Boheme et Reverie, 10 days
2. It also occurred to me today that I have another blog, on which I had yet to announce the birth of the babes, so here is that (with a couple of videos because I can't help myself.)
3. We still don't know when the girls are coming home. I was hoping this weekend but the doctors have been incredibly cryptic. (Both babes occasionally choke during feedings... nothing severe but the doctors want to be absolutely 100% certain there are zero issues before discharging the girls. 48 hours after "no reported incidents" they will come home.)
Boheme
Reverie
...I'm trying to focus on the positive and even vapid aspects of postpartum life, like, for instance, losing thirty-five pounds in one week! And the fact that my incision was so expertly done it took me until today to realize where it actually was! (Side note: C-sections are the fucking WORST. Why mamas choose to have them over vaginal deliveries blows my mind.) More on that in the birth story which I swear is coming soon... preferably when I get the babies home so the story can end here, in our house, where it all began.
4. In the meantime... the only thing sexier than a man holding a new baby...?
...A man holding TWO new babies.
(Picture taken a few days ago, hence Rev's NG tube.)
xo,
GGC
58 comments:
How precious. Rev looks just like daddy (to me) (and yup, that's a pretty damn sexy photo, especially his gaze). I am warm now.
And I agree; C-section by decision? The hell.
They are so precious, Rebecca. Keeping your family in my thoughts, and can't wait to read your story!
They are soooo darling. My son "choked" while feeding occasionally until he was three months old (gasping, wheezing, etc.) - I don't know, I never found it particularly alarming. I am surprised that they would need to stay in the NICU because of something like that...
Also: I had a c-section with my first after many many many hours of labor, but with my second I had a successful VBAC. The VBAC was AWESOME, and I can never understand why women refuse to try and instead opt for a scheduled C. PAIN.
the second video on babble is not working
Sweet, Sweet, Perfection. Hoping the next post is you bringing them home.
My 11 week old chokes with feeds too. Her pediatrician said that she has a really strong suck hence making her a good breast feeder. When we would bottle feed she would choke all the time. Less with the boob.
So true! I kind if get butterflies when I see my husband holding our babe. Also so true, c sections are hateful awful things! I'm 4 weeks out from my emergency c and I'm actually feeling pretty good. However, the initial couple weeks I felt like the incision was ripping open any time I moved. Lovely. It does get better :) I totally agree with you, why the fuck would any sane women opt for a c?
I can totally sympathize with the NICU waiting game- my little one was 6 weeks early and we stayed for 2 weeks- due to "choking issues while feeding"- we figured out that the only time she choked was when getting the bottle of my milk at the 1 feeding I was gone for per day- so I ended up getting up in the middle of the night and walking over to NICU to feed her just to get her home quicker (we luckily had a special room during her stay)- I think the idea is that with bottles the milk flows out waaaay faster than if they are nursing (which requires a lot more effort on their part) obviously with twins b-feeding both, especially while still in the NICU would be near impossible- but maybe see if they have any super-low flow bottle nipples. Hope that helps- and is not too wordy:)
They are so very precious BTW!!
In my very limited experience, leaving the NICU is uniquely frustrating. So much uncertaintly/milestones/benchmarks and guessing at outcomes and then - with very little notice - suddenly you're strapping a tiny thing into a huge bucket seat and heading home. So that day will come, and like a birth, you won't REALLY be prepared for it but it will be amazing.
I remember our two week stint in NICU...it was only 2 weeks but it was incredibly hard to leave him there every night. I hope your babies come home VERY soon!! And I'm sure they will, they are rocking the hell out of NICUniversity ;)
they are so lovely and sweet. congratulations again :)
Beautiful x2.
Rev I think looks like you and Archer. Bo looks like Fable and Hal. :)
Praying they come home soon and you little family of 6 are all together.
Can't wait for the birth story and the name story.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful family with all of us.
Awww they look amazing. I loved watching my hubby hold the minis (that's what I call the twins). No events is a good thing and often it can be reflux related or they may just be forgetting a little bit how to suck breathe and swallow at the same time and who doesn't do that from time to time.
Get ready, it is quite possible they will call you the morning of discharge day and say, ok, you can take 1 of both home, be here at 6 to pick them up. And the games begin! As for the C-section, wouldn't know and thanks to my epidural the 2lbs weren't so bad to get out...although perhaps that's the enzyme that makes you forget labor talking.
Glad to see you are well hanging in there.
Holy cow, they are just perfect. And I can't believe how much they both already embody their names! Just so very wonderful.
