Ok, so here is the deal. We finally brought Judah home tonight after 12 days in the NICU! We are thrilled! He is absolutely the cutest thing ever (besides Oscar, of course) and we can't believe we finally have them both home together. It definitely feels surreal, especially because I am tandem nursing them and when I do, I literally have an armful of babies. It is hilarious. (Again, I will have another whole post about breast feeding one of these days, but suffice it to say, it is unlike anything I have ever experienced. Definitely one of the happiest things I have ever done).
They seem to be very happy and snuggly together. I guess Judah has forgiven Oscar for taking up all the real estate in my belly and it appears that Judah is over the fact that Oscar has already staked his claim on life in the Joseph household.
I will do my best to keep writing on the blog as often as possible and keep everyone updated. Also, I am probably not going to send many email blasts out with pictures very often so I don't clutter up your inboxes. I will, however, post links to our Picassa album here on the blog every time we add new pics so you can check at your leisure.
To get you updated, here is the link for the first album in the hospital:
http://picasaweb.google.com/oscarandjudah/OscarAndJudahJoseph#
And here are all week one pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/oscarandjudah/OscarAndJudahWeek1#
And here are some week two pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/oscarandjudah/OscarAndJudahWeek2#
Enjoy! Lots more to come!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Welcome Oscar and Judah!!!
Well, apparently my eviction notice was heeded! Hope you are ready for a long post!Here are the stats. Oscar and Judah Joseph were born on Tuesday, November 18th at 7:46 and 7:47 p.m. Oscar (the artist formerly known as Baby A) weighed 6 lbs. 4 oz. and measuring 18.5 inches came out first, taking a big breath and cry. Judah was born second, (by process of elimination, obviously formerly Baby B) weighing 6 lbs. 5 oz. measuring 19.75 inches and was bit quieter, longer and leaner.
It all went down so quickly. On Tuesday I had a doctor's appointment. As you probably know, I was COUNTING DOWN to this appointment because I knew it would be when I would at least find out the latest possible date of delivery. Of course, in the back of my mind, I was hoping something would compel the doctor to say, "ok, time to go" and send me right over to the hospital. So I finished packing my bag, straightened my hair, shaved my legs and put on some makeup. And the night before I did my toes and nails. I was all set. Oh, and I didn't eat, just in case someone might want to cut me open.
Unfortunately, I was still only 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced. So labor wasn't looking that likely. And without labor or another medical reason to deliver, it looked like they were going to make me wait until the day after Thanksgiving! And upon hearing that news, I just started bawling. I could not fathom waiting another 10 days in my miserable, pathetic, bloated, enormous condition. We then started discussing options. First they hooked me up to the baby monitor and after about an hour it was clear that Oscar wasn't doing so hot. We decided to do an amniocentesis to check out the babies' lung maturity and then if the amnio came back favorable, deliver them on Wednesday morning at 10:00. So, I headed over to the high risk OB's office to do an ultrasound, an amnio and get back on the monitors for a while to keep an eye on the babies.
The ultrasound looked great and the babies seemed all too happy to just hang out inside of me. Then, we did the amnio, which is pretty scary. Especially when you have to do it twice. For the uninformed, an amnio involves sticking a six inch needle into your belly, guided by ultrasound, to withdraw amniotic fluid. They are typically used to perform genetic testing, but can also be used to measure lung maturity. The whole thing was pretty sickening, but it didn't hurt as much as I expected. Then they hooked me back up to the monitors again to keep and eye on the kiddos. And again, both babies weren't doing that well. So, after another hour and a half, they sent me back to the hospital to get checked out. The plan was to eat on the way there to see if that woke the babies up, get monitored for a little while, wait for the amnio results and then go home for my last childless night. Yeah, it didn't quite go like that.
So my mom and I headed over to the hospital fully expecting to be sent home again. The high risk OB was so sure that I wouldn't deliver Tuesday, he directed me to eat. So of course, I ate my favorite, McDonalds. That is right, the whole nine yards, Quarter Pounder, fries and a regular Coke (side bar, I was told to drink a regular Coke to get the babies caffeine and sugar. I haven't had one of those in years. Quite delicious. I can see why people would drink them. But I am going back to my beloved Diet).
