I was at work on September 28, and it felt like a normal day to me. I had my usual Wednesday meeting then went back to my office, but I did have a couple of contractions and chalked them up to Braxton Hicks, as I had been having them for the past couple of weeks, but not often at all. Maybe one or two a day. In my last doctor's appointment before that day, the doctor had told me that I could get up to nine contractions a day and that they were still normal, as long as the time between them wasn't short.
That Wednesday, I kept getting contractions and worked through them, but something in me told me that I needed to start timing them. I got my phone out and noted down the times between them. First they were ten to thirteen minutes apart, then shorter times about five to eight minutes apart. I texted Jack and my sister about this and my sister quickly told me that I needed to call my doctor and that she would pick me up. I told her I would call my doctor but that I needed to pick Jack up from his work since we carpooled to work. Thank God he works five minutes away from me.
I called my doctor and his assistant told me I needed to head to the hospital right away. What! For what! I was still a little hesitant to go and in disbelief, but I listened anyway instead of waiting until I was in active labor as I did with Elliot. Still kicking myself about that.
I texted Jack at first and told him I needed to head to the hospital and his response were three of those wide-eyed emojis. That was exactly how I felt about that too. Ha! I headed to his work, picked him up and still debated on going home to get my hospital bag. I was totally prepared with that this time and wanted to take it with me! We decided against it and just headed for the hospital instead.
Once we got there, the nurses took me into triage and we waited in the room for a couple of hours while me and the baby were being monitored. Good thing I had eaten a light snack a couple of hours before because I was already starving and I knew that if I were to be admitted, I wouldn't be able to eat for another hundred hours, it felt that way at least. I was then checked for dilation and to my surprise I was a one, but I knew that didn't necessarily mean that the baby was coming that day, but since I was scheduled for a c-section two weeks away, the doctor wouldn't really let me go into labor. I honestly didn't want to go into labor that day. I was hooked to an IV and waited a couple more hours, but the contractions were closer and becoming more and more painful. The nurses changed shifts and a new nurse came in and asked, "Have they told you?" Have they told me what? "You're having a baby today!" Yes, it was the day! A little while after, not long at all, I was two centimeters and that's when it hit me that yes, we would be having a baby that day, two weeks before my scheduled c-section.
My mom was there as soon as she heard that I was going to the hospital and I was so glad that her and Jack were there to be with me. My doctor then came in and told me to be ready because this was the day! Five thirty is when I would be moved to the OR and prepped. Holy eff, I started getting a little nervous. Our entire lives would change again in a matter of hours!
Jack was given the gown to change into to go in with me and I was wheeled to the operating room. This time everything was so different than with Elliot's birth. Everything moved at a slower pace. Everyone seemed to be so relaxed. With Elliot's labor, I was in so much pain that everything was a blur. I don't remember a lot. Everyone was rushing. This time I remember every single thing. How cold the room was, how bright the lights were, me being so nervous about another c-section, another recovery, a painful one. The anesthesiologist explaining exactly what he would be doing to give me a spinal tap, the prick of the needle on my back and how it felt exactly as he described it would. The feeling of my legs going numb right away. I don't remember any of that with Elliot's birth.
Once my legs were numb, the doctor came in and started prepping my belly, I still had some feeling around my belly area, and they tilted my bed backwards towards my head to allow the anesthetic to travel towards my belly. Weirdest feeling ever. Once I was all prepped, Jack was brought in and we started talking about this being it. I felt the same pressure as the last time, but I didn't feel any pain at all. I was so anxious to meet this little baby! In no time, I heard the suction bulb and then a cry. He's here! It took a minute for Oliver to be cleaned and wrapped up before he was given to Jack. Jack took him over to me and I started crying. Tears of joy because our baby was healthy, because I was able to have him so close to me, because of the immense love I felt for this little person I had just met, but had been carrying and caring for this entire nine months. The doctor peeked over the little tent they put up and said congratulations. I was able to muster up a weak "Thank you". Then the craziest thing happened, the doctor told Jack to walk over to where he could see my incision and all my insides and showed him my uterus. He told us that it was way worse than he thought as it is completely split in half and the middle wall was really thick. I didn't know if that was good or bad at that point but he left it at that, stitched me up and I was transferred to recovery then to my room.
At about two in the morning, Oliver was brought to us, thanks nurses, and I won't bore you with all of the fun we had that night. If you have been through this, you know what I'm talking about. I'll leave it at zero sleep, lots of pain, crying baby, party time-not.
The next morning, my doctor came to check on me and that's when he sat down and broke down the news. He said we had been so fortunate to be able to have two healthy babies. My condition, as I said, was way worse than he thought and he didn't know how I had been able to carry two babies to full term. He also advised me to not have any more kids, it's too risky he said, which broke my heart because I think about a third one. Also, as I said in this post, we leave it in the hands of God if we ever decide to have a third baby. To me, He allowed us to have two beautiful, healthy babies, how do we know we won't be able to have a third? If that time every comes, it's something that of course we will discuss with my doctor, but ultimately, the decision would be up to us.
We came home that Friday and became a family of four. We are adjusting to a completely new routine because two kids is a whole new ball game. Elliot is over the moon with his baby brother and already wants to teach him everything he does, all of his favorite toys' names, and he hugs him, kisses him and tells him and us that he loves his baby brother so much every single day. Our hearts couldn't be more full! Life is good. God is good.
