month in the NICU Starting weight 5lbs 1oz Leaving weight 8lbs 14oz
Lilly Spent 3 months in the NICU Starting weight 2lbs 14oz Leaving weight 5lbs 1 oz
As a new parent and a first time parent of twins that I waited so long for, the NICU was not something I wanted to experience, but got to experience first hand. Here is my story.........
2006 started to try to conceive on our own, no luck.
2007 saw countless amounts of OB's and fertility specialists.
The first one tried everything for 8 months when he gave up on me and told me IVF was my only option and that he couldn't help me anymore. We new we couldn't afford IVF and thought about getting a loan but we decided to maybe see another specialist first
Next I went to a new fertility specialist where he tried artificial insemination and no luck the first try. Was going to try again when he decided to retire and I had to move on.
2008 my new insurance kicked in a work and was informed they would cover IVF 100%, so off to the IVF specialist.
After countless appointments, cycles, ultrasounds and medicines we ended up on June 8 egg retrieval day. June 11 replace fertilized eggs and then June 25th blood work for count.
Back to June 11th. We arrive at our appointment and all the way there I am supposed to drink 26 ounces of water and never go potty. All the way there the bladder is getting fuller and more painful.
Finally we are settled in and I tell the nurse I am about to explode, she says here is a cup go to the bathroom and fill it up, when you do stop peeing mid stream and hold the rest. I am thinking yeah right who can start peeing and then just stop? But I do as she says and it was a relief but so couldn't wait to pee the rest. It wasn't even 20 minutes and we was ready to go but before we went back Dr. Odom came in the room and informed us that I had 15 eggs survive out of the 18 retrieved and out the 15 only 11 were viable, they choose the 2 best ones and they were not in the best of shape. One was fragmented at 20% and the other at 30%. But he says we have placed eggs in before that were fragmented this bad and women have conceived off them but I will say you don't have but maybe a 5% chance. We decided to go with it we have come this far lets give it a shot. We head back and we examine our petri dish and agree it was our babies and then watch as they place the eggs back in. Right then they say you are pregnant you just need to carry them, we are hope full. We head back to our room and I have to lay flat for 30 more minutes and then I am released to finish peeing. After we are released for me to go home and relax for 4 days, I do as say. Day 3 I feel pains and was told it is more then likely implantation and that is good. See you for your blood work in 2 weeks. Oh yeah and hope this work as the rest of your eggs that you was going to freeze to possibly use another time, well they died and you have none left to freeze.
Now First let me say I was so anxious and I took a home pregnancy test well 5 tests 5 days in a row before the appointment and each day got 2 lines darker each time. I was told not to do this as the test could read this way from the shots but I didn't care. And I couldn't believe my eyes and hoped it was true. I had to wake Doug while sleeping to tell him, he was so excited.
I went to the first appointment and the blood work should have read around 100 and was reading 2000. Holy Cow the levels are high, they warned me I was more then likely pregnant and most likely with the levels as high as they were with multiples and they was thinking triplets. Say what you put two damaged eggs in and now I am pregnant with triplets, even the doctors couldn't believe it. I return a week later and the levels should be 5000 and I was well over 10,000. They say yep definitely multiples congrats!
Another week later and we head in for my first ultrasound, right before our eyes we see TWINS! We are so happy and cant wait to spread the news. We leave and call everyone and the news spread fast.
After a few check ups and ultrasounds Time goes by and I am released from my IVF doctor at 9 weeks and sent to my OB were the journey begins.
At first I am seen monthly and at 16 weeks we find out we are having 1 BOY and 1 GIRL.
We share the news again.
Around 28 weeks I start going weekly as there was concerns, and they wanted to keep an eye on it closely. And all my OB keep telling me was you better not have these babies till you are 36 weeks.
30 weeks I am sent to start seeing a high risk pregnancy doctor to start monitoring me.
This is when we come to Jan 24, 2012 34 weeks and 5 days along 3:00 pm. I head in for just another normal checkup, ultrasound and stress test. We start off with the ultrasound and as the tech is finishing up she says I don't think there is any fluids left around baby B and her blood flow is terrible. I am going to go show the Dr. on duty this while you head over and do your stress test and we will be in to talk to you.