After a couple of hours of monitoring at the hospital, which was consistent with the other monitoring all day, the amnio results came back. And it appeared that there was a trace of meconium in the amniotic fluid. This can be a sign of fetal distress, so all of the sudden, the OB from my doctor's group who was on call was sitting on the end of my bed and telling me that they were going to deliver me that night. The next thing I knew, things started happening really quickly. They put the IV in and started forcing fluids. All of the sudden, I was set to deliver in the next forty five minutes. I had to start making tons of calls to get my whole family to the hospital in time. Emily dashed over, and Becky. My mom and Brent were already there. Everything started happening so quickly, I began to panic. I just felt like I needed everything to slow down. Ironic right? After being so desperate to deliver these babies, when it came time for it to happen, I wanted a little more time. But that wasn't an option.
So, I walked down the hall to the OR, climbed up on the table and they put in the spinal. Then I laid down and waited for it to work. It is very nerve wracking waiting to make sure you are numb enough to cut open. Then Brent came in and they made the incision. It all happened so quickly. I was so nervous about the c-section, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. There is definitely some strange sensations of pressure and pulling, but it doesn't hurt at all. And, all of the sudden, there are babies! I was so preoccupied with hearing about how Oscar and Judah were doing and to see them, I wasn't really paying attention at all to them putting me back to together.
I had been fantasizing for months about the first time I laid eyes on my sons. That was a moment that I pictured and dreamed about so often. And it was as amazing, if not more so, when it actually happened. I am not nearly an eloquent enough writer to describe the range of emotions that I felt, but I will try. I was overwhelmed by how adorable they were, I stared into Brent's eyes and never felt more connected to another human being in my whole life, I felt overjoyed and proud at announcing their names, and I was scared and anxious that they were alright.
They immediately whisked them off to the NICU to make sure they were ok and examine them, as both of them were having some trouble breathing. At first it seemed that Oscar was struggling a bit more than Judah. They then took me into the recovery room where my whole family was waiting. I was in there for a long time talking to everyone, but I was pretty out of it to tell you the truth. I was also shaking violently, which scared Brent and I to death, even though it is apparently very normal. Everyone then went home and Brent and I moved to my room. We still hadn't really seen either baby and I was going crazy. The neonatalogist came in and explained that both babies were having trouble regulating their blood sugar and needed to be monitored for a while longer. Both babies got their breathing straightened out though, so that was good news. A few hours later (I guess it could have been minutes or hours, who knows, because I was so zooted out from all the drugs) they informed me that Oscar was improving and would probably be let out of the NICU that night, but Judah couldn't keep his blood sugar up, even after eating, so he would have to stay in indefinitely.
At 2:00 a.m., I was told that I could finally come see the babies, so they wheeled me, in my hospital bed, into the NICU and visited them both. It was outrageous seeing those little boys for the first time. They were so little and fragile and it really hadn't sunk in that they were mine.
The next morning they brought Oscar to me to feed and snuggle with. I attempted breast feeding for the first time (that is going to have to be a whole other post in and of itself) and snuggled up with him. After he ate, we watched the Price is Right and all was right with the world. Later that day I went to visit Judah in the NICU and also attempted to feed him. He did great and I was really hopeful that he had gotten the feeding thing all figured out already. But as the day went on it became clear that on top of his blood sugar issues, he was also showing signs that he was having trouble coordinating his suck/swallow reflex and that he was going to need a few more days (at least) in the NICU. (Again, there is LOTS to say about this, because he is still in the NICU as we speak, but I will save that for another post).
Anyway, to wrap up this marathon blog post, I was in the hospital for four nights and came home on Saturday night with Oscar. I was one of the most popular patients ever thanks to all your thoughtful gifts of flowers, cookies, doughnuts and other goodies. Thanks to everyone (I swear I will write my thank you notes, but I can't promise when). We are doing well at home. Oscar is becoming a champion eater, which is not at all surprising considering his food lineage. My breast feeding is also going well, and I am really enjoying it. The really hard part now is that I am going back to the hospital once or twice a day to visit Judah to feed him and it is a struggle.
Hopefully Judah will be coming home soon. And Oscar should continue to do well. We are having such an amazing time, even though I am beat and a little insane. We really love being parents and we can't wait for more.
It all went down so quickly. On Tuesday I had a doctor's appointment. As you probably know, I was COUNTING DOWN to this appointment because I knew it would be when I would at least find out the latest possible date of delivery. Of course, in the back of my mind, I was hoping something would compel the doctor to say, "ok, time to go" and send me right over to the hospital. So I finished packing my bag, straightened my hair, shaved my legs and put on some makeup. And the night before I did my toes and nails. I was all set. Oh, and I didn't eat, just in case someone might want to cut me open.
