Adventures with the Contes: July 2014

Well, We last left off around my baby shower and I was showing some signs of protien in my urine and elevated blood pressure. So on Friday June 27th, I got called to come in to the Doctor's office because my protien in my urine was really a lot higher than they wanted and they needed to monitor me. After waiting FOREVER to see the on call Doc that day, they decided to send me over to L&D because they would be able to get my results back faster. So over we went and spent the majority of the day in one of the nice Labor rooms watching TV and listening to our babies on the monitors. They let me leave that day with a giant jug to collect my tee tee over night and instructions to return it to them on Saturday morning. So with that task completed, Renan and I spent the morning cheering on Brazil in the World Cup at Carlos and Dana's house. We had a blast and ate Chicken Hearts which i LOVE! We came back home and rested a bit before heading back out to the Promenade to return some baby items and grab some nachos at Mama Goldbergs. So stinkin' good!! The next day was Sunday and I went to church while Renan went to the Fire Station for his shift. I sat with Mom and was SO uncomfortable through the service. I could not get comfortable and was very swollen. I was also still fighting the sinus infection. So Ma sent me home with orders to REST all day. No problem on that one, I was miserable so I didnt mind just chilling out. As the day progressed, my blood pressure seemed to be creeping up and by the time I went to bed, I had a small headache. I took some tyelnol, and went to sleep. I awoke at 2am with my headache a little worse but again took more tylenol. When 6am rolled around, I was in agony. My head was splitting open and I was alone while Renan had to go straight to UAB after his shift for a rotation. I made the decision that I needed to go to the hospital because there was no way I could wait until 8am for the Doc to open. I had tried cold packs on my head and neck, everything but it was only getting worse. Mom and Dad came to get me and took my to L&D at 7am. I begged Renan to stay and finish is rotation because we REALLY needed for him to get them all done before the girls came! He didnt like it, but he agreed. We arrived and they immediately put me in a triage area where they started IV's and took blood and BP and started monitoring the girls. I laid there with my eyes closed trying to breathe through the horrible headache pain. After about an hour, they gave me some demerol and phenegren for pain and nausea. It took effect almost instantly and I felt the edge being taken off my pain and i started feeling sleepy. About that time, my sweet Renan appeared at the door in his rotation scrubs. I just started bawling. It was a mixture of such relief to have him there and knowing that he really did need to finish his rotations! He assured me that everything was taken care of and to relax. We were then taken to a room and told we would have to stay the night and the girls would probably need to be delivered the next day. I was contracting some and had dialated about 2cm so Dr. Rodriguez was more concerned for my health at this point, because even though the girls would be early, they were a good size and had strong heartbeats. They gave me 2 rounds of steroid shots to build up their lungs. I did not sleep that entire night between my back killing me in that hospital bed and being so nervous about what was going to happen....I even got up around 5am and just went in the bathroom and got in the shower and cried my eyes out because I was so uncomfortable. Where was my husband you ask?? Sleeping peacfully!!! haha! That kid never moved all night. Bless him. The next morning, my Blood Pressure was holding fairly steady and my headache was completely gone. Dr. Rodriguez came back in and said that she felt like we could try to do Bed Rest and just come back in the office every couple of days for monitoring. We were so happy and felt like if we could just keep them in at least another week, we would be good to go!! Well, the next morning, I went in the office at 8am for my appt. to be monitored. I did my normal pee in a cup and weigh and saw I had put on 7 lbs in 4 days. Red Flag #1. My Blood pressure was elevated again when it was checked and I was REALLY swollen in my legs. Red Flag #2. They hooked me up to a monitor and left while I read an article about the new season of Trueblood. Probably not even 10 minutes into the monitoring, Dr. Rod. comes back in and says, "the protien in your urine has doubled again" Red Flag #3. "WE NEED TO DELIVER TOMORROW." I was honestly shocked. I was really thinking I would be able to just be on bedrest and hold these gals in for awhile, but things with me were no longer holding steady, but were progressivly getting worse. I was told to go home and return to Labor and Delivery that evening and we would deliver the girls at 7:30am by C-section. I was alone at the office and I was freaking out. Renan was at work so i sent him a text. "We are having babies tomorrow." His response...."YOU SERIOUS?!?" So i go home, and thankfully my sweet friend Heather was already set