WOW...even more surprises!

First, it has been one very long week! I can't believe how little time is left over in the day after all is said & done. Let me give you a taste of what the week has been like & a rundown of postpartum recovery...

Monday ~ The babies were born @ 7:20pm. By the time I got out of recovery & in to my room, it was about 10:30pm. The parentals had to come see me which was fine. I was all doped up on demoral anyway!

Tuesday ~ Boy, someone failed to mention that getting out of the bed 12 hours after a c-section is HELL! I wanted so badly to go see my kiddos that I dealt w/ the pain. Thank God that there is a button on the demoral b/c I pushed it. The only problem w/ that is about 30 minutes later, I barely ceased to function, let alone stay conscious. I fought the sleepiness though. That whole day was about getting to the NICU. I went down 3 times. The last 2 were to feed the babies which was an amazing experience! It was totally worth any pain I had to endure. I also had the lactation consultant come in & show me how to pump. Let the fun begin! I pumped all of 12 mL in 2 pumps. Of course, I had Todd running down to the NICU to give that little bit to the babies. Unfortunately, that night I didn't sleep very well b/c I was having the mad crazy dreams & I could tell I was barely sleeping. I was stuck in Pergatory most of the night...you know, that place where you know you are asleep but still conscious enough to know what is going on around you. Yeah...that wonderfully unrestful place!

Wednesday ~ Ah, the pain was a bit more tolerable although it still hurt like hell to go from standing up to laying/sitting down or vice-versa. Not having stomach muscles to help sucked. To top that off, the back pain set it. I guess not having any core muslces to help w/ the upright position leaves the back muscles to do all the work AND when those back muscles haven't been used much in the past 4 1/2 months, well...it is a bit rough. I was able to walk to the NICU the 4 times we went down there. We also fed our angels. Did I mention how sweet it is? Oh, Ian decided he wanted to get lazy about feeding. They had to put a tube in his nose that went all the way to his tummy in order to feed him. That happened sometime in the middle of the night b/c we fed him via bottle at 8pm. The girls did wonderfully eating, especially Sofi.

Thursday ~ I was praying to God at this point that I would be released b/c I couldn't sleep but 5 hours the night before. The hospital sucks! I hate the hospital. The only good thing about it is that my babies are just down the hall from me & easy to get to. By this point, I was exhausted though & in a fowl mood b/c I couldn't get any rest. Mind you, I am not a nap person. Not only that but w/ all the pumping & visiting the NICU, I didn't have time to nap. Unfortunately, Dr. Adam did not show up until about 7:30pm that evening. By this time, I was almost contemplating staying but I knew Todd had to go to the work the next day which meant I would be alone in the hospital over night & I hate that. This is where the BIG SURPRISE comes in. Dr. A went on to ask us if A & B were the girls & I said yes & she asked again & again I said yes. She told us the pathology report on the placentas came back and...

THE GIRLS ARE IDENTICAL!

Um, yeah, we were just as surprised b/c they don't look anything alike BUT they shared a placenta. The membrane between the sacs was very thick which is why she could not distinguish via ultrasounds that they were identical. Honestly, I am glad we didn't know. I wouldn't want the added stress of worrying about TTTS. Well, we got on the phone all over again & were calling the grandparents to let them know. Then it was off to see & feed the babies one last time before leaving. Finally, we got home at about 10:30pm. We were both exhausted! I also slept the best I have slept in about 9 months. It was so good to be at home, not pregnant, sleeping right next to my hubby!

Friday ~ I got up & slowly made my way around the house. My parents came over at about 10am. They did some stuff around the house for us. I got to take my first REAL shower in about 5 months. I wasn't out of breath. I wasn't uncomfortable. I was enjoying every second of it! I didn't even need help getting in our out of the shower. At about 1:15pm we headed off to the hospital to visit the babies. To my surprise, Todd was already there. We had a wonderful visit. Of course, we made the big mistake of leaving at 5:45pm on a Friday to come home. I have never had a more miserable experience. I cried the whole way home b/c my back was killing me & I couldn't get comfortable in the car. Not to mention that it was raining & the traffic was horrible! Whose wise idea was this? MINE...stupid me. We should have stayed longer at the hospital. It took us 1 hr & 40 minutes to get home. I was overly exhausted by this point & ready to kill myself. Todd put his foot down & told me I would not wake up in the middle of the night to pump. I listened & slept 10 hours straight.

Saturday ~ It was nice to wake up not feeling like a mac truck hit me. The pain had started to subside although it was still there. Todd & I actually ate breakfast together in the kitchen which was wonderful. He told me he was so glad that he had his wife back. I have to agree! Bedrest is for the birds! We left home @ 10:00am to go to the hospital. We stayed for 4 hours & then went to his parents. During the visit, Todd had some skin to skin time w/ Sofia. She loved it! You can tell by how content she looks sleeping on Daddy. She even held his finger.




Bill was able to score me a free massage from his massage therapist, Diane, which really helped. THANK YOU DIANE!!!!!!! After that, we hung out a bit. I tried to drink a glass of red wine but didn't even get through a third of it. I think I am better off w/o it right now although a nice, frozen margarita sounds great! Alcohol & I have been strangers for 10 months. After that, it was time to come home. I was completely exhausted!

Sunday ~ Last night was the 1st time I woke up to pump. It didn't go too badly actually. I woke up about 4 hrs into sleeping. I didn't wake back up until the morning. I figure I am pumping 7 times a day & they recommend 7-8 times. I need my sleep right now. I know I'm not going to have it for long. Today went much like yesterday but I brought Todd breakfast instead of having it in the kitchen. I also got to put the dishes up for the 1st time in many months. I know, it sounds weird BUT I felt normal again. We left at 10am to vist our babies. They are all doing very well. Ian is still tube feeding but it is helping him gain weight. He lost so much the 1st few days that he is having to play catch up. He is at 3lb 15.5oz. The girls are doing beautifully & we are expecting to take them home either the 14th or 15th which is in a week. They eat very well, especially when it is mommy's milk rather than the formula. All are up to 45 mL which is about 1 1/2 oz of milk. Have I mentioned how darn cute they are? Maybe I am a bit bias...ok, I whole lot bias but they are really some very adorable babies! Here are some pics of our precious babies!





Ok, I think that about covers everything! WHEW! Sorry for the long read. Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers & well wishes. They seem to have worked b/c our babies are doing so well. Love to you all!