Happy 2 Months Carson & Weston

Right before we headed upstairs
The Grandmas

First family photo, thanks Elizabeth!

Billy loving on Carson

Loving on Weston

Carson Robert 2:40 pm 6 lbs 1 oz 19 inches

Weston Rex 2:46 pm 4 lbs 8 oz 18 inches

Right before we headed to the OR

Just got my epidural, thank goodness

Birth Story

So I just realized that I never blogged about Carson & Weston's birth story. Wow, what have I been doing the past two months? My sister did a great job of updating the blog when the boys were born and when we were in the hospital, but I thought it would be good to get it down in my own words. Because of course like everybody else says, one day I will print all of my posts out and save them. Hmm, maybe in another two months.

So I think I left off noting that I would be induced the next day. So we went to the hospital at 7:30 on Saturday, March 27th to be induced. We had our hospital bags packed for weeks since we thought for sure after everything we had been through that the babies would for sure come early. When we arrived they set us up in this huge room, which we later found out was the biggest one they had. I changed into my hospital gown and got my iv of pitocin started. I then remembered that after watching a million or so Baby Stories during bed rest, that I had brought some "fancy" socks to wear. They were pink argyle and were especially selected for the occasion. So I wore those for about a half an hour when the nurse came in and made me put on these obnoxious yellow socks with grippies on the bottom, a yellow blanket, and a huge yellow bracelet that said Fall Rick. Not cute. This was because I was technically a fall risk because I would later have an epidural. I started having contractions, but nothing really painful. I was pretty proud of myself and thought that I had a pretty high pain tolerance. Then my doctor came in and broke my water and they turned up the pitocin and I definitely started feeling things at that point. Luckily it was time to get my epidural. And it couldn't have come at a better time, I was in a lot of pain and progressing quickly. All this time Billy and I just hung out listening to the delivery play list Billy had worked so hard on. It was all songs that had to do with the boys and labor. At one point the resident walked in to check me and the song "Push It" was on. He totally got this really funny look on his face and we knew we had to tell him about the play list. He said he could tell we had a sense of humor. Also while waiting for the babies to come Billy surprised me with something really special. He got me a ring with the babies birthstones and some diamonds in it. It was so sweet of him and such a nice surpirse. Poor Billy did get a little worried as I kept the babies in so long they were almost born in April.

At around 1:45 pm (yes, this was after the nurse told us she didn't see us having the babies until after 5:00 pm) I was 10 cm and ready to push. It was hard a first because you just have no idea what you are doing. But they tell you they can see progress, so you just figure you are doing it right. I pushed in the labor and delivery room for a while, and then when it got closer I was moved into the OR. This is standard for all twin births even if they are vaginal. It is in case they have to deliver the second twin via c section. So once I got into the OR I had to physically move onto the table (which was no small feat being ginormous and having an epidural, but I did it). Everybody commented that I must have had the perfect epidural to not be in pain but be able to move so well. I thought due to that comment I should not have to wear the socks, but didn't bring it up at that point. The room seem super crowded as we had two nurses, the anesthesiologist, the resident who delivered the babies, my doctor, two people for each baby from the NICU, our good friend Elizabeth who is also a doctor, Billy, and myself. Not to mention two babies about to be born. I totally felt like a bio hazard in the OR because as a precaution in case they had to do a c section everybody but me had to wear masks and eye protection (as can be seen in the picture). So after only an hour after I started pushing (I didn't push for this entire time, I had to be moved to the OR for some of it and once it got closer everybody in the OR had to "get ready") Baby A was born (he was not named until the next day). He came into the world at 2:40 pm. It was a huge relief to finally see him alive and well. He was quickly checked out by the NICU team, but from what I saw of him when he came out he looked good. Then they quickly ultrasounded me to make sure Baby B hadn't flipped. Luckily of all days to be complaint, he was that day. So it was on to pushing out baby #2 for the day. So I didn't get to hold either boy when they were born because they were checked out by the NICU team. So I go on to pushing and all of a sudden when I was resting between contractions, they told me that Baby B was almost there and would only take one more push. So just 6 minutes after his brother, Baby B came into the world at 2:46 pm. He was definitely much smaller than his brother (so apparently the ultrasound the day before was accurate, we were hoping it wasn't). So because he was so small I was sure he was headed straight for the NICU. So the million people in the room start to do their thing and then all of a sudden before I know it they are handing me Baby B. Turns out both him and his brother scored very well on their APGAR and didn't have to go to the NICU. This was amazing news! Because when you start having contractions super early and have to go on bed rest at 30 weeks, you basically get yourself prepared for your babies to have to spend some time in the NICU. As soon as I laid eyes on Baby B I was so surprised at how much he looked like me! I think because they were boys I just assumed they would look like Billy. What struck me first was his chin and then his lips. Totally mine. As all this was going on Billy was loving on Baby A. Turns out Baby A was 6 pounds 1 ounce and 19 inches long, while he little brother was only 4 pounds 8 ounces and 18 inches long. So apparently our ultrasound the day before was actually right on. I remember our doctor asking me in the OR what the ultrasound said Baby B's weight was and I said 4 pounds 6 ounces in a tone that was like "yah, it was off." He laughed and told me that was basically right on.

