The Birth Story: UPDATED post with pictures!!

{UPDATED POST: with spell check and PICTURES!!}

(Disclaimer: we do not have a functioning computer, which is why we don't have internet, which is why I haven't posted anything since the birth of the girls because it is awful hard to do on your iPhone, but...I am attempting to do so now, so if words have been auto corrected and don't make sense, blame the iPhone, not me) 
Now,how do you pick just one picture to represent this event? I couldn't. So with these photos I will try to tell a semi condensed version of the tale of two babies births (aka their birth story). An be warned, my definition of 'semi condensed' is similar to a short chapter book. At least I warned you.
Photo collage #1

I'm not one to EVER show skin so my apologies now for showing a little (actually a lot) of skin. It's for documentation/medical purposes and for the WOW factor. Ha. This was one huge belly. Stretched to the max, but in an amazing, miraculous sort of way. This was days before delivering and the clothed picture was at 5am the morning of my induction. I was 38 weeks and 1 day. I was carrying two babies who were kicking and moving despite the extreme lack of room. My stomach felt like a rock because it was skin...then baby behind it. I felt the babies bums and torsos all the time. They were just right there on the other side of door number 1 you know. Needless to say I was extremely excited to meet them and looking forward to being able to bend over again, reach my feet, actually see my feet...not the puffy huge tree trunks that took the place of my feet the last two months. I was also looking forward to being able to breath again and to actually have my internal organs back (pretty sure they all got shoved into the corner the last 4 months, poor vital organs...it's okay though, they had to make room for these miracles to grow and for that I thank them).

Well, at 5:00am on February 21, 2013, Wade and I checked in to the Labor and Delivery floor at the hospital. We were planning a normal vaginal delivery since we had been doing ultrasounds regularly for the last 6 weeks and both girls were head down. Great positioning for a normal delivery. They got me an IV and gave me some antibiotic when I got there, did an exam and I was still 3 cm. I had been at 3 for almost 3 weeks now. They strapped on the two heart monitors on the girls and the contraction monitor then they started the Pitocin to induce labor. It was about 7:00 when the Pitocin was started. My doc got there around 8:00 to check on me. She wanted to do an ultrasound to check babies' positioning one last time. In the mean time the nurse said I was having contractions but never knew it. Must have been very mild ones. My doc started the ultrasound, the two nurses standing behind her were watching the screen, I could not see it. Their faces dropped then they looked at me with a sad face. It was then that my doctor said, with the little wand on my belly near my ribs "this is baby B's head". Delaney at turned breech in the last two days and just 3 days earlier she was head down. This was shocking, but it helped me understand why I had 10 hours of SEVERE back pain on Monday. Looks like that was when Delaney took first place in her gymnastics competition. Flipping a complete 180. That little stink! Doc said she felt like we needed to do a C section because she wasn't confident she could manipulate baby B during the vaginal delivery and I would end up having to do a c section after delivering baby A vaginally. I did NOT want to do both kinds of deliveries and neither did my doc (for my sake). So she left and they were getting everything prepped for the c section. The anesthesiologist came in and told me what would go down. After everyone left my room, i broke down and cried. My sweet husband consoled me and reminded me that it would be whats best and safest for the girls. He gave me a priesthood blessing and i felt the peace of knowing that this delivery was in the Lord's hands. Then my husband said, at least we don't have to wait any longer to meet our babies. We get to hold them in an hour! Then in a matter of 30 minutes I was walking to OR and sitting on the table getting the epidural. My husband came in and held my shaking hand while I tried my best to make jokes with the nurses and doctors and just try to relax as I laid there being cut open. Hoping and praying my babies would come out healthy and not have any complications. Then the doc says "you'll feel a lot of pressure and a pull and a tug" the I heard Paisley cry. It was totally like the baby story on TLC. I looked at my husband in disbelief almost but with a smile then turned to my left to see my baby! A tear ran down my cheek but I wasn't sobbing crying, I was just so happy and overwhelmed with emotion. She was screaming loud and they said she looks healthy and has lots of hair that looks red. I felt instant relief when she was pulled out (as in I could breath better and could tell my belly wasn't super stretched out anymore) then they pulled out Delaney, again, major relief like my belly just disappeared. She let out one little cry then laid there with her eyes open while the nurses checked her out. I was slightly concerned she wasn't crying, but the nurses and doc assured me they both looked great and healthy and that they both looked like they had red hair. Turns out they didn't have red hair, they are brown haired and blonde.

