The rest of the story

Hopefully I'll be able to write all of this in one sitting...

So, after waiting all day on Tuesday to be induced, we finally got the call around 7:30 pm. We were out to dinner so we took the kids and my mom home (she came into town early) and headed off to the hospital. The paperwork took forever, of course, so pitocin didn't get started until around 9:30 pm. I had planned all along to take full advantage of the epidural this time, but the hero in me still wanted to wait a bit before getting it. But then I realized that I was stuck in a bed with wires all over me to monitor me and the babies. I hate being stuck in a bed with contractions, so I decided to get the epidural right away. It was really a lovely way to go.

As we were getting things hooked up, the doctor came in and did a quick ultrasound. Little A was still head down, but Little N had played another trick and turned transverse at the top of my belly. That presented us with three options after little A was born: 1, she turned head down and I would be able to deliver her vaginally; 2, she turned breech and I would still hopefully be able to deliver her vaginally; or 3, her cord dropped before she did and then we'd have to do a c-section. More to worry about while we waited.

I tried to rest, but I was all keyed up, so that didn't really happen. I read a bit and watched TV a bit and A and I watched their heart rate monitors and my contraction monitor quite a bit. About 1:20 am, I was dilated to a 10, so they wheeled me into the operating room, along with a team of people. A nurse for each baby, a respiratory specialist for each baby, my doctor, a labor and delivery nurse (she was the best!), a midwife, my husband, and me. The bright lights of the operating room were a wee bit different than the homey atmosphere of the labor and delivery room. That, added to everyone gowned and masked made the whole thing pretty surreal.

After getting everything set up, the doctor had me push with a few contractions. At 1:42 am, little A was born. He had swallowed a bit of meconium, so there was about 15 seconds of anxious waiting before he cried--such a pathetic little cry. Then, the doctor did another ultrasound and lo and behold, little N had cooperated and moved head down. He broke her water and I pushed her out as well with just a few contractions. Bless the epidural for making that part so easy!

Right as she was delivered, her placenta broke away from the uterine wall and she swallowed a little bit of blood. The nurses and respiratory specialists were working hard on both of the babies for a bit, but they're both just fine. Smaller than we thought they'd be, but fine. It's crazy to have such small babies, when my smallest before this was a 1/2 ounce under eight pounds. These babies are miniature!

The hospital stay was ok. I only had a few minor breakdowns, as the realization that we had to take two babies home with us got me freaked out. And also having to call for help from nurses if I was by myself in the room with them made me feel a bit inadequate--I know that's what the nurses are there for, but it was a new experience that kind of threw me for a loop.

A and I said more than once, "Honestly, if this was just one baby, it would be a piece of cake!" But we have two babies--two precious tiny babies who have been entrusted to us to take care of. I won't pretend that I'm not completely overwhelmed by the reality of my new life just about every second (and infinitely more so now that I'm home and remember again that my three oldest are very loud people who seem to constantly demand things), but we'll take one day at a time, give them lots of kisses, and do lots and lots of praying, I'm sure.

P.S. My husband posted their sizes in an earlier comment, but here they are again:
Little A: 5 lbs. 11 oz. 18.5 inches
Little N: 6 lbs. 4 oz. 18 inches