to clean my house that morning. My BFF Katie who came in town early from Fairhope came over and we made sure my bags were set to go and we just hung out and acted silly. She saved my life that afternoon by taking my mind off everything. I also took a shower and curled my hair. Even though I was laid up basically all afternoon, my legs and feet continued to swell to epic proportions. Around 4pm, Renan and I left our house with our furbaby Benjamin and knew we would return no longer being just us. It was scary, but also exciting. When we arrived at L&D, they were already expecting us and I told the front desk nurse, I'm here to move in! They took me straight back to room 7 and everything was ready and waiting for me. My nurse Renee wasted no time in getting my IV in and hooking me up to monitors for the girls. I also had to be pumped full of Magnesium to help control my Blood Pressure. Magnesium has some LOVELY side effects. You basically feel like someone is putting hot sauce in your blood and just an overall crap feeling. When that hot tingly feeling started creeping over me......i had a PANIC attack. I started crying and hyperventalating at the thought of how much my life was about to change. I was also feeling TERRIFIED of the surgery. I just could not believe that it was going to be easy and I was letting it consume me. I actually said to my mom through my panicked tears, "Why do people have babies?? This is horrible!!" That night I took an ambien but still had trouble sleeping. Things started early that morning with my lifesaver of a nurse Orlita coming it to get me started. She had twins herself and was such a precious person. All the NICU nurses, CRNAs, doctor, everyone kept coming in and letting me know their part in everything. It was all a blur to me, but I did manage to get up and put on makeup. I wanted to look good for my C-Section at least!! They came to roll me in the OR and I literally was terrified but I just tried to pray for peace and rest in that. The Lord really showed up and I was strangely calm while I sat on the operating table and leaned over for my spinal block. There was the Anesthesia doctor, as well as the Nurse Anethesist Dave, who looked about my age. They quickly got things set up and kept telling me when they were 50% done, 75% done, and then it was DONE. I could not believe how easy and painless it was. The steroid shots in my butt literally hurt worse that this spinal block. The quickly laid me down and the sheet went up in front of my head. I started losing feeling below my chest, but I remained calm as I knew the Lord was with me. Everyone got in place and the incisions started. During this, I felt my sweet husband step in by my side. He started telling me what was going on and the next thing i knew, I heard crying!!! My sweet Everly was out! I was smiling and focusing on breathing when I realized that my Mom was next to me too!! I was so happy to have her there. They told her last minute to come in and she was ecstatic. Having her there to hold my hand while Renan was goign back and forth between the girls and me was priceless. About this time, i heard another cry....My sweet Saylor girl was out and screaming too! They let me know they weighed 4.6 and 4.11 and the next thing I knew, Renan was by my head rubbing my arm and they brought the girls around to my head. I was so overwhelmed and I said....."Can I touch them?" Then i noticed my Saylor's sweet little lips poked out so I said, "Can i kiss her??" I stroked their faces and kissed them and I could not believe how beautiful they were. Renan kissed me and told me how proud he was of me. It all could not have been more perfect....I know this was 100% because the Lord was with us the entire time giving us His peace and calm. There is nothing better. Then it was over, but i honestly cannot remember getting back to the room or anything like that. Renan took the girls down to the NICU with the nurses and took pictures for me to see. It was a very strange feeling to have just delivered my babies, but not have really seen or held them at all. I of course was on a pain pump right after surgery and that kept me in and out of sleep all morning. Anytime someone would come in the room to visit, i would fall asleep every time. Orlita told me that if I wanted to go down to the NICU, i would have to be off the pain pump. Well that was enough motivation for me to kick that thing.....I delivered the girls at 7:49am and by 2:30pm I was off the pain pump and just taking oral medications from then on out. Renan and Orlita helped me stand and walk for the first time that afternoon and I literally took tiny penguin steps. I couldnt believe how much pain it was to walk. That's when the fact that I had major surgery hit me. I got in a wheelchair and Renan wheeled me down to the NICU to really and truly see my girls for the first time. Sitting in the wheelchair and all the bumps along the way was very unpleasant and I was feeling very nervous to really meet the girls. When Renan pushed me up to them in the NICU, I could not hold back the tears. I couldnt believe they were here and they were mine. What amazing miracles our God had created. I was in LOVE.