It's in the Bag!

birth
It's Sunday Funday again, and we are getting ready to watch the Giants, once again.  Hopefully they will get it together today, especially since the girls are such great little cheerleaders!


Two of my best friends are expecting little babies in the next 8 weeks, so as we anxiously await little Ryan and Olivia's arrivals, I wanted to write a post all about the hospital bag.  Although we are hoping Olivia and Ryan will cook until they are 40 weeks old, Erin and Suzanne could technically go any day now!  Remember, Jane and Emma entered our world at 32 weeks...

I used the large tote from Land's End that I have personalized. Any large overnight bag will do. 

Without further ado, here is the complete list of junk that was in my hospital bag (which we took to the hospital twice).

1.  Slipper socks.  They give these to you at the hospital, but they're scratchy and uncomfortable.  These felt soooo good on my swollen feets.

2.  Shampoo and Conditioner.  Again, most hospitals have this, but it feels amazeballs to take that first post delivery shower with your familiar, sweet smelling shampoo.  I just brought travel sizes with me to conserve space.

3.  Face wash/eye make up remover.  I brought the pre-moistened cloths so that I wouldn't have to worry about bending over a sink or getting out of bed!

4.  Moisturizer and body lotion.  Hospitals are extremely dry, especially in the winter months.  Bring your favorite moisturizers with you to make sure you don't come out looking like the Crypt Keeper.

5.  Electronics and chargers.  Camera, cell phone, iPad, laptop.  Whatever electronics you're bringing with you, make sure to grab extra chargers.

6.  One of your own pillows with a colored pillow case.  You will be happy to have a nice, soft, fluffy pillow from home.  The colored pillow case will ensure that housekeeping doesn't sweep it away on you while you're out washing off the ew or visiting your new little bundle of joy.

7.  Comfy nursing bras.  I love the Medela bras, and I am specifically a huge fan of this bra, which I still wear to bed and around the house on weekends.  I know, it's hot.

8.  Going home outfit for baby.  I bought preemie outfits and newborn outfits, just in case.  If you are a high risk pregnancy, I would strongly suggest buying just ONE preemie outfit at first (or one per baby, if you're having higher order multiples).  You can always donate it to the NICU if you don't use it (or even if you do), and it's better to be safe than sorry.

9.  Going home outfit for you.  Something soft with a little bit of give.  I wore home one of my maternity maxi dresses.  You want to stick with flowy or elastic materials, as you'll still be carrying some baby weight when you leave.

10.  Headbands/ponytail ties/barrettes.  You can't wash your hair for a day or two after delivery because you can't take a shower.  Having a way to tie that greasy ball of matted, sweaty hair away from your face will make you feel much better.  The grunge look went out with the 90s, and you don't want your post-delivery pics (which there will be many of) to be a flashback to your Nirvana-loving years.

11.  Tic Tacs.  Just trust me on this one.

12.  Mascara and blush.  You won't want to put on a full face of make up, but it will make you feel better to put on a coat of mascara and some blush when people come to visit (and take more pictures of you).

13.  Toothbrush/toothpaste/mouthwash.  Just bring travel sizes.

14.  Flip flops for the showers, which are communal.  Not only will you not get foot fungus, but you also won't slip and fall on some jerk's wad of conditioner that they failed to wash down the drain.  Getting up off of the floor is not easy after giving birth, and if you want to hold on to what little tiny shred of dignity you have left, you don't want to have to call someone to help your naked self up off of the floor of the shower.

15.  Contact lenses, case, solution, glasses, etc., if you wear them.

16.  Comfy jammies.  My bestie ran to Target and got me the most comfortable nursing top and maternity shorts the day after I gave birth, and I couldn't have been more in love with her than I was at the moment she handed them to me.  Rocking around in a hospital gown for the first day is FINE, but after that you will want more coverage and comfort.

17.  A notebook.  I'm reading from my notebook right now to compile this list.  I have a notebook that I have used for EVERYTHING, from my wedding to this day.  You will want to write down who visited you in the hospital, who sent flowers, and who sent/brought gifts and what they brought so that you can send thank you notes when you get home.

18.  Re-useable bags.  I brought 3-4 with me.  The hospital gives you swag.  You make dirty laundry.  You take formula, choopies, baby wash, etc. off of the baby cart every time it comes in the room.  You need bags to bring all of this crap home in. Fold a few up and throw them in the bottom of your hospital bag.  You'll be happy you did.

19.  Tums.  Colace.  Gas-X.  They should give you this stuff at the hospital, but bring some, just in case.

20.  Panties.  Cheap ones.  Big ones.  It's up to you, I didn't bring them but some women swear by bringing them.  I jammed out in the ones that the hospital gave me, and I was fine with them.  I even brought some home (in my re-useable bags) and used them for a few weeks after.

That's what I brought with me.  Of course, people will be coming and going and you can always get someone to pick something up for you if you forget something. 

If I forgot anything, or if you can think of anything to add to this list, please leave it in the comments below!

Have a great week everyone!


