On June 5th, when I was 31 weeks and 1 day pregnant, Eric and I went into Labor and Delivery to check on the babies. I hadn't felt much movement on the right side so I was a little concerned about Rhett. The heart rates turned out to be great, Rhett was just completely folded in half and hitting and kicking on Cason's side.
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| Monitoring the heart rates. |
While at the hospital the nurse told me the slow movements that I thought were Rhett sticking his butt out were actually contractions. My contractions were a small tightening with Scarlett and Shayla so it never clicked that those slow movements could be contractions. They didn't hurt, my stomach just made a weird shape (which happens a lot when there are two babies in there). The nurse also checked my cervix, which was completely closed, and did an fFN test. An fFN test is when you swab right behind the cervix and if the test is negative then there's a high probability that you won't deliver in the next two weeks. The nurse didn't get a good sample so we didn't get those results, but since my cervix was closed we were, thankfully, sent home that night.
Within a day I knew exactly when I was having a contraction thanks to the nurse telling me what they were. Only I suddenly felt it more in my groin and low back. I told myself that they were a little stronger but I was probably just more aware of them now that I knew what they were. With my first pregnancy my water broke and then intense contractions started and the babies came an hour and a half later. These were no where near as painful as that, so I was convinced they were just Braxton Hicks.
Things continued on like that for another week. I would have Braxton Hicks sporadically, sometimes 3 or 4 times in an hour. They were never consistent so I didn't worry about it. A second week went by like this, but I also had a bunch of discharge every time I went to the bathroom and wiped (tmi?). The discharge was clear, and my brief internet research told me that an increase of discharge is normal in your third trimester due to hormones.
On June 20th, 15 days after my first hospital monitoring, I started to question things. Was the discharge actually my mucus plug coming out? It's not an exact science, but when your mucus plug comes out you can have your baby in a few hours or a few weeks. And were my Braxton Hicks actually labor contractions? They weren't painless and they weren't unbearable so I was really confused. That night I was up a lot because the contractions were very uncomfortable. I timed them between 3 and 4 in the morning and they were pretty consistently every 5 minutes apart. Eventually I fell asleep and when I woke up in the morning the contractions weren't that consistent. I would have a couple 2 minutes apart or some 10 minutes apart. My discharge turned light red that morning so I was sure it was my mucus plug coming out.
With all my questions, I wanted the doctor to check my cervix to see if I was dilating. I wasn't about to go into Labor and Delivery because I didn't want to feel stupid if I wasn't dilated. I couldn't tell if I was just a wuss with my "Braxton Hicks" or if they were actual labor contractions, so I called my doctor's office asking if I could come in earlier that day instead of our scheduled afternoon appointment. I told the nurse on the phone that I was experiencing signs of pre-term labor. She told me the office was double booked that morning and booked in the afternoon and then asked why I thought I was in pre-term labor. I told her I lost my mucus plug and my contractions were hurting. She then responded by telling me to take a couple Tylenol for the pain and that they didn't have anything in the office to be able to stop pre-term labor. She also said I could go to the hospital if I wanted, but I still didn't feel comfortable enough to do this. I was pretty annoyed that she wasn't taking pre-term labor seriously and told me to pop some Tylenol.
I had an appointment that morning at the hospital with Maternal Fetal Medicine to do a non-stress test (NST). Basically an NST monitors the babies' heart rates for 20 minutes to see if there are any decelerations. If there are decelerations in that period of time then they usually send women up to Labor and Delivery for further monitoring like I had to do the week before after one of my NSTs. I got to talking to the ultrasound tech about my concerns with the mucus plug and cervix and she said I should bring those up to the nurse in Labor and Delivery if I was sent there. Luckily there was a deceleration and I went up for further monitoring.
While in the Labor and Delivery unit the monitoring showed no more decelerations. I was going to be able to go home, but I told the nurse that I wanted to see if I was dilating and I also wanted the steroid shot to help develop the babies' lungs if I did happen to have them earlier than planned. She spoke with the doctor and he said it was okay if she checked my cervix (sometimes checking can start labor so she needed to ask). Before giving me the steroid shot she checked for dilation. Within one second she surprisingly said, "Woah, you're at a 6 and I can feel the baby's head. You need to call your husband right now because you are having these babies today."
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| Getting prepped. |
At 12:11 pm I called Eric. He rushed to the hospital and was there within 10 minutes. I was questioning whether I should have a vaginal delivery or stick to the plan of another c-section. The nurses were waiting around for me to make a decision. The final deciding factor was when a nurse mentioned that sometimes with twins the first one comes out vaginally and the second has to come out via c-section. I definitely didn't want that, so I stuck with the plan I had for the past 7 months. Switching at the last minute was too hard for me to do.
They immediately prepped me for a c-section. Once everyone was moving quickly around me I started tearing up because it was all so overwhelming. I'm not even sure what happened, but once the IV was in and they were pumping me with something, I started shaking uncontrollably from the inside out and turned pale. I couldn't stop shaking all the way up to the OR. The OR was FREEZING which didn't help the situation, but once I had the epidural in I was finally able to relax and stop shaking. And the plastic blanket thing filled with warm air that they placed over my arms felt like heaven!
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| Finally warmed up and about to get started. |
For my last c-section I had to be put under general anesthesia and Eric was not allowed to be in the room, so all of this was a whole new experience for me. There were some parts I liked about being passed out, like not having to go through all that prep work or feel some of the pressure on my stomach. I had no idea that my arms would be spread out like they were. I could follow the knife along my previous incision, which was a really weird feeling. I did like being awake though. Eric asked if he could look over the curtain and watch everything, and they lowered it so he could see. They asked if I wanted to watch too because they could lower it further and I, of course, responded, "No way." Some things I absolutely do not want to see.
After feeling a bunch of pressure Cason Henry Walker was born at 1:24 pm weighing 4 lbs 6 oz and 17 inches long, squealing like a pig.
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| Baby Cason |
They showed him to me wrapped in a blanket and he was so cute. It was the first time I experienced that instant mother's love. With Kinsey I met her when she already had a mom so I felt a little out of place at the time, and with Scarlett and Shayla I was so out of it that whole day after the anesthesia that I had trouble focusing on their face long enough to even see them. Feeling that instant love was probably my favorite part of the whole experience.
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| Seeing Cason for the first time. |
Rhett Emerson Walker came out 2 minutes later at 1:26 pm weighing 4 lbs 7 oz and 17 1/2 inches long, but due to lung issues they didn't show him to me and took him directly to the NICU. Getting the steroid shot probably could have avoided the lung issue, but after seeing me so dilated it was too late to get the shot.
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| Baby Rhett |
After they cleaned me and stitched me up they took us right up to the NICU where the boys were.
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| Holding Cason for the first time. |
They were both under heat lamps to regulate their body temperature. Rhett had to wear a CPAP mask to help his breathing for a few hours so I still didn't get to see what his whole face looked like!
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| Rhett with his CPAP mask. |
We were really pleased with how everything turned out. Both boys ended up weighing more than Scarlett did when she was born 3 gestation weeks later. I literally just wanted my cervix checked that day expecting to be dilated to a 1 or 2 only to find out I was ready to deliver. It was quite the roller coaster ride. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if I hadn't been sent up to Labor and Delivery that day and if I hadn't started questioning what was going on with my body. Always trust a mother's intuition. It's funny how it all just came together in my mind the night before giving birth.
We welcomed our baby boys into this world on June 21st at 33 weeks and 3 days and couldn't be happier with how strong they are and all the progress they are making.
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| Cason with Mom and Dad. |
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| Holding Rhett for the first time. |
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| Rhett with Mom and Dad. |
