While we were in the hospital, I was so pleased to hear that so many people were wishing us well and thinking of us. All of the cards, calls, thoughts and messages have been wonderful reminders of just how lucky we are and how loved our two girls are. They're beautiful and precious, and I can't wait for you all to meet them in person. (Although good luck getting anything done - you can pass hours just staring at them!) Since getting home, I've been able to see lots of the messages myself, and although I haven't responded to the messages yet (sorry!), they've been great to see. :)
As George has said, the time in hospital went well. Last Sunday, a strange sensation woke me up at 4am. I went to the bathroom to see if I needed the toilet, and although I wasn't quite sure, I was guessing that feeling was my water breaking. I woke George and he called the hospital. While we were waiting to get through to someone, I called Acadia to check what water breaking feels like. She thought it was probable that my water had broken, and since the midwives on the phone said to head into the hospital, off we went after making a few quick phone calls.
George drove nice and calmly to the hospital, which was great - I don't think I could have handled many bumps and jostles from the road. By the time we were in the hospital being assessed, there was no doubt in my mind that my water had broken. I felt pretty good, all things considered, and they hooked me up to a machine to check the babies' heart rates and my contractions. (I opted for exterior-only monitoring - the idea of hooking a clip on to Isabella's head just seemed too mean! And since they could get good readings of the hearts from the outside, I figured that was the best way to go.) The midwife checked me and told me (in a surprised tone) that I was already at 5cm and could easily be stretched to 7cm. She was betting we would have the babies out by lunch time - and she was right.
Once they moved me to the labour ward, my memory starts to get a bit hazy, so George (or Bente, who kindly came to Reading) would probably be the best person for any details there. I was put into room 4 (my lucky number!) and my labour progressed nicely. I was using gas and air, and I found the sound of my breathing through the mouthpiece very comforting. (A few days later, though, George informed me that I sounded like Darth Vader - he just thought it'd be wise to not say that while I was having the contractions. Smart guy.) I was ready to go, but unfortunately, the operating theatre was still in use. The lady who was in there was just finishing up, they said, and once they had the room cleaned, it would be my turn. But I didn't want to wait my turn. I wanted to PUSH! (And I told the midwife so ... nicely, I think.)
After what seemed like a very long time, I was being wheeled off to the theatre. We arrived to a grand party - I have no idea how many people were in there, but there were a fair few. And I didn't care. Modesty had gone right out of the window. Everyone made their introductions, but I'm not really sure that I remember the names. George sat next to me the whole time, holding my hand and trying to give me words of encouragement. I squeezed his hand (depending on how I was grabbing his hand, it either hurt a lot or surprised him because I wasn't squeezing very hard), and on two occasions, I bit down (lightly) on his hand. I don't know why, but that seemed like a good thing to do at the time!
After an hour and a half of pushing to try to get Isabella out, we decided to use suction (a Kiwi cup) to help get her out. They said that I'd still have to do 75% of the pushing - the cup would just help do the other 25%. I had a small cut, continued to push and out came Isabella, head first. A few more pushes, and her shoulders came through. At 12.31pm, she was out, healthy and well, and they let me cuddle her before taking her away. Our next task was to get Adrianna out safely. With the second twin, there's a bigger risk of things going wrong. If it took too long to get her out or if she turned, we could have ended up having to have an emergency c-section to get her out. Since I hadn't had an epidural or spinal block, that would mean putting me under quickly and getting her out quickly. Luckily, though, Adriana made it out safely ('on her own' as George said the doctor said - but I seem to remember that I was somehow involved in getting her out, too). She arrived 29 minutes after her sister, and she was also doing really well. I got to cuddle her before they took her away for checks.
I spent a few hours in the recovery room (number 4!). I fed the girls, had a shower and had some food (Bente very kindly bought me Krispy Kreme donuts and other food - my first bite of food was of a chocolate ice with sprinkles donut!). Because the girls were technically premature and were still tiny, we were then put in the transitional care unit of the hospital. There were a few sets of twins on our ward, but Isabella and Adriana were doing really well. Some of the twins were struggling - they were in the intensive care section or being fed through nose tubes. It was a reminder of how lucky we were (and are).
The midwives said that the average time in the ward was about a week, and if we got to go home before that, that meant that we were doing really well. We had a fair few people looking after us, and I had an absolutely wonderful nursery nurse looking after us on nights two and three. She seemed to sense how tired I was. (I could barely sleep that first night - Adriana was coughing up phlegm, and I was so worried that I wouldn't hear her coughing up during the night and that she was going to choke on it. Every little cry or sound startled me and had me concerned, so even in between the frequent feeds, I found sleep impossible.) Kindly, she offered to look after the girls so I could get a few hours of sleep - she gave them a bottle for one of the feeds, and I got to sleep for a good 3 1/2 hours or so before the next feed. It might not sound like much, but that felt like some of the best sleep I've had. She did that for me the next night, too, and I think that's a large part of the reason why I started to feel like a person again.
George also spent almost every minute of the day with me - although visiting hours ended at 9pm on the ward, he stayed much later (till after midnight) to look after me and the girls, helping with the feeds and nappy (diaper) changes. Although it was extremely hard for me to have him leaving at night, I was so appreciative of his support. I know I couldn't have done it without him. It was also great to have Bente there, and I was glad Mike was able to make it down to see the girls, too!
After a few days, though, we were ready to go home. We got to come home on Wednesday, which was great news. I was so excited to get the girls home and see how they liked it - as much as the support at the hospital was great sometimes, I was eager to get back into a more 'natural' environment. And now we've been home for a few days (the girls are officially a week old today!). Bente very kindly stayed on to help a bit (while I was in hospital, Bente was doing so much around the house - cleaning, cooking, you name it), but for the past couple of days, George and I have been trying to figure out the world of parenting. The most difficult part for me has been feeding - I know they say breastfeeding is really natural and easy and all, but it's not. Well, at least not for me. Adriana is small and tongue tied, so she was a difficult time feeding, and Isabella sometimes struggles to latch on as well. She started off as the strongest eater by far - she seems to have her father's appetite - it seems like she's latching on for less time and is hungry again shortly after we finish her feed! We're going to a breastfeeding clinic tomorrow, though, so hopefully they'll be able to help.
Anyway, that about brings us up till now. We lose hours just looking at the girls and cuddling them, and although there are difficulties, we're all doing well and are quite happy. :)
Hope you're all well, and if you've made it this far in the post, well done! I hope you enjoyed the mini-novel. To finish it all off, here is an extremely adorable picture. (George says he'll post more later.)
Lots of love,
George, Erin, Isabella and Adriana
Snuggle, snuggle! (Isabella giving Adriana a kiss)
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