(I started writing this post over a year ago but am posting it now just to finish the story- hoping to blog more in the coming weeks!)
It was the 17th of April, 2013. Two days after my birthday and 31 weeks and 4 days. At this stage I was having the boys heart beats monitored every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, as well as a low key u/s (this was the one where they checked to make sure that the placenta's were working and that there was no oxygen loss to the brain). Every two weeks there was a growth scan. It was Wednesday morning and I was due to go in for my scan soon, but first we were having breakfast with a friend. I was feeling rotten. A terrible head-ache and very blah, but I decided I was try breakfast. At the cafe I was looking at the menu but I couldn't read it, my vision was so blurry. I knew this was either a migrain or blood pressure related but as it only lasted a minute I tried not to panic. Afterall, I was going to be in hospital in a matter of hours anyway.
Scan was fine and I lay down for the heart-beat test. This was probably my 8th time hooked up to the machine that would pretty soon become my bestfriend/worst enemy. I told the nurse who was monitoring that I was a little worried about my health and could I have a blood pressure check. She went and got the machine. After she checked it, she said it was a little high, and called up the registrar who was in charge of my cohort (at the Mercy hospital you are assigned to a team depending on which day you come into clinic). They decided to do a urine check. I was told I had to stay in hospital for four hours to get the results.
So that's what I did. Tim got me some lunch and then headed off to some afternoon meetings, ready to pick me up later that afternoon. It was not a fun afternoon, at that stage of the pregnancy I was sleeping every arvo and it was tough. In the end they put me on the couch in the waiting room for the perinatal testing room, and I managed a half an hour (and amused everyone with my snoring). After 4 hours, with Tim by my side, they told me that my protein levels were high, and they would need to do a 24 hour urine test. Basically everything I peed for 24 hours would be tested, and they would get a better sense of the protein levels from that. But they didn't want to take any chances so I was being admitted.
What were they worried about? Pre-eclampsia. Basically a condition which involves the placenta leaking nasties into Mummy's blood stream. In the "Pre" stage it is picked up by protein in the urine and by blood tests. In the "eclampsia" stage it can be fatal to Mother and baby. The only cure is delivery.
So, I went in that Wednesday for a routine check and didn't even get to go home. The moral of the story. PACK YOUR HOSPITAL BAG EARLY. We had a very amusing time the next day when Tim brought in my requested items, including none of the clothes I would have picked and bringing a night-light instead of a nightie ("I did think it was a weird request"). I sent my Mum the next day to do a more thorough job.
The next 24 hours, besides having to awkwardly pee into a jug, where not to bad. It was nice to put my feet up, watch TV, and get visited. They gave me steriod shots to help the boys lungs develope quickly. My blood pressure remained steady and I began to think I could go home.
But Friday afternoon, at exactly 32 weeks, the doctor came to tell me the bad news. I officially had pre-eclampsia, and I wasn't going home. I wouldn't be home until the boys were born, and given how fast moving pre-eclampsia could be, that could be any day now.
I burst into tears. I didn't really care about being in the hospital, but I was worried about my boys. 32 weeks was early, but at this stage Sebastian was only 1.3 kg. Too early to deliver. The doctor was lovely, explaining things as best she could. They would monitor my blood pressure four hourly, do blood tests every second day, and would do a 24 hour urine test once a week. They would check the boys heart beats every day, and continue to scan Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. If there were any red flags, they would deliver the next day.
They then sent up a pediatrician from the NICU and Special Care Nursery. It was the best thing they could do. Not only was she lovely, but she was very confident about the boys. I believe her words were "32 weeks? That's nothing". She also explained that while Sebastian was small, he was mature. He might be the size of a 28 week old baby but his lungs and brain were that of a 32 week old. There was no reason to panic, 32 week old babies had slow starts but rarely had any developmental differences from their peers.
But praise God, I did not deliver at 32 weeks.
I was in hospital for 3 weeks. It was a strange three weeks. There was so much uncertainty- everyday I would wake up wondering if the boys would come. Being stuck in hospital was terrible but at the same time I knew everyday was another day of my boys getting bigger and healthier.
Finally, at 34 weeks and 4 days, we had another growth scan. Our littliest boy had stopped growing, and the next day, the 9th of May, 2013 was going to be their birthday.
I had a c-section. I remember being a weird combination of scared and ridiculously excited. The few seconds after they were both born I held my breath. And then I heard the cry. Their cries, particularly the cries of my tiniest boy was the most beautiful thing.
Our eldest and biggest boy we named Connor and he was 2.2 kg and needed a little oxygen. Our littlest boy Sebastian was only 1.4, but didn't need oxygen so I got to give him a little kiss.
The next 24 hours were some of the best and worst of my life. I was wheeled into the Nursery and gave my boys a little kiss. Relatives came to see them and we got to reveal their beautiful names. But my pre-eclampsia was not as dormant as it seemed and my blood pressure took off. I ended up in high dependency care, unable to see my boys for nearly 24 hours. I don't think I even realised what danger I was in. But it was terrible to be away from them.
I recovered eventually, and was able to go to the nursery and have my first beautiful cuddles.
Connor was in hospital for 4 weeks, Sebastian for 6 (he had some complications with feeding that were quite worrying, but which resolved themselves eventually with no problems).
It is strange to look back. I can't even remember when I started writing this post, but the boys are now 2.5 and have a beautiful baby sister Estelle (who also had a complicated pregnancy but that's a story for a different time). I love them so much, they are such happy energetic boys, it is crazy to think they had such a rocky start. I thank God the gift of my precious twins.
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