Name: Jennifer Pargeon
Where do you currently live? Fort Wayne, IN
How far along were you when you found out you were expecting twins? 7 weeks, 6 days
Any issues during your pregnancy? At almost 33 weeks I had a bleeding episode that landed me in the hospital for a few days. They never figured out where the bleed came from, so I was sent home and placed on modified bed rest until 35 weeks. During the two weeks of modified bed rest I started swelling and gained almost 30 pounds of water weight. At 36 weeks 6 days I was diagnosed with mild preeclampsia and we were admitted to L&D that night.
Memorable/funny moment when you were pregnant: The thing I remember most from being pregnant is all the movement. Being 30+ weeks pregnant with twins and watching them both move is quite possibly one of the coolest and most ridiculous things I've ever seen. I felt like Sigourney Weaver in Alien. It looked like something was going to crawl out of my stomach at any time. It because a game to guess whose body part was poking out where.
Looking back, what is one thing you would tell your pregnant self? Make the time to take more pictures. I loved being pregnant. Even at the end when I was huge and uncomfortable, I still enjoyed every minute. Maybe part of that is because it took us so long to get pregnant. I had every intention of taking weekly bump pictures, but I never did. I wish I would have made the time to take more pictures because it was such an amazing time in my life.
How many weeks/days were you when your twins were born? 37 weeks
Baby A's Information: Harrison Andrew
May 16, 2012
8:35 am
6lbs 8oz
19.5 in
Baby B's Information: Brooke Alice
May 16, 2012
8:36 am
6lbs 11oz
19 in
Did you have a c-section or natural delivery? Before we found out we were having twins, I was bound and determined to have a home birth. Once we knew it was twins, that plan quickly changed. We made sure our OB was on board with a natural delivery, and she was as long as baby A was head down. When I was diagnosed with pre-e and told we needed to induce, I cried. A lot. Our OB said Pitocin wasn't necessary, so we agreed to an induction via prostin.
When we made it to L&D I was already having contractions, but nothing productive. Shortly after the prostin was placed baby A's water broke and contractions really started to pick up. There was a lot of blood and it became obvious it was a major concern. About an hour after baby A's water broke, baby B's water broke. There was more blood when her water broke. My doctor walked in a few minutes later and told us a C-section was necessary.
The delivery and recovery is all kind of a blur. I remember being freezing cold and throwing up while on the operating table. I heard the babies cry and then they were taken to the nursery. The next thing I remember was being in recovery and having Rob bring me Brooke to nurse.
Any NICU time? If yes, for what reason and how long? No NICU time. They had low blood sugar at birth and went to the nursery
for a small amount of formula, but they were both back with us before I
was out of recovery.
I also had issues with high blood pressure thanks to pre-e. My levels were all over the place. Some readings were as high as 210/120. The levels were still high when we left the hospital, but were back to 110/60 within a week after delivery.
How long did you (the parents) stay in the hospital? 3 nights
Did your twins stay with you or in the hospital nursery at night? We opted for them to stay with us. It meant very little sleep right from the get go, but it helped us get used to having them with us at night.
What are three things you are so glad you had (or wish you would have had) at the hospital?
1. My laptop was essential. We were able to play music from it, and Rob used it quite often while the babies slept.
2. Our pillows from home. After being in the hospital for a few nights before delivery, I knew their pillows were crap. We brought ours from home and I'm so glad we did.
3. Slippers. I have a great pair of hard soled slippers that I love! It was great to have soft comfortable shoes for walking around our room.
Describe one of your favorite moments while you were at the hospital: Breaking curfew with my besties. A couple of the girls' aunts came up close to the end of visiting hours. They held the babies, stayed while I nursed them, and then the babies went to sleep. The babies' Aunties hung out with Rob and I for a good hour after visiting hours were over. Finally a nurse stopped in and told us they needed to leave.
It was great to see that even with newborn babies, our social life and friends were still there. While the kids do dictate our activities, we still see our friends just as much, if not more, than we did before H and B were born.
If you had one piece of advice you could give an expecting mom of twins, what would it be? Get out of the house as much as possible with the twins when they’re little. H and B went to their first restaurant at a week and a half old. Their first grocery store trip was at two weeks old. I would always make sure to nurse them right before we left, and then we’d have a good two hours before we needed to be home. Getting out with them when they’re little makes it easier as they get older.
There were definitely times when I would finish nursing them, get their diapers changed, go to load them in their car seats and one of them would be crying again because they were still hungry. On days like those, we stayed home. But most days they were happy to sleep as we ran errands or joined a friends for lunch. They are still good when we go out to eat or go to the store, and I’m convinced it’s because they are so used to being out in public.
Jenn's Blog: Our Little Miracles
Lovely. Thank you so much for sharing her story.
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