Of course while over there my blood pressure goes sky high and that was another concern, but I tell yeah its going to be high after the news I just got, I am scared and nervous.
It doesn't take long and the doctor comes in and tells me he doesn't like what he sees and says 1 of 2 things is going to happen. Either you will have a emergency c section tonight or will be placed on bed rest here at the hospital, lets talk to your OB and see what he wants to do.
I finish up and head upstairs 4:00 pm to see Dr. Shaner where we discuss options. He says he doesn't want to do bed rest and take a chance something goes wrong so lets have these babies tonight. We can induce you but I would rather do a C section and take a less chance something goes wrong with baby B my GIRL. I said that's fine lets do this. Tells me to head over to Labor and Delivery and check in we will do this at 7:15 tonight.
5:00 and I am heading over to L&D but stop and call Doug and tell him the news. My Convo goes like this: Hunny don't be scared and don't panic and rush here but there is a few problems with Lilly and they want me to have the babies tonight at 7:15 via emergency c section. He says I am on my way and hangs up. I then call my mom and the bestie so they can also head up to the hospital.
I head over to L&D, check in and get settle. By then Doug is finally here and he is a nervous mess. Me I am cool as a cucumber and anxious to see these babies. I tell him to relax, no chance.
Nurse comes in asks all her questions, hooks me up to the monitors and then leaves me be to relax. Another nurse comes in to start IV's. Sticks me 4 times and says I give up, I normally only stick people 2 times and quit if I don't get it so I will let the anesthesiologist do it when he comes in to place your epidural in.
Anesthesiologist comes in sticks me one time and done. Preps me for the epi and starts I am holding does hands and he shoots me with the first stick and holy shit did that puppy hurt, I screamed and Doug is saying its OK you will be fine over and over when I say Shut the F up, this shit hurts so bad. He doesn't say another word. I apologize when its all done, he understands. Numbing starts, no movement from the chest down.
7:15 wheeled back to operating room, placed on table and nausea sets in and I need to get sick, so I am rolled sideways, nausea gone till I am layed flat again.
Doctors show up and the NICU team is standing by ready to go.
Bryce is removed at 7:32 pm with his umbilical cord around his neck. I don't hear anything, he is not crying or breathing. They work on him and finally a cry. As I hear him cry I feel a big tug and Lilly is removed at 7:34 pm. They tell Doug to look over the sheet to get a pic but don't touch anything. Of course the first thing Doug sees is my stomach cut open and the doctors arm shoved all the way up in my stomach and he is like really. He cuts the cord and she is whisked away.
I start to cry, when your baby is transferred from your belly that your baby was in for 7 months to an isolated incubator and not placed in your arms, your world and time stops in its tracks. Everything you dreamt of happening, how the delivery was going to be how you would hold them and feed them right away and then it doesn't get to happen you think why me?
I am sewed up and then wheeled over to recovery. There I start to flip out cause I still cant move my legs and need to so bad, so I ask Doug to. The nurse comes in checks me over and then leaves me alone to sleep for an hour, I guess till all my epi was gone. By then I don't really remember this, but Doug said they wheeled me down to the NICU to see the babies. I visited and then was sent to my room where I slept all night.
I woke up the next day got all my pain meds even though I was hooked up to and epidural pump for the next 4 days. Headed down to see the babies and get their stats. That's when I don't think I ever really left that place unless I needed food or meds. Normally I skipped the food and meds and nurses couldn't believe I didn't hurt. I never really thought about it, I was just worried about being with them.
4 days go by and I am released but don't leave the hospital, I lived there till the day Bryce was released. I slept there, pumped there and barely ate. I ended up losing all my baby weight and 30lbs more.
Things that happen while the babies where there. First we was on the yellow side. We met several different nurses, a few we didn't like and one we reported we never wanted ever again. She would never watch my kids and then Bryce would pull his oxygen and desat where he couldn't breath. Good thing I was there to put his cannula back in.