Life as a Preemie

birth
On Monday, May 6, I was feeling pretty shitty. I had elephantits of the ankles (2 weeks after my shower, where everyone had exclaimed, "Wow! You're not swollen at all!"), I was the size of a house and finding it hard to maneuver around, and I wasn't sleeping because no matter which way I turned and no matter which pillow I hunted down and bought to sleep with I was inevitably laying on a kid. I called out of work and called my (unbelievably patient) OBGYN to schedule an appointment. I was supposed to work for 2 more weeks, so I figured she could just give me something to get me through. I was just 31 weeks pregnant.

Hershey and me at my baby shower, 2 weeks before I delivered Jane and Emma.

My cankles.

My enormous, misshapen belly.
The next day, the good doctor informed me that there was nothing to be done and that I was "just going to be uncomfortable". She also told me that she was putting me on bed rest effective immediately. Luckily, my maternity leave sub was in place and I was able to return to school on Wednesday, pick up a few belongings, say goodbye to my students, and go home to put my feet up and begin to enjoy the rest of my pregnancy. 

Thursday morning I woke up feeling uncomfortable. I had slept about 2 hours because Emma was busy moving back and forth across my ribs all night, and I just didn't feel right. I can't explain it other than that. I had a cramp in my side that felt like I had just sprinted a mile, and I couldn't shake it. I called my doc (again!) and she asked me to meet her at the ER, just in case. My husband was at work, so I called my mom and dad to come get me. I took a quick shower (I know, you're probably thinking that I'm crazy, but I have this fear of arriving at the hospital in dirty underwear), and by 11:15 I was waiting on the front doorstep of our apartment, in the rain (of course). 

By the time I got into the car, I had worked myself all into a tizzy. The babies were too small. They couldn't come this early. They weren't done cooking yet! I cried the whole way to the hospital, as the realization set in that I was IN LABOR. 

When Hershey got to the hospital, my contractions were 5 minutes apart. The nurses tried to get an IV in my hand, but just as they stuck the needle in I had a huge contraction and my vein exploded. The anesthesiologist came in and was able to get my IV going, and our awesome neonatologist met with us to let us know that no matter what happened, they were ready for us.

First round in the hospital.

High on morphine with my swollen IV hand.

Hooked up to contraptions.
My OB started me on a magnesium drip, and got me some pain meds. I spent the next 4 days not sleeping, tossing and turning as 3 belts around my (ginormous) belly measured my contractions and Jane and Emma's heartbeats. After a harrowing 4 days, on Sunday, the doctors determined that I had pre-preeclampsia, and that the contractions had been reduced to no more than "disturbances", and at 1:00 that afternoon I was discharged. 

During my hospital stay it had been determined that I was scary-anemic. When I had my glucose test a couple of weeks prior, the doctor had told me that I needed to get my iron up. So although I hadn't eaten red meat in 6(!) years, I had started eating cheeseburgers like it was my job. The night I was discharged I went home and ate a juicy steak and some creamed spinach. 

By 11:00 I was in pain again. My mother came over with a blood pressure machine and measured my blood pressure. It was good. I started thinking it was the spinach. Hershey told me to go back to the hospital. I started crying. I wanted just ONE night of sleep -- for me AND him!!

I tossed and turned on the couch for hours. I couldn't get comfortable. I had to pee every 45 minutes. A couple of times I didn't make it to the bathroom. By 3:00 am, I knew we had to go back to the hospital. I called Hershey to the bathroom and said, "It's time to go!"  He threw my (half-unpacked) hospital bag in the car, and I barely made it down the stairs in my wife-beater tank, Hershey's boxer shorts, jean jacket and flip flops. This was not how I pictured my birth story! 

As we pulled up to the ER doors, I was in full blown labor. My contractions were one minute apart. These babies were coming!!!! The nurses got me hooked back up onto an IV and started my fluids. After 2 hours of begging for my epidural, they finally wheeled me into an OR, where a stern nurse told me to hang my arms and legs down over the side of the bed, and an angel of mercy (aka an anesthesiologist) administered my epidural. Sweet lord! It was the best feeling in the world. 

Hershey came into the OR and sat by my head. I didn't hear much talking, until at 6:19 am I heard my doctor's voice say, "We have Jane!" And then I heard the sweetest sound: my baby crying. 

One minute later, I felt a massive pressure and the relief as my ribs cracked back into place. "Oooohhhhhhh yea!" I yelled out. 

"Here's Emma!" my doctor yelled over the sound of Baby B's robust cries. The babies were swept away to the NICU and Hershey went with them, as the team in the OR worked to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. 

I will not lie to you. Being in labor was awful. The contractions hurt like hell. But once I got that epidural, I felt no pain, and got to experience the euphoria of my children being pulled into the world on a sunny May Monday morning. And after an hour in recovery, the nurses wheeled my bed into the NICU, where that amazing neonatologist waited to give me the good news -- Jane and Emma were small, but they were healthy! I had given them 4 extra days, 2 rounds of steroids to help their little lungs develop faster, and a fighting will. 

And when I held little 3lb 9 ounce Emma for the first time that morning, and looked over to see Hershey holding little 3lb 10 ounce Jane, I felt no pain. Looking into their tiny faces, seeing them look back at me, knowing how hard they had fought to get here, I would do it all again for them! 



Oh yeah, and my ankles went back to normal. 



Hope you have a great holiday weekend! Happy twinning!