So when they got me all stitched up I got back on my hospital bed and then put both babies in my arms and wheeled me back to our labor and delivery room. We were then met by my mom and Billy's parents. The Grandmas immediately each took a baby and I got to do what I had been dreaming of all day, EAT! When you are in labor you are not allowed to eat. Funny, of all times to not let you eat, that would be one. Once the Grandmas had appropriately loved on the boys it was time for them to be checked out by their pediatrician and our good friend Elizabeth. They then got some tests done by a nurse and it showed that Baby B had really low blood sugar. So instead of attempting to beast feed they recommended we give him some formula right away. So Billy got to feed him his first ever meal. So after what only seemed like an hour or two we were moved up stairs to the Mother/Baby unit. They put me in a wheelchair with both babies in my arms and wheeled me up.

So compared to our labor and delivery room, our Mother/Baby room was a bit of a disappointment. The room was pretty small, especially when you have two baby beds and lots of grandparents. So we let the grandparents go home and settled in to our room for the next couple of days. Both boys had low bloodsugar which they continued to monitor frequently. Unfortunately they did this by pocking their foot and drawing blood. It was frustrating because the boys would have a really good one, then a really bad one. And for them to be considered "ok" they had to have several good ones in a row. Unfortunately Baby B continued to have bad ones and about 24 hours after he was born had to be admitted to the NICU to have an IV put him to give him glucose. At the time it was REALLY hard because I had such a negative connotation with the NICU because of my difficult pregnancy. I thought for sure the babies would be born early and have to be in the NICU for weeks if not months. So to have worked so hard to keep them in as long as I did, only to have one of them ultimately end up in the NICU was really disappointing.

So Billy and I split our time between the Mother/Baby floor (7) and the NICU (2) because one of us always had to be with Baby A because he couldn't leave the floor. But luckily before Baby B went to the NICU we actually named the poor little guys. A couple weeks before we were induced I took each of our respective name lists and made an excel spreadsheet of all of the possible twin name combinations. Finally about 24 hours after they were born we decided on the names Carson & Weston. Their middle names had been decided a while before. We really wanted to use family names for their middle names and with twins you can choose one name from each side of the family. So we had decided on Rex and Robert. Rex is Billy's Dad's Dad's middle name, his name is Royal Rex Heyer. While Billy's dad's name is Loyal Lex. And Robert comes from my Mom's Dad Robert Janvier who, along with my Grandma Alys, watched me as a baby as my mom worked. So then we had to decide which first name went with which middle name. It didn't take too long because ever since we knew we wanted boys I knew I wanted a Weston. And when we started talking about middle names we thought Rex would be a really cute middle name, as well as a neat way to honor Billy's Grandpa who he is really close to. And Weston Rex just fits. And it just so happened that Carson Robert also just sounded really good together. And oddly, of the entire page of twin names I put together, Carson & Weston was the first one. I should have just stopped there :)

So that is basically Carson and Weston's birth story. There are many other stories from the hospital and NICU, but they will have to come in another post. I really want to at least get this one down while I had a minute. And yes, I have been slowing writing this since the boys actually turned 2 months old on Thursday. But that is what you have to do when you have twins!