I'm posting this AS IS, I wrote it up a day or two after delivery, at say, 1am...soooo I have no idea what I wrote. But it's better that way...it's REAL!
3 weeks after my first visit to Labor and Delivery I returned with more contractions that were stronger and more regular. They did monitoring and decided to keep me over night. I dreaded calling because I had a feeling they would want to keep me, and I did not want to stay.
This visit only lasted one night, and I didn't get to eat the entire time I was in the hospital. I was ready to eat someone's head off!!! They sent me home to go to my next appointment, a few days later and to call if I felt any of those "signs of labor". Which is what I was doing each other time. I of course was having real contractions, they just weren't changing my cervix, therefore, they were only preterm uterine contractions and not preterm labor.
I had a good visit, the babies measured A & B over 4lbs and C 3lb 12oz. So I was to continue carrying as long as possible. A week later I had another office visit. The night before this visit contractions started again, more painful than ever before, very sharp and low in my pelvis. I waited until my appointment to tell the nurse, rather than call that night. She felt it would be a good idea to check me to see if I had made any cervical change, which I did not, and my cervix was still very high. After my appointment the contractions continued to be sharp and low.
Throughout the day I decided to keep track of my contractions, and knew that the nurse would be calling with bloodwork results from that morning later on. I had quite a few contractions, and they were lasting more than 30-45 seconds, and they were happening every 2-6 minutes. When the nurse called, I was lying down, and decided I should mention that since I left the appointment the contractions were continuing to get worse. I brought up the chance that it could have been induced by her checking me earlier, and she said possibly, but that it would have subsided by this time and that I really should go in to triage to be monitored again, just in case I was progressing. I called Andy to have him come home.
During all this my mother was with me, taking care of Emmalee and me, and she took Emmalee over to her house for the evening while we went to triage. I, as usual, was hooked up to monitors, which made the contractions more uncomfortable, and they had a really difficult time finding all 3 babies. They were doing ultrasounds, and for over an hour and a half, were unsuccessful, so finally I asked for a break. When I arrived, before the monitoring started they checked my cervix, it was still closed and thick and high. So no change. After they gave up the monitoring, Dr. G came in and decided to monitor the babies thru ultrasound for several minutes. When she was satisfied, she checked my cervix again, and again, there was no change. She told me I could go home, and call if anything changed or got worse, or I could stay and be monitored over night. I chose to go home, as anyone would! One thing she said was if you cannot sleep thru the contractions, that is a reason to call.
So of course, I couldn't sleep thru the contractions that night. They were unbearable by morning and coming every 2-3 minutes like clockwork. Eventually I got out of bed and went to the recliner. This didn't help, they actually were steadily 2 minutes apart and hurt more than when I was lying down. I decided I'd better call. (Meanwhile Emmalee is calling from her room, "Mommy! Mommy! Kay??? Mommy Kay???" She knew that I was not okay.)
I called and Dr. Hackney was on for that day. He said the only way to know if it was true labor was to come in again. I agreed as long as he promised I wouldn't have to be monitored. He said we could work that out. We called my Dad and he came to get Emmalee. While waiting for him I took a quick shower, contracting still every 2 minutes. Got dressed, and waited for them to get Emmalee and we all headed out the door at 9am.
On the way to the hospital I continued feeling the horribly painful contractions and started feeling a kicking very low in my cervix area. Really, baby A had to start right now?! We parked in the garage and Andy went and got me a wheelchair because I could definately not walk. I hid my horrible expressions as he wheeled me in. We got to triage and they had me do a sterile urine sample. When I wiped there was blood on the paper. I told the resident who was getting ready to check me. She said that this might mean my cervix was opening. Oh great, I thought, I don't want to have these babies yet. But again, at least I'll have a good reason for these horrible contractions other than irritable uterus!
The resident checked my cervix and had a strange look on her face. "I think what I am feeling is a bag of water and a foot." "WHAT!? What does that mean?" I asked. "Well that means you labored all night and your cervix is fully dialated." Uh. What? She wanted a 2nd opinion, so she called another resident, who concurred. There was no cervix, I was fully dialated, and Baby A was pretty much dangling right there. That's when the choas began. Dr. Hackney was suddenly between my legs, assessing the situation. There were nurses on either side of me checking my arms for a good spot for my IV. Then there were anestesiologist, telling me what to expect from a spinal, or the possibility of being put under because we might not have time for that. They had me lean forward and bend my back to see if the place for a spinal was good. Then I laid back down, where a resident shoved a paper about the c-section proceedure in my face to sign. The contractions continuing to get worse.
The IV was in, the were about to start pulling my bed out of the triage and then; "Oh my God! I think he's coming out!!! He is, I have to push I can't help it, he's going to come out!" Sure enough Baby A was starting to come down the birth canal, breech (feet first). I had to push and the bag of water exploded all over everyone at my feet. They were trying to pull the bottom of the bed off, and get my feet into position, but I kept yelling that I have to push, they kept telling me not to, and to lift my leg. "I CAN'T!!!!! IT HURTS!!!" Then I had to push more, and they finally wanted me to and it seemed like I wasn't going to be able to get his head out. But finally, the pain stopped, and he was out. I saw him briefly, he wasn't making any sounds or moving, they took him away to the NICU quickly.
They got my bed back together in seconds and started wheeling me down to the O.R. to continue my delivery. They were getting an ultrasound ready to see if Lyla (baby B) was presenting head down to continue with vaginal delivery. "No! I want to have a c-section, I can't deliver any more of them like that, it hurts too much!" Lucky for me, she was also breech, and the anestisologists were making me chug a weird drink, and had me sucking in some gas, and I was out.
I woke up around 11am in a new place, with new faces asking me how I feel, telling me I'm done with delivering my babies and am in recovery. It didn't take long for me to come to. Then I started asking about where Andy was, they assumed with the babies. And they were telling me that they were told all the babies were doing well and in the NICU. I about an hour or so in the recovery, waiting for a bed. The people down there were very nice, especially my nurse, a man name Nuny (Noon-y). While he kept me company and continued to check me, I was noticing I had a very scratchy throat. I realized they had to stick a tube down my throat to help me breathe during the delivery, since I was put under. It didn't really hurt, just felt annoying, like when you lose your voice. They gave me the wonderful ice chips.
Finally I got a room. Room 3-1221 in the High-Risk OB recovery wing. Andy walked in shortly after I got into the room. Followed by my parents and sisters and Andy's parents. Andy of course, and both our parents had all gotten to go into the NICU and see the babies. I was of course jealous, but obviously I had to recover, so I got over it and didn't dwell. Andy then took my sisters in to see the babies. Only 2 visitors other than parents and grandparent per day. They came back with pictures and I got to "see" my beautiful babies finally! Baby A- Owen Stuart was 4lbs 10.5oz and 18.5inches long! Baby B- Lyla Rose was 4lbs 5oz and 16.5inches long. Baby C- Noah Thomas was 4lbs 3.5oz and 16 3/8 inches long. They were all HUGE for triplets and especially triplets born at 32weeks 2days!
Everyone went home to let us settle in for the evening. I was on morphine and some other IV drug, and in a lot of dull pain from the incision and from my uterus contracting down. Had a catheter in, so it was nice I didn't have to worry about going to the bathroom!
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