This might end up being a little long, but I promise there will be cute pictures.

So my 40 week due date is January 29. With twins, we knew we wouldn’t make it that long. My doctor wanted us to shoot for January 9th where they would be 37 weeks.

Well, at 35 weeks 2 days (December 27), I started feeling different. This is my first pregnancy, so I wasn’t sure what I was feeling. I called my mom to tell her that I just wasn’t feeling right. My husband was at work, so she and I went to labor and delivery so I could be monitored for a little while. Turns out, I was having contractions and I didn’t even realize it and my blood pressure was high. The nurses all thought that my doctor would just go ahead and deliver me that day, but he was away and wanted them to give me steroid shots for the babies’ lungs and something to stop the contractions. The contractions didn’t stop, but I wasn’t dilating. So they sent me home.

The steroid knocked me out. So I slept that entire day. I woke up that night with the worst heartburn and my face was tingling. I waited a few hours, and my whole body was tingling. So my mom wanted me to go back just in case. So back at L&D, they put me back on monitors and gave me something for the heartburn. I started feeling a little better, but I still didn’t feel right. They weren’t sure why my face was tingling, but they said it was probably a side effect of the steroid earlier that day. They sent me home and told me to come back the next morning for the second steroid for their lungs.

The next morning, my husband and I go back to L&D to get the second shot. After they bring me to their triage room, the nurse asks how I’m feeling since the day before. I told her that I was still feeling really weird and couldn’t describe it. She said she wanted to monitor me just in case. So I get the steroid and get put back on the monitors. My blood pressure is even higher than the day before, and the nurse calls the OB on call. They did some blood work and took a urine sample. You’ve probably already guess it, but I was diagnosed with preeclampsia. I was immediately admitted to the floor (December 28).

After being admitted, we kind of just sat in limbo. We had no idea how long we’d be there or when we would actually deliver. My OB was gone until January 2nd. So we basically just waited until he could come in and talk to me. I was being treated for preeclampsia with constant supervision. I was also ordered to stay on strict bed rest. I was only allowed to walk the four steps to my bathroom. Luckily, the nurses were all AMAZING and kept us sane during the wait.

On December 31, he had to come in for an emergency c-section. So he came in to tell us that he wanted to go ahead and deliver the twins on January 2nd. I was so excited to finally have a date. The end was finally in sight! I had a really rough pregnancy and was so ready to not be so sick anymore. My BP was crazy high, I had horrible heart burn and acid reflux, I could barely walk, and it was hard to breathe. I was a hot mess there at the end.

The 2nd rolls around and the prep began at 4 am. 😳 The nurses came in to start two IVs. It takes 3 nurses and 6 sticks in order to get them both started. It was too early in the morning for me to care. Lab came in and drew blood immediately after. Everything seemed to move super slow until about 8 am. That’s when everything seemed to fly by. I was getting increasingly nervous about the c-section. My mom, MIL, FIL, and husband all sat with me as I tried not to overthink everything.

10:30 am rolls around, and they take me to pre-op. The anesthesiologist comes in and explains the procedures for the spinal block. I’m getting even more nervous and anxious because I’m the type of person that’s like, “don’t tell me what you’re going to do; just do it.” 😂 The nurses gave me something for the anxiety and the NASTIEST drink to settle the acids in my stomach (basically so you don’t throw up).

I walked back to the OR and got up on the table. I’ll be the first to admit that I was SCARED. They made me lean forward, grab my shoulders, and tuck my chin. Which is REALLY hard with a big ole twin belly. The spinal was not very pleasant, but it only took a minute and worked instantly. Everything from my boobs down got really warm, and then I wasn’t able to move. Weirdest feeling ever. They laid me back, draped me, cathed me, and brought my husband in. Doc didn’t even tell me when they started. I could just smell my skin being cauterized. Only a few short minutes (and lots of tugging) later, our son was pulled out screaming. That was a huge sigh of relief for me because I was so concerned about them only being 36 weeks gestation. One minute later, our daughter also came out screaming 🙌🏻

They let me see them for about 2 seconds before the babies, nursery nurses, and my husband left. Doc put me back together and I was moved to my bed. I immediately began to uncontrollably shake. Little did I know, I lost a ton of blood. My husband said it was all over the floor, on people’s shoes, up past doc’s elbow, and all over me. In recovery, the nurses gave me something for the shaking. They also brought the babies in, and I finally got to hold them. I never wanted that moment to end.

Long ending short: I ended up having to have two large blood transfusions that night because of all the blood loss. I still had to be treated for high blood pressure. We stayed in the hospital for 5 more days after they were born because they weren’t holding enough body heat and our boy needed to get the hang of eating. We were finally discharged on Monday, January 7th. My personal recovery has been pretty smooth, and my incision has healed extremely well. Both babies are eating more and more (all breast milk) and gaining weight just fine.

I suck at telling stories, so here are those pictures I promised lol

Last preggo pic before walking to the OR.

Their very first picture

Everett Scott 5lbs 16.5 in

Violet Eloise 4.9lbs 17.5 in

1 week old

Left: Violet

Right: Everett