I was getting settled in to my new room. By now, most of our family had gone home. My Mom was still there, even though I had told her I was fine, the girls were fine, and she could go home. (Must of been her mother's intuition, because she insisted she stay.) First order of business in the new room: EAT! I wasn't allowed to eat the first day in the hospital just in case there was need of an emergency C-section. The second day, I was so queasy from the magnesium, I didn't feel like eating. So, I finally had a decent meal, and a decent night's rest.
Thursday was a great day. I was allowed to get out of bed for the first time since Monday (looking back, I wish I hadn't). I was only to get up to use the restroom and walk to the shower. Once in the shower, I had to sit. It felt so nice to take a shower. Probably the best shower of my life. My amazing husband ran to Target and bought all sorts of things to decorate my new room. Thursday night, Mom, Marc, and I played board games. Even though I was to remain in this room for weeks, I was elated that I was still pregnant and the girls were okay. If sitting in a hospital was what it took, then I was going to do it, and make the best out of it.
Friday morning, when the doctor rounded on me, he said I was stable, and that it would be a good time for Marc to run home and get some of our necessities for the next few weeks. Keep in mind that we hadn't been home, since leaving on Monday. Marc was hesitant to leave, but I assured him, I was fine (famous last words).
Around 1:00 I started feeling those same cramping pains (contractions). The nurse came in and gave me benadryl, which she said would ease them. At 2:00, a hospital liaison came in to talk about the possibility of *maybe* getting released, but I would have to stay within the city limits. Mom finally told her, "Sarah is having contractions. Let's not talk about this now." As soon as she left, my parents' minister showed up. He is kind of a funny man. He was trying to read scripture, and I was having some hard contractions. He actually said, to me, "You do what you need to do, I can wait." We eventually had to politely ask him to leave.
I had asked that Mom not call Marc initially, because the nurse was so sure the benadryl would do the trick. Mom finally called him at 3:30. He immediately headed back to Wichita. The nurse had been in and out, and I kept telling her that I was having some fairly painful contractions. She just kept saying, "You'd be in a lot more pain if it was the real thing."
At 4:00pm, a different nurse came in. I told her that I was going to have these babies, NOW. They rushed me back to the labor and delivery floor. A resident came in and very nonchalantly went through her spiel of, "These things usually take hours if not days. Just stay calm and relaxed, I'll come back and check on you periodically." I finally told her to PLEASE check me now, because my contractions were very intense and close together. Shocked, she said, "Oh! You are at 10, and Baby A is crowning. DO NOT PUSH!!!!"
Within a couple of minutes, there were probably 6-8 nurses and/or doctors in the room. At the time both girls were head down, but they wanted to do a spinal just in case Baby B flipped or something went wrong. A few minutes later, we were in the OR. Marc still wasn't there. I was bawling at this point. Mumbling about it being too early, that I hadn't had Lamaze classes, and that Marc wasn't here. Mom gowned up and came in with me. Finally, they were ready for me to push. The doctor told me on my next contraction to push. With the spinal, I could no longer feel the contractions. I blubbered, "I can't feel them anymore!" The poor anesthesiologist came over and held my hand and told me when to push. A couple of pushes later, Marleigh was born at 4:46pm. She let out the smallest cry. I was amazed that she made any sound at all. They worked on her quickly, then let me see her briefly, before rushing her to the NICU. Just like they feared, Baby B flipped as soon as her sister was out. They went up and manually tried to turn her (not a fun experience, even with a spinal). She wasn't turning. The doctor asked if I wanted to deliver her breech. He said that some women don't want both types of delivery. I couldn't believe he even asked! I wanted what was best for the baby, so they did a C-section. Natalie was born at 4:59. Natalie had a small whimper, but it was a relief to hear her make any noise at all. I saw her for a brief moment, then she was off to the NICU as well.
As soon as she was gone, they asked what their names were. I just didn't feel right naming them without Marc there. We were 95% sure of what we were going to name them, but I just wanted their Daddy there. Marc arrived when they were finishing me up. I felt so terrible for him. I so wished I could have held off having them another 30 minutes, so that he could have been there.
After he made sure I was okay, Marc went to meet his beautiful daughters. I spent a couple of hours in recovery. All of our parents had made it back to Wichita by now, so we all went to see the girls. I can so clearly remember Dr. Dorn on our first day at Wesley, telling us what premature babies look like. That they would most likely be covered in hair, and have thin, translucent skin. Not our girls. They were gorgeous. Perfect in every way, just so tiny. There were wires, and tubes, but all I could see was how incredibly magnificent they were in every way. Two strong, courageous little girls. I was in awe of them.
Looking back on those few days, there are so many wonderful examples of God's grace. At the time, I was so irritated that the baby section in Target was a mess. However, I know that if it hadn't been such a disaster, I would have spent much more time on my feet in Target. Even a hour later, could have meant so much. If we hadn't been passing through Hutch, I'm not sure I would have taken the cramping seriously enough to make a special trip. The magnesium finally working to stop the contractions, even for a few days. The steroids were given time to help the girls' lungs mature. Then there was the incredible outpouring of love and support from friends, family, and even strangers. A true testament to God's goodness.
If you have followed us, then you probably know everything that has happened since the day, those two precious girls made me a Mama. It has been a roller coaster, with both incredible highs, and lows that have brought me to my knees. Thank you to everyone that has kept up with us, prayed with us, cried with us, rejoiced with us! May God continue to bless you, as you have blessed us!
