Then around 9:30 am, a neonatologist walked in saying that my OB asked her to talk to us about delivering the babies early. She said the babies are one day shy of 35 weeks now, and they should pretty much done with their development, especially crucial organs, so it shouldn't be a big issue if I need to deliver them now. It's nice to know that.
I was watching the clock for my 24 hr urine collection to end. Boy~ I always teach the residents how to correctly collect a 24 hr urine sample, but when I really need to do one myself, it is pretty hard. I have to collect all the urine everytime I go! I sure hope it ends soon.
Finally it was approaching the end time (4:45 pm), and the nurse showed up right on time. She urged me to go for the last time, and sent off the specimen right away. I was wondering who would be doing my test in the lab. I was checking the results myself, and it was available within 30 minutes. Wow! They must have not been busy at all on this Saturday afternoon. A colleague told me the story later that the tech leader logged in the sample and put it on the instrument right away. Thanks to those good friends.
However, the results were pretty bad. The protein/creatinine ratio was still as high as a myeloma patient's urine, 4.2, and the total protein in the urine was almost 6 grams! A resident came in around 6:30 pm as we were discussing what's for dinner, and she officially informed me about the results, and she was trying to convince me to deliver NOW!
She told me that at 35 weeks, the babies' major organs are pretty much mature. Everyday after this until 40 weeks is just icing on the cake, the babies are simply gaining weight. She told me they would be concerned if the protein reached 500 mg, and mine was more than 5000 mg! They would have to label me as "severe preeclampsia". I really want to speak to my own OB right now to get her opinion as I trusted her. However, this is the President's Day weekend, and she went to Vermont! The resident told me she's going to make some phone calls, talk to the ATU doctors and see what they recommend. She told me not to eat or drink from this point on.
After she left, my husband and I talked about this. We never thought they would come like this! I always thought that I could make it to March. I was always worried about being home alone and in labor, or stuck in traffic and in labor, nothing like this. I didn't feel anything, no pain, no blurry vision, nothing. We were waiting for the resident to come back to see what she said.
She didn't come back, but the nurse walked in. She told me to get ready we are going to Labor and Delivery. What!? I felt like I had no choice at all, it was time! So we went to the Labor and Delivery unit around 8:30 pm and getting prepared. The nurse, anesthesiologist, and OB who were going to deliver my babies came to talk to me. The babies were again being monitored, and the nurse said it's a good thing the time they moved more than the time they were still. They told me there was someone before me, and I was the next one to go to the OR (operating room). I looked at the clock, it's 9:30 pm now. I hope I would deliver them today the 18th, I like the number. :-P The babies were kicking and moving so hard as if they know they were going to come out soon! They didn't usually kick or move around this time of the day. They usually move between 5 am-11 am and in the afternoon.
OK, the time has come, they pushed me into the OR to get ready. They gave me epideral, total 6 or 8 shots! It was OK at the beginning, and I thought it was only one shot. I was thinking, oh~ this is not bad. But the anesthesiologist kept counting, one more, one more, and now comes the real one! Wow! What were they going before?! The real one was really painful, so I screamed. I really appreciate the nurse who was holding my hands all the way through. She told me she was working 16 hours straight, and she's going home after this.
Finally they let me husband came into the OR. A blue blanket was lifted before me, and my husband was in position (to get the best shot of the babies). I felt someone was pushing my belly really hard, soon I heard the first baby cried, the presenting twin, Joshua! He came out bottom first and facing down. The OB attending turned him over and said, "Hi! There!" to Joshua, cut the cord then handed him to the NICU staff. Joshua cried for a while then fell asleep right away. He was born at 10:27 pm.
The OB doctors were working on the second baby. He was breeched too, and the doctors turned them internally, so he came out head first and facing up. Caleb was trying non-stop! I thought he was scared and cold. He couldn't stop crying even when they held him to see me. He was born at 10:28 pm, a minute later!
Both babies looked so pink, and they were good size! They told me they were going to weight them in the NICU and let me know. They were off to the NICU, and I stayed on the Labor and Delivery floor. They wanted to keep me there for 24 hours. It was so late at night, around 12:30 when we got to the room. Although tired, we were busy making phone calls, writing emails to announce the wonderful news!
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