Arby, Nitch 'n Late: The girls

Well, the girls are finally here! Because I am short on sleep and a little hormonal, this post is probably going to be very un-eloquent. Yes, that's a word....that I made up. I never wrote down Nicholas' birth story (mostly because it seemed pretty straight forward: started contractions, went to hospital, had Nicholas, cried with joy, panicked when Mando mentioned "the next one," wanted Mom to get there and tell me what to do as soon as possible....). So maybe this is one thing I can do for the girls that hasn't already been done. Also, I'm pretty pleased with this birth. It was result of a lot of prayer and faith from my loved ones. Thank you!

Birth story:
I had been saying from day 1 that I would carry the twins to 39 weeks; I don't know why I was surprised that they came exactly on my 39 week mark. Obedient children :)

Mom arrived in the late afternoon; Nicholas and I picked her up from the airport and headed to Jenn's house to dye Easter eggs. We stayed at Jenn's for dinner (yet again. Shanks, Jenn and Kurt for always feeding us!) and then came home. Once Mom was all set up in the guest room, I guess my sub-conscience gave the go ahead to my uterus because I started having contractions as soon as I laid down on the couch to watch TV before bed. Contractions started at 11:30, surprisingly strong and close together from the get-go. By midnight, I was convinced that it probably was real labor and told Mom and Armando, guessing that we'd leave for the hospital around 1-2 in the morning. I still wasn't positive because the contractions felt like they were getting stronger, but they also felt like they were getting a little farther apart. They came in pairs--- two really strong ones, one right after the other, and then nothing for 10-12 minutes. I went upstairs, put on my Hypnobabies CD, and tried to sleep. I slept peacefully until 1:14 when I was woken up by the strength of the contractions. I told Mando to get the bag and put the carseats in the van because it was time to go.

I was expecting to leave in the next 10-15 minutes; I mean, how long does it take to put stuff in the car? I'm not quite sure what Mando was doing--- probably very important and relevant stuff--- because he was gone long enough to make me nervous. The contractions were definitely speeding up and my "birthing instinct" was telling me it was time to get to my birthing place...quickly. I decided to move things along and got up to urge Mando to hurry. Then I went downstairs to tell Mom everything she needed to know about Nicholas' schedule, etc. Stuff I really should have had written down already. Anyway, we didn't end up leaving for the hospital until almost 2:00 in the morning.

I purposely did not enter hypnosis for the drive to the hospital because I wanted to slow things down a little. I was convinced that things were progressing really, really quickly. I remember telling Mando that I wouldn't be surprised if I had already dilated to an 8. So Mando and I spent the car ride laughing and chatting excitedly about two more little ones coming into our family. When we walked into labor and delivery, they asked how far apart the contractions were and decided to send me straight to a labor room instead of triaging me first. Then the on-call doctor came in to check me and said, "Well, you're only at 3 centimeters, which is early labor. If we hadn't already given you a room, we would probably send you home for a while." I was so disheartened because I was SURE that I was farther along than a 3! The doctor told us we would be welcome to stay for a few more hours and if I didn't progress, they would probably tell me to go home. She would be back in to check on me again around 7 in the morning (5 hours away).

I was so bugged at myself for coming to the hospital too early. I had known that as soon as I got to the hospital they were going to hook me up to the fetal monitoring machine (required for multiple births), and I wouldn't be able to move around. I purposefully decided to wait as long as I could before getting to the hospital to avoid that stupid machine--- I still hate that machine. Someone had to come in every time I moved an inch or two to find the babies again. It's such an unreliable system. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Anyway, the nurse who was in charge of finding the babies was really, really nice. I'm so glad she was there. I had the hardest time getting over the frustration of only being at 3 centimeters, and I kept voicing my doubt that I could continue on if the contractions were this strong and close together "so early on." Overhearing me, the nurse said, "You know, mothers know better than doctors how close they are to giving birth. Don't worry...you're going to progress really quickly, I can tell. You can do this!" It's amazing how much those few words of encouragement meant to me right then. It was about five minutes later that the nurse heard me say, "uuugh, I want an epidural if I haven't progressed at all..." And she said, "Did you just ask for medicine?" and rushed out of the room to get the doctor. I was impressed at how quickly they returned to check my status. The nurse later told me that she's learned when natural-birthing mothers begin asking for medicine, it's usually a sign that they're really close to pushing.

The doctor was notably surprised when she announced that I was fully dilated. She left to get her mask and gloves, meanwhile I started pushing Kate out :) The doctor was still trying to tie her mask as I kicked her in the stomach (I'd like to say that I didn't know what I was doing, but I kind of did...whoops). The nurse had to move my leg so the doctor could get in there and catch the baby. Kate just kind of slithered her way out and it was instant relief. She laid on my chest for a few minutes, pink and screaming, while I rested. Then, as I started to feel the urge to push again, I handed her off to Mando and the nurses. Lauren took two more pushes (it would have only been one, but they wanted me to wait so they could make sure that her head really was coming down first). Lauren also rested on my chest for a few moments before they took her away.

So from first contraction to babies in arms, the labor was 5 hours. It was fast and furious and awesome :) Both girls were head down and ready to enter the world, one right after the other. I was so thrilled at how quick and easy things were. I know that so many people were praying for all of us, and I feel so lucky for their faith on our behalf.

I had a really special spiritual experience during the labor and birthing process, but I will record that in a more personal setting. However, I will mention here that I know that these girls are a gift to our family, and I'm so grateful for all those here and beyond the veil who were helping them arrive in safety and comfort with no complications.

G-ma with Kate

G-ma with Lauren

I'm not sure who is holding who here... but my favorite part is the magical appearing school bus :) and the way Nicholas' smile grows ten-fold as soon as it appears. "Babies are cool, but school buses are better"

Kate on the left, Lauren on the right

Tandem nursing :) we got it!

Nicholas and Kate....? or Lauren? Not sure...

He really loves the girls. He's been so good with them, and gentle!

Well, gentle for a two year old. Yes, he's licking her. That was his alternative to kissing her on the lips.

Which is what happened in this very blurry picture. I said, "Give Lauren a kiss, Nicholas." And he promptly kissed her right on the lips. He's tried kissing me on the lips a couple times too-- definitely becoming more aware of what Mom and Dad do :)