I know things must be incredibly rough right now, but just remember that you'll be with the girls for an incredibly long time - the next 18 years with you, the next 60+ in your lives! In the grand scheme of things and your futures, these two weeks are next to nothing. :) I know they'll be home with you all really soon!
They're gorgeous. So sweet - and I love the pictures of the two of them together!
Just echoing the others re: feeding/choking. Are they feeding at the breast at all or doing all feeds via bottles? If you're planning to breast feed, remember that babies often tolerate breastfeeding better than bottle feeding due to their ability to control the flow. I'm assuming you've been working with a lactation consultant in the NICU, but if not, please consider it. (And feel free to contact me directly if you want support or more resources.)
oh my those are two gorgeous babies!
Preemie feeding issue stink. My little twins were in the NICU for 74 and 77 days. I felt like the last few weeks were they learned to feed were the most frustrating. Good luck! and keep posting these adorable pictures.
Absolutely beautiful babies! So precious. You can definitely see that Rev is putting on some weight in the first picture. Go Rev!
Something just occurred to me as well... I'm sure you have one helluva mom-advice network, but if you're looking for any more advice or mommy musings check out this blog by another mother of four: http://www.mamabirddiaries.com/. The blogger's family structure is similar to yours, in that she has two young children and 16-mo-old twins (only 1 boy in her bunch too). I enjoy reading her blog and thought you might like it too.
Feel your pain about the NICU. Mine was in for a week and the roller coaster ride of wondering when he would get out was painful. Hang in there!
They are precious. I just had to say.
Lovely little ladies. Their hats are so cute! I totally agree about the csection.
wow in that first pic Reverie looks like she has a Winnie The Pooh arm!!! (it's your thumb!)
They are adorable. I will keep my fingers crossed they join you at home soon.
My little boy was born at 32 weeks. He had to stay in the NICU for 78 days because he kept forgetting how to breath and couldn't learn how to eat. I know it's a difficult time, but you will get through this and your beautiful girls will be home with you before you know it.
c-sections are (the fucking) worst! I agree.
I had one in a hospital with my first and then delivered at home with my second two months ago. Vaginal birth is SO different, as you know. I'm glad you got to experience it twice though before your cesarean. I know how necessary they really are when they are necessary (which isn't as often as people think!) But your babe's are beautiful and Hal is adorable holding them! You are blessed.
It's been fun following your pregnancy and seeing these two lovely ladies.
Gorgeous cute little bubbas.
Congratulations!
here's hoping the beauties come home SOON!!!
...and i hear you about the csection...I had one (unexpectedly) with my 4th and it was awful! i could believe women would elect for one!! going for a vbac this time!
Has anyone else said Rev reminds them of Fable or is it just me?
Your babies (all of them) are just adorable!!! not room to put all exclamation points behing that statement.
congratulations
Oh! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! The hats are perfect choices, too. Congratulations on the lovely new additions, and I hope you bring them home soon!
thanks for updating. Us readers are privileged to be a part of this experience with you.
They are gorgeous. Hang in there - before you know it they will be home.
Your babies are so sweet! Have they been seen by a Speech -Language Pathologist (SLP)? Most people don't realize the SLPs are also swallowing specialists. Most hospitals have an SLP on staff to assess and treat patients who may be aspirating while eating/drinking. The NICU staff is probably taking precautions because they want to prevent any liquids from entering the lungs- which could lead to respiratory problems. An SLP can give great advice and strategies to prevent aspiration.. maybe something to look into. best of luck with your pretty little loves!
Hope the girls get to go home soon. They are so darling.
Sorry to hear about your C trouble! My emergency C was pretty much a breeze, but maybe I'm remembering it that way because it was easier than the 42 hours of labor that preceded it.
They're starting to look more alike now. So cute
love love love. They are sooooo precious. I can't get over how much Bo looks like baby Fable. And Rev, like Archer. So cute. I love all the pictures.
Um, I know it's a bit early to ask, but: Would you guys make a baby for me?
Hal's sperm + your golden eggs = jaw-dropping beauty.
Rebecca- Many congratulations!
And also, thank you for not being yet another woman to propagate the myth that c-sections are easy and a good alternative to vaginal birth. It's MAJOR surgery and I wish you and the girls a speedy road to perfect health!
:)
Heart officially melted. Love seeing the new babies. How are the older two holding up with the girls still at the hospital?
I'm sorry they are still in the hospital but better safe.
I just want to cuddle both of them.
Hope you are feeling better. How is Hal holding up with all that is going on. Is he still having to work?
