A Happy New Year Indeed!

BEWARE: A long post to refresh my memory of the girls' arrival day.

Well, I did it! I made it to my scheduled c-section date (never thought I'd make it) and met our baby girls on the morning of January 2nd. I was really struggling towards the end of the pregnancy and I literally probably slept an hour the night before their birth. I was so uncomfortable in every way. We took video of me the days leading up to the big day, and I look awful.

Of course, we have our biggest snow fall of the year the morning that we have to be at the hospital, and I was on pins and needles the entire ride there. DH says the weather wasn't that bad, but he was sliding on the freeway ramps and we were about a minute away from seeing an accident. I was so worried about getting to the hospital safely that I felt like I was having contractions the whole way. When we did get the hospital and got hooked up to monitors, it was true--I was having contractions. My OB arrived and checked my cervix, and I was 100% effaced and 2 cm dilated. I was ready to have these babies and my OB was happy that we didn't wait any longer. The goal was not to go into labor because she didn't think my uterus could handle it.

We were scheduled for 9am, but we probably didn't get into the OR until 9:20am. My anesthesiologist was quite funny and made me feel relaxed. He joked with DH because he had 4 daughters himself. Once the spinal went in, I was starting to feel more comfortable. Before I knew it, I was numb from breast line down. They warned me that I might feel a lot of tugging as they pulled the babies out, which made me a little nervous. The sheet was put up so I couldn't see anything going on down there. DH was allowed to come into the room just as they were ready to make the incision. DH was behind the sheet too, and he told me afterward that he was looking at the floor and could see blood dripping. I'd probably pass out if I saw that! They even warned him that if he feels faint, he should let them know. Within a minute (so it seemed), they told DH that he could look over the sheet and see our daughters being born...and videotape it. I saw them lift Baby A out first and she was so beautiful. Tears started to enter my eyes, for I couldn't believe how incredibly happy I was to see her. She was suctioned and then, she let out a big cry and didn't stop. It was music to my ears. Then, Baby B arrived a minute later. OMG, she was just as big as Baby A. How did I fit these two precious babies inside me? They looked and sounded so healthy. Fortunately, DH videotaped the births, so I have re-lived the experience a couple times already. I just can't get over how big the umbilical cord was...it was huge! Baby B had the cord around her neck; however, it was not wrapped tight or anything. The actual births of the girls didn't seem so bad, but as they started to stitch me back up, I started to feel some nausea (which they also warned me about--some women vomit during c-sections). I held it together though and it was almost a an hour by the time I was completely closed up. Dr. C did say that my uterus was stretched to its max, so she had to put some reinforcement stitches in my uterus. My uterus was so thin; it was transparent. Dr. C said we shouldn't and couldn't have waited another day to deliver our girls. I feel very lucky that things worked out the way they did, and the girls were safe.

I have to admit that I wasn't sure how I would feel about our DE girls until they arrived. I can now say that I am TOTALLY in love with our girls. The minute I laid eyes on them, they captured my heart. They are my daughters and I am their mother. I feel so proud and lucky to have such beautiful girls. It feels like a dream.

Despite having the girls at 36 weeks, they were decent sizes. Baby A (Seraphina) weighed in at 5 lbs 11 oz and Baby B (Matilda) weighed in at 6 lbs. I was able to hold both of them after I returned to my recovery room. Baby B was taken back to the nursery early because they were worried about a noise she was making, which indicated some respiratory issue. She was monitored closely for fluids in her lungs and air in her stomach. After 24 hours, she was doing much better and no longer needed a tube down her throat to her stomach. Poor thing, it broke my heart to see the tube going down her throat and IV in her tiny hand. Luckily, she was cleared of any respiratory issues and was just as healthy as her sister. What a relief!

After 4 nights in the hospital, we were cleared to go home! (We could have gone home after 3 nights, but i thought I needed the extra day). I feel so lucky that we were all healthy enough to go home so soon.

Being home now has been nice. We all seem to be adjusting well The girls are just wonderful, and they really don't fuss much. Our DD has taken on her big sister role very seriously. She has been a great big sister and is always willing to help with her little sisters. She kisses them several times a day and insists on picking out their clothes E.V.E.R.Y.D.A.Y.

There is so much to say and so many feelings that I really need to document here, but I am absolutely exhausted and need to get some sleep.

What a year so far! It's been incredible and I'm not sure it can get any better. We have our girls now and we are in love.