Kanon & Remington's Birth Story

Here I am, over a week late, posting about Kanon & Remington's birth story.  I definitely do not want to forget any detail!

Since I'd had my pessary removed the previous Wednesday (I'll do a post about that experience soon, can't not post about that...), I had really been taking it extra easy.  Once we got home Wednesday, I laid around and hardly did anything.  I was so scared my cervix would just instantly open and I'd be in labor.  I even kind of wished I'd had two doctor's appointments that week, just so Dr. H could check my cervix immediately after getting my pessary out.  But, I made it to Saturday and began thinking I was going to make my next doctor's appointment on Tuesday without any issues.  Well..that was wrong.  

Late Saturday afternoon, I began having an uneasy feeling.  It is hard to explain, but just this feeling that something wasn't quite right.  I tried to shake it because, to be honest, I can't even count the number of times this pregnancy that anxiety has made me feel like that.  

Around mid-afternoon, I started feeling like I couldn't control my bladder.  I literally went to the bathroom and stood up, walked to the sink, and thought I went to the bathroom all over myself.  It was awful!  I was getting so frustrated with myself and thought, I have weeks left, what am I going to do if I can't control my bladder?  

Later on in the afternoon, I started having pretty bad pains in my lower abdomen.  I thought maybe I had gas or needed to go to the bathroom, at first.  Our good friend and neighbor came over to the house to borrow something and as she was visiting, I was telling her I was really hurting and wasn't sure what was going on.  I told her that I was maybe having contractions but I wasn't sure, it could have just been gas.  As a little more time passed, I decided it was more than that.  I texted Dusty around 5:15 and told him I was hurting pretty bad and needed him to hurry home (he was grocery shopping).  I also called Mom and asked her to head on down to the house and that our friend would take her up to the hospital.  I apologized to her and told her I was really sorry if it happened to just be gas!  

Dusty and I headed to the hospital at 5:45.  The minute we walked into the ER, we saw the same nurse who had taken care of me when I went in at 30 weeks.  She looked at us and immediately waved us back to the doors to go into the bed area.  Once we got back to her, she said, it's time, isn't it?  By that point, I think it finally hit me that we were having babies that day.  I nodded yes and that was about all I could do.  I got dressed in a gown somehow.  I got back on the bed and she checked to see if my water had broken and the test strip instantly changed colors and she said something like, oh yes.  So, I wasn't going to the bathroom on myself, my water was leaking!  With Chandler & Paisley, when my water broke, it was a loud pop followed by a huge gush.  I know that for some women it can be a trickle, and that's definitely what mine was this time.  

I asked who was on call and it was Dr. S.  As much as I had hoped and prayed it would be Dr. H, I was glad it was another doctor that I really like.  They quickly rolled an ultrasound in and Dr. S came in and looked at the babies.  Just as they had been the entire pregnancy, Kanon was transverse and Remi was head down.  Dr. S pretty much instantly eliminated natural, which I expected as well, and honestly, by that point, the contractions were hurting so badly that I was glad I wasn't going to have to try to push through them.  I was in so much pain.  I have no idea how often I was having contractions but it had to have been every couple of minutes.  

Dusty and I walked through the ER doors very close to 6:00 and by 6:30, we were being wheeled to have a c-section.  They moved so fast!  In fact, I ran into the ER nurse yesterday and she apologized for rushing me so much when we got there and I was like, I was glad!!!  You have nothing to apologize for!  Ha!  

They quickly got me back to the operating room while Dust got changed into his gear.  The spinal block scared me to death.  Thankfully, there was an amazing nurse how let me hold onto her and kept me calm through it.  I'm not sure I would have made it if it wasn't for her!  Once the spinal block was in, they had me quickly lay down.  The next thing I know, the sheets going up and they are prepping my abdomen for surgery!  I remember feeling them wiping down my stomach, which felt so weird!  Soon, Dusty was back by my side, thank God!  It honestly seems like the next thing I know, Dr. S was asking, "Dad, have your camera ready?"  I asked, am I cut open?  They kinda chuckled, and said yes.  :)  

Then, the moment that Dusty and I have been waiting for forever happened, our babies were born!  Remington came out first with a very loud cry!  It was amazing.  She sounded so great.  Dusty and I both instantly started crying.  Remington was born at 7:04 and her brother followed, screaming the exact same little cry at 7:05.  It could not have been more incredible, laying there, listing to both of our babies, looking up at Dust and knowing our rainbows were here.  

Within just a few seconds of them being born, they brought both Remington and Kanon over to me and let me do skin-on-skin with them.  It was absolutely amazing...but at the same time, terrifying.  I began shaking uncontrollably from the anesthesia and they were so tiny.  I honestly thought I would drop them.  Plus, I was laying on the super narrow operating room table, which didn't make things any easier.  A nurse held Remington onto me and they had Dusty hold Kanon, which was great!  I was so thankful to get to experience that.  I had actually only learned the day before that if I had a c-section, I would still be able to do skin-on-skin (I had been messaging back and forth with my friend Kaci who was Paisley's NICU nurse and getting an update on potential NICU stay if born at 34/35 weeks and she told me about that).  I kept asking if they were ok because they were so tiny!  But they were absolutely perfect!

And here is my first picture with the babies.  I always pictures being in make-up and looking my best...ha!  An emergency c-section doesn't lend time to that!  But that's ok!  I'm with my babies and they are perfect and beautiful.