...continued from the "Bed Rest" post.
Let me set the scene. It was August 25, 2013 around 6:30 PM. My water broke unexpectedly around 5 PM and I was only at 27 weeks of gestation with my triplets. I was currently in a labor and delivery room, hooked up to an IV, contractions monitor and heart rate monitors for the babies. I was continuing to have regular contractions, despite being on magnesium sulfate, which was administered in an attempt to subside preterm labor contractions. It had worked in the past but did not seem to be working this time. My contractions over the last 5 weeks were not painful but these contractions definitely felt different. As more time passed, the contractions were getting more and more painful. The L&D nurses would ask me about my pain level and ask me to quantify it by saying if it was a 1 - 10. Ummm, I have probably never been at a 10, so how would I possibly know what the maximum number on the pain scale would feel like? I was so lost as to how to answer this question. All I knew that was it hurt. They told me to let them know when I felt like I needed pain meds and it eventually got to that point. When I told them I was ready for the pain medicine, they said they would get the on-call OB to come and check me. A few minutes later, Dr. Twedt, the on-call OB, came in to the room and proceeded to check to see if I was dialated. She announced that she could not even feel my cerclage and I was 4 cm. She said, "we're going to have babies." My response: "Like, tonight?!?!?" She nodded and said that we would be going over to the operating room soon. The nurses unhooked me from the monitors, gave me a surgical cap for my hair and got me ready to move. They gave Thomas scrubs and showed him where to go. He was not allowed to come into the OR until after my spinal anesthesia was administered. Before we left the room, I found out that Dr. Beck, my primary OB, was going to come in and help with the delivery since triplet deliveries can be difficult and complicated. I was SO relieved that she would be there since I had planned from the beginning that she would deliver my babies. Plus, she has a way of calming me down and reassuring me about everything. Then they wheeled my bed down the hall and into the OR.
The next part of this story is a little hazy because I was in a state of shock. I just did not want to accept that our boys were going to be born at that time, at only 27 weeks. I was terrified of what would happen to them and whether they would be OK. I did not have a good feel for how small they would be, although I knew they would be tiny. I didn't know if they would be able to breathe and how underdeveloped their little bodies would be. I just kept thinking about them and it was scaring me to death.
Let me set the scene. It was August 25, 2013 around 6:30 PM. My water broke unexpectedly around 5 PM and I was only at 27 weeks of gestation with my triplets. I was currently in a labor and delivery room, hooked up to an IV, contractions monitor and heart rate monitors for the babies. I was continuing to have regular contractions, despite being on magnesium sulfate, which was administered in an attempt to subside preterm labor contractions. It had worked in the past but did not seem to be working this time. My contractions over the last 5 weeks were not painful but these contractions definitely felt different. As more time passed, the contractions were getting more and more painful. The L&D nurses would ask me about my pain level and ask me to quantify it by saying if it was a 1 - 10. Ummm, I have probably never been at a 10, so how would I possibly know what the maximum number on the pain scale would feel like? I was so lost as to how to answer this question. All I knew that was it hurt. They told me to let them know when I felt like I needed pain meds and it eventually got to that point. When I told them I was ready for the pain medicine, they said they would get the on-call OB to come and check me. A few minutes later, Dr. Twedt, the on-call OB, came in to the room and proceeded to check to see if I was dialated. She announced that she could not even feel my cerclage and I was 4 cm. She said, "we're going to have babies." My response: "Like, tonight?!?!?" She nodded and said that we would be going over to the operating room soon. The nurses unhooked me from the monitors, gave me a surgical cap for my hair and got me ready to move. They gave Thomas scrubs and showed him where to go. He was not allowed to come into the OR until after my spinal anesthesia was administered. Before we left the room, I found out that Dr. Beck, my primary OB, was going to come in and help with the delivery since triplet deliveries can be difficult and complicated. I was SO relieved that she would be there since I had planned from the beginning that she would deliver my babies. Plus, she has a way of calming me down and reassuring me about everything. Then they wheeled my bed down the hall and into the OR.
The next part of this story is a little hazy because I was in a state of shock. I just did not want to accept that our boys were going to be born at that time, at only 27 weeks. I was terrified of what would happen to them and whether they would be OK. I did not have a good feel for how small they would be, although I knew they would be tiny. I didn't know if they would be able to breathe and how underdeveloped their little bodies would be. I just kept thinking about them and it was scaring me to death.
