The arrival of Torin and Siobhan
This may be long so you may want to get a cup of tea and a biscuit (or whatever else you may fancy).
My last post said that I was still waiting to hear from Dr Matthews as to when I would be having the twins. On Friday 16th at 11am I received a phone call from Modbury Hospital Pre-Op clinic telling me that I had an appointment on Monday 19th to see the Anesthetist. I asked why as I had seen one at my last appointment. The lady on the phone then let me know that it is was procedure to see them the day before delivering. Delivering? I asked her. She then went on to tell me that I was actually booked into have a c-section on Tuesday December 20th. This was news to me as no one had told me this. I was so excited I now had an actual arrival date. No more waiting!!!!
On Monday 19th I went to my appointment to see the Anethetist. They basically went through their role for the c-section and answered any questions I may have. They also told me that I had to fast from midnight (who eats at that time of night anyway???) I then went to my usual check-up appointment. They went through all the usual check-up procedure of checking blood pressure, general swelling, size of tummy etc... The Dr then had to get a higher up Dr to double check what he had done (he was only a student dr). An Asian Dr then came into check what ghe had done and realised I was booked in for a c-section the next morning. She wanted to know why as I was only 37 weeks and 4 days and didn't understand why I was having a c-section before 38 weeks (yes only 3 days short of 38 weeks and she was kicking up a fuss). She then started reading through all my notes and the whole time I am sitting there thinking she was going to cancel the c-section for the next morning. She then started rattling of stuff in obstetrician speak, using abreviations for everything and I wasn't understanding. Luckily Jessie (the student midwife) was there and was able to explain what she were talking about. Apparently one twin is smaller (we knew that) but there was some concern about that (no one told me) hence the c-section. The Dr then went on to tell me about what happens in a c-section and answered any questions I had about the procedure. I left the appointment feeling really good that I was going to be meeting our new additions the next morning. I had no concerns about the size difference as all along we had been told by Dr Matthews that it was normal and I still had that in my head. Jessie and I think they booked me in as they shut the theatre over Christmas and if I had gone into labour naturally over the Christmas period and ended up needing a c-section they would have had to call someone in, this way they knew a Dr was there. I then went to Mum and Dads to relieve Sara (she was visiting from Sydney) of her babysitting duties and to spend the day playing with Shayla before going into hospital. That night Shayla stayed at Mum and Dad's for tea and the night as we had to be at the hospital for 7am and it was going to be unfair to wake her up and drop her off at 6:30am. Trent and I had a nice quiet dinner at home together, I then packed my bag and tidied the house. We then sat and watched the movie 'Batman Begins' before heading off to bed.
Trent and I got up at the ungodly hour of 6am on Tuesday 20th December. I got up had a shower and got dressed. I then got Trent to take my final pregnancy photo. We then headed off down to the hospital to check in. When I was checking in anyone who was walking past was fascinated by the fact that I was having twins and were wanting to touch my belly. They were mainly nurses so you would think that they would see enough of pregnant bellies to not want to touch them all. Oh well, at least they asked before just touching me. We then sat and waited for Jessie. Once she arrived we headed up to the maternity ward, where they showed me to my room. It was huge compared to the room I had when I had Shayla. There was only the one bed but it also had a couch and plenty of room. Last time I shared a room and there was barely enough room for one guest let alone a baby as well. I assumed they gave me this room due to having twins and needing room to put the two cribs after they were born. I started organising my things into the cupboards and drawers while we waited for a midwife or Dr to come in to explain what would be happening as I was not due to go in until 10am.
At about 7:30am a midwife came in to check my blood pressure etc... not long after the anesthetist came in to tell me all was going to plan and that we just had to wait and see if a lady who was in labour was going to need to go in for a c-section but we should know within 30 mins if we were going to be held up or not. At about 8:30/9:00 Jessie and Trent went off to get changed into theatre clothes. I then had to change into a stupid hospital gown. A midwife then came in to shave me (they have to do this as the cut is made right by the pubic line and they can not have any hair there). I then had to have a catheter inserted due to the fact that I wasn't going to be able to get out of bed for about 24 hours or at least until the drugs wore off but it would also keep my bladder empty during the procedure. After that I was confined to the bed until they were ready to wheel me off to theatre. At 9:30 the anesthetist came back in to say that I would be going in at 10am but also to say that they would not spend a lot of time trying to get the spinal block in. If they weren't able to get it in they were going to give me a general anesthetic, which would mean that Trent could not be there for the birth. 15 mins later I was wheeled off to theatre. We all had our gooby hair nets put on and Trent had to put gooby shoe covers on as well. As I was wheeled into the actual room where the c-section was going to happen I started to get very overwhelmed by it all. I slid across from the bed I was on onto the theatre bed. Once they were pretty much ready I had to sit on the side of the bed and lean forward as far as I could (with my belly this was not easy) so they could put the spinal block in. They seemed to be taking a while and then I was asked to lean further forward (again not easy), I then started to get a little anxious and upset as I was afraid they were going to tell me that I was going to have to have a GA, which I did not want. It wuold have been less than 5 mins that they were trying but it seemed a lot longer to me, but they got it in. I then had help to swing my legs back onto the bed as the feeling was already going from them. I then had the drip put in, had a heart monitor attached and blood pressure thing on my other arm so I could be monitored the whole time. They then put a chair up near my head so that Trent could sit with me the whole time. A sheet was put up in front of me so that we could not see what was going on. Had Trent decided to stand up at all he could have seen but he decided against it. Trent then started to talk to me about the movie we had watched the night before asking me if I had enjoyed it etc... when I started to feel pushing and prodding on my belly. It was a bizarre feeling as I was trying to explain it to Trent, I could tell they were doing somthing but it just felt like prodding. The next thing we heard was a baby crying. 5mins it took for little Torin to be born after the first cut, three minutes later little Siobhan was born. They were both brought up to my head for me to see them but they were held that close for such a short time that I couldn't really focus on them. Trent got to give Siobhan a quick hold before they were both taken to the nursery for all of their checks to be done. The whole time this was being done the Dr finished what she was doing and had sewn me back up. I was then taken to recovery.