Unfortunately, I was still only 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced. So labor wasn't looking that likely. And without labor or another medical reason to deliver, it looked like they were going to make me wait until the day after Thanksgiving! And upon hearing that news, I just started bawling. I could not fathom waiting another 10 days in my miserable, pathetic, bloated, enormous condition. We then started discussing options. First they hooked me up to the baby monitor and after about an hour it was clear that Oscar wasn't doing so hot. We decided to do an amniocentesis to check out the babies' lung maturity and then if the amnio came back favorable, deliver them on Wednesday morning at 10:00. So, I headed over to the high risk OB's office to do an ultrasound, an amnio and get back on the monitors for a while to keep an eye on the babies.
The ultrasound looked great and the babies seemed all too happy to just hang out inside of me. Then, we did the amnio, which is pretty scary. Especially when you have to do it twice. For the uninformed, an amnio involves sticking a six inch needle into your belly, guided by ultrasound, to withdraw amniotic fluid. They are typically used to perform genetic testing, but can also be used to measure lung maturity. The whole thing was pretty sickening, but it didn't hurt as much as I expected. Then they hooked me back up to the monitors again to keep and eye on the kiddos. And again, both babies weren't doing that well. So, after another hour and a half, they sent me back to the hospital to get checked out. The plan was to eat on the way there to see if that woke the babies up, get monitored for a little while, wait for the amnio results and then go home for my last childless night. Yeah, it didn't quite go like that.
So my mom and I headed over to the hospital fully expecting to be sent home again. The high risk OB was so sure that I wouldn't deliver Tuesday, he directed me to eat. So of course, I ate my favorite, McDonalds. That is right, the whole nine yards, Quarter Pounder, fries and a regular Coke (side bar, I was told to drink a regular Coke to get the babies caffeine and sugar. I haven't had one of those in years. Quite delicious. I can see why people would drink them. But I am going back to my beloved Diet).
After a couple of hours of monitoring at the hospital, which was consistent with the other monitoring all day, the amnio results came back. And it appeared that there was a trace of meconium in the amniotic fluid. This can be a sign of fetal distress, so all of the sudden, the OB from my doctor's group who was on call was sitting on the end of my bed and telling me that they were going to deliver me that night. The next thing I knew, things started happening really quickly. They put the IV in and started forcing fluids. All of the sudden, I was set to deliver in the next forty five minutes. I had to start making tons of calls to get my whole family to the hospital in time. Emily dashed over, and Becky. My mom and Brent were already there. Everything started happening so quickly, I began to panic. I just felt like I needed everything to slow down. Ironic right? After being so desperate to deliver these babies, when it came time for it to happen, I wanted a little more time. But that wasn't an option.
So, I walked down the hall to the OR, climbed up on the table and they put in the spinal. Then I laid down and waited for it to work. It is very nerve wracking waiting to make sure you are numb enough to cut open. Then Brent came in and they made the incision. It all happened so quickly. I was so nervous about the c-section, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. There is definitely some strange sensations of pressure and pulling, but it doesn't hurt at all. And, all of the sudden, there are babies! I was so preoccupied with hearing about how Oscar and Judah were doing and to see them, I wasn't really paying attention at all to them putting me back to together.
I had been fantasizing for months about the first time I laid eyes on my sons. That was a moment that I pictured and dreamed about so often. And it was as amazing, if not more so, when it actually happened. I am not nearly an eloquent enough writer to describe the range of emotions that I felt, but I will try. I was overwhelmed by how adorable they were, I stared into Brent's eyes and never felt more connected to another human being in my whole life, I felt overjoyed and proud at announcing their names, and I was scared and anxious that they were alright.
They immediately whisked them off to the NICU to make sure they were ok and examine them, as both of them were having some trouble breathing. At first it seemed that Oscar was struggling a bit more than Judah. They then took me into the recovery room where my whole family was waiting. I was in there for a long time talking to everyone, but I was pretty out of it to tell you the truth. I was also shaking violently, which scared Brent and I to death, even though it is apparently very normal. Everyone then went home and Brent and I moved to my room. We still hadn't really seen either baby and I was going crazy. The neonatalogist came in and explained that both babies were having trouble regulating their blood sugar and needed to be monitored for a while longer. Both babies got their breathing straightened out though, so that was good news. A few hours later (I guess it could have been minutes or hours, who knows, because I was so zooted out from all the drugs) they informed me that Oscar was improving and would probably be let out of the NICU that night, but Judah couldn't keep his blood sugar up, even after eating, so he would have to stay in indefinitely.
At 2:00 a.m., I was told that I could finally come see the babies, so they wheeled me, in my hospital bed, into the NICU and visited them both. It was outrageous seeing those little boys for the first time. They were so little and fragile and it really hadn't sunk in that they were mine.
