Twin Birth Story: Kristy Blouvet

November is Prematurity Awareness Month.  You can read more about it here.   In observation of this, all twin birth stories in November will be about precious preemies.

--- 

If you'd like to contribute your own twin birth story, CLICK HERE to fill out our questionnaire!

Name: Kristy Blouvet

Where do you currently live?  Tampa, FL




How far along were you when you found out you were expecting twins? 6 weeks

Any issues during your pregnancy?  I didn't really have any issues other than contractions all the time. I ended up in the hospital at 33 weeks with contractions coming every 5 minutes.  I was in the hospital for 5 days. They gave me bags and bags of fluid to stop the contractions. When that didn't work they gave me a magnesium sulfate drip for 24 hours (which successfully stopped the contractions). I also received two steroid shots for the babies if they decided to come early. I was sent home on day five under the condition that I stayed in bed; hubby made sure of that.

Memorable/funny moment when you were pregnant: When we told our older two daughters that we were pregnant with twins my oldest daughter (Kendal- 8 at the time) started crying saying she didn't want two babies. This was pretty funny to us because when we were discussing the possibility of adding another baby to the family she said proudly, "Mommy you should have two babies that way there is one for each of us!!" Oh Kendal, thank you for that!
 
Looking back, what is one thing you would tell your pregnant self?  Listen to your body!! If I would have just listened to my body telling me to slow down, sit down, or stop doing certain things I probably would have made it closer to my due date or at least a week or two longer. I am pretty strong-willed so even when my body hurt or I started having contractions I would just ignore it and keep going.

How many weeks/days were you when your twins were born? 34 weeks, 6 days (considered "late preterm infants"):

Baby A's Information:  Olivia Marie
8/18/2013
11:03 am
4 lbs 3 oz
18 in

Baby B's Information:  Charlotte Ann Faith
8/18/2013
11:04am
4 lbs 11 oz
18.5 in

Are your twins identical?  We don't know.  They are di/di so we are unsure.

Did you have a c-section or natural delivery?  C-Section. My two previous pregnancies were c-sections so when we found out this pregnancy was twins it was pretty much a given that we would be having a c-section (we did have a choice and discussed our options but decided a c-section was the best course of action for us). Our c-section was originally scheduled for 38 weeks- of course the girls had different ideas. When I went to the hospital at 34 weeks 6 days my contractions were 2 minutes apart and I was 4 cm dilated, we knew from our visit at 33 weeks that if I came in again with stronger contractions the likelihood of them being stopped again was very small. Our Doctor said we could wait it out but the contractions were getting stronger and coming much closer so we decided to move forward with the c-section that day. All of our friends and family were on stand-by knowing that I could go at anytime. All of our family is out of state with the exception of my sister-in-law and her family who thankfully watched our older daughters for us. The c-section went perfectly and the girls came quickly.  We got to see and hold them both before they headed to the NICU.

Any NICU time? If yes, for what reason and how long?  Yes, they both went to the NICU and stayed there for the duration of my stay. They were both able to breath on their own so it was more of a precaution to watch them and help them gain weight. Charlotte stayed in the NICU for 5 days and was discharged with me. Olivia stayed for 4 additional days, it was horrible to leave her there but she was so tiny under 4 pounds and I knew she needed it.

Did you have any complications after delivery? No complications

How long did you (the parents) stay in the hospital?  5 days

Did your twins stay with you or in the hospital nursery at night?  For the first 4 nights they were both in the NICU my last night Charlotte was able to stay with us in the room.

What are three things you are so glad you had (or wish you would have had) at the hospital?
My camera- I love to take pictures so my camera was a must
Comfortable underwear!! I knew the giant pads were going to happen so it was a must to have the right underwear
I wish I would have packed more clothes for me. I was there for 5 days and I only had 2 items in my bag! Whoops, I must have been too excited to pack for the babies!

Describe one of your favorite moments while you were at the hospital: My absolute favorite moment aside from seeing my twins for the first time was watching my older daughters see their sisters for the first time. The looks on their faces is one I will never ever forget - it was sheer happiness.

If you had one piece of advice you could give an expecting mom of twins, what would it be? Listen to your instincts.  Even if you are a first time mom you still have motherly instincts. I think this is important when you are pregnant and after you have your littles. When Olivia was in the NICU we just kept waiting for her to "gain weight" and "regulate her eating."  Every time we visited they would tell us she was doing great and doing everything they said she needed to do, but then the Doctor would say she wasn't ready. Finally, we asked him, "Why, what else did she need to do?" After asking and pushing him he agreed she was ready to go and she came home that day!!

Kristy's Blog: Living This Perfectly Imperfect Life