Hi Everyone,

Sorry it has taken a week to post my birth story and pictures of my 2 beautiful princesses, but my hands have been rather full

So it all began last monday when I went in for my growth scan, the girls were first stress tested and everything appeared normal, I complained to the midwife I still thought I was losing my waters, I had been complaining of this for over a week. However whenever they did a speculum they saw no evidence of my waters breaking, but I kept finding my pjs wet, and after smelling them knew it wasn't pee, but only small amounts every other day. Every evening my contractions were getting stronger too, between 12 and 2am but would eventually fade away again, and some nights the pelvic pressure was so immense I thought they were going to drop out if I coughed!
However the midwife said after my scan and consultant visit if I came back to the ward they would do another speculum to check for waters. So I went off for my scan, which was nice because the sonographer showed me twin 2 had hair, very cute. However I could tell she wasn't too happy with the measurements of twin 1, she gave me rough estimates of between 5.5-5.8 for twin 1, and about 6.5-6.8 for twin 2. I was then sent on to discuss my results with my consultant. When twin 1's growth was charted her abdo and head circ had tailed off and showed no growth for the last 2 weeks, and very little over the last 4 weeks. They also noted her liquor volume was dropping considerably week on week. After discussion with the consultant I was told I would be examined on the ward and my waters checked, if they saw evidence of my waters they would section me that night if not they would do it on the wednesday which would allow 2 steroid shots for their lungs. After another examination I was told my cervix was fully closed and no evidence of my waters, so they gave me a steroid shot, very stingy! I was told I could go home and settle my 2 year old but to come back in at 8pm, and I would stay there until wednesday. We all went for our last supper at Pizza Hut, I presumed it was nerves but I ate my dinner super fast and was left with terrible indegestion pains. I said my goodbyes to my boys and me and the hubby headed back to the hospital.
Thry hooked me upto the monitors and said they would do heart traces on the girls every 6 hours, however when they hooked me up, I noticed I was contracting every 3 mins and the peaks were much higher than they had been before, soon I realised my indigestion was in fact contractions! When the midwife returned she was shocked and asked if I was feeling the tightenings, so the doctor came and examined me and I was 2cm dilated and thinning. I explained I wanted to be checked regularly as I didn't want to miss the birth through a general anasthetic, twin 1 was presenting breech so they were only happy with a section delivery. They said they would examine in an hour again, by which time I was 3cm gone but still a little thick. The doctor was unsure what to do, although I kept telling him it was definately labour, he decided to send me down to labour ward and see if things carried on progressing. I was getting quite anxious by now as my labours have always been very fast once I hit established labour, I explained this to the doc and midwife again, so they examined me again, I had thinned out and was now 4cm gone, but because I wasn't in too much pain the doctor was still hesitant! The midwife convinced him to ask his superior. He came back in the room 2 mins later and said they were emergency sectioning me then and there. Then the speed it happened was quite frightening, I was given consent forms to sign, my hubby was put in scrubs and wheeled off to be given my spinal. I was very nervous about this but the staff were brilliant at keeping me calm. The section began and the girls were born at 1.12 am and 1.15 am. Twin 1 was Franseca Erlea and weighed 5lb15oz and twin 2 was Ariana Meli and 5lb14oz. They had a bit of trouble getting Ariana out as she was lying transverse/oblique and stuck under my ribs. I started to feel a little more than tugging so they added a shot of opium based drugs which took any pain away. The girls were both whisked off to be seen by the docs, my curtain was too high so I couldn't see them but my hubby videoed it so I've seen it since. Ariana needed some help taking her first breath. About 10 mins later they were brought out to my hubby and looked so gorgeous and precious. Once I was sewn up Nick and the girls were taken out of theatre and I was wheeled down to recovery. I was told I would need to stay in there for a while because of my blood loss and the additional drugs I needed. I was allowed out at 3 and wheeled back to labour ward, the girls were placed on me at 3.15 where they stayed skin on skin having little feeds until 9.15. The 2 hour wait was hard to be away from my girls, but these 6 hours more than made up for it.

I had a few subsequent problems, twin 2 was whisked off to scbu 12 hours after birth, because of her blood glucose levels we were warned this might be for 2 days, I was heartbroken but it ended up being only a couple of hours. That night I suffered very bad sickness and kept blacking out, they think this was my reaction to the painkillers, frustatingly I gave myself a hernia, and will probably need an op in a couple of months, and it put my recovery back a day. However the girls and I were allowed home on the thursday evening, as the staff had been useless on the wed night and I said I would be better off at home with my family. On my midwife visit on the saturday the girls had dropped 12 and 16% of their birthweight so I had to go back in the hospital. Their blood results showed twin 2, Ariana was jaundice and needed phototherapy and she had to sort her feeding out. I was re-admitted with the girls, and was really upset. The staff that night were fab, I woke up to breastfeed the girls they would then top them up and settle them for me, bliss. Ariana's levels had dropped sufficently that the phototherapy was stopped after 15 hours. After agreeing to top ups of formula after each feed and pushing the girls into a 3-4 hour routine I was allowed home again on Sunday evening.

Sorry for the long long story, anyway here is the best bit ......... photos

PS This is a youtube link to my section, not too gory only see girls as they come out and you have 3 mins of my face, but you are more than welcome to watch if you want x



PPS. Having read my post op notes, my waters had been breaking everytime I'd been complaining!

Absolutely Gorgeous! Congratulations!

Congrats, they are beautiful!!

Beautiful ! Glad to hear they arrived safely in the end !

Huge congrats!!!!

Beautiful and good weights for gestation, congratulations x

gorgeous! congrats!!!!

Congratulations, they are absolutely beautiful. xxx

In tears!! It was beautiful watching your vid.

Absolutely gorgeous girls they are.

Congratulations again! xx

Many congratulations, they are beautiful! xx