To continue the story from last week...  After the recovery room I went to the ward.  The ward in hospital had 4 other people in it and has to be the noisest place on earth! You can hear everyone else and you are also closest to the nurses station so you can hear everything in outside aswell.  I'm not going to say much about my hospital experience as some of it was positive and some negative.  Some of the staff were outstanding however I found they were really busy so sometimes Roscoe was going 5 1/2 hours without a feed as I needed help to try and breast feed.  Percy just looked like he was never ever going to feed so I was expressing and syringe feeding whilst trying to get the boys to breastfeed.  In the first 3 days I counted I had 50 minutes sleep!  I just wanted to go home as Isabella was struggling with me being away, I wasn't getting any sleep and it is just so much more comfortable at home.  After 2 nights I came home.  If I had been in a side room I would have stayed longer to try and establish breastfeeding however I felt it was really crowded and I could get more help at home by having Roger there especially through the night.

It was nice to be home however then I was faced with a catelogue of disasters which I will write about in my next blog!  Needless to say in the end after all our disasters, I had to give up trying to breastfeed as I never seemed to have time to even express.  I would be just about to and some well meaning visitor would come round which meant that I would miss yet another feed so in the end with much regret I had to put the boys onto the bottle with formula as I was getting engorged and never having time to try them at the breast.

 

The Twins have arrived!!

Last week I had the twins everything went smoothly.  I got to the hospital at 7.45am as planned and was in the operating theatre at 8.45.  It is quite wierd walking into the operating theatre knowing what is about to happen. I had a drink which made me feel woozy and then they started doing my spinal block.  There were 15 people in the room but to be honest I couldn't really see many of them as I was laid down behind a big screen.  I didn't realise they had started and it was a good half and hour before the first baby was born, I felt a massive physical relief when he came out and we heard a little cry and then both Roger and I started to cry.  2 minutes later the next baby was born..  I had a lot of scar tissue to remove and make into 1 scar so the whole operation took 2 hours.  I held each baby in the operating theatre and then I was taken to recovery.  The first twin weighed 5lb and 14 and the second twin weighed 6lb 1 1/2.  Both are beautiful and I'm completely in love with them I will update the next part of the story in another blog!  Their names in no particular order are Percy and Roscoe they look very different to me although most people can't tell!  Here are some photos of when they had just been born...

 

Today I am 37 weeks pregnant, so I am so pleased to have got this far.  On Friday I had a scan and everything is o.k both babies are about 6lb now so I am not too worried.  I feel massive now and it is really hard to sleep.  I have to sleep on my side but the babies are stretching round the side now so even that is hard now as it feels like I am lying on them.  I think I am going to have to re check my hospital bag as it was so long ago now that I did it I can't remember what is in it.

This weekend is our last weekend the 3 of us, as my parents are coming down next weekend to begin looking after Isabella.  We just went for a walk on the beach and saw 3 seals which was lovely.  Then it started raining, so we nipped into the local Garden centre where they have a Santa's Grotto.  It occurred to me that a simple trip like that which is so much fun for your children suddenly gets really expensive with 3.  It goes from £5 to £15.  Then I started thinking about any day out and it gets quite scary!  Last night we went for an early dinner just the 3 of us which was lovely as I think it will be a long time before we get to do things like that again!

This Tuesday I go to Truro, to meet my anaethesist and do paperwork before my c section, then I have to go Penzance to see the consultant in the afternoon which seems a lot of running around to me for one day, luckily Roger has taken a day off to come with me and I have put Isabella into nursery for the day so it shouldn't be too bad. Then after those appointments that's it till I have them!

 

Last week, I thought Isabella might have appendicitis.  She ended up in hospital for 2 days and a night poor little thing.  I think children are so amazing even though they are ill and she had a drip attached to her, she was such a good girl.  The hospital were amazing all the staff were so good with her.  It isn't easy treating a 3 year old and they pitched how they treated her and spoke to her perfectly.  As a parent you get a little fold down bed next to your child's which is good so you can be with them all the time.  Isabella kept wanting me to get in to her bed and give her a cuddle which was quite difficult 8 months pregnant with twins...I had my bottom poking out of the bed so my bump was supported!!!  The good news in the end was that she got better and it wasn't appendicitis afterall, so all good.

This week I saw my midwife for the last time.  I am 35 weeks now, but next week  I have a scan, then the week after I have my booking in appointment the week before my c section and a consultants appointment (all on the same day in different hospitals!), and then I am having them the week after.

I went through the birth plan with my midwife.  To be honest there are not too many choices to make when it is a planned c section.  I can only have 1 person there but I would only want my husband to be with me anyway.  We have chosen that yes the boys will have the vitamin K injection, and that if I can hold them for a little bit straight after that would be great.  I would like skin to skin contact as soon as possible with them to encourage breast feeding.  In the event that one or both of the boys needs to go to special care then Roger is to stay with the babies.  He doesn't want to cut the umbilical cord, and I don't blame him I'm not sure I would want to.  That is it really, the only plan is to see how it goes and to be led by the babies to see what they are like as little people!

