Birth Story - Part 3

So. The total time I spent waiting to get into the labor & delivery assessment area was about 45 minutes. I arrived at the hospital around 11:30am and was being wheeled back to be checked around 12:15pm.

Once I got back there things moved quickly. I was greeted by nurse Tracie. I handed her my cup of amniotic fluid and she handed me a cup to go and give her a urine sample. She put a hospital gown on my bed and told me to change into it once I got back from the bathroom.
Allen took a seat in a chair by the bed.
When I got back to my little triage room, I saw that my OB- Dr.W was there ahead of me.
He asked me where Carly and Ben were? (remember, he's been with Carly through all of her losses, he knew what a BIG deal this was.) I shrugged. The last time I had talked to her was right after my water broke at 10:30am. It was now almost 12:30pm, and Carly lives about 15 minutes from the hospital.
He did a check to confirm that my water had indeed ruptured. (Baby A-the boy)
They did this by peeking under my sheet and gown, and having me "Cough hard," so Dr.W and my nurse could watch and see if amniotic fluid would come out. Lovely. Of course it did. Then he did an internal.
He could tell by the internal check that baby boy was still breech. So he verified with me that we were headed to a c-section. Dr.W and my nurse discussed the fact that he (Dr.W) had a 1pm scheduled c-section for the lady in the next curtained off room. Dr.W said "She's going first" meaning me. I could tell that he wanted Carly and Ben's babies here safe as sound, as much as we did. Dr.W asked me if I wanted him to go call Carly and Ben. I said yes. He left.
My nurse asked me a million health questions, and got my IV started.
Dr.W came back and said that he had reached them, and that they were on their way.
Allen left the room to go and wait by the elevators for Carly and Ben.
From here on out, my memory is hazy. Everything was happening at once. My room was filling up with people and it was all action, and movement and everyone talking.
The next thing I remember is that the nurse anesthetist came in and talked to me about having a spinal, and the c-section procedure. I remember signing papers. I told someone- the head anesthetist Dr. or the nurse anesthetist about our situation and the fact that I wanted, no, I needed, BOTH Carly and Ben to be in the OR and witness their babies being born. They said they'd see what they could do, but that hospital policy was only one person allowed.

Finally Allen, Carly and Ben came through the curtain, I believe that both Carly and Ben hugged me. Carly told me that as soon as they stepped off the elevator and saw Allen that she burst into tears, and that Ben grabbed Allen and gave him a big hug and kissed him soundly on the cheek.
Allen said "now I know what whisker burn feels like." I laughed.
I heard Ben telling someone- Allen? me? that they took so long because Carly had to take a shower and get ready before leaving for the hospital. I still can't believe it took them almost 2 hours from the first phone call until they arrived. They almost missed the birth. Crazy.
Then, one of the nurses entered and handed Carly and Ben white jumpsuits to get into. We realized that they were both being allowed into the delivery room. They suited up. I started to tear up.
Another nurse put on my ID bracelets, one for me, one matching me to the babies.
Then, she had a second set, and she looked befuddled as to who she should give them to.
"We usually give them to the husband..." She trailed off.
I asked what the exact purpose of the second set of bracelets was. She said it is to allow access to the babies.
I asked her to please put them on Carly. And since the babies would probably be in the NICU, I knew that Carly was allowed to bring 2 people with her to see the babies at any time. That way Ben could just get in with her. Perfect.
Another nurse brought me a small cup of medicine. I think it was anti-nausea medicine. She told me to "down it like a shot." It was pretty nasty. Off to the OR I went.

The c-section went perfectly, I've never had one with my children so I was worried. But it was pretty darn good.
Carly and Ben sat by my head. They were told that they had to stay seated, but that when each baby was brought out, they could stand when told, if they wanted.
I told the anesthetist that I wanted to see too! He offered me a mirror. I said "Yes!"
After about 10 minutes,(I think) I heard, "It's a Boy!" and the anesthetist grabbed a big flat mirror and held it above my head, tilting it on an angle over the curtain. I could see my OB arms and gloves, and in them was a nice sized, but small wriggly red/pink baby and they were suctioning out his nose and mouth. He started to cry. I started to cry. I heard someone call out "1:30pm!" as the time of birth. Carly and Ben had stood up to see, and after a minute they were told "Ok, sit down."
They did, and Carly bent in half at the waist, leaning forward toward me, crying. I was already crying and I remember the male nurse anesthetist grabbing something gauzy and wiping my eyes. (my arms were tied loosely out to the side for the operation)
I heard someone call out "Baby boy is 4lbs 2oz!"
Then a minute or so later a nurse came around the corner and handed baby boy to Carly.
She held him for a minute and handed him to Ben. I remember her saying that she felt so excited that she might pass out. (not really) I told her she better not, that she'd miss the birth of her daughter, as they were about to pull her out.
"Here's baby girl!, she looks great too!" I heard.
"Ok, stand up!" someone said again. And Carly and Ben stood, and my mirror got held up, and I saw baby girl being suctioned out, and she was crying and I remember thinking that she looked a little bigger than the boy, and just as beautiful, red, and wriggly.
"1:32!" was called out as her time of birth.
Carly and Ben sat down, and I remember turning my head and looking back toward Ben, and his eyes were all shiny, and he was looking down at his son in his arms.
"4 lbs 12 oz!" they called out for baby girls weight. "Good job!" I heard them telling me from the other side of the curtain.
I remember saying out loud "This is even better than I thought it would be." And I was laying there crying my ass off.
Then a nurse brought baby girl and handed her to Carly. It was so incredible to see each of them sitting there with a baby in their arms.
We were talking about how much the babies looked like Carly, with their dark curly hair and her ethnic nose, when someone joked from behind the surgery curtain to Ben, " You sure that they're yours?"
Ben came right back with "I KNOW they're mine, I signed the cup!" and everyone in the room burst out laughing. It was great.
The babies needed to be checked out in the NICU- standard procedure for 34 weekers, and they still needed to finish my c-section and close me up. I told Carly and Ben to go with the babies, I was in good hands, they didn't need to stay with me. So off they went.
My male anesthetist was the best. Not only did he talk me through the whole c-section from the start, he offered me the mirror, he snapped a couple of photos for us, he wiped my eyes when I cried, he grabbed warm blankets to put on my upper body while they were closing me up before I even had to ask. I joked with him as they finished up with my guts on the other side of the curtain " You're pretty good at this. I bet you've done it once or twice before" and he said, "Well I DID stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!"
Holy shit, I loved that guy.
My nurses on the post partum floor were awesome and I went home 72 hours later. The boy went home with Mom and Dad 5 days after birth, and the girl went home 2 days after that.
Pretty great for 34 weekers.
I feel really good, no postpartum blues or anything. It feels so good to have the weight of the babies out, the heartburn is gone, I'm sleeping through the night, I can walk again , etc.
I've lost all of the pregnancy weight.
When I look at the babies, I don't feel any sense of connection or loss. As I shouldn't, but I guess you never really know.
I feel like I should. Like I'm looking at Carly and Ben's babies. That were brought into this world with help from me. It's really neat.