The next morning they brought Oscar to me to feed and snuggle with. I attempted breast feeding for the first time (that is going to have to be a whole other post in and of itself) and snuggled up with him. After he ate, we watched the Price is Right and all was right with the world. Later that day I went to visit Judah in the NICU and also attempted to feed him. He did great and I was really hopeful that he had gotten the feeding thing all figured out already. But as the day went on it became clear that on top of his blood sugar issues, he was also showing signs that he was having trouble coordinating his suck/swallow reflex and that he was going to need a few more days (at least) in the NICU. (Again, there is LOTS to say about this, because he is still in the NICU as we speak, but I will save that for another post).
Anyway, to wrap up this marathon blog post, I was in the hospital for four nights and came home on Saturday night with Oscar. I was one of the most popular patients ever thanks to all your thoughtful gifts of flowers, cookies, doughnuts and other goodies. Thanks to everyone (I swear I will write my thank you notes, but I can't promise when). We are doing well at home. Oscar is becoming a champion eater, which is not at all surprising considering his food lineage. My breast feeding is also going well, and I am really enjoying it. The really hard part now is that I am going back to the hospital once or twice a day to visit Judah to feed him and it is a struggle.
Hopefully Judah will be coming home soon. And Oscar should continue to do well. We are having such an amazing time, even though I am beat and a little insane. We really love being parents and we can't wait for more.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Eviction Notice
I am done. I know I have been saying that for weeks, but this time I really mean it. As of tonight, as I write this, I am 35 weeks and 2 days pregnant. This is the average gestation for twins. I am sitting home alone, on a Saturday night, writing my blog, while my entire family and my husband are celebrating my niece's bat mitzvah with cocktails. I am sitting in front of the computer in the one pair of pants that still fit, making a Sara Lee cherry pie for dinner. Could I get any more pathetic? Seriously?My complaints are many. If you are sick of reading about my pregnancy angst (and really, who could blame you) then skip this post. Because I don't have much else to say. I have been stuck on bed rest/house arrest for almost a month now, and I am at the absolute end of my rope. At first, it was manageable because I could still wear a few items from my closet, I wasn't completely over take out food, I could sleep about 3 hour stretches at night, and I knew it was best to keep the babies in.
Since then, much has changed. I have become dumber from all the TV I watch, including my daily addiction to The Price is Right, What Not to Wear and a solid hour of the Baby Story. Second, I have made an imprint of my ass in my couch. This is horrifying. Third, I have become increasingly uncomfortable. I am talking sheer misery at this point. I cannot get up from a chair without help, I cannot sleep, I have a headache all the time, my feet are of ridiculous proportions, and well, everything hurts.
Also, I have been to the hospital twice in the last week on various false alarms. Talk about cruel punishment, sending a women who is nearly 9 months pregnant to the hospital only to send her home sans babies. Last Friday night, I was having contractions and they hooked me up to the monitors (three monitors to be exact, on elastic bands stretched painfully tight against my very sensitive, itchy, stretched skin) only to discover that Baby A wasn't moving around enough. So they kept me overnight to monitor me (I slept a total of 46 minutes the whole night) only to discover that all was well (of course a good thing) and be sent home. As happy as I was that Baby A is fine, it was pretty disappointing to think that delivery may be in the cards only to be sent back to my couch without passing go or collecting two hundred dollars.
Thursday I got a brief reprieve from house arrest to have my last High Def ultrasound. The fabulous news is that Baby A is 6 lbs. 4 oz. and Baby B is 6 lbs. 2 oz. so they are very big and healthy. The bad news for me is that I now have nearly 12 and 1/2 lbs. of baby inside of me. And they are very happy and content in there, which probably doesn't mean they will be leaving anytime soon without some intervention. The doctor at the ultrasound did come speak with me and after looking at my balloon like feet and hands and taking my blood pressure, decided to send me over to the hospital for some tests and maybe (fingers and toes crossed!) delivery. So I headed over there all a twitter, thinking that 11/13 sounded like a grand birthday for the boys. But yet again, it was all a huge letdown because everything was fine, the babies and I are just peachy.
When I got home, I just lost it. I cried. I slept. And then I went back to the couch. I see the doctor again on Tuesday and I am hoping that she will finally start talking about scheduling me for a c-section, maybe even for this week. A girl can dream can't she?
P.S. A little piece of advice for all of you out there trying to commiserate with a very pregnant, miserable soon to be mommy, the following comments are not helpful, provide little to no insight, and do not make me feel any better. If you have said any of these things, please don't feel that I am calling you out, I have heard them so frequently that I can't even remember who said what, but I cannot hear this crap anymore:
"The babies will come when they ready."
