Meet Ethan and James!

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James' and Ethan's Birth Story
Posted Monday, April 06, 2009 4:32 PM

"The most painful thing was the epidural. They kept hitting a nerve and tried three times before getting it in..."

The boys decide to come early

I went to my doctor the morning of March 2 for my last appointment, ultrasound, and NST before a scheduled c-section on March 5. After the ultrasound they took me to the exam room and a nurse took my blood pressure, and it was the first time it was above normal. (It was 150/100!) They called the On-Call physician and he said, "The cure for pre-eclampsia is having the babies, so let's take them today." I went into the hospital and all my family was there. Matt, my husband, got there from work after going home to grab the bags and the camera. Things moved along so quickly. I would say the most painful thing I had to deal with was the epidural. They couldn't get it in straight, so they kept hitting a nerve and it was just so painful. They told me if I felt it, to tell them right or left; and I just kept yelling, "Right, right!" They would put it in, then take it out to start over. They tried three times before getting it in. Every time they would hit that nerve, my leg would kick forward. I had no control over it. After the boys arrived, I was telling my family about it and they asked how long it took. Matt and I answered at the same time. I said 30 minutes. He said five. I was like, "Are you serious? It felt like an eternity."
Going in for the c-section I got my catheter, and they wheeled me back to the O.R. People told me, I won't feel pain, but I'd feel pressure. To be honest, I felt nothing at all. The epidural worked wonders, so I just felt awesome, except I was a teensy bit short of breath, so I was put on oxygen (which is pretty much standard). When the boys came out, they were not crying, but I'd hear them cough a little, and everyone told me they were good. I got to see them be moved into a little bassinet right away to get clean. I just wanted to touch them so badly. I kept knocking the oxygen out of my nose from keeping my neck turned to try to look at the little guys as much as possible. When they both were out, Matt was over by their beds and said they were both perfect and I just started bawling. I don't think I've ever been so elated and filled with love and joy in my whole life.
Ethan Samuel was born first at 2:56 p.m. and he was 20 and a quarter inches long, weighing in at 6lb. and 8 oz. James Ray Thomas came a minute later at 2:57 p.m., being 18 and a half inches long, and weighing in at 6lb. 3 oz. Later in recovery, I found out their first Apgar scores were 4s and it scared me so much, but they said that the second score for Ethan was an 8, and for James, it was a perfect 10. They are my tough little men.

After delivery

In recovery, I tried to nurse both boys, but man was it hard to do as a half-numb lady. Holding them and a boob was so difficult. Ethan ate, but James was just too tired. After going to my room, it flip-flopped and James was definitely my big eater. I was told that in the nursery, Ethan peed on a nurse that my family thought was being a little rough with him. I thought that was too cute. I was very lucky to resume a normal diet right after birth. The nurses were not nuts about the idea, but I told my doctor who performed the surgery that I was dying for a Burger King Chicken Sandwich with American cheese, fries, and a giant root beer float. He said, "Well I guess since you are starving, we can skip the liquid diet." The nurses were sure I'd be constipated. I wasn't, and I got my good food! While in the hospital, I saw the lactation specialist to go over what my wishes were for feeding. Since coming home, I went from exclusively wanting to breastfeed, to exclusively pumping. I felt defeated at first, but sitting with my husband and us both bottle feeding our boys is just as special if not more than fighting with my children to get the latch onto the breast. So many times, we'd all end up crying. Pumping was the way to go for us, to get the boys back to a healthy weight (they each dropped almost a pound after birth) and it was important for my sanity.

Getting used to mommyhood

I just can't describe the kind of happiness I feel right as a mommy. Sometimes, I think the hormones will get the best of me. I love holding my babies and kissing them, but if I look at the first picture we ever took of them, I burst into tears. It gets more controllable, but just thinking about my babies and how much I love them can make me cry every time. My husband and I are two different people now. The instant the boys came into the world, we stopped being just Matt and Mandy. We get pooped on, peed on, spit up on, and it doesn't matter. We are Mommy and Daddy, through and through. We're in love with these little bundles of joy. They are just gorgeous.
So, as it goes, my boys share a birthday with Dr. Seuss (March 2) and they were delivered by an OB surgeon named Dr. Super. It was a magical day; truly magical.