Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Wait! We're not ready after all!

But we are!

I was going to begin this post on the 27th with a theme of waiting. Pregnancy really teaches patience. Whether it is waiting for the test strip to tell us the news, waiting for what seemed like hours for a few minutes with the doctor, waiting for 5 years for the news that LilliAnne is coming into the world and will be ours via adoption, to waiting through 9 years of infertility to find out we are expecting twins to then having to wait 35 weeks to finally meet them, pregancy is full of waiting.

BUT...
When it is time, there isn't any waiting involved at all. In fact, from the time I received a phone call from Laura Jane saying an ambulance was on its way to pick her up because of excessive bleeding, to the time Wesley took his first breath, exactly one hour passed. Granted, we had a quick birth because of the praevia, bleeding, and twins and the ensuing c-section. Many others get to wait hours or even days while labor runs its course.

But this post isn't about someone else's experience. It's about ours and thankfully so!

Here's a quick synopsis of the hour of craziness we experienced from 11:36 am to 12:36 pm, Monday June 27, 2011 (plus a few highlights from the ensuing hours).

11:36. I was on a conference call with a client on my cell phone because I was a little late getting back to the office. I noticed my phone blinking and that the caller ID said "Randall, Matt". Having a hunch that it wasn't just an "I'm bored here by myself at home, what are you doing?" phone call, I had my co-worker call her back. Boy am I glad I did that. Not more than a few seconds later, I was told I needed to take the call, traded phones and heard "I'm gushing blood. The ambulance is on its way." I hung up, sat there for a second, and then grabbed a few items from my desk while my co-workers essentially told me I was taking too long to leave. Unfortunately, my phone, and my list of contacts, was one thing I had to leave behind as my co-worker was still on the conference call.

11:48. I arrived at the childbirth center at the hospital. I checked-in with the front desk and found out they hadn't even received the call from the ambulance yet. They pulled her records, called our doctor, and started prepping the Operation Room. I had a few minutes to call Gaga Stacey who had LilliAnne (the only local phone number I could remember!) and let her know what was happening. Then I waited...got a drink of water...answered some questions from admission...waited...sat...waited some more...and then realized only a couple of minutes had passed. Then I called Laura Jane in the ambulance and waited a little longer.

12:02. The ambulance pulled up at about the same time as the doctor showed up. They whisked her into a prep room and assessed the situation. I was given the really fun full body gown, booties, and a what essentially amounted to a hair net - for my ever thinning and graying hair...and began getting warm and itching almost immediately. I think 4 people were trying to talk at once (the doc, a couple of nurses, and the anaesthesiologist). I just focused on answering questions, while trying to dress myself (at 35 one would think I could figure out how to pull a gown over my clothes) and realizing that the only camera we had was the ok one on Laura Jane's phone.

And yet, I felt totally at peace with what was going on. So did Laura Jane. I could tell she was just trying to process things and may have been a little scared until the doctor made it clear he was going to go get the babies.

12:10. Called Dad and let him know that the babies were coming (teared up a little with the sudden reality that all the waiting was going to be over VERY soon).

12:12. Watched the doc hush everyone and insist they all move to the OR. That was the last time I saw Laura Jane before they started to get the babies.

12:15. Sitting. Waiting. Watching. Doctors and nurses rushed in. A nurse got frustrated that one of the pediatricians wasn't answering his page.

12:20. Waiting. Lots more rushing. The doctor told everyone to shutup so they could run through the procedural list ("this is Laura Jane Randall. She has complete praevia. Has been bleeding since...etc.").

12:25. Finally allowed to go in and sit by my beutiful bride's head while the anaethesiologist ran her through the drugs she was getting and checked how they were working.

12:30. Laura Jane said she was having trouble breathing, was given something to help that, then nearly fell asleep.

12:36. From behind the curtain, "WAH! Wah! Wah!" "It's definitely a boy!" Through tears, I made sure Laura Jane was ok. She has since said she didn't hear Wesley, but was awake for Talitha.

12:37. An even louder and longer crying stint erupted as Talitha entered the world. So this is what it's like to listen to childbirth. I was sound asleep in a very uncomfortable chair in the waiting room on the day when LilliAnne joined us.

12:39. I finally ventured a look over the curtain, saw placenta, perhaps an organ or two, lots of red liquid, and immediately look up to check on the babies before sitting squarely back down on my seat. Boy, even watching cows, goats, and cats give birth didn't prepare me to see my wife cut open. I admit it. I'm a lightweight!

Shortly thereafter, as I went to snap a picture of the babies, they wheeled little Wesley and his greyish little body out the door to the NICU to help him clear his lungs and breath on his own. Then they stitched up Laura Jane and rolled her to the recovery room with Talitha.

I could write more about the emotions we've experienced since they were born, the many things they went through to get to where they are now (in warming incubators, breathing on their own, with IV's and feeding tubes, but otherwise doing well - just small), and even let Laura Jane tell her side of the story. But we'll just leave you with these photos, a couple of more words, and the promise to write more soon.

Wesley


Talitha

Welcome you two. You were worth the wait!


10 comments:

  1. AWWWWWWWW they are so precious!!!!

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  2. Matt, thank you for your story....I couldn't help but cry! What a miracle on so many levels. The Lee Kwai family is thrilled for you 5! Hugs to Laura Jane.

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  3. Congratulations! Love from Uncle John and Aunt Linda

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  4. So beautiful & perfect! (just like our Heavenly Father - Awesome Creator!)

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  5. we are awed and amazed at God's goodness to you, and at the beauty of these babies. bless you all, Randalls ... we miss you, but rejoice with you! with love from kim, jane, jan, suzanne & barry at BCS.

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  6. They are beautiful, a true blessing from the Lord. How I wish I could be there are give all of you a hug!

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  7. Wow...what amazing detail to the story of their births! Thank you for the descriptions since we are too far away for a visit!

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  8. How perfectly precious they both are! Congrats Randall family, can't wait to see some pics with big sis LilliAnne!

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  9. Sitting here with their Great Grandma williams reading your story. She said its her 3rd or 4th time reading it. So glad that everything worked out so well even with the slightly scary hiccups. welcome Wesley and Talitha, we are so glad you are here.

    John M

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