Twin Birth Story: Rebecca

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Name: Rebecca

Where do you currently live?  Overland Park, KS



How far along were you when you found out you were expecting twins? Pretty much right away!

Any issues during your pregnancy?  Holy cow, YES! I am a Type 1 diabetic, so right away we knew I'd be high risk. At 17 weeks my cervix started shortening, and by twenty weeks I was on home bed rest, until finally at 23 weeks we had to have an emergency rescue cerclage placed. Very few doctors will do a rescue cerclage on twins, and it was really risky. 9 weeks of hospital bedrest followed, and after three more weeks of bedrest at home, I delivered boy/girl twins at 35 weeks.

Memorable/funny moment when you were pregnant: We had a lot of memorable moments due to a very stressful and traumatizing pregnancy, not really funny in retrospect, however- I want to tell my story so it can inspire and give hope to other twin moms in similar situations.

Looking back, what is one thing you would tell your pregnant self?  Take it minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. Don't get caught up thinking about all the weeks ahead of you and how far you'll go if you are in the hospital. Focus on getting through it one hour at a time. Every day is a victory worth celebrating. We also have a toddler and if I thought about how much longer it would be until I was home with her I could never have gotten through it. But taking it day by day helps so much. One other helpful tip (I think) is to ONLY look at success stories. Do not make yourself crazy reading all the harrowing, sad, depressing stories and message boards. I made sure to only read positive hopeful stories and I did everything I could to ignore all the crappy statistics and depressing anecdotes my doctors would give me. None of my doctors believed I could make it to 32 weeks given my situation. Not one. They said it couldn't be done and they have never seen a patient in my situation make it past the 32 mark. Believe in yourself!! Believe in your babies! With a positive outlook and a whole lot of faith my babies stayed put until 35 weeks.

How many weeks/days were you when your twins were born? 35 weeks on the nose

Baby A's Information:  Shoshanna Mayim
September 12, 2013
10 am
4 lbs 2 oz
17 1/4"

Baby B's Information:  Meyer Kitay
9/12/13
10:24 am
4 lbs 6 oz
17 3/4"

Did you have a c-section or natural delivery?  Like everything else in my pregnancy- this was complicated! I will try to keep it brief! Basically I woke up one night and realized I was bleeding heavily and having fairly regular contractions. After my MIL arrived we headed to the hospital. The babies were coming and we had to get my cerclage out fast! After an epidural and removing the cerclage, I delivered Shoshanna naturally in almost no time at all. Meyer however, decided to flip around in the womb once Shoshanna had been delivered, and after 24 minutes of two doctors trying to shove him into a better position, he had to be delivered by emergency c-section.

Any NICU time?  If yes, for what reason and how long?  We knew that at 35 weeks the babies would need NICU time, and assumed it would be at least three weeks, which we were ok with because I had to recover from double labor and our daughter had been without me all summer long. But surprise! The babies came home a week later.

Did you have any complications after delivery? I had a painful recovery but thankfully no severe complications. Don't be surprised if you have a good 9-10 weeks of bleeding though. I sure was!

How long did you stay in the hospital? We camped out in the NICU most nights

What are three things you are so glad you had (or wish you would have had) at the hospital? 
Comfly slippers because my feet swelled up like balloons and I could not wear shoes, and healthy food to avoid hospital junk. Also, all my nice skin care and shower stuff to feel a little bit pampered while I was staying the NICU suite with the babies. If you are a NICU mom definitely make sure you have your ipad and laptop with you! Days/nights are long.

Describe one of your favorite moments while you were at the hospital:  We never found out the sex of our babies and I cannot recommend it enough. It was the most joyful moment of my life when the doctor announced for the very first time "It's a ....!"

If you had one piece of advice you could give an expecting mom of twins, what would it be? I have enough advice on twin pregnancy/bedrest to write a book, and am happy to share anything and everything with other moms going through similar situations. Honestly, in terms of once babies are home, we pretty much go with the flow and wing it most of the time. We try to be relaxed and not get caught up with sticking to all the "rules" you hear about. What works for one family may not work for yours. Cut yourself some slack and go easy on yourself. You're not a superhero and neither is your husband.

Rebecca's Blog: Grain-Free Groupie