The Rest of the Story

I want to first apologize to anyone who we may have worried or sent into panic mode with our lack of updates on Facebook and this blog.  This was not in the “Birth Plan” and so we have overlooked posting updates after such an ordeal.  Every night I thought – “Tonight’s the night I update everyone so they know we are ok and things are better.”  Every night I was tired.  Every night the twins still needed to be fed.  Every night the list of reasons why I can’t find the time seem longer and longer.  I finally took the time today to write it out so you could get the final update.

(the bed showed a pregnant lady) 

(We travel light - one bag for me, one beer cooler for the goodies, one bag for the wonderful helpers.) 

(My friend, Jessica, helping me through a contraction.  She is also pregnant.  We made quite the pair - waddle, waddle, waddle.)

And now, the rest of the story.

The last post stated that I was a stretchy 6 cm at around 9 PM.  The contractions continued at a steady pace.  I had my friends start helping me with the stronger contractions.  Overall we were doing just great.  Just after 10:30 I started feeling the contractions change into stronger, almost pushing, contractions.  My blood pressure reached fairly high for me at 145/90.  By 11 PM I was dilated to 7 and by 11:10 I was dilated to 8.  I was supposed to deliver in the operating room, but that room was in use.

By this time the birth staff was getting things ready.  They had a team for me, a team for Baby A, and one for Baby B.  At this point, I had breathed through 4 or 5 contractions that I would have called pushing contractions.  My delivering doctor came straight from a C-section into the room to catch for us.

 Brigid Johnelle was born at 11:38 PM with one good push.  It was a beautiful birth, perfect like she is.

 The doctor then reached up and grabbed a foot, then a foot and a hand, then two feet, then one foot got away, and finally had a strong hold on both feet.  The assisting doctor told the delivering doctor to break the water and pull the baby down.  Then I gave one massive push and out came Kiara Adabelle at 11:42 PM as a footling breech delivery.  It was another beautiful delivery and another beautiful daughter.

My placenta was acting up and wouldn’t release, so the doctor did some massaging and some gentle helping.  I was able to deliver it, but there were pieces missing.  By this time I was already bleeding quite a lot.  The doctor had to go back inside three times to get pieces out.  It wasn’t working like she had hoped so the assisting doctor took a turn.  He was much more aggressive and thorough.  I remember looking at my labor nurse at this point and seeing the look on her face.  It told me a lot about what was going on.  I found out later that my blood pressure was down to 48/28.  The second doctor was still trying to find the problem and I was in a whole LOT of pain from his exam.  On a side note – when someone asks me “On a scale of 1-10, ten being the worst pain you’ve felt” – that is my new 10. 

It was at this point they transported me off the 6^th floor and down into surgery on the 4^th floor.  Though my blood pressure was so low I was still conscious and recalled quite a few details.  When we got into Operating Room 3, they started right away getting things ready for a D&C.  I was very cold so they were putting warm blankets on me and something called a Bear Hug.  I’m sure none of you are surprised to find out that I held my own oxygen mask.  My nose kept itching so they would have to move it anyway.  Plus they kept putting it too close to my face and I felt like I was suffocating as I would take a breath.  I finally just held it on myself.  In that surgery I had a D & C and three attempts at a Bakri balloon placement.  Darren had come down with me to the 4^th floor, but then went back upstairs to be with the girls.

 (Daddy admiring his lovely daughters.)

 (Mommy's two friends, Jessica and Karla, holding the little dears.

 And of course the two little dears - Kiara and Brigid

This was not working and I was losing a lot of blood.  I was then moved into an ICU room to recover.  The ICU team attempted to stabilize me with a massive amount of blood products.  I was given:

13 units of red blood cells

12 units of platelets

6 units of plasma

20 units of cryo

At some point they called a Stat Team to my room.  That is a highly specialized group of medical personnel that are called in when things are not good.  I was not improving so they took me back into surgery.  This time they had to do a hysterectomy, leaving my cervix and ovaries.   During the surgery they had to give me 3 more units of red blood cells and 3 more units of platelets.  I found out later in the week that I had placenta accreta.  This means that the placenta had grown into the walls of the uterus.  No matter what delivery I would have had it would have ended in a hysterectomy because that is how you address placenta accreta.

At that point my excessive bleeding was over and I could start recovery.  From the time I delivered Kiara to the time I was out of surgery for the hysterectomy I lost about 2500 ml of blood (basically half a gallon).  I was given 57 units of blood products which meant, in this case, I was given 17 pints of blood.  Throughout this insane experience I only woke up twice after they put me under for the D&C and the final wake up in ICU.  One time was when I was headed back in for the hysterectomy.  That time I heard Darren talking to me and that was both a comfort and a distress for me.  The next time I woke up briefly was when I was being given Last Rites.  Darren said they tried to wake me, but that I motioned I wanted to stay “asleep” because of the pain.

I woke up the final time in the ICU room around 11 AM.  I was still on a ventilator.   They would end up giving me 3 more units of red blood cells to help get my blood tests the way they should be.  I stayed there until the 25^th and was moved upstairs that evening.  I did have one more unit of blood when we got to Labor and Delivery.  

 (I looked like I got ran over by a bus!)

(still hooked up to the machines in ICU)

The rest of the time I spent being checked and loving on my babies.  There was a chance that they were going to discharge the twins and send them home without me.  I worked extra hard on getting the goals met in the ICU so I could be transferred up to OB.  As long as I was nursing the babies they could stay in the hospital with me until I was discharged.  There is nothing worse than almost dying one day and hearing they are sending your babies home without you the next.

I had visits from the doctors and nursing staff that saved my life while I was recovering.  Most of the doctors said that I should have died.  One doctor said “I’m here to see the woman who should have a tag on her toe.”  Another doctor said that if I hadn’t been at a hospital with as much blood in-house, I would have died.  Scary thought.

(bruises up and down my arms)

(I think I was attacked by a vampire.)

This experience has been terrible for both Darren and I, but God blessed us with an amazing medical team, a wonderful group of blood donors, friends to help us through this, family who drop everything to help with the kids, and the most incredible prayers from the prayer chains and individuals.  God has taken care of us through this week.  He has shown His love, His constant care, and His almightiness.  I am a walking miracle.

P.S. Hug your wife or husband just a little tighter tonight.   

Thank you everyone from the bottoms of our hearts!!