My life My Thoughts: My birth story of my twins

I promised my birth story of the twins. I was so uncomfortable during my leave before I delivered that I really did not have patients or creativity to blog about it. So now since the babies are out and the dust has settled somewhat, here goes my birth story.
I started my maternity leave, or rather, sick leave when I was 33 weeks. I really was too heavy and cumbersome to plod to work. My colleagues were literally begging me to go home and rest, not because they feel sorry for me, but they really were worried if I was going to go into labour!
So gladly I told my boss that I would like to start staying home until I delivered, and gladly he allowed me.
So stayed home I did.
I was not sure if it was a mistake it the right thing to do. I was more uncomfortable lounging at home than sitting on my office chair! I could not lie on the couch because the weight of my tummy literally squeezed the air out of me, same goes lying in bed. Sitting up was the most comfortable position, for about half an hour at most before I have to shift positions again. Getting up is worst because I have to heave ho myself out of the chair, which used a lot of my inner thigh and hip strength. I could not even get up to get a glass of water, I had to ask the kind assistance of our nanny to do so. I could not fetch my son from school as I fear that my tummy would not fit into the driver's seat in my car. All I could do was sit but changed positions every half hour or so.
Then I found something to distract me. Paint by numbers! I've always wanted to try it!
I bought Van Gogh's starry starry night, which was apparently medium in level of difficulty and started working on it.

The blank canvas
I wake up quite early in the morning as I could not sleep long anyway, because sleeping is the MOST uncomfortable position to be in. So I would start painting early in the morning, with some breakfast in front of me. I would paint non stop for 2 hours straight and not even realise that time had flown by! I'd stretch for a bit in between and maybe take a shower or get something to drink just to get some blood flowing and easing my back for a bit, then I'd continue painting until Ayden gets home from school and continue again the next morning.

Half way through!

All done!
So I managed to finish starry starry night in 5 days and decided to do a other one. By that time I was already 35 weeks and getting way to heavy and uncomfortable. I bought a really cool New York City one with front view of a traffic scene.

This is only how far I got!
The same week, I went for my check up and my doc says, ok, I can deliver the babies this week. They are above 2kg and everything looks ok. We scheduled the delivery for Friday morning, I would be 36 weeks by then.
So Thursday morning I went to the hairdresser to get my hair a good wash, as I am not suppose to wash my hair for a few weeks after I deliver (Chinese confinement rules). I did some last minute packing,made sure everything via ready at home to receive the babies and made sure Ayden's gift from the twins was wrapped and ready for him to open after I deliver. It's an old Malay tradition where if you have an older child expecting new siblings, you prepare a gift for him saying that it is from his new sibling so he does not get too jealous or unhappy when they arrive.
We were all terribly excited. We checked into the hospital at noon on Thursday, just because the room was an awesome room. Almost like a hotel suite which a separate dining and living room from the hospital bed room with an LCD tv in each room. My parents came in the evening too, also to enjoy the room haha! We are an amusing family. Then later that night my aunt and grandma came too just for fun. So everyone was having a good time and the babies had not even arrived yet!

Terrible iPhone shot of us in the room
Early the next morning as early as 5am, the nurses came in to take my blood pressure, basically prepping me for surgery. I was to be the first that morning. Surgery was scheduled at 8am and I was suppose to be at there by 7am. So I took a log hot shower.hubby who spent the night with me also took a long hot shower and got dressed. We were so excited! The long awaited time finally arrived!
I was wheeled down to the OT. There the anaesthesiologist prepared my epidural. It took longer than usual ( compared to my first time with my first born ). As I was bent over the nurse in the OT (and the dr busy poking my spine to get the line in) I saw that they had prepared the warming table for the twins. Pink blanket for the girl and blue for the boy. I was so overcome with joy, fear, sadness, happiness all rolled into one. It was a long journey for us. All our babies were ivf babies and we never ever thought that we could even have one child. We were blessed with Ayden and now we are expecting twins! I cried silently over the nurses shoulder and when the nurse saw me she thought I was getting anxious because of the surgery. In a way I was too!
The epidural this time as very different. Sounds around me suddenly sounded muffled and I was really drowsy. It didn't feel right and immediately told the nurse in case I fell over cos the operating table was really narrow. I remembered looking at the clock, it was already 7.55am. The surgery was meant to start at 8am and it had taken almost 45 minutes to get my epidural done.
They laid me down and I still felt a little panicky. Hubby came in already in scrubs and sat next to me. I was really drowsy then. I also could not breathe properly and I told hubby that. Dr. Guna was already in and ready to perform the c section. I remembered telling hubby, I feel really sleepy. If I fall asleep, please wake me up when the twins come out.
And suddenly... I felt it. A sharp searing pain from below my naval. Like someone used something sharp and glide it along my skin. It was not painful enough to scream out loud, but it was just a little searing pain. I did say aloud "ouch!" and promptly the doctor stopped. Then I told hubby... "Sakit". Then I heard the Anaesthesiologist say, you are meant to feel something but not pain. But I insisted it hurts. The next thing I know, I fell asleep.
In my sleep I remembered telling myself, "oh shoot, the doctor put me down to sleep didn't he". Then I thought, he must have done it for a good reason. Ok if that's the case. I better not wake up before the twins are pulled out or I will feel the pain!
I also had really strange dreams while I was down. Very vivid dreams. It was snap shots of different scenarios. Next thing I know I was woken up in the recovery area. I heard the anaesthesiologist tell me, we had to put you down. You were getting anxious. I was still really drowsy and drifted in and out of sleep. Then I felt I was being wheeled back into my room. I was almost fully awake then.
I saw hubby waiting for me in my room. The room was dim and cosy. Hubby had drawn the curtains so I could rest. I asked him what happened, why I was put to sleep. He said that I was getting panicky so the doc put me down to sleep. Actually he did not notice that I was sleeping until I had not responded when he told me that the twins were out.
Turned out the first twin, our baby girl, was pulled out at 8.22am while her brother followed only just two minutes later! As soon as she came out the pead took her to the warming table and checked her. Meanwhile her brother was already out and the nurse placed him on the other warming table while waiting for the pead to check him. They were both wrapped and brought to me. Since I was sleeping hubby just took a photo with me and the twins while the nurse held them close to my face.