In recovery they put me back onto a proper hospital bed and covered me in warm blankets as I was so cold. One of the nurses then told Trent and I that we could ring as many people as we liked as using mobile phones in the hospital really wasn't a big issue. Trent went off to see Torin and Siobhan to find out weights etc... before we rang or messaged anyone. He came back about 20mins later telling me how beautiful they were and that Torin weighed 2.37kg and Siobhan weighed 2.86kg. I then sent out messages and rang Mum and Dad to let them know. Trent then went back to see them and wait in the room until I was bought back. I ended up being in recovery for about 90mins until they felt I had sufficient feeling back to be returned to the room. As the pushed the bed into the room Trent was laying on the couch asleep. Jessie then came into the room telling me how well I had done (all I did was lay there) and how beautiful they both were. She then told me that Torin was not breech but that Siobhan was, so as it turns out I possibly could have delivered naturally, oh well they were out and they were doing well. She told me that they were both in humdi cribs. Torin for warmth and monitoring and Siobhan for oxygen as she had some fluid on her lungs but both were fine and doing well. I seemed to be drifting in and out of sleep (due to the drugs) but was happy that all had gone well.
Mum, Dad, Sara and Shayla turned up at about 2pm to see us all. Trent took them all in to see Torin and Siobhan and they all came back saying how cute they were. Shayla wanted to climb up on the bed to give me cuddles. It was good to see them all but it was also hard as they kept disappearing to look at them and when they came back they would show me the photos or the videos they had just taken. I had not seen them since they were shoved in my face in theatre and it was hard to know everyone else was seeing them more than me. I just wanted to be able to hold them. At about 4:30pm they all left to go to the airport to see Sara off. I was so glad when I was told they would be delivered on the 20th as I knew that meant that Sara would get to see the twins before going home. I would have hated for her to come and visit everyone and miss out on meeting them. At about 9pm that night one of the midwives came in to help me into a wheelchair so she could take me to see Torin and Siobhan. I still couldn't hold them as they were still in the humidi cribs. I got to touch Torin's foot for a little bit but then I was sick, so I was taken back to my room.
5am on 21st I was woken up by a paediatrician who had just been in to see Siobhan and Torin. She told me that Torin was doing well but they had done x-rays of Siobhans lungs and she wasn't getting any better and that she may have to be transferred to Women's and Children's Hospital (to those of you not in Adelaide that is the leading Children's Hospital in Adelaide and is about 20-30 mins from the Modbury hospital where I was). A midwife then came in to remove the catheter so I could be wheeled into the nursery to see her (I still was a bit wobbly on my legs). As I had no one to talk to about what I had just been told I started to get upset as Siobhan now had a head box on as well as being in the humidi crib. A head box is pure oxygen being sent to her to help her breathe properly. She also had a heart monitor attached and a drip as this was how they were feeding her. The midwives explained to me what was going on and that they would know more once they did more xrays at 8am but I just needed someone I knew to talk to. They let me ring Trent and I woke him up (it was now 6am) as I didn't know what to do. He said everything would be fine and that he would be in as soon as Shayla woke up. As I was still not able to hold Siobhan and could only open the door to the humidi crib for a short time as the oxygen level would get to low, they took Torin out of his (he was still only in there for warmth) so I could hold him. This was the fist time I was able to hold one of them. I sat there for about 30 mins just holding him before a midwife came in and said that I had to have my obs (blood pressure etc...) done. I didn't want to let go of Torin but she said she would bering me straight back. I was only gone for about 5 mins and then came back. At 8am when the dr came into the nursery I left to have breakfast. As I was now allowed to walk around a little after breakfast I decided to go and have a shower. It felt so good to go in the shower, it was also the first time I got to see wheree I was cut and I have to say I was very surprised at how small the cut was, especially as two babies were removed through it. When I came out of the shower my cousins and Grandma were there waiting for me. It was lovely to have visitors but in the back of my mind I was wanting the Dr to come in and tell me the results of Siobhan's x-ray. They all left when my lunch arrived and the nurse came in to do more obs. It was soon after that the Dr came in to say that Siobhan's condition hadn't got any better but it hadn't got any worse either, so they were going to monitor her for longer and do another x-ray later and decide from there what was going to happen.
