Birthday

As I sit here holding a sleeping Ellen, I still can't believe these babies are here. It's been 9 days since their birth and it feels like they've been here much longer.

Their birthday was surreal. As I've mentioned before, there were growth concerns so we were scheduled to deliver earlier. I was 37 and a half weeks, which is full term, so everyone was confident that they would be all right. But there was always a chance they would have to go to the NICU. The main concerns were their weight, breathing issues and their blood sugar being too low.

We arrived at the hospital at 5:45am, Friday, March 18th. After checking in, we were taken to our prep room in Labor and Delivery. I was hooked up to the monitors and IV and the nurse  took my medical history. John changed into his surgery outfit. The doctor and surgical team arrived and it all started to get a little crazy because they wanted to keep the schedule on time. Things had been quiet and calm which was nice. I didn't have a c-section with Keller so I was pretty nervous and didn't know what to expect.

I was taken into the OR and given the spinal. They laid me down and started strapping me in. I was basically in a 'T' with my arms outstretched. I do not like not being able to move and started having a panic attack. I was overwhelmed with anxiety about the surgery, I was overwhelmed that the babies were coming and I started getting a little freaked out. John wasn't allowed in the room yet and I thought I was going to lose it. My doctor is so awesome. He took my hand and comforted me, telling me everything would be fine and there was no reason to be nervous. We have been through the hard part already. I will miss seeing him every week!

John came in and it was go time. I can't believe how fast it all happened. Within minutes, the babies were arriving. Ellen Joanna was born at 8:34am. The Neonatalogists took her and examined her. She was 5 lbs, 4 oz and perfect. She was squeaking and had no signs of any problems. It took her a while to open her eyes because her eyelashes are so long and were stuck on her cheeks! Then Brenna Jane was born at 8:36am. She was 5 lbs, 5 oz and also perfect. She too was squeaking and had no problems. Her eyelashes were also stuck but she was able to open her eyes up pretty quickly. John brought the babies to me and we cried. It was a mixture of relief, excitement and maybe a little worry, but it all felt good.

We were all rolled into recovery and it was all good. There were no problems at all. No NICU at all! They were perfect in every way.

Really, we could not have had a better morning. All the concern was short-lived and our sweet girls arrived without any problems. We couldn't have asked for a better delivery. And they are really good babies. They eat and sleep well, don't fuss too much and just fill our hearts! Keller is a proud big brother. While he's not always super excited about their presence, he's happy to have his baby sisters here and things start to return to normal. His Mama can play with him again and even though we have a new normal, things are pretty good for him. His sisters even got him some presents!  Overall, Keller is handling it very well.

We are so lucky and feel so grateful for our wonderful family!