I've been ready for so long now that I think I am in denial that in 2 1/2 weeks I'll be having them!  The only other topial thing which has happened this week is that after much thought I had my swine flu jab.  I wasn't sure whether to as I don't like taking things when I am pregnant, but after talking to my friend who is a senior midwife I decided the last thing I needed so close to having the boys is swine flu so I risked it and had it!

 

It never rains when it pours!  Honestly...I realise now that I have actually been ill for about 3 weeks.  This weekend I kept getting palpitations and breathlessness which I know is normal but they were getting really frequent and didn't matter what I was doing they were there.  So eventually Roger made me call the midwife, and the next day I had to go for an e.c.g.  The babies are fine and so am I, I couldn't believe it as I lay there having all the tests I felt better and better and better by the time I got home I realised how ill I have been feeling for the last few weeks.  I was completely excited and better that now I have a cold!

Isabella also has a cold but all of last night she has been doubled up with stomach cramps on one side.  I took her to see the doctor this morning but like mother like daughter she made a miraculous recovery for the 15 minutes she was there.  As soon as we got her in the car she was in pain again.  So now I am waiting for them to call back as she just isn't any better.  All she's had in the last 20 hours is one bag of mini cookies which I thought was the start of her recovery but 10 minutes later she was doubled up again.  I feel really bad thinking I've been up all night, I am tierd pregnant with twins and I have a cold aswell, because obviously she comes first but it is really hard.  It also makes me scared of the logistics of having 3 young children!  Imagine they are ill at the same time and so am I, and Roger has to work?

Anyway I shouldn't be moaning I am sure Isabella will be fine eventually, it's a shame they can't just rule out appendicitis then we can just ride it out. 

I also tried to book in for my swine flu jab, but they haven't got it yet.  I wasn't going to have it but after I spoke to my friend who is a senior midwife I decided it would be a  good idea as it would be a nightmare to have a c section, swine flu and newborn twins!  Hopefully they'll have it by the end of the week.  I don't have any appoinments this week, but am seeing my midwife next week to dicuss my birth plan.

 

Go Real Nappy Blog, Lucy Clough, Week 7

I'm 33 weeks now so 5 weeks to go hooray! I'm still convinced I have a broken left rib as it is so painful. So I can't sleep on my back because the babies are too heavy and I can't sleep on my left side either so I am suffering from sleep deprivation already!!

I saw my consultant yesterday everything is fine and I finally managed to get a date for the birth. It is going to be on Tuesday 8th December first thing in the morning. That is of course if they don't come before then.

I just dropped Isabella off at nursery guess when they said the Christmas play is going to be, yes Tues 8th Dec, then luckily it appeared that she had got it wrong and it is going to be Weds 9th. I am really sad that I will miss it, Isabella is going to be an angel even though she informs me she wanted to be a King! However, she is really shy and I am sure a King is a speaking part so probably not a good idea for her. Roger can go and watch it with my parents who will be down to look after Isabella while I am in hospital. This weekend my parents are coming down to practice looking after Isabella. Hopefully we can get somethings organised like actually cleaning my house which is now officially a health hazzard! Roger has been brilliant cooking, cleaning and he is brilliant with Isabella...he plays with her so much better than I do. She keeps saying "Daddy I want to play with you because mummy doesn't play properly anymore because she doesn't bend down!" The little monkey, talk about making me feel useless! I know I am really lucky as he is so supportive and he is a brilliant dad. There you go in writing! When I started my blog Roger predicted that it would be like going to a playgroup where all the mum's slag off their husbands for being lazy and not helping with the kids!! So obviously I now have to prove him wrong!

Anyway I don't have any appointments next week even though I am supposed to be monitored everyweek now and my appoinment after that is to discuss my birth plan so I'll probably talk about that next week alongside another week of sleep deprivation!

Go Real Nappy Blog, Lucy Clough, Week 6

I am so so relieved! I haven't felt wriggles move for ages. I have been a lot more laid back about this pregnancy than I was with Isabella's. I am sure in that pregnancy I would have been straight to hospital to be monitored.

I saw the mid wife yesterday and she did find 2 heart beats-however I was a bit dubious as to whether she actually had or not because she said I could go and be monitored if I like which made me think she was unsure herself if you see what I mean?! Anyway I've just had a scan and they are both fine. They have swapped places wriggles is now breach and lazy is now presenting. However I still have an incredible pain in my left rib. What was a massive relief for both my husband and myself is that one weighs 4lb 6 and the other weighs 4lb 4 so at 32 weeks I thought that was really good. Also the sonographer said I have to be more assertive in my scans because everytime I have a scan they change which one is twin 1 and which one is twin 2 so it means all the measurements in my notes are confused as no one has any idea which one is which.

They have made an appointment for another scan in 4 weeks time when I will be 36 weeks but to be honest I am not sure I will make that as I am really struggling now. I am having massive hot flushes where I think I am going to faint or be sick and I just feel really exhausted all the time. I feel guilty because I feel like I am not being a very fun mum to poor Isabella as I can't bend down now and I'm so tired that I know I am not being Mrs enthusistic all the time.

Next week I have a consultants appointment I really want to try and get a date from them for my c section instead of just week beginning 6th Dec! We'll see!