"The babies will come when they ready."
"You aren't sleeping now to get you ready for when the babies come."
"Mother nature knows best"
"Tell those babies to stay in as long as possible"
"Wow, you really are huge."
Friday, November 7, 2008
The Nanny Diaries
My nanny quit. Yes, the nanny that I hired three months ago. Yes, the nanny that I was raving about how responsible and organized she was. Yes, the nanny that was going to teach the boys baby sign language. So much for that. I will spare you the details, but basically, I am on the brink of going into labor and she has taken another job.
I have prided myself on staying pretty calm throughout this pregnancy, which has surprised everyone, and most of all, myself. But on Thursday, I lost it. I had been so proud of myself for being organized and proactive about getting this nanny arranged way in advance, for meeting and selecting her so carefully, for checking her references, and this was my reward. And frankly, having this nanny lined up has given me such a false sense of security. As all my new mommy friends around me have been complaining about not being able to take a shower until 2:00 a.m. and not leaving the house for days, I have been sitting here smugly thinking, "That won't be me, I will have a nanny starting to help me right away." I think this is karma's way of reminding me that all the good planning in the world doesn't mean squat.
So once the shock wore off, I decided to mobilize the network of friends and acquaintances I have been building for years. I used to think that my dream job would someday be a result of all that careful networking, but now it appears that a nanny is going to be my reward instead. And surprisingly, I got a lot of referrals and ideas! We even managed to set up an interview that very night for a nanny looking for a new family. Unfortunately, she isn't going to work out. She was a tad bit too evangelical for us, although she was a very nice person (she was also inexplicably wearing eyeliner on only one eye). Here is a brief exchange from the interview:
Me: What is your favorite thing about the family you are working for now?
Her: They are good Christians.
Me: Uh huh. And what would you consider to be your best quality?
Her: That I am a good Christian.
Now of course her religion is none of my business, but considering our propensity to take J.C.'s name in vain (usually associated with an expletive) I had a feeling this wasn't a great match.
The good news is that we have some good leads for other nannies. I am really hopeful that we can get something lined up ASAP as I really think I need help as soon as I come home from the hospital. I just don't know that I have the ability to take care of two babies at once, recover from a c-section, and maintain my sanity. But time is definitely running out.
In fact, I was in the hospital on Friday night for a bit of a false alarm. All is well, but I was having some contractions and thought the time had come. After a night of observation, they sent me home to the confines of my couch. It looks like I will be camping out there for at least a few more days. Hopefully enough time to line up a nanny and get my roots done, and then not a second more.
I have prided myself on staying pretty calm throughout this pregnancy, which has surprised everyone, and most of all, myself. But on Thursday, I lost it. I had been so proud of myself for being organized and proactive about getting this nanny arranged way in advance, for meeting and selecting her so carefully, for checking her references, and this was my reward. And frankly, having this nanny lined up has given me such a false sense of security. As all my new mommy friends around me have been complaining about not being able to take a shower until 2:00 a.m. and not leaving the house for days, I have been sitting here smugly thinking, "That won't be me, I will have a nanny starting to help me right away." I think this is karma's way of reminding me that all the good planning in the world doesn't mean squat.
So once the shock wore off, I decided to mobilize the network of friends and acquaintances I have been building for years. I used to think that my dream job would someday be a result of all that careful networking, but now it appears that a nanny is going to be my reward instead. And surprisingly, I got a lot of referrals and ideas! We even managed to set up an interview that very night for a nanny looking for a new family. Unfortunately, she isn't going to work out. She was a tad bit too evangelical for us, although she was a very nice person (she was also inexplicably wearing eyeliner on only one eye). Here is a brief exchange from the interview:
Me: What is your favorite thing about the family you are working for now?
Her: They are good Christians.
Me: Uh huh. And what would you consider to be your best quality?
Her: That I am a good Christian.
Now of course her religion is none of my business, but considering our propensity to take J.C.'s name in vain (usually associated with an expletive) I had a feeling this wasn't a great match.
The good news is that we have some good leads for other nannies. I am really hopeful that we can get something lined up ASAP as I really think I need help as soon as I come home from the hospital. I just don't know that I have the ability to take care of two babies at once, recover from a c-section, and maintain my sanity. But time is definitely running out.
In fact, I was in the hospital on Friday night for a bit of a false alarm. All is well, but I was having some contractions and thought the time had come. After a night of observation, they sent me home to the confines of my couch. It looks like I will be camping out there for at least a few more days. Hopefully enough time to line up a nanny and get my roots done, and then not a second more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