Then we had a few we really liked but didn't learn you can request a primary nurse till 2 weeks before Bryce was released. That's when we found Joy and we fell in love with her she was so caring, and loved my kids so much. She paid attention and gave me the security that I could actually go home and relax or shower and not have to worry. I could call and she would always tell me what the plans were and how they were doing.
Bryce while he was there was on c pap and then regular oxygen till he could be weened off. He was placed under a blue light for jaundice. His bilirubin was high for a while. After 2 weeks he was placed in a big boy bed before he was sent home a week later.
This was a great day, but a sad day for me. I finally got to take home one of my miracles but then had to leave my smallest one at the hospital. But I spent all nights with Bryce and then Grandma watch him during the day while I spent all day and evening with Lilly.
Lilly was never really sick. She was only on oxygen for 1 week. She was just very small and needed to grow and eat.
I held (kangarooed as they call it) her very often. This was our mommy daughter time.
2 months go by and we are finally sent over to the green hall. This is one step closer to going home and where most of our NICU friends have already been sent months ago so it was so good to see them again. While we was there we got to know alot of great people that had babies also in the NICU. One mom had a 1lb 2oz daughter Chloe. Our other neighbor had a son that needed a permanent trachea and 24/7 care but he was sent home after being there for 2 years. Then I met a mom that had twin girls and lost one at birth and the other was trying to hang on, and an mom that had 5 girls 2 died and the other 3 were striving to hang on also. Not sure what happen with these two families as we moved to the green side before they did.
Both kids were sent over to the green side, we had a large room. Bryce was only there a week and then sent home. After he was sent home Lilly was moved to a smaller room at the end of the hall with more privacy. There we got to know another mom of twins b/g born small, but doing great. It was a bittersweet moment when I came in one day and they were all packed up and gone.
Finally days go by and Lilly is being evaluated for going home and going through her finally steps when again she has set backs. They always told me NICU babies play the one step forward 2 steps back game. Well this is exactly what Lilly did. She was doing great but then she got acid reflux and couldn't lay down on her back flat which is a requirement to go home, because she would get sick, chock and then desat (quit breathing). A few days go by and she doesn't want to eat, that's when Joy figured out she burnt her throat and mouth. She is given acid reflux meds and it heels and she starts eating again. Now we just have to work sleeping flat again. We try again and 2 days in and she is doing good, then one bad day and the bed is raised and we have to start all over again. More evaluations and etc.
While this is all going on there is concern that she has a protruded chin and wants a specialists to come in and evaluate her. He does and see little to no concern and thinks she will grow into the chin, and she did.
Finally the day has come and I am informed she can go home on Friday, this is Monday. Wednesday comes and I am at home with Bryce getting ready to head to the hospital in a hour or so and my phone rings, its Joy. She says how would you like to take Lilly home today? Are you serious? Yes but you have to get here before 4. I am on my way and rush as fast as I can. I get other there pack her up and head home. Before I left I cried and thanked Joy for everything. I got all her information and kept in contact with her since. Joy we love you, you are family to us and thank you again.
Now Lilly was sent home on a home monitor for a month but she did good and only set it off once and that was a heart rate drop which was OK. Her Pediatrician said all babies do that when they fall into a deep sleep so that is probably what she did, so she had the monitor removed.
We are free from it all and I have my family together again.
Today I have 2 great kids that are 1. Bryce is a large monster that weighs 25lbs and crawling everywhere.
Lilly is still small She is 12lbs and sees a therapist weekly to get her on the same pace as her brother as she is not crawling or anything.
Both are pretty healthy, Lilly just has tortocollis of the neck from being stuck in my belly with no fluids, but they are working on getting that straightened out and shes sees an orthopedic doctor next month.
The NICU is a place I hope to never have to visit again and I hope no other parents have to experience, but if it wasn't for St. Johns Hospital & the NICU, my babies wouldn't be here today.
Thank You to all of the Doctors & Nurses that cared for my babies and made them strong and healthy. A special Thank You to their Primary Nurse Joy! You will always hold a special place in my heart.