The OR is a busy place right before a delivery. The doctors and nurses were moving around and talking to each other and checking everything. I was so nervous that my heart was racing, my blood pressure was extremely elevated and I was shaking like a leaf. My delivery nurse Pam was really sweet and was trying to help me relax and calm down. After I got my anesthesia, they let Thomas come into the room. I really, really needed him there. He was in scrubs and looked so handsome. I could really only see his eyes and they were just beautiful. I'm pretty sure I told him that in the midst of the surgery. :) Thomas sat right next to me, right near my face where I could see him. It was such a surreal time. He kept telling me he loved me and how proud he was of me. I don't think I spoke very much at all, except for a few words. Our connection during that time was so solid and it was such an emotional time for both of us. I could not see anything that the doctors were doing during my C-section due to the sheet that they put up over my stomach. The surgery itself went well. Luckily my anesthesia worked but I could feel pressure and movement during the surgery. I could feel each baby being taken out. It was a really strange feeling, like a weight being removed from my core, which I guess is what it actually was. Although I was extremely worried about my babies' health and wellbeing, I felt a sense of relief when they were delivered. I realized that I felt so much pressure to carry these babies for as long as possible and now my job of being pregnant with triplets was done. It's very hard on your body to carry more than one baby and to know that I wasn't solely responsible for keeping them alive and well anymore in the midst of bed rest and ongoing scares/issues was surprisingly comforting. I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders in those moments. I knew that although I wasn't pregnant anymore, my challenges and fears would shift into a different direction than the previous months.
The whole process, from the time my water broke until my baby boys were delivered, lasted all of about 3 hours. At 8:04 PM, Stokes Taylor and Ryan Thomas were born. At 8:05 PM, William Robert was born. Stokes was immediately taken to a different room where his bed was waiting. Ryan and William and their NICU teams were in the OR with Thomas and me. Each baby did his best to cry and they let out a few little screams/cries. They were really only in the room for a few minutes before they were whisked away to the NICU. The nurses brought them over for me to see for a second before taking them out of the room, but it was too quick for me to get a good look at each sweet, tiny face. Those NICU teams work really quickly to get the babies taken care of and then to the NICU for further medical care. My doctors sewed me up and finished the C-section and then I got wheeled to a recovery room. There in the recovery room my entire upper body was shaking uncontrollably. Apparently that is normal post C-section, but it made me feel awful and weird. It wasn't long until I got a report on the babies. Dr. Beck and Thomas went to the NICU to see the boys and then came back to tell me everything. They told me that the boys looked good and were doing well. I cannot even explain how relieved I felt. They told me that they all had a head full of dark hair, which surprised me. Dr. Beck said she thought Baby A and B looked very similar. By the way, I should mention that we hadn't decided which baby would get which name. We had picked out names but wanted to see the babies first before deciding who was who, so they were still A, B and C at the time! It felt good to hear specific details about the boys. I did not get a chance to go to the NICU the night they were born. After I was done in the recovery room, they wheeled me back to my old room in the high risk section of the floor, back to my comfort zone and the room where I had lived for the last 5 weeks. At that point, I began recovering from the surgery and was able to go to the NICU to get a good look at the boys the next day. Thus began our journey of being the Peery Family of 5.
The whole process, from the time my water broke until my baby boys were delivered, lasted all of about 3 hours. At 8:04 PM, Stokes Taylor and Ryan Thomas were born. At 8:05 PM, William Robert was born. Stokes was immediately taken to a different room where his bed was waiting. Ryan and William and their NICU teams were in the OR with Thomas and me. Each baby did his best to cry and they let out a few little screams/cries. They were really only in the room for a few minutes before they were whisked away to the NICU. The nurses brought them over for me to see for a second before taking them out of the room, but it was too quick for me to get a good look at each sweet, tiny face. Those NICU teams work really quickly to get the babies taken care of and then to the NICU for further medical care. My doctors sewed me up and finished the C-section and then I got wheeled to a recovery room. There in the recovery room my entire upper body was shaking uncontrollably. Apparently that is normal post C-section, but it made me feel awful and weird. It wasn't long until I got a report on the babies. Dr. Beck and Thomas went to the NICU to see the boys and then came back to tell me everything. They told me that the boys looked good and were doing well. I cannot even explain how relieved I felt. They told me that they all had a head full of dark hair, which surprised me. Dr. Beck said she thought Baby A and B looked very similar. By the way, I should mention that we hadn't decided which baby would get which name. We had picked out names but wanted to see the babies first before deciding who was who, so they were still A, B and C at the time! It felt good to hear specific details about the boys. I did not get a chance to go to the NICU the night they were born. After I was done in the recovery room, they wheeled me back to my old room in the high risk section of the floor, back to my comfort zone and the room where I had lived for the last 5 weeks. At that point, I began recovering from the surgery and was able to go to the NICU to get a good look at the boys the next day. Thus began our journey of being the Peery Family of 5.
I don't even remember this picture being taken, but it must have been the night the babies were born since Thomas is wearing his scrubs.
L&D nurse, Janelle here, Katherine! I heard about your blog and this is the first chance I've gotten to check it out! It is awesome!! And how awesome that those cutie boys are each doing so well. :) In the picture you posted here you are in the recovery room, so you're right, it was the night you delivered! The blue scrubs do give it away, but not as much as the look on Daddy's face!!
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