Twin Birth Story: Dresden Robins

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Name: Dresden Robins

Where do you currently live?  Lehi, Utah



How far along were you when you found out you were expecting twins? 20 weeks

Any issues during your pregnancy?  Some bed rest, very good pregnancy
 
Memorable/funny moment when you were pregnant: We found out we were having twins halfway through my pregnancy! We went in to find out the gender the day before my birthday and found out it was 2 girls! My husband could not stop laughing, he was totally in shock and couldn't even speak, just laugh. I was crying tears of joy & fear. We planned the ultrasound as close to my birthday as possible so we could do a gender reveal at my birthday lunch. Our entire family had gathered for the lunch and the reveal. Both our families were kinda annoyed we were doing a gender reveal, most wanted to just know over the phone or via text, but we knew it was kinda big news! We met for lunch and were seated after a long wait. My brothers kept saying, "just tell us come on" but I refused. My husband and I wanted to wait til after we all had ordered, but everyone convinced us to spill the beans after we had ordered drinks. We went around the table and I made everyone say what the thought the baby was. The consensus was about 90% boy. I said "well most of you are wrong" pulled out a little dress and said "It's a girl." Everyone started roaring with laughter and everyone in the restaurant looked at us. I waited about 30 seconds and then said "but actually, you are all wrong" pulled out another dress and said "we're having 2 girls." Everyone started screaming! My moms face was priceless and almost everyone had teared up. A few tables over there was a set of twin men, maybe in their 30's and they gave us a big thumbs up. It was the best birthday I've ever had and I will always cherish it.
 
Looking back, what is one thing you would tell your pregnant self?  SLOW DOWN! I felt like I was invincible when I was pregnant and that I didn't need to rest. I worked harder than I should have and wished I would have slowed down and rested more. My girls were very healthy as 35 week preemies, but I wish I could have kept them in longer to avoid the NICU.

How many weeks/days were you when your twins were born? 35 weeks, 1 day

Baby A's Information:  Nora
December 3, 2013
3:09 am
6 lbs 1 oz
18 inches

Baby B's Information:  Reagan
December 3, 2013
3:10 am
5 lbs 3 oz
17.75 inches

Are your twins identical?  No, fraternal

Did you have a c-section or natural delivery?  Both of my girls were breech at 32 weeks so the Dr had us schedule a c-section. I was actually relieved when I heard this, I don't know why, but natural birth terrifies me! The soonest we could schedule a date was December 24. My husband and I were furious, there was no way we were going to be in the hospital for Christmas!

I had been doing NST's for a couple weeks and it sounded like I wouldn't be making it to December 24, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. On December 2 I had an NST and Baby A was very sleepy. They tried everything to wake her up and to get her moving but she was just mellow and not super responsive. The dr wasn't too concerned because she appeared to be sleepy and said to come back the next day for another NST. Thankfully I broke out in a fever that even and had to have an emergency c section in the middle of the night on December 2/3. It sounds weird to be thankful for a fever. But, because I broke out in that fever I was able to have the babies sooner and they were able to catch Baby A's infection.

Any NICU time?  If yes, for what reason and how long?  Our girls were very healthy weights for 35 week preemies. Baby A was born with an infection and was taken to the NICU for antibiotics. Both girls ended up there for 2 weeks because they needed help eating and Baby A needed oxygen.
Baby B ended up coming home 2 days earlier than Baby A. Leaving Baby A at the hospital alone was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I'm pretty sure I cried for 48 hours straight til she came home.

We witnessed a miracle while Baby A was alone though. She had needed just a tiny bit of oxygen 24/7 to keep her blood oxygen level up. Each day there, the nurses would try to take it out and see how long she could last. Some days she could do 1 hour, other days she could go 5 minutes. The first night she was alone, she pulled her oxygen tube out on her own but the nurses didn't notice til morning. At first that scared me when they told me that. But then they told me that meant she stayed at 100% all by herself because of the monitors never went off. She quit the oxygen cold turkey and didn't need to go home on oxygen. We felt this was a huge blessing and miracle. We felt that she knew she needed to get better so she could go home. We know she was not alone, she was being watched over, and not just by nurses.

Did you have any complications after delivery? I did not

How long did you (the parents) stay in the hospital?  4 days

What are three things you are so glad you had (or wish you would have had) at the hospital?
Slippers were a must! But at the time I was so swollen that slippers were the only thing that fit, ha!
I loved having my own pillow, my husband went home the first night and got both out pillows and we are so glad we had them.
Yoga/sweat pants. Once I got out of that hospital gown I was so much more comfortable in my yoga pants. Do not forget these!

Describe one of your favorite moments while you were at the hospital: I had one nurse who was kind of obnoxious, ha. She was older and very outspoken. I am the opposite and was a little surprised at some of the things she said. Looking back now I am so grateful for her. About 5 hours after my c-section she came in, got me out of bed, took me in the bathroom and cleaned me up. She redressed my wounds and rinsed me off. I was a little upset she woke me up in the middle of the night but because of that, I recovered quicker and I was able to get in a wheelchair a few hours later to see my girls in the NICU.

If you had one piece of advice you could give an expecting mom of twins, what would it be?Expect the worst and it won't be that hard ;)  Quit reading books, every baby is different and the books will stress you out. Just prepare to follow your motherly instinct and stick with it. You will know as a mom what is best. And say a lot of prayers!  

Jenny's Blog: dresdencarrie  (For a more detailed version of her birth story, CLICK HERE)