After lunch Trent came in with Shayla, it was wonderful to see them both. By that time Torin had been taken out of his humidi crib and into a cot but he still had to stay in the nursery as he was being fed via a feeding tube. This is a tube that goes through the nose straight to the stomach. At about 4pm Mum came into visit on her way home from work and it was while then that we were told that Siobhan was definately going to have to go to Womens and Children. She was going to be picked up by ambulance at about 6pm. I was in the middle of dinner when the midwife came in to say that the retreval team from WCH was there to pick her up. She told me not to rush as she wouldn't let them leave without speaking to us first. I didn't want to finish dinner, so Mum, Shayla, Trent and I went into the nursery to see what was going on. WCH had sent a Dr and a nurse to come and pick up Siobhan not just ambo people. The Dr then explained the problem that Siobhan was having. When she was born her lungs were still forming and so when she started breathing she was doing so hard and fast to fill her lungs. By doing this she put a little hole in her lung. This little hole was letting air out of the air sack part of the lung and into the muscle surrounding the lung. With the muscle filling with air it was making it harder for to breathe as it wasn't letting the muscle work properly, also if the muscle gets to large when filled with air it can end up moving the heart and this is what their main concern was. To relieve the pressure they would have to put a small needle into the muscle and if that didn't work they would have to ut a chest drain in, which continuously removes the air. Watching the nurse and Dr move Siobhan was horrible. She went from the humidi crib in the nursery to a transportable one, which was covered in lights, machines, buttons etc... She was crying for most of the time as well (I think she was cold). Shayla kept pointing out that she was crying as well. Mum then took Shayla home with her for Trent to pick her up later. As Shayla was leaving she waved at the humidi crib and said 'bye bye sista'. It was so cute. I thought I was doing well until they wheeled Siobhan out, it was then that got upset. I still hadn't held my little girl and now she was being taken to another hospital without me. It was extremely hard for me to deal with this but the midwives were fantastic and very helpful and supportive towards us. That night I had a phone call from the WCH to say that they had put the needle in twice to relieve the pressure but if it built up again they would have to put a chest drain in.
On the 22nd I asked a Dr if it was ok for me to go with Trent to see where Siobhan was and what they were doing with her. I felt that by doing this I would be able to deal with her absence a little easier. Thankfully this was ok, so after Trent dropped Shayla at Childcare we headed off to WCH. It took us about 15 mins to find the NICU where Siobhan was. She was in another humidi crib with a chest drain, drip, heart monitor, nose tube and an injection to check her blood all attached to her. It was hard to see her with all these things attached to her but the nurse there was very helpful and explained everything that was going on. She said that they were unsure as to how long she would be there for but it could be anywhere from 48 hours to 5 days. We were at the hospital for about an hour before having to leave to get me back to Modbury. I was very grateful that I was allowed to go and see her as it did give me peace of mind that she was ok and would be ok as well.
On the 23rd I rang the WCH to see how Siobhan was doing and they said that they were waiting for the Dr's to do their rounds but they were pretty certain that she would be coming back to Modbury that day. I was so happy but at the same time I didn't want to get my hopes up. At about 2pm I got a phone call from WCH to say that Siobhan would be at the hospital at around 4pm. I was so happy and excited. When she arrived this time she had travelled by car rather than ambulance. She still had her drip attached and that was hopefully going to be removed within 24 hours. Unfortunately I still was unable to hold her as her temp had got low on the journey back, so she had to go back into a humidi crib to get her temp back up. The positive to this was that she was back where I was.
On the 24th I was told that I was going to be discharged the following morning but that Torin and Siobhan would not be coming home with me. This was due to them still being tube fed and having not yet gained enough weight. On Christmas day I left hospital at around 11:30am and as soon as we drove in the driveway at home I got upset over not having Torin and Siobhan with us. I just wanted to go to bed and sleep all day and not think about it but there were people to see and presents to open so I carried on as best as I could.
For the next two weeks I would go to hospital every 4 hours (except over night) to feed them. This was very tiring but well worth it as I could see them getting stronger each day. On Monday Jan 2nd I was told by one of the midwives that I could board at the hospital for the next two nights so they could see how I would cope with round the clock feeding. With doing this it meant that the twins would be coming home on the Wednesday. You could not wipe the smile from my face. I was so excited.
So as of Jan 4th we have been home as a family of five and loving every minute of it. Shayla loves them to bits but we do have to remind her they are people not dollies but she wants to kiss and cuddle them constantly. I hope I haven't bored you all with the mammoth post. There are some photos on our website of them and I am sure we will be adding mnore in the near future.
Love Clare
