Waking up that morning I could tell that something was different. I couldn't put my finger on it but it just seemed that way. The nurses all came in as usual, the doctor came in to check on me and said everything looked ok. But standing up I noticed that it seemed like I was leaking all over again like when my water orignially broke. The nurses said that it was usual, sometimes the water around the baby would build up all over again in their head plugged the hole, she must have been moving around and that made me leak.
The doctors had ordered another ultrasound though, like they had said they would a few days before to check on the girls. When doing the ultrasound the tech had said that it looked like there was nearly no water around Charlie (baby C), which had worried me and then all the leaking had made sense. They had been moving around but they were not cooperating for the nurses when they were to do the monitoring. One would move around too much, the other was in a horrible position and seemed to be sleeping, and the other...who knows I can't rememeber now.
Well visitors thoughout the day and naps here and there was what I had managed to get done. My son's other grandmother had come to visit for a while later that night and was my last visitor of the evening. During the visit the nurses had said that they were due to do the girls monitoring and wanted to know if I wanted her to go, I didn't mind her being there, all modesty had been lost months and days ago when getting checked in! So while the nurses where trying as usual to monitor the girls they noticed that their heart rates were unusually high and didn't seem to be going down. They were having a hard time getting a long pattern due to them moving as well. I could tell there was some worry on their faces which made me a little anxious. At this point I had wished that I had told his grandmother to go. I think that she could see that I was worried and decided on her own to go home. About 40 minutes into the monitoring the nurses called the doctor and told him what was going on, they were ordered to do temp, BP and blood draws to check my white blood count. About an hour later when the nurse came in I knew it was bad news. My blood count was elevated and the doctor was going to take the girls out because there was an infection starting.
Nothing but panic had set in, all I could do was worry that the girls weren't ready to come out, they were too small. Not to mention the fact that when I had a C-section with Anthony it was a horrible experience and I nearly threw up thinking about everything I was about to go though again. I was terrified. Cisco was the calm during the storm, or at least that was the face and front that he had put on. He called everyone that needed to be called so that they knew what was going on. My mom came down with the kids so they could be there and wait.
I was wheeled into the OR and given a Spinal, which by the way is the worst pain ever, the nurses were the best, so nice, thoughtful, full of hope and happiness for us. I was a little freaked out when I saw how big the room was and all the things that were in there, there were a pretty good size team of nurses from the NICU getting things prepared at their isolettes and waving hello.
When the nurse laid me on the table and got me covered she had asked me what kind of music I liked I told her the Beatles, since that was the only thing I could get out at the time. The doctor came in and said that he was going to take good care of me and the girls and then began. I remember that Billy Joel was playing on the stereo and it was "She's always a woman to me". The doctor had said, "for the rest of your life you will remember this song." I think it was a little after that Cisco had come in.
The doctor and Cisco told me when my Baby A came out...11:55pm, Catherine. I could hear a little cry. Sounded like a kitten or a puppy. Next 11:56pm Baby B...Cecilia. The doctor said that he had a hard time getting to the next baby that she was wedged up so high. Baby C...11:58pm, Charlie. All my babies were out, I didn't get to see anyone. They were taken to the isolettes and started to be tended to. Cisco went with the NICU doctor and headed out with them when they were ready. He got to see the girls first, he got to get their weight and their measurements.
When I was all sewn back together I was taken to recovery which at some point I had fallen asleep, but when I woke up the morphine that they shot into my spine did a number on me. I'm glad that I was still numb when I threw up, cause other wise it would have really hurt. Cisco tried to tell me a bit about the girls, but to this day I don't remember much...too many drugs I'm guessing.
But the doctor was right, to this day when I hear that Billy Joel song I cry. I hug my girls and look at each of them. I think of how small they were when they were born and how much of a miracle they really were and are.