Paisley Jo

Delaney Rae

They laid them on my chest and let me smooch them for a second. They were perfect and absolutely precious, no problems whatsoever. My biggest fear was having to send them to Bismarck for the NICU but there was no need. They didn't need oxygen or anything. Just their momma and daddy.



Delaney & Paisley

I was stitched up for the next 25 minutes while Wade went with the girls to the nursery. Let me tell you the stitching up part was weird. It felt like they were reassembling my insides and occasionally they mess with the "I'm getting nauseous" button. It made me a little queezy but I didn't puke on the operating table. In recovery I started to feel more nauseous so they have me stuff for it. Which didn't help. I got out of recovery and wade and the nurses brought the babies to my room. And in a matter of seconds I had 3 nurses swarming me. The one said, "okay mom we are going to teach you how to tandem nurse your twins". She claimed they were starving, but I think they just like to have you nurse them within the first couple hours of life. They were born at 9:54 and 9:56. (It was 11:00) Paisley weighed 6 lbs even and was 19 inches long. Delaney weighed 5 lbs 12 oz and was 18 inches long. They latched on after having several nurses guiding their heads to me and grabbing me and positioning them correctly. It was overwhelming but mostly because I felt like vomiting the whole time. I tried to eat but just puked. Then I tried to eat dinner and puked again. Needless to say, the first day was tough. I felt better after they gave me some stronger medicine for the nausea later that night. I kept trying to nurse them, they were trying their best too. We were all learning. We had some sleepless couple nights and then got some sleep the 3rd night. Paisley had an elevated biliruben so they had her on the billy light blanket for a day to bring it down.

She slept very well when she was wrapped up on the lights. She was nice and cozy and content.
The next day, doc checked the babies out and said they were good to go home and my doc said I was too. My stitches looked good and I felt pretty good too. I was super surprised at how well I felt considering i just had major surgery. My doctors were great and I am incredibly grateful for their wisdom I decisions making for my sake and the babies.


Paisley & Delaney





Delaney





Paisley



Binky Kisses. Paisley & Delaney



Paisley & Delaney

We came home when the girls were 3 days old.

Coming home from the hospital. Delaney & Paisley

Today they are 12(updated blog, 19 days now) days old and it seems like their birth was forever ago. They change so quickly.

Momma & Delaney

Delaney & Paisley

Delaney & Paisley

Delaney & Paisley

I'm so grateful for a healthy body that provides nourishment for my babies. I'm amazed at the bodies ability to provide food for not one but TWO babies. I've been so blessed to not have to use formula and so grateful that my body can produce enough milk for these little sweeties. It may seem like it would be a challenge to nurse two but I don't know any different and this is all I know as a new momma. And its not as bad as i thought. They still struggle to latch sometimes but we keep working at it.

We are getting into a routine and I don't feel zombie tired yet. But my mom and dad are here so that helps a ton right now. Next week will be the real challenge. My parents will be gone, autumn will be back in school (she's on spring break right now) and Wade will head back to work.
A few things I've noticed/ appreciated since being home:
When I am woken up by the girls at night, despite how tired I might be, I never resent getting up with them. I absolutely love that after all these years, I actually have a reason to not sleep at night and its because of these two precious miracles. I stare at them in the quiet of the night and can't help
But get emotional because I am sooo grateful for them and for the amazing blessing it is to have been able to have them. This has been something I have desired since I was probably a teeny girl playing house. I always wanted to be "the mom". I look at them and think, "I get to hold them and kiss them any time I want and I don't have to ask their mom if I can hold them or have to give them back because they are MINE!" I absolutely adore every moment. And when I am tired and holding them I think to myself, these moments won't last forever. Soon they will be sleeping through the night, so I cherish these nights where I get up every 2 1/2 hours to feed them. Even the night where I changed 7 diapers in 3 hours and they went through 6 pairs of jammies and 4 blankets...all in one night.
I think infertility makes you SO appreciate every fleeting moment whether they be pleasant or not.
And on a side note. I can bend over again, I can put socks on without cutting of my airway. I have ankles again and when they say breast feeding helps you lose the baby weight and burn calories, they weren't kidding. 6 days after delivery I was down 30 pounds from the day I delivered. Granted that was 12 pounds of baby a couple placentas,lots of water and other stuff. But my belly was stretched out so much and with the contracting uterus and nursing every two hours, my uterus shrunk down fast and my tummy went with it. Crazy stuff.

I'll leave you with the last thing I see when I go to sleep and the first thing I see when I wake up (every 2-3 hours). I remember putting up the crib and staring at it at night thinking about the day when it would be filled with babies. Never imagined this day would come and that I could experience a love like this. Truly remarkable and heaven sent.