My Birth Story by Zenna

We already have 4 yr old Isabelle, she came by emergency c-section at 30 wks gestation as I had Pre-eclampsia. I discovered I was pregnant in march 07, By the time I'd been to the doc's and had it confirmed, I was 5 wks gone. Me and my partner Hadleigh were over the moon, discussing names, did we want a boy or a girl, and even choosing the pushchair. I'd seen the midwife when I was 8 wks gone, and got the usual gumf, done the bloods etc. Then at 9 wks into pregnancy I started to bleed on Easter Sunday PM. My partner managed to get his Mum round to look after Isabelle whilst her husband took me and Hadleigh to the Derby Royal Infirmary. They did another pregnancy test, and said the test still said I was preg, but I couldn't go to the Derby County General Hospital as the early preg unit was shut for Easter!!

I was told to go home and do nothing. Ring this number for the unit, and get a emergency appointment for a scan. After waiting till the Tuesday (which was when the unit re-opened) I managed to get an appointment for that afternoon. My partner and Isabelle waited outside whilst I went in for the scan, totally convinced I'd lost the baby. After 10 agonizing minutes, the sonographer asked me if twins ran in mine or Hadleigh's family. I replied 'No', and she said 'Well, I suppose they have to start somewhere' She showed me the scan, and after a few choice words, I asked for a pic. In the space of 15 minutes, our world was turned upside down, we'd gone from looking at single pushchairs to doubles, choosing 2 names.

Isabelle knew something had happened, and we treated her to the biggest ice-cream we could get. We went home, and told the family. My parents were on holiday, and later Mum told me off for not telling her what had happened, she said if she'd known I'd had this bleed then they wouldn't have gone. She couldn't believe I'd kept it from her for 3 1/2 days. Everything was fine till I reached 11 wks, then I started to bleed again. Convinced I'd lost 1 of the babies, I went straight to the D..C.G.H, were they kept me in overnight. I was subjected to 2 nurses looking 'up' me telling me they could see some blood clots they wanted to remove for testing. I was surprised they could see that with a torch and a magnifying glass contraption.

After a restless night I was taken for another scan, the sonographer said both babies were still there, but I had a tear in the lining of the womb above where the babies were. I was told under no circumstances to lift anything heavy, and to keep off my feet as much as possible. At my week 12 dating scan, because of the bleeds and the fact I was having twins, and also due to the fact that I'd had pre-eclampsia with Isabelle, I was put under consultant care.

The consultant I saw was horrible, and told me I was carrying MCDA twins. When I asked her what that meant, she just said 'Look it up'. Getting home, and straight on the net, I typed in MCDA, and discovered we were having identical twins, and was relieved to find out that it didn't mean there was something wrong. At my next scan, she did all the measurements etc and told us to wait in the adjoining room. Minutes later, armed with all this new information, we began to question the consultant as any parents to twins would. We were appalled at the brush off we received, and when my midwife next saw me I refused point blank to come back and have any more scans unless I could be transferred to another consultant. I later discovered we weren't the only ones to request such a transfer.

I had to have fortnightly scans, and bled on and off until 16 weeks gestation. We found out that twin 1 was wasn't growing as well as twin 2, then twin 1 didn't have alot of amniotic fluid round her. The consult was worried about twin to twin transfusion, but luckily it didn't happen. At 20 wks we found out we were having 2 girls. The fluid round twin 1 had increased, but she was still small. By the time I was 24 wks gone I was the size of a lady 40 wks. . Hard going, as I'm only 4ft 10, and I had that pubis dysfunction thingy. My consult could see I was struggling, and said she wouldn't let me go past 36 wks gest. So at 35 wks and 6 days, I went in to hosp for a elective section, it would have been to risky for the smaller twin to give birth naturally.

I was given a spinal injection (epidural), and after I was 'legless' I was taken through to the operating room were Hadleigh came in. Emily was born at 12.51 pm and Lily at 12.53pm on mon 8/10/07. I don't remember any of Lily's birth as I passed out. Emily weighed 3 lb 9 oz, and Lily 5 lb 6 oz. I had Lily on the ward with me, but because Emily was small birth weight, she was on the SCBU unit. ( We knew some of the staff, from when Isabelle was born weighing 2 lb 2 oz) I would just get Lily settled when another baby on the ward would wake up, and start all the other babies off. I was released from hospital tjust two days after they were born, on Wednesday 10th.

Any new parent will tell you how hard it is during the first few weeks, it seemed relentless. Get Lily and Isabelle fed, take Isabelle to school, then up to the baby unit to spend a couple of hours with Emily. Fortunately Emily was only on the unit for 10 days until she came home. We had to call an ambulance out to Emily on her 1st day out, as she had a choking fit and turned blue, but she was fine - just a bit of sick went down the wrong way! Emily and Lily are now 8 1/2 months old as I write this, and although everyone says how hard it must be, and we know we must be really lucky. They nearly always feed at the same time (on solids now) and from 5 months they both slept through the night. You hear so many stories of how people struggle with just the 1, but me and Hadleigh both know it's a bit of team work. As I say to our 5 yr old, 'Love you to the moon and back', and she replies 'Love you to the stars and back'.

I think that says it all.

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Page last updated: 25-Jun-2008

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