The girls arrival

Sorry ladies I know it has been over a week since the announcement of the girls arrival but it has been a huge week.  

Essentially last Friday I rang the GD clinic with my blood sugars and they advised me to ring my OB as my levels were dropping.  I left a message at his office thinking he would just ring me after my Doppler scan.  About 2pm I got a call from him to say to still go to the scan but it would not change “the plan” which was to go to the hospital straight after the scan and start steroids for a Sunday C-section.  

The steroid shots were find but did make me a bit more anxious so not much sleep was had on Friday or Saturday night.  Sunday morning we were booked in for 10am but got pushed back due to emergency surgeries.  We are in the private hospital but due to the girls being only 34 weeks and twins we had to deliver at the conjoined public hospital as they have a nicu where the private only have a scu.  We were wheeled across about 11am and it was around 12.15 by the time we got into the theatre.  Theatre was a little overwhelming with all the people counting things and moving equipment.  The anethesetist got the spinal in without much more than a pinch of pain although hubby was quite disturbed watching it go in!  I was suprised by how high and how close to my face the draping was.  I felt no pain but some pushing and pressure and in just minutes Faith came out and was crying (such a relief) she was whisked straight across  to the paediatrician next Alia was born but this time no cries.  There were a few long minutes before we heard her cry.  Alia required some CPAP to get her breathing.  Both girls were the bought over and I got a quick couple of minutes with them before they were taken to nicu, we had the option for hubby to go with them or stay with me but we opted for him to go with them.  After hubby and the babies left I felt a little list.  I have to admit I found the whole c-section experience quite disconnecting,  I didn’t have that overwhelming connection women talk about to there babies straight away.  This was then further compounded by the fact that despite assurances I could see the babies in nicu in the bed after being through recovery this was not possible due to crowding so I was returned to the private to wait for my spinal to wear off so I could transfer to a wheelchair to visit the girls.  This took till about 9pm that night.  In the meantime I was able to express some milk for the girls.  Alia was in the nicu but faith was transferred to the public scu both girls were breathing on their own but Alia had low blood sugars And required a drip.  The first visit helped but it was still trick to connect to babies in humidy cribs you can’t hold in your arms.  The next day they were transferred to the private special care unit so were just across the hall and by that afternoon were out of the cribs.  Finally I could hold and change my girls and started to feel I was really connecting.  When I say I struggled to connect it was not that I didn’t love them just that I didn’t instantly get that overwhelming connection that other women talk about.  For me it came later but it did come.  I will leave it there for now but there is more to fill you in on and I will write again soon.