So so so great to see Rev sans tube!
They are so beautiful.
My fingers are crossed your girls will be home soon. Fuck being strong. Sometimes a big old meltdown helps relieve the pressure of keeping it together.
Thinking of you.
Rev looks like she's putting on weight well & catching up to her sister. Go girl!
So cute!
www.handlingwithgrace.blogspot.com
Belated congratulations! I read your blog from work and can't comment from there. The girls are lovely. My sister has twin girls who look nothing alike. Act nothing a like. But they love one another to pieces. You can see them on my flickr page if you're bored. Opal and Lucy. (And their sister Avery, cousins Abby and Ellie.) The twins are three, and the babies. Your kids are amazing. The twins will amaze you in ways you can't imagine! I'm Loribelle A on flickr.
They are so beautiful it breaks my heart. Congratulations, Sweetie. How awesome and amazing and SO CRAZY FUN you family of six will be. And, I'm sure, already is.
agreed c sections are horrific. I had a c section with my first and a VBAC with my second. Having done it both ways I would N E V E R opt for a cesarean. I thought I was going to die!!!
Your little perfectly polished thumbnail in the precious double pics warms my heart! Not to mention the babies themselves!
I just had some surgery "down there" and I can't imagine having a baby to care for after!!! How the heck does anybody do it? I could barely pick up a plate two weeks out and that was a measly surgery for a pendiculated tumor- they didn't even cut uterus. We are practically programmed to fear the pushing and the cutting and whatever- and believe me, I still do- but that gave me a whole new respect for c-section moms who hold it together. Wow.
35 pounds in one week?! HECK YES!!! Hope the babes can eat without problems, so they'll be home soon. You'll be in my prayers. <3 And of course, sweet photo of Hal with his two other baby girls. =o)
Must wholeheartedly agree with you that C-sections suck ass. I've never had a vaginal delivery (much to my dismay) but I had to be induced at 38 weeks with my twins and got to 8cm, then had to have a C-section b/c of hemorrhaging. I had prepared for the possibility (though I wanted to avoid it) but nothing prepared me for how sick all the meds made me, how my body reacted by shaking so violently and uncontrollably that I couldn't even gather myself say hello to my daughter or hold her when she was born. Our doula luckily took over when I was in recovery and breastfed my babies for me (with my boobs, not hers), while I lay there still shaking and out of it. The surgery was the very worst part of the whole experience. Terrifying, freezing cold, so scary (and I'm an ICU nurse). Just want to say I get it... I know how much it sucks, and I'm so happy for you that you have something to compare it to, having given birth to Archer and Fable vaginally. I think it's absolutely nuts that doctors try to convince women that a C-section will be a breeze, and much easier than a vaginal delivery, and don't mention how your body goes into shock or what an invasive, violent procedure it is.
Can't wait to hear your birth story. But even more, can't wait until you are all home together soon, where you belong, in that precious nursery, all loving each other and filled with gratitude and joy.
Hang in there...
So sexy! Happy healing mama! The healing will happen faster when you get those babies home and your life can start! I have no idea why someone would elect for a section, it was the most painful experience ever. My vbac was delightful!
Congrats again, they are gorg!
Congratulations to your family. Hang in there with the NICU, I've been there and know how hard it is. The back and forth, torn between family at home and babies in the NICU, and the driving. But you are so close to being together. Best of luck.
Gorgeous babies - congratulations! And yes, c-sections absolutely SUCK ASS, as I tell every woman I know. I have had two. Recovery takes longer, risk of infection, gross scar that you can still feel two years later with every sit-up, walking doubled over for a few days after the birth, not being able to pick up your toddler for several weeks....all of it. I hear you!
Congratulations to you all, Rebecca. I hope you're all together at home soon. :)
I have to admit, I mourn the loss of your weekly pregnancy posts a little...I'm in my 33rd week and I really looked forward to reading them each Monday. However, these two little ladies are ADORABLE, good work and congratulations!
Hope you the girls had a successful "non-eventful"weekend in the NICU. I hope today brings you good news in bringing home both girls at the same time, if you haven't already.
Okay, that first picture, I melted... I am just hands emerged from a puddle beneath my desk at work right now... reaching up and typing on my keyboard. Adorable, adorable, adorable! You are one lucky and blessed lady!
I am so incredibly grateful to you for sharing your life and story in this space. It has been wonderful to watch your family grow and I'm so excited to hear about all your new adventures.
Just wanted to say thank you.
Congratulations on your lovely babies.
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