I had a plan that Thursday morning (I know..shocking). Jason was off that day. Both he and Gabriel were going to my appointment with me to meet my doctor. I was then going to come home and write a blog post to update everyone about my pregnancy. Things did not go as planned.
The first part of my appointment was fairly routine. I had my abdominal and vaginal ultrasounds to check on the babies and to check the length of my cervix. My cervix had shortened some again, but overall, I was okay with the number. At the very end of the ultrasound, I asked if Baby A was in a frank breech position. For those who don't know, there are several different types of breech positions. I was concerned that if she was in a frank position (baby is kind of folded in half with legs up by face) for too long that she might have hip problems after birth. I was relieved when she said no. Then she looked at the picture again and told me that she saw a foot down by my cervix. I thought nothing of it as she took a picture and labeled the foot on the screen. Little did I know that this was the beginning of the end of my pregnancy.
We had about a half hour wait before my appointment with the doctor. When it was time, my OB walked in, met Jason and Gabriel, and immediately told me I was going straight to the hospital after she was finished with me. She wanted me on bed rest at the hospital for the remainder of my pregnancy. I was a little shocked at this news. She explained that she was doing this because Baby A was footling breech (one or both of baby's feet are below the baby and near the cervix) and the risk of cord prolapse was very high (cord comes out of the cervix first and oxygen is cut off when the baby puts pressure on it). She decided to go ahead and do a manual check on me while I was there. I was really excited when I heard this. For so long, we had been getting weekly updates on the length of my cervix, but I had no idea how dilated I was. I really had started to think that I was going to make it to 37 weeks or beyond, but I knew I might have to rethink that if I showed a decent amount of progression. As she proceeded with the check, I waited patiently to hear how many centimeters. Instead, I heard my doctor tell me that she was delivering these babies today. Why? She could feel Baby A's foot during the check. Her concern for my water breaking and a possible cord prolapse was too high. I did ask my OB before we left how dilated I was. I was 1 cm.
I was shocked to say the least. Five minuted before, this had been a normal appointment, but now I would be delivering the babies immediately. To be honest, I wasn't sure how I felt about this. You see, a cord prolapse had been on my radar. Although I had not talked with anyone about it, I knew that Baby A's breech position put me at a higher risk for it. I had thought about what I would need to do if my water broke at home to check for this. This being said, I had not looked up anything on footling breech positions. Was the risk so much higher that it warranted taking the girls? I knew that they were likely to need NICU time at 34 weeks 6 days. Should I sacrifice this time for lung and brain development to prevent the possibility of a prolapse? I struggled with these questions all that afternoon as things were prepared for my C-section. I still somewhat struggle with them now. I have looked up information on it though. Cord prolapses can happen as much as 25% of the time with footling breech presentations. Knowing that, I have come to terms with the decision to take them.
I was quiet as they prepared me for my C-section for another reason as well. I was remembering the last time I gave birth. I knew that was a far different situation this time, but there was a part of me that still felt that much could go wrong. I felt so close to having the girls there, but I was still afraid to really believe in it.
My C-section was relatively uneventful. I was a little worried that they would have to put me under general anesthesia after they missed when trying to put in my spinal the first time, but he was able to get it the second time. Baby A, Eowyn, was born, and Baby B, Tessa, followed two minutes later. Eowyn cried right away. Tessa made some noises right away, but she didn't start crying well until she was stimulated some. It was a welcome sound after the silence of my last delivery. I had some hope when I heard them that their lungs might be well enough developed to avoid the NICU, but it was not to be. After assessing them for a few minutes, they were brought to me for a quick peek before they were taken away to the NICU. I was eventually wheeled to the recovery room. I was so happy that they were here, but I had no idea when I would see them again. I didn't know when I would hold them for the first time. I felt a little empty and alone.
Eowyn Grace
Tessa Alexandra
Meeting Eowyn before she was off to the NICU
Meeting Tessa
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