This is one of those happy ending stories, unlike the others. However, seeing that it was some of the longest 28 weeks of my life, this story will also be long. This is also from 4 years away, and through some seriously rose tinted glasses.
This pregnancy was the most planned anything I have ever done was. We started trying in June of 2002. Dr. Rick, now finished with his residency and in practice with another of the world's greatest docs, put me on progesterone, clomid, baby aspirin, and lovenox with the prayer that this actually worked. I was on the lowest dose of clomid and hyperstimulated. I did not get pregnant that month.
July came around, and we tried again. I was really sick, so being loving was the last thing on my mind. However, I got a peak on my ovulation monitor, so the dance happened. I then put it out of my mind and let it go figuring the month was a bust. My fibromyalgia was at an all time high, so while I was at the family practice doc getting cold meds, he wanted to get a set of x-rays. I was happy that I was being proactive again, attempting to figure out why I was in pain. (I was only diagnosed in June of 2005) About a week before my period was due, I had decided to move on with my life, try to lose a little weight, and then go back and attempt to get pg again. Due to a promise I made my ex, I took a pregnancy test. I knew I was having trouble dealing with the heat, but I live in Texas. It's effing hot here in July. I was also on medications that tend to make you heat sensitive. Imagine the shock when I peed on the stick, turned to set it on the tub, and it was already +!!!!! This was on 08/11/2002.After smacking Tony in the forehead with the test, I immediately called Dr. Rick's office the next day. The soonest I could get in to see him was the 22nd.
He did his own test, with a good portion of the office standing there wanting to hear the results. It came back glowingly +. SO, he took us into the u/s room and started with the first peak at "A & B". Knowing that I can read the u/s pretty quickly, he made sure I couldn't see it. Finally, after watching him and thinking I was seeing him count fetuses in there (I had gotten to 22 while watching him count.) I finally said, "Well........." He very cautiously said, "There are 2 empty sacs in there." That was what we should see for being 5 weeks along. I made an appt to come back in 2 weeks, with everyone hoping to see 2 heartbeats.
About a week later, I started spotting. Knowing I was going to not only have a nervous breakdown, but drive him crazy, Dr. Rick's parter Dr. B told me to come in. We saw 2 very rapidly beating hearts. I came back for my regular appointment, and things were going great. Still some occasional spotting. Rick put me on what I like to call house arrest. I wasn't allowed to lift more than 20lbs. I wasn't allowed to work, and I had to spend several hours a day laying down, possibly sleeping. Everyone knew what was at stake this time, and none of us wanted to come out of it saying if only.
At 13 weeks, I went in for my every 2 weeks checkup, and was still not feeling any morning sickness. Rick said, "Oh, you will!" and handed me a script for Reglan. When the morning sickness started up a few DAYS later, I tried taking it. It made my heart race, and my nerves go nuts, so I just couldn't do it. I would take it if I was sick more than twice in a day. At that 13 week appt I was already feeling movements, and had lost 10 lbs. There was definately a point where I thought I was going to lose my mind from throwing up all the time. Every post in my journal talks about my fears of losing one or both of them. Tony and I had agreed that if the pregnancy turned out viable, it was the last one, ever. Somewhere about the 13th week, I asked for the first time about a c-section. It wouldn't be the last. I was pretty sure that unless he was going to knock me out, I would freak the hell out if I had to deliver again. NO matter how great of an experience, nothing can erase the silence that will always echo in my mind from that night.
On Oct18th, I was hospitalized for dehydration. Rick spent some time in my room talking with me, and letting me just watch the kids on u/s. It was so healing for me. There was an angel mom across the hallway. I ached so much to be able to go to her and just let her know she wasn't alone. I couldn't do that to her though. There I was, hugely pregnant with twins and full of hope, while she was experiencing one of the worst moments of her life. Instead, I had the chaplin go over and extend my thoughts and prayers.
On Oct 24th, I found out that we were having 2 boys. Everyone was pretty sure. Little did we know! I had to grieve some first. As stupid as this may sound, my neice had been saying before I ever got pregnant I was going to have b/g twins the next time. She predicted Bella correctly, so I wanted to believe her. It was hard to let go of the dream. But I did. We named them Andrew Jerrell and Zachary Alexander. Slightly less than a month later, we had to deal with it all over again. On our big, level II u/s, my MIL and I saw something different than the last u/s indicated. There was a definate LACK of boy parts on little Zach. So, we combined the 2 favorite sets of girl names into Victoria Annaliese. We had picked Annaliese Renee and Victoria Amelia, so this felt like the perfect answer. Oh, my right ovary had a cyst big enough that the tech mistook it for a full bladder until she realized that it was not in the right place. My left wasn't seen then.
December came and went. On the 24th, I saw the maternal fetal medicine doc. He wanted me to start giving the lovenox in my inner thigh due to better absorption. I died laughing because at 24 weeks, I measure at 37! I couldn't even begin to find my thighs. OMG, that hurt like hell. I did have less bruising that way, so apparently he was right about the whole absorption thing. We set the nursery up on the New Year weekend. I cried. Tony was in a car wreck on the 27th that did some damage to our car.
My next appointment with Rick was on the 2nd of Jan. We had a great checkup, and once I was dressed from the u/s, I complained of feeling "crampy" I was immediately told to undress, he checked, and I was 2-3 cm dilated. Up to L&D I went for the evil stuff Mag. This was my second experience with it ever. Not by any means my last though. After the 7th, I was sent to a regular maternity floor. There, we all talked about me going home. No one felt it would be good. So, it was voted on that I was there for the duration. On the 14th, we went through it again. This time, I complained of back achiness and asked to be hooked up for monitoring. (I don't know when I am in labor until I am at the pushing stage.) Rick came in, watched and talked, and then up to L&D I went again. I did the mag again, and on the 18th went back to the floor. This time, we almost didn't get labor stopped. The mag wasn't working and I was told to start making phone calls to family so they could get there in time. Rick went home to spend a little time with his family. On his way home, he called me to tell me he wanted to try giving me Indocin. I was willing to try anything at this point. I wasn't ready for them to arrive. Once I got back to a room, I had already decided I couldn't do the mag again. On the final trip to L&D, I had been cramping since Sat the 25th. I had been told I could go out for a few hours for our anniversary, but I needed to know that we would probably have the kids when we got back. (Looking back, I should have gone.) The resident covering call that weekend didn't think I was doing anything, so she wanted to just watch it. On Monday, still feeling the same way, I went to Rick's office. We had a hard time waking Torie up. We were both feeling uncomfortable, so he sent me to L&D for long term monitoring. That night, the nurse managed to convince my mom that I wasn't contracting enough to actually deliver. She tried convincing Tony, me, and Rick of that. Rick also had to argue with her that no one was to do cervical checks except him. She just felt that because I was handling the contractions well, that I couldn't be dilating from the small ones I was having. I wish I had a picture of her face when Rick came in at 9am, checked me, and pronounced that I was 7cm dilated and it was time to prep for the section, especially when I told him I was fine if he needed to go to the office and see a few patients! I wasn't even having to breathe through the contractions.
On January 28th, at 10:04 and 10:06 respectively, Andrew and Victoria were born. He was 2lbs 8oz. She was 2lbs 4oz. He came out with the most beautiful sound I had ever heard....a huge scream. Torie took a little more coaxing to make noise, but when she did...it was amazing. He was 16in long, she was 14.5in long. I got to see them as they went to the NICU, and then after recovery when I was on the way to my room. I was so happy. You may view the rest of their journey HERE. While I don't put new updates there often, I have yet to be able to